…is one of my favorite dishes. I love it, mostly because it blends together some of my favorite ingredients in a culinary symphony. Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, sometimes red bell pepper (if I have one), and fresh herbs are combined in a sort of vegetable stew. It is good warm, room temperature, and even cold, in a sandwich filling or as part of an antipasto spread. I use it for filling omelets, combined with mozzarella, over pasta with feta, or plain as a side dish for sautéed chicken.
There are variations of the dish throughout the Mediterranean. But essentially, it is simply a ragout of sautéed vegetables. The flavorings can be varied to suit your preferences. Add or omit various seasonal vegetables as you see fit. I almost always deglaze the pan with white wine after I sauté the onions, but I’ve also used balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar and red wine with equal success. I like to use fresh basil and oregano to finish the dish- dried herbs will also work (just add them earlier on in the preparation to allow the flavors to develop).
There are many ways to go about making ratatouille. One begins by sautéing onions, then adding sliced eggplant and zucchini, followed by the tomatoes. That will work wonderfully, and really doesn’t take very long at all. If you’d like a deeper, more “oven roasted flavor”, or want to prepare this ahead of time, after you finish with the tomatoes and herbs, turn the mixture into a baking dish that has been coated with olive oil. Bake it for 15-30 minutes, (covered, to prevent moisture loss). An other method is more time consuming and involved, but creates deeper, caramelized undertones that I think are worth the extra trouble. Sauté the onion, eggplant, and zucchini separate. Then combine them together in a large sauce pan, deglaze with wine or vinegar and add the tomatoes and herbs that way.
Whichever way you go, make sure you season well with salt and pepper early on, and continue to taste as you go.
There are variations of the dish throughout the Mediterranean. But essentially, it is simply a ragout of sautéed vegetables. The flavorings can be varied to suit your preferences. Add or omit various seasonal vegetables as you see fit. I almost always deglaze the pan with white wine after I sauté the onions, but I’ve also used balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar and red wine with equal success. I like to use fresh basil and oregano to finish the dish- dried herbs will also work (just add them earlier on in the preparation to allow the flavors to develop).
There are many ways to go about making ratatouille. One begins by sautéing onions, then adding sliced eggplant and zucchini, followed by the tomatoes. That will work wonderfully, and really doesn’t take very long at all. If you’d like a deeper, more “oven roasted flavor”, or want to prepare this ahead of time, after you finish with the tomatoes and herbs, turn the mixture into a baking dish that has been coated with olive oil. Bake it for 15-30 minutes, (covered, to prevent moisture loss). An other method is more time consuming and involved, but creates deeper, caramelized undertones that I think are worth the extra trouble. Sauté the onion, eggplant, and zucchini separate. Then combine them together in a large sauce pan, deglaze with wine or vinegar and add the tomatoes and herbs that way.
Whichever way you go, make sure you season well with salt and pepper early on, and continue to taste as you go.
Josie's Efficient Ratatouille
-Josie
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