“I love to travel, and those adventures often influence my cooking. But the best part about living in Vermont is having access to these amazing veggies, cheeses and butter. This recipe draws on my love of gorgeous colors and varied textures. This dish may look fancy but it’s the kind of creative comfort food I love to serve.” 

— Matthew Birong, Chef/Owner of 3 Squares Café, Vergennes 

Serves 2 to 4

1 pound fava beans
1 pound shelling peas
3 bunches French breakfast radishes
1⁄2 pound chanterelle mushrooms
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 eggplant
5 tablespoons canola oil, divided Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound cipollini onions
4 cloves garlic, chopped 
1⁄4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped marjoram
1 tablespoon cultured butter (Vermont Creamery or Ploughgate Creamery work well)
1⁄4 cup grated tomme or Gruyère cheese (try Mixed Drum from Twig Farm in West Corn- wall or Landaff from the Cellars at Jasper Hill in Greensboro)
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Preliminary preparations:

Clean and blanch fava beans in boiling salted wa- ter, rinse under cold water, then slip off their outer skins. Shell peas and blanch briefly. Save yourself a step and re-boil the same water from the fava beans.

Cut breakfast radishes in half lengthwise and roast briefly in a sauté pan until just beginning to soften and turn lightly golden.

Trim chanterelles, cutting larger ones in half. Halve cherry tomatoes. Medium dice eggplant.

Preheat oven to 350°. In a hot sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons canola oil, salt and pepper then add whole cipollini onions. Roast in oven for 7 minutes, cool and peel onions, cut into quarters.

Ratatouille Assembly:

In a hot sauté pan, add 3 tablespoons canola oil and chopped garlic, and sauté lightly. Add cherry toma- toes, sauté until skins become lightly blistered. Add chanterelles, sauté 3 minutes. Add diced eggplant, sauté until tender (3–5 minutes). Add blanched peas and roasted cipollini onions. Add white wine, sauté until liquid is reduced to 3⁄4 of the original volume. Add chopped parsley, marjoram, radish halves and fava beans. Finish with 1 tablespoon cultured butter. Garnish with grated cheese and toasted pine nuts. Serve hot.