Ratatouille

A delicious and healthy way to eat veggies.

Ratatouille is a French Provençal stewed vegetable dish that have many interpretations.

Although eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers are standard ingredients to ratatouille, you can add other veggies such as carrots or yellow squash. Mushrooms also add a delicious flavour to the dish.  

There are different methods of preparation. I like the one that sautéed the vegetables one by one and add them to a pan for later slow cooking.

Some people like their ratatouille to attain a smooth and creamy consistency so the cooking time increases.

what you need:

• 1 onion thinly sliced 
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• olive oil for sautéing the veggies
• 350 gr eggplant cut in small cubes (abou 1 eggplant)
• 120 gr zucchini scrubbed and cubed (about 1 small zucchini)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium carrot cubed or sliced
• 350 gr roma tomatos, with no skin and seeds, chopped (about 5 to 6 tomatoes)
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth

for the seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste
• piment d'espelette to taste

Optional: 

• 1/4 cup yellow raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste or 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
• other veggies

what to do:

Have a large pan ready to put the ratatouille ingredients in it and another to sauté them individually.

In a large pan sauté the onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and sauté for about a minute.

Sauté the bell peppers in a skillet until it browns a little bit then transfer to the large pan. 

Sauté the zucchini until it browns a little bit then transfer to the large pan.

Sauté the eggplant until a bit brown then transfer to the large pan.

Add the vegetable broth to the sauté pan to deglaze. Stir and transfer to the big pan.

Season with salt and piment d'espelette. 

Add the thyme and bay leaf.

If you want you can add more garlic, raw and finely chopped.  

Stir everything, cover and let it cook in low heat for about 25 to 40 minutes stirring occasionally.

Remove the bay leaf before serving.

OR

You just use a large pan. First sauté the onion and garlic and then add each vegetable and let them cook a bit, about 5 minutes, before adding the next.

This is the order: tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant.

Then finally add the broth, salt, piment d'espelete, thyme and bay leaf.

Let it cook for 25 to 40 minutes over low medium heat, stirring occasionally. 

Remove bay leaf before serving.