Ratatouille

 

This French delicacy has its roots in Nice and it's much loved and relished by the French throughout the country and beyond.When I was studying in France, I was lucky enough to try  different versions of it. I have to admit each dish that I tucked in was different (cooking styles vary and change with family-recipes) and yet, the one thing that was constant was the usage of aubergine, garlic, tomato, onion and olive oil. Depending on your cooking time, your dish could have a more chunky texture or a silky smooth one. In my personal opinion, what really makes the difference is how well you grill the vegetables before you put them in. Ratatouille has very humble ingredients and is vegetarian which means everyone can enjoy it. Depending on what your texture is, you could serve it with toasted bread or even on rice or couscous. 

I am sharing with you a simplified version of the dish that was taught to me by my French friend. I found the process immensely satisfying and eventually, the taste was so good that I really didn't mind the work we put in it. In fact, that's one of the days that I continue to cherish even after all these years because once the pot was on low heat simmering away, we grabbed our glasses of wine and talked. 

Here's how you make this delicacy -

Ingredients to serve 4

1 big aubergine 

1 big zucchini 

5 cloves garlic sliced finely

2 big onions chopped

1 big bay leaf

2 twigs of thyme

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (optional)

3 big tomatoes

1/2 teacup extra virgin olive oil

3 bell peppers chopped up

Salt to taste

Ground pepper

Basil leaves torn up 

Olive oil (used in salads as topping)

Method

Wash all the herbs and vegetables well and pat them dry.

Cut the zucchini and  aubergine into slices as shown below. Not too thick, not too thin. 

Add some salt and ground pepper to coat them.

On a non-stick pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil and spread it around. 

Layer the zucchini and aubergine in batches and allow them to grill.Once they get brown spots, turn them around to grill the other side. It takes a bit of patience to do this because you can't just put all the slices at once. But it's an important step and affects the taste so please don't take short cuts here. Use olive oil as when necessary.

Once done, collect in a bowl. 

Heat a deep big pot and add olive oil. About 3 tablespoons.

Once hot, add the chopped onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaf.  If you like a bit of heat, you can add a few paprika flakes but I don't add them. 

Stir-fry well on low heat. 

Once the onion turns slightly brown, add the tomatoes and chopped bell peppers. 

Allow the tomatoes to soften before you add a dash of white wine vinegar (if using). 

Mix well and then add the grilled vegetables to this mix.

Stir in gently and then cover the pot and allow to simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes. 

Please make sure you are on the lowest heat so as to cook this uniformly and not burn the vegetables. 

Do open the lid after every 20 minutes to mix the vegetables and then allow to cook again. 

If you keep them that long, the vegetables disintegrate and form a smooth sinewy mix. You can keep them for just 30 minutes but that will just keep the vegetables chunky. 

Finally, check the seasoning. Add more ground pepper or salt if needed. 

Top with Basil leaves, pour some olive oil and serve hot. 

You can store any leftovers and freeze though with the above proportions that serve 4, you won't have any leftovers. You can double the quantities to get more servings. Hope you enjoy making and eating this. Bon appetit!