Thai Coconut Ratatouille

I wrote this article for Buffalo Rising about a month ago, but hey, I've quickly become an addict of blogging so forgive me.

For the past month or so, I have been diligently working my way through my garden’s harvest. The first tomato of the season, sliced paper-thin on a bagel, was magical. I was equally enthralled when I grilled some of my zucchini and dressed it lightly with olive oil, vinegar and mint. But this has grown somewhat tedious.
I have made zucchini bread, eggplant parmigiana, zucchini-tomato quiche, zucchini-tomato quesadillas, green bean pate, caramelized green beans, zucchini-tomato pasta, baba ganouj, caponatina and so on and so on. I have also oven-dried several pounds of tomatoes. I have resorted to making green tomato chutney and tomato confit in quantities that beg for large-scale distribution. I have given my friends and co-workers extra produce, even those who I know have their own overflowing gardens.
After several weeks of eating meals composed of the same ingredients, I was yearning for something a little different. I pulled out my go-to cookbook for fresh ideas, Sheila Lukins' All Around the World Cookbook. To develop the book, the author visited 33 countries--on a food odyssey of sorts--and then created her own interpretations of international favorites such as coq au vin, pad Thai and Moroccan tagine. I found this recipe for Thai Coconut Ratatouille in the All Around the World Cookbook, and was finally rewarded with a much-needed respite from my very tired harvest menu.

Thai Coconut Ratatouille


12oz eggplant, 1/2" cubes
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
4oz green beans, trimmed and sliced diagonally
8oz green cabbage, 1/2" strips
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp ginger, minced ∙ 2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemongrass, thinly sliced
1 tbsp cilantro stems, minced
1 cup tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cups banana, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
prepared rice

Sprinkle eggplant with salt and let stand for 15 minutes, pat dry.
Heat stock, add eggplant, cook 5 minutes. Add green beans, cabbage, onion, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and cilantro stems. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Stir in banana, tomatoes and coconut milk, simmer uncovered ten minutes longer. Remove from heat and add cilantro leaves. Serve with rice.

Notes: I didn't use cabbage or lemongrass and it was still good. I think the recipe also called for toasted coconut as a garnish but there seemed to be none of that laying around my pantry.