Ratatouille Pie

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Ever since I made that eggplant torte last month, I've been thinking about what other kinds of vegetable pies that I can make. Then the thought occurred to me, why not make a ratatouille pie? It's a classic dish with a flavorful combination of vegetables. I thought it's worth a shot.

Turns out, it isn't bad. I'd probably still prefer the classic dish over the pie, but the pie is still pretty delicious, even without any cheese. Now, this isn't something that can be whipped up after work, unless you plan to eat dinner at midnight. But the pie reheats very well if you make it ahead.

For the crust (or halve the whole wheat yeasted olive oil pastry recipe):

• 1 teaspoons of active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup of lukewarm water
• 1/8 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 of a large egg, at room temperature, beaten
• 1/8 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of unbleached flour (more as needed)
• 1/3 teaspoon of salt

For the pie filling:

• 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 medium zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 green bell peppers
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of herbs de provence
• 1 large egg, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle salt over eggplant and zucchini slices and allow vegetable to sit for 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, dissolve yeast in lukewarm water (between 80 degrees and 120 degrees) and add the sugar. Beat in the egg and olive oil. Combine mixture with all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it a few times. Place the dough into a bowl and cover the bowl. Allow the dough to rise for an hour.

In a large skillet, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil. Add minced garlic, canned tomatoes including juices, herbs de provence, salt and peppers to taste. Cook the mixture in medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes until it thickens. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Place the green bell peppers into an oven-proof skillet and under the boiler for 5 to 7 minutes. When the skin becomes charred, turn the bell pepper. Repeat until all sides are charred. Place the bell peppers in a bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Peel the skin from the bell peppers. Slice the bell peppers to remove the core and the seeds.

Blot eggplant with paper towels to remove excess salt and moisture. Rinse the zucchini slices and drain. Roast eggplant slices, zucchini slices and onion slices in 450 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Turn out the dough and knead it a couple of times. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes. Roll the dough out into rounds and line the pie pan. Layer roasted eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, in that order, into the pan. Mix the cooled tomato sauce with one beaten egg and layer the mixture on top. Spread the tomato sauce so that it covers the pie. Bake in 375 degree oven for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for another 20 minutes.

We paired the pie with some salad. It's really a meal in itself. It's delicious and healthy, although a little grated Gruyere on top never hurt anyone.