Ratatouille
I read recipes, read history, and put some thoughts together and reached out to people more knowledgeable than myself in this area because I wanted to make something that was not a cheaper version or simplified rendition of this classic French dish. I wanted to make something Julia Child herself would say, “Well done.” Yes, there is a place for convenience – just cruise my site, you’ll see some corners cut. Here is a recipe, though, dedicated to the culinary purists at heart.
Tie your herbs together with kitchen twine, making a “bouquet garni.” This will make it a lot easier to find the herbs after they have given their all, and discard them after cooking. (I still cannot find everything for my kitchen from our move about 3 months ago. The twine is currently MIA, so I had to just drop my fresh herbs into the pot.)
Please, please, please, use an excellent-quality, extra-virgin olive oil. It will aid in the awesome flavor of your final dish. Lots of recipes call for olive oil, but I like the more intense flavor of an extra-virgin olive oil. Since the cooking heat level is not high, you don’t have to worry about using a lower smoke-point oil. Use olive oil if you would prefer, but be sure it is very high quality.
Try your best to use fresh herbs. The flavor is so much better. However, if dried is all that’s available, use approximately ¼ teaspoon each (oregano, thyme, rosemary).
Be prepared to spend a good chunk of time from start to finish. There is lots of chopping involved. But, the nice thing is, this dish is better the next day, so making the Ratatouille beforehand is convenient and beneficial. Cooking times listed are approximate.
Enjoy!
Ratatouille
Equipment
- Dutch oven with lid
Ingredients
- 4 -5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for sauteing and finishing, divided
- 2 zucchini, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 2 yellow squash, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 onion, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 3 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 eggplants, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes or other small, sweet tomato, whole, or a 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand, drained
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced or minced
- 3 stems fresh oregano
- 3 stems fresh thyme
- 2 stems fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the zucchini and squash. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Sauté the vegetables until beginning to soften and brown lightly, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- Maintaining medium heat, add another tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the onion and bell peppers. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Sauté the vegetables until beginning to soften and brown lightly, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl, and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and sauté until just softening. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring often, until the eggplant is browning and the skins are becoming tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. Add all the other vegetables back to the pan, and gently stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.
- Lower the heat and simmer until the oven is ready.
- Place the lid ajar on the Dutch oven and place in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are further softened and tomatoes are completely soft.
- Remove the pot from the oven and remove and discard the herbs.
- Drizzle any desired oil over the Ratatouille. Serve very warm.
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