Cookbook:Ratatouille I

| Provençale recipes | Vegan Cuisine

Ratatouille is a traditional Provençale stewed vegetable dish that can be served as a meal on its own, accompanied by rice, potatoes or French bread, or as a side dish. It can be served hot or cold.

Ingredients

 * Olive oil
 * 1 onion
 * 1 clove garlic, or to taste
 * 1 eggplant (aubergine)
 * 1 bell pepper (green, red, yellow or a combination)
 * 2 zucchini (courgettes)
 * 6 medium tomatoes, ripe (juicy), peeled and seeded
 * salt and pepper to taste
 * Herbes de Provence to taste or 1 small bunch basil (optional), chiffoned

Procedure

 * 1) Put a large casserole on the stove on medium heat.
 * 2) When the casserole is hot, add enough olive oil to just cover the bottom.
 * 3) Cut the zucchini and eggplant into ½ inch slices. Then, cut these into rectangles of about 3x1 inches. Add to the casserole.
 * 4) Sauté the slices until light brown; remove from pan and set aside temporarily.
 * 5) Chop the onions and garlic. Cut the green pepper into strips or dice, as preferred.
 * 6) Add some additional oil if needed, and cook the onions and peppers slowly for about 10 minutes until tender but not brown. Stir in the garlic.
 * 7) Peel and seed the tomatoes. Dice them or cut them into quarters, add to the casserole. Add some salt to bring out their juices. Cover and lower the heat.
 * 8) Five minutes later, check to see if the tomatoes have made enough juice to almost cover the vegetables—if so, perfect; if not, add water as needed (not too much).
 * 9) Add salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence to taste. In general, 1 tsp of salt, ½ tsp of pepper, and 1 tbsp of the herbs will suffice.
 * 10) Add the zucchini and eggplant back and blend gently with the tomato-onion-pepper mixture. Cover the casserole and let simmer on low heat until the vegetables are tender but still intact, 10–20 minutes, or to taste.
 * 11) Remove the lid, raise the heat a little and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes, basting frequently until the liquids have mostly evaporated, leaving a small amount of juice and olive oil.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * Increase quantities to serve more, and add different vegetables as desired for variation.
 * When ratatouille is used as a filling for savoury crêpes or to fill an omelette, the vegetables are sometimes cut into smaller pieces.
 * While most recipes do not brown the onions, if you like them browned, brown them. Food traditions have always been subject to individual interpretation.
 * N.B. It is important that each of the vegetables retain its own shape and character. Most authorities agree that ratatouille should not be a mush. Avoid overcooking. Sautéing the eggplant and courgettes initially helps retain their shape and improves their flavour, but is optional. Of course, if you personally prefer a more homogeneous dish, it may be cooked for 45 minutes to 1 hour, but this is unusual.