Ratatouille is a French dish of steam vegetables. You can serve this as a main dish or a side dish and is a good way to pack vegetables in your menu. This is one of the vegetables dish that I really like to make especially during Summer when I have an abundance of Zucchini, Eggplant and Tomato in my garden. It could get intimidating to make, but it is really simple. For me, this is one dish that is worth my time.

Have you seen the movie Ratatouille? If you haven’t, I highly recommend that you watch it. My friends told me about this movie long time ago, and since then they had been convincing me to watch it. It took a while before they convinced me , and I am glad I gave in and finally watched it. I did not just like it, I love it! I think this brings out the kid in me, and my passion and love for food.

Ratatouille is about Remy the rat who loves to cook and dreams of being a chef. His adventures and dream started to come true when he ended up in a sewer beneath one of Paris’ finest restaurants. He created this Ratatouille dish which became huge part of the story. I wouldn’t give away the details in case you decide to watch it. It was very interesting, fun, colorful and full of passion for food kind of movie. I was so inspired with the Ratatouille dish in the movie that I decided I had to make it.

Ratatouille is a vegetable stew dish that uses different kind of colorful vegetables that works well together when cooked. It’s very flavorful and healthy vegetable dish if made properly. The baked version has a tendency to be bland and that’s the major challenged in my making this dish. Being a 100% vegetable dish, the flavor and taste will depend heavily on the base sauce. The vegetables when baked slowly for a long time will absorb the flavor of the sauce, which means if your sauce is bland, the vegetables will end up bland too.

This is why it is very important to use good quality and fresh vegetables when making this dish. Be generous with the seasonings, and use good herbs and spices. Also, make extra sauce for later use when you serve it. Ratatouille when done properly is a very versatile dish. Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

• 1 large fresh Tomato
• 1/2 large Bell Pepper (red, yellow or orange. Can be a mix of all three) – roasted or fresh
• 1 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
• half of medium size White Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic – minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh Basil about 3-4 large leaves, sliced , plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence spice mix (or any of dried or fresh rosemary, oregano and thyme)
• salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp each, adjust to your preference)
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Paprika Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated White Sugar
• 1/2 medium White Onion – diced

For the Vegetables

• 1/2 large green Zucchini thinly sliced
• 1/2 large yellow Squash thinly sliced
• 1/2 large Eggplant thinly sliced
• 3 large Roma Tomato thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Lightly grease baking dish or skillet and set aside.
2. Cut a cross on both top and bottom of the tomato.
3. Boil water, then add tomato for 45 seconds ONLY. Remove and transfer in a cold water to stop cooking. Remove the tomato skin starting from top or bottom. The tomato skin should come off easily. Diced the tomato and set aside.
4. Add olive oil in a heated pan. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add onion, bell pepper and tomato. Add all herbs and spices. Set aside to cool then puree in a blender.
5. Season generously to taste. Adjust to your preference. I like mine spicy so I added quite a lot of peppers.
6. Pour half of the tomato mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth it into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
7. Arrange the veggie slices in alternating patters (e.g. zucchini, eggplant, tomato; repeat) and follow a circular pattern. If you are using a square dish, then do it by rows.
8. Spray or brush the exposed tops of the veggies with oil and sprinkle with extra salt and pepper or herbs and spices.
9. Cover with foil to avoid burning. This will also steam the veggie.
10. Bake for about 1 1/2 hour, until the tomato sauce at the bottom is bubbling and the veggies are tender.
11. Garnish with additional chopped fresh basil or mint before serving (optional). Serve hot or cold. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days

Serves 2-4

7 Ways to Serve Ratatouille

• As side dish to meat, fish and seafood dishes
• As mixed in with pasta
• As mixed in with salad
• As pair for baguette, especially nice when served on toasted baguette with poach egg
• Can be served as appetizer
• Can be served with bake eggs and beans
• Can be served on top of Naan Bread

I hope this is enough reason for you to make it. It is very versatile and can be used in so many ways.

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Try it and let me know how it goes. Feel free to share this recipe and let’s get the community baking!

Quote of the Day

I know I’m supposed to hate humans, but there’s something about them. They don’t just survive, they discover, they create…I mean, just look at what they do with food! ~ Remy of Ratatouille

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