Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise. Originally hailed as a peasant dish, it is a mix of various vegetables like bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, onion , garlic, bay leaves and thyme with tomato being the key ingredient.
There is a great debate on how Ratatouille is cooked and recipes mention three ways of doing it, saute the veggies on a wok, stew it and bake it in a casserole dish.
I first came across this word when I saw a movie poster from Pixar with a grey rat in it. During my first trip to europe, I saw this word again in the menu of my office canteen at Nokia House and decided to taste it.
Since then I fell in love with this dish and cooked it in many different way.
I am going to describe one of my stint with cooking Ratatouille,, the stew method. My recipe does not contains zucchini as it is not my favorie. Anybody who wants to be true to the original form can just add Zucchini (or its also called courgette) in the recipe.
Ratatouille Stewed in a pot
1 1/2 cup de-seeded and diced tomatoes
Directions
Set a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan.Add a tablespoon of sugar. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the eggplant and a table spoon of dark wine vinegar to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, broccoli and bell pepper to the pan. Also add the Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Oregano,Paprika Powder, Rosemary,Bay Leaf,Salt and a hint of olive oil and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.
Finally add the tomatoes, another tablespoon of Vinegar and some freshly ground black pepper and cook it well over high heat for 4-5 minutes, constantly stirring the mixture till it is well mixed, Sprinkle some water in the process if you feel things are getting burned.
Once it is well cooked, transfer the whole mixture into a deep metal pot with lid. Add two to three cups of water (or chicken stock if you want). Mix well and let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 mins.
Check regularly and occasionally stir it so that it does not stick or get burned at the bottom of the pot. Once the water has dried into a thick gravy, the stew is ready.
Serve it hot with pasta or bread or salads. You may add a hint of citrus juice and some pepper for garnishing.
Alternate Method:
Instead of stewing it, you may also bake the dish.
Take a baking casserole dish. Sprinkle it with Olive Oil. Transfer the well fried and mixed veggies from the pan onto the baking dish. Add half a cup of water and mix it. Top it with some Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.
Preheat a Oven to 200 degree Celsius. Bake the dish for about 15 mins, until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese has melted and got a hint of golden brown.
Set it hot with toasted bread.
Note
I have added the paprika powder & bay leaf to give it a Mediterranean touch. You can also add some chopped green chilies and garnish it with Red Chili Flakes for the same..
Ingredients
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| Ingredients |
2 cups of diced red, green and yellow bell peppers (capsicum)
2 Large Red Onion, diced
2 cups of Eggplant, cut into squares
200 gms of Brocholli
150 gms of french beans, cut into inch long pieces
5-6 cloved of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon of Dark Wine Vinegar
1/4th cup olive oil, plus more needed
1 tablespoon of Basil Leaves dried (freshly cut basil leaves can also be used instead)
1 tablespoon of Parsley leaves (I used dried ones)
1 teaspoon of Rosemary, oregano and thyme each
1 teaspoon of Paprika powder (can be replaced with Kashmiri Mirch powder)
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 bay leaf
2 bay leaf
Salt and freshly grounded pepper
Chicken Stock(Optional)
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| Onions and garlic being fried |
Set a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan.Add a tablespoon of sugar. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the eggplant and a table spoon of dark wine vinegar to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, broccoli and bell pepper to the pan. Also add the Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Oregano,Paprika Powder, Rosemary,Bay Leaf,Salt and a hint of olive oil and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.
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| Added the eggplant |
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| Added the mix to the stewing p |
Once it is well cooked, transfer the whole mixture into a deep metal pot with lid. Add two to three cups of water (or chicken stock if you want). Mix well and let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 mins.
Check regularly and occasionally stir it so that it does not stick or get burned at the bottom of the pot. Once the water has dried into a thick gravy, the stew is ready.
Serve it hot with pasta or bread or salads. You may add a hint of citrus juice and some pepper for garnishing.
Alternate Method:
Instead of stewing it, you may also bake the dish.
Take a baking casserole dish. Sprinkle it with Olive Oil. Transfer the well fried and mixed veggies from the pan onto the baking dish. Add half a cup of water and mix it. Top it with some Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.
Preheat a Oven to 200 degree Celsius. Bake the dish for about 15 mins, until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese has melted and got a hint of golden brown.
Set it hot with toasted bread.
Note
I have added the paprika powder & bay leaf to give it a Mediterranean touch. You can also add some chopped green chilies and garnish it with Red Chili Flakes for the same..
