Ratatouille
Ratatouille
My herb garden is flourishing right now, so I have been making recipes that allow their amazing flavour to shine. The base sauce in this ratatouille is chalk full of fresh basil, parsley, thyme and rosemary. It is important to have a full-bodied sauce, because as the vegetable slices cook down and release their juices, it can dilute the flavour. This recipe hits the mark, especially when served with a slice of toasted sourdough, rubbed with fresh garlic.
Yields: 3 - 4 servings
Ingredients
Vegetables
1 medium eggplant – sliced ¼ inch thick
1 medium zucchini - sliced ¼ inch thick
1 bell pepper – seeded and sliced in large chunks
1 portobello mushroom – sliced ¼ inch thick
2 Roma or cocktail tomatoes – sliced ¼ thick
2 teaspoons olive oil for roasting
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
Sauce
¾ cup onions - diced
½ cup carrots - diced
2 fire roasted peppers (jar or canned)
½ large (796ml) can salt-free diced tomatoes
2 tablespoon fresh garlic – minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil or 3 teaspoons dry
2 tablespoons fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dry
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dry
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dry
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Olive oil for sautéing - optional
Steps
Preheat 375 F
Slice your vegetables, about ¼ of an inch thick. Toss them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay the vegetable slices out evenly on a baking sheet. I use two large trays, one for the zucchini and eggplant and the other for the mushrooms and peppers. Roast until softened, but still firm enough to stack in baking dish. While the vegetable slices are roasting make the sauce.
In a large saucepan, sauté onions in a little oil, water or broth. When the onions are translucent, add the garlic and the carrots. When they start to soften, add the roasted peppers, tomatoes, salt and pepper. If you are using dry herbs rub them in you palm to activate them and add them to the sauce. Simmer for 10-minutes. If you are using fresh, wait until the sauce has already reduced a bit before adding them.
Taste the sauce – adjust the seasoning if needed. If you want a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to break it down a bit. I prefer to leave it chunky. I like the rustic look.
Spread the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish – I used a 2-quart enamel pot. Smooth it out. Lay the sliced vegetables in the dish to make a pretty pattern. There are fewer tomato slices than the other vegetables because too many tomatoes will dilute the sauce. When the dish is filled with the vegetable, cover it and place it on a baking sheet to catch any spillage during cooking.
Bake for 20 minutes covered. Then cook another 20 minutes uncovered.
I like to serve it with a slice of toasted sourdough rubbed with garlic. Ratatouille can keep in your fridge for 4-5 days. It reheats well. I like to pre-make and assemble all the elements, so all I have to do is bake it before we eat.
You may have some extra sauce. I freeze it for another day to use on a pizza or when I want a single serving of pasta.
