Chicken and Sausage Ratatouille
Here's a great Dutch oven recipe that uses all of the fresh vegetables from your summer garden. Make it as spicy or as mild as you like by adjusting the amount of pepper flakes that you use.
Ingredients:
3 lbs. boneless chicken breast cut into 2 inch cubes
1 lb. hot Italian sausage cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
3 medium zucchini cut into 1 inch rounds
1 small eggplant cut into 1 inch cubes
2 medium potatoes, cubed
16oz chopped mushrorms
1 28oz can diced tomato
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste
Juice from ½ lemon
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. thyme
½ tsp. basil
½ tsp. parsley
2 small bay leaves
¼ cup white wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Directions:
Cut your eggplant into one half inch cubes, salt and set aside on a paper towel to remove excess water. Heat olive oil in a 12" Dutch Oven and brown the chicken pieces over medium heat. Remove chicken and set aside. Brown the sausage pieces then remove the sausage and set it aside. Add onion, garlic and peppers and cook until tender. Add bell peppers, mushrooms and cook 2 minutes. Add zucchini, eggplant and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 10 minutes. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350°.
For outdoor Dutch oven cooking use 24 charcoal briquettes, placing 15 lit coals on top and 9 coals beneath your Dutch oven. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Serve with pasta or rice.
Serves 6 to 8