Ratatouille
Preparation and cooking time: 80 minutes
There are as many recipes for Ratatouille as there are cooks who make it. And as many methods. Some call for cooking it all together in one pot for hours, some in separate pots for 30 minutes, some for sautéing first, others for roasting. This is my way, I think sautéing the vegetables first highlights their individual flavors. The one universal is the list of vegetables (although not their ratio) and stirring in fresh basil at the end!
Ingredients:
- 1 small - medium aubergine (eggplant), 350gr, 12.4oz
- 2 small - medium courgette (zucchini), 500gr, 17.6oz
- 1 1/2 large bell peppers, I used 1/2 green and 1 yellow, 240gr, 8.4oz
- 2 medium onions, 220gr, 7.7oz
- 4 cloves of garlic, 16gr, .56oz
- 5 medium tomatoes, 1000gr, 35.3oz
- 5 laurel (bay) leaves
- 2 tbs chopped fresh thyme
- big handful of fresh basil leaves
- 4 tbs olive oil, 54gr, 1.9oz
- salt and pepper optional
Instructions:
- Roughly chop the onions and peppers.
- Mince the garlic.
- Cube the aubergine.
- Slice the courgette in half the long way, then in 1/4" slices.
- Peel and roughly chop the tomato.
- Heat 1 tbs oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté until starting to brown.
- Add garlic and sauté for a minute or two longer. Put onions and garlic (and cooking oil) into a large pot.
- Put the pot (with the onions) on low heat.
- Return the skillet to heat and add 1 tbs oil. Add peppers and sauté until starting to brown and blister. Put peppers on top of onions.
- Return the skillet to heat and add 1 tbs oil. Add courgette and sauté until starting to brown and soften. Put courgette on top of peppers.
- Return the skillet to heat and add 1 tbs oil. Add aubergine and sauté until starting to brown on all sides. Put aubergine on top of courgette.
- Put laurel and thyme on top of aubergine.
- Put tomatoes on top of herbs.
- At this point you can add a bit of salt and pepper if you like.
- Give it a gentle stir or two, cover and increase heat slightly until you hear it simmering.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir it every once in awhile.
- When ready to serve, remove from heat, tear the basil leaves and stir in.
- Note: It took me about 35 minutes to do the chopping and sauteing; everything was tender and well done in 30 minutes but I let it simmer for 45.
Note: This serves 6.
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Nutrition Information |
General Technical Details and Disclaimer:
Measurements in this color are actual measurements used for calculation. If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.
I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it. I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.
My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search
