Ratatouille, a classic one!
So many ratatouille recipes exists, and everyone claims to have the authentic one. So I am not going to do that. What I will do, is tell you which features a good ratatouille should have. To give it it’s true French Mediterranean flavours and feel.
- In my opinion a ratatouille should always be full of the original flavours of the vegetables. Meaning that you should *never add water (or any other liquid)! Leave the vegetables on a very bare simmer during the cooking time, and let them cook in their own juices.
- Secondly a ratatouille should never become mushy. The vegetables should be still recognizable in their nice cubes shapes. The reason why you unfortunaly often see a ‘mushy’ one is because many people just turn the heat up and stir at the end, to reduce the liquid. If you want to keep your veggies intact. Than drain the vegetables, and reduce the liquid on high heat into a syrup. Pour the syrup back over the vegetables together with a good high quality olive oil. The high quality olive oil is of great importance, don’t budget on this.
For me this dish is delicious on it’s own, as a main dish with a nice home-made bread. But it is as well very suitable as an accompaniment to many other dishes. Add some steamed herby potatoes, pasta, or rice. The possibilities with this dish are endless. A true delish in so many ways.
What shall we drink with a ratatouille?
Ratatouille shouts for red. You will need a wine that has enough body to deal with the depth and herby flavours of the dish. An Italian Chianti or an Australian Shiraz would work. But if you want to keep things local, than stay with the area of origin of the dish, which in this case would be a Syrah from the Rhone valley.
Extra note on the wine; if you happen to have some good old full bodied red’s lying in your cellar, like an old Bordeaux. Than you might want to consider opening one for a Ratatouille , or similar type of dish. Because with a plant based diet, these red’s stay often untouched.
Good luck, enjoy the process, and most importantly, … ENJOY eating! Please remember to send me some pictures on Instagram , by adding @haricoco1 to your post.
Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 450 g ( 3 cups) white onions, chopped in parts
- 450 g ( 3 cups) red pepper, chopped in 1,5 cm cubes
- 450 g ( 5 cups) aubergine, in cubes
- 450 g ( 2 + 1/2 cups) courgette, in cubes
- 6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bouquet parsley and bay leaf
- 4 large tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
- 160 ml ( 3/4 cup) olive oil
- salt and pepper, for seasoning
- basil leaves, for garnish (or parsley)
Instructions
- Put half of the oil in a cask iron pot. And sauté the onion on medium heat until soft (not browned)
- Add the red pepper, aubergine, garlic, cayenne and salt, and fry for approx. 5 minutes
- Add the thyme, bouquet of parsley and bay leaf, and the tomatoes, bring to a light simmer.
- After half an hour add the courgette. Continue on a low simmer for another 1 hour.
- Drain the vegetables off, and reduce the liquid until it becomes a syrup.
- Plate the ratatouille (add seasoning) , add the syrup on top, and the rest of the olive oil. Garnish with the basil leaves.
Notes
Eat your ratatouille cold or warm, both is lovely!
Nutrition Facts
Ratatouille
Serves: 4
|
Amount Per Serving: 1 portion
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 490.59 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 37.98 g | 58.4% | |
| Saturated Fat 5.34 g | 26.7% | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium 1505.24 mg | 62.7% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 36.4 g | 12.1% | |
| Dietary Fiber 11.33 g | 45.3% | |
| Sugars 20.4 g | ||
| Protein 6.71 g | ||
| Vitamin A 28.86 % | Vitamin C 219.59 % | |
| Calcium 9.77 % | Iron 13.38 % | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Haricoco
This Ratatouille recipe is part of my new series; ‘Travels of taste‘. We use our taste buds to travel the world and discover the use of our senses and imaginations to meet other cultures through food. So today we find ourselves around the Mediterranean. If you are ready to imagine yourself travelling around the Mediterranean while sensing its salty air & hot summers and tasting its incredible variety of fresh food. Check out my full Mediterranean ‘travels of taste’ post; >>> The Med; Olive oil, herbs & fresh produce.
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