This week's tasty morsel comes courtesy of the inimitable Shannon B, Gun Bun tour guide extraordinaire.
What started as a quick ratatouille provencale out of the old standby Joy of Cooking became an improvised colorful cubist still life thanks to the bounty of my friends' gardens. The generous team in the tasting room includes several gardeners -- almost all the ingredients were brought in to share.
Bundschu Garden Club Ratatouille
1 medium eggplant
1 pound zucchini, from Pedro's garden in the vineyard
1 jalapeno - from Jeff W's garden (I didn't have an onion, so I decided to take it up a notch!)
3 small tomatoes - from my own potted plants on the patio
1 bunch rainbow chard - grown by Carol, our gardening guru
3 cloves fresh garlic
rosemary olive oil - a gift from a generous wine club member shared by Diane B
Dice everything. Saute garlic in oil until soft. Add the eggplant, zucchini and jalapeno and cook about 10 min until slightly brown on all sides. Add tomatoes and chard, cover, lower heat and cook 15 minutes more. Salt & pepper to taste.
I'd brought home the half bottle of 2006 Pinot Noir left at the end of our day in the tasting room, and toasted to the great combination of flavors and people that made my dinner so memorable.