Homemade Ratatouille

Preheat oven to 270 F.

For the base:
1. Coarsely chop the celery, carrots and onions.
2. In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and saute the mixture of celery, carrots and onions along with the garlic and seasoning (salt and pepper) for 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomato puree. (You can make your own tomato puree or use canned but I use canned because it’s so easy and available).
4. Add the sprig of fresh thyme and 1 pinch of herbs de Provence. (herbs de Provence is simply a mixture of dried savory, fennel, basil, thyme and lavender).
5. Cook in the pan for another 10 minutes then remove pan from stove and allow to cool.
6. Upon cooling, put the mixture into a food processor and puree until the consistency is smooth.
7. In a circular 2.5 quart oven safe baking dish, make a layer at the bottom of the pan evenly so that the sauce covers just the bottom and is not on the side.
8. Let that sit while you make the top layer.

For the top layer:
1. Slice the zucchini, yellow squash and 2 Roma tomatoes into thin medallions.
2. Layer the 3 vegetables in sequential order in a spiral (place them lightly) around the outer layer of the pan then work your way in towards the center. This is the portion that you can use your creativity and form different patterns on top of your dish but make sure to completely cover the top leaving no spots where the bottom layer is showing.
3. Drizzle the olive oil evenly on top of the ratatouille and garnish with the chopped parsley.
4. Cover the dish with the lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven to cook for 3 hours and 20 minutes.
5. After cooking for 3 hours and 20 minutes, remove the lid or foil and bake again with the top off at 350 F for 20 more minutes to crisp up the top.
6. Then remove the dish from the oven and set it on a rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

To garnish and serve:
1. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve with fresh ciabatta bread that is drizzled with olive oil. Enjoy!