Drumroll for the Ratatouille with a baked egg.

O. It is not ratatouille with baked egg yet.

This all started here http://ediblerhody.com/blog/ratatouille-baked-eggs/

I wrote to the lovely http://adriana-gallo.com/about/ Adriana and asked if I could share her illustration.
She responded quickly for which I am grateful because this story is not complete without her painting.
I gathered ingredients from Whole Foods and Jon's Marketplace. I didn't have individual baking dishes
since I left a dozen of them behind in Rhode Island so I took myself out in the night and found a pair.

Then I chopped and chopped, and discovered that I had no thyme. How can I have not thyme?
Put the chopped eggplant on paper towels with salt to sweat, and ran down the street for thyme.

Chopped some more and finally began to cook.

Onions with lots of garlic and salt and pepper and smoked Chili flakes. This is California.
Carmalized the onions to light brown. No closeup of the onions because the last time I did that the camera
needed major cleaning from olive oil. This shot is dangerous enough.

Eggplant. Smaller Japanese eggplant. Eggplant is a magical thing. Cooking up silky and smooth.

Added the zucchinis and bell peppers and Compari tomatoes, juicy and sweet.
Looking like Ratatouille now!
With basil from the balcony and the thyme from up the street.
 
And a secret ingredient. Ground fennel. Not a lot.
You can see I am pretty serious about grinding up fennel.
Simmered the whole mess, turned on the oven, oiled the baking dishes, and added the egg.

Finally. Ratatouille with a baked egg.
Don't overcook the egg! I had to put some Parmesan on there. Had to.
This is so good I could have it for breakfast lunch and dinner for a month.
♥Chloe