Skip to main content

Ratatouille

Whenever I make ratatouille at home there never seems to be enough of it to go around.  I always make a big batch for us to eat, because I love having leftovers for work lunches or as a filling for omelets.  There is no one formula or one absolute-best recipe for ratatouille (pronounced RAT-AT-OO-EE).  If you've seen the movie by the same name, then you know that the recipe made by the adorable chef rat Remy, was the work of world-renowned chef, Thomas Keller--he was the food consultant & stylist for the animated movie.  Keller's version is more of a tian (a casserole) that uses paper thin slices of vegetables and gets baked in the oven au gratin.  The one I like to make is more country-style, therefore a bit more forgiving and casual.  Not only is it very good, but it's one of my favorite ways to eat these vegetables.     


The Ingredients

  •  1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 6 baby Italian eggplants, cut into 1" chunks
  • 3 large zucchini (1 1/2 lbs.), cut in half lengthwise & sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • One 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes, crushed with your hands
  • 4 sprigs flat leaf Italian parsley
  • salt & pepper

Note: any other type of eggplant can be used.  If you happen to use the more readily available, larger ones, peel them. 


In a large pan or Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over a medium flame.  Add your onions and bell pepper and saute until softened, about 4 minutes.  Salt & pepper to taste, then add your dried thyme & basil, stir well.  Add your garlic and saute for 2 minutes more.

 
Add your chopped eggplant and zucchini and saute this for another 3 minutes.  Salt & pepper again.  Make sure you give everything a good toss, so that nothing sticks or starts to burn.  


Add your crushed tomatoes carefully.  Give everything a good stir and add a bit more salt & pepper.

 
Aren't you tempted by all these Good Things?


Mix everything thoroughly & bring it up to a good simmer.  As soon as you do, cover with the lid and lower your heat to medium low.  Let this simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring 2-3 times as it cooks.  Check for doneness and make sure everything is fork tender; you may need to add several minutes to this.  This will all depend on the freshness of your vegetables & how thick you actually cut them.  Taste for seasoning & add more salt and pepper if it needs it.

Yield: At least 6 servings.


The stew is done and every vegetable is still intact.  Although it's stewy, I haven't let the entire dish turn into mush.  I've had ratatouilles that were almost complete purees, but I've never cared for those versions. 

۩
Right before serving, sprinkle the entire dish with your minced parsley.


I like to serve it in a pasta bowl with a generously sized spoon. 



This does make a good side dish to grilled chicken, duck breasts or even baby lamb chops.  If you're a vegetarian or even a vegan (I know plenty of people who are), this can certainly become a main course when accompanied with a nice helping of rice, quinoa or even as a topping on pasta (I love it with penne).  Treat yourself, your friends & family members to some of my ratatouille this summer.  Even if you find it difficult to pronounce, you're going to find it a very easy & Good Thing to eat.  Enjoy!

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank You for Posting!

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass
49 comments
Read more

Vintage Wilton Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes have certainly evolved over the decades just as tastes and styles have in our American way of life.  There was a time when elaborate & very formal towering feats of sweetness were the standard for every bride & groom.  Growing up in a household where I witnessed several wedding cakes take shape from start to finish, I can tell you  that every single one of these was a true labor of love.  For mom, Wilton was the go-to supplier in every aspect of cake baking, including the wedding cakes which flew out of our house every single year for friends & family.   Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers It’s fun going back and looking at Wilton’s methods and styles for wedding cakes during the 1960s and 1970s.  Back then, the shapely cakes were not simply stacked and covered in perfect fondant the way they are these days, but were iced and decorated with real buttercream, along with a multitude of accessories.  There was even a working fountain available that could b
8 comments
Read more

Collecting Jadeite

With its origins dating back to the 1930s, jadeite glassware began its mass production through the McKee Glass Co. in Pennsylvania. Their introduction of the Skokie green & Jade kitchenware lines ushered in our fascination with this jade color.  Glassmakers catered jadeite to the American public as an inexpensive alternative to earthenware soon after the Depression, both for the home and for its use in restaurants.  The Jeanette Glass Company and Anchor Hocking introduced their own patterns and styles, which for many collectors, produced some of the most sought after pieces.  Companies marketed this beautiful glass under the monikers of jadite , jadeite , jade glass , jad-ite , jade-ite , so however you want to spell it, let it draw you in for a closer look.  If you want a thorough history of the origins of jadeite, collectors’ pricing, patterns & shapes (don’t forget the reproductions in 2000), I highly suggest picking up the book by Joe Keller & David Ross called, Jadei
48 comments
Read more