WSVN — Our special summer cooking series continues tonight with our very own Phil Ferro large and in charge in the kitchen. Ratatouille is on the menu as we grab a Bite with Belkys.
The Chef: Phil Ferro. You know him as WSVN's Wizard of Weather. He's got South Florida forecasts down and he also cooks up a storm in the kitchen.
Phil Ferro: "I do enjoy cooking with the family, for the family."
With son Elliot and daughter Claire, it's a Ferro family favorite.
The Dish: Caribbean Ratatouille.
Phil Ferro: "An explosion of vegetables and spices all in one and it's a healthy dish. You can't ask for anything better than that."
Start by chopping the vegetables and for this dish, the more hands the better.
Phil Ferro: "Unfortunately it's like painting 'cause there's a lot of prep work before you get to it but once you do, it's fantastic."
Phil Ferro: "Chopping's done and now it's time to get cooking and boy are we going to cook."
Pour olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Then add chopped onion, green pepper and garlic.
Phil Ferro: "So this is where we cheat 'cause we could get some real garlic but we buy the kind that's already minced."
That's OK, Phil. We won't tell! Stir it all up until the onion becomes translucent then add tomatoes and eggplant.
Phil Ferro: "We start stirring the whole thing for about ten minutes.
Now Elliot mixes up the spices; Basil, sage, salt and pepper. Add that to the pot, along with a half cup of wine.
Phil Ferro: "The other half cup goes for dad."
Stir well and when it bubbles, add tomato sauce and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. While that's cooking, Phil and Claire do a little jamming.
Bet you didn't know Phil is a former 70's rocker, playing with his old band UHF.
Phil Ferro: "It was kind of a mix between rush and deep purple. Like my son says, wanna be's."
OK back to the kitchen 'cause now it's time to eat. Claire plates with rice then adds a generous serving of the ratatouille. Serve it all up with nice crusty bread.
Phil Ferro: "So kind of like this Bite with Phil, we recommend paring our Caribbean Ratatouille with a fancy lemonade. That's because it's European. So straight from the Ferro kitchen, may we present you with the Caribbean Ratatouille."