Ratatouille & Sausage Potpie with Cornmeal Biscuit Topping (Eatwell Recipe 37)

This recipe caught my eye as I was browsing the food and dining section of the NY Times web site recently. I'm a sucker for any kind of potpie and since I also like ratatouille and cornbread I figured I'd give it a try.

The weather here in Berkeley has suddenly turned autumnal and this dish feels very appropriate for fall -- it's hearty, comforting fare that uses up the last of the late summer vegetable bounty -- zucchini, eggplant, sweet peppers, tomatoes, basil...

The sausage in the ratatouille and the cornmeal in the biscuit topping give this dish a little extra substance and interest and the fresh basil, thyme and parsley add extra flavor.This is a perfect dinner for one of the brisk, early evenings we've been having lately.

Plan to spend roughly an hour and a half making this since you have to make the biscuit dough first and then there's a bunch of slicing, dicing, roasting and sautéeing involved. It's worth the effort, though.

-- print recipe --
Ratatouille and Sausage Potpie With Cornmeal Biscuit Topping
Serves 4

Ingredients

For the biscuits:
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup fine cornmeal
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 3/4 cup sour cream or plain whole milk yogurt
* Milk

For the ratatouille:
* 1 large eggplant (1 1/2 pounds) cut into 1-inch chunks
* 3 small zucchini ( 3/4 pound), cut into 1-inch chunks
* 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3/4 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
* 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
* 1 red pepper, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
* 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes
* 4 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or basil.

Directions

1. For the biscuits: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Fold in the sour cream. Gently knead mixture until it comes together in a ball, adding a drop or two of milk if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. For the ratatouille: In a bowl, toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread vegetables in a single layer on one or two large baking sheets (do not crowd vegetables). Transfer to oven and roast, tossing occasionally, until golden, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large, deep, preferably oven-proof sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Crumble sausage into pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.

4. Return pan to medium heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Stir in the onion, pepper, garlic and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and thyme sprigs; simmer gently until tomatoes are cooked and mixture is stew-like, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sausage, roasted vegetables and parsley. If you are not using an oven-safe pan, transfer mixture to a 2-quart gratin dish or baking pan.

5. Divide biscuit dough into six equal balls. Use your palm to flatten each ball into a 1/2 -inch-thick disk. Arrange on top of ratatouille mixture. Brush biscuits lightly with milk.

6. Transfer skillet or pan to oven and cook until biscuits are golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

A few more recipes you might like:

• Grilled Eggplant Stacks With Tomato, Feta & Basil
• Provençal Vegetable Tian
• Sweet Corn and Zucchini Gratin with Fresh Basil

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