A true French classic!
A lot of the time people think of Ratatouille lately as the version that’s been popularised by the Pixar movie, but the traditional recipe is much more simple and less cumbersome. At its core, it’s a simple dish, a vegetable stew that you can serve as is, with some meat or simply as is.
The key is good ingredients, a little bit of patience and a good appetite 🙂
Servings
4
Prep time:
30min
Cook time:
30min
Difficulty:
Easy
Ingredients
- 1 Aubergine
- 1 Courgette
- 1 Medium Onion
- 5 Medium tomatoes
- 1 Bell pepper
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 or 3 Garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
optional: Provence herbs like Thyme and Rosemary make a great additions but are not absolutely needed
Notes:
Part of a good ratatouille is making more than you need. This is the type of dish that gets better the next day. Making enough for 2 portions or more is a good way to get the most out of it.
You can easily freeze your leftovers or keep them in your fridge for up to 5 days.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Chop your vegetables in chunks big enough to fit into a table spoon but not too small, otherwise you’ll end up with a puree. Aubergines tend to oxydize quickly so I do them at the end, but the order in which you will cook them is important so keep that in mind whilst you prep.
Step 2
Heat a casserole dish (dutch oven or the likes) to medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onions, chopped garlic and the bay leaves and cook them until golden.
Step 3
It’s time to add the other vegetables. Here, it’s important to know that each will cook at different speeds. The texture of a ratatouille is mushy but not completely either. I find that starting with Aubergine and courgette first yields the best results. Then add the bell peppers and tomatoes once you have cooked the first 2 for about 10 minutes or so.
Step 4
10 minutes after adding the tomatoes and bell pepper, add the tomato paste, salt and pepper and let it simmer for another 30 minutes. If you want to add rosemary and thyme, now would be a good time to do so. Continue to simmer until some of the juice have evaporated.
Step 5
Once it’s simmered to your liking (basically depends on how “watery” you want your dish to be, the juices from all the vegetables won’t evaporate completely), it’s ready to serve. It’s hearty enough to be a dish on its own, but otherwise will be perfect as a side dish to a steak, roasted fish or if you fancy, you can mix in an egg or two at the end to make a sort of shakshuka inspired version.
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