Ratatouille, a French Vegetable Stew

Ratatouille is a French vegetable stew, originating from Provence in Southern France where it was cooked as a dish for the poor. However now it is cooked because it is delicious. Starting with  beautifully fresh Mediterranean vegetables, it is the perfect dish to cook in advance or even the day before you wish to eat it. However my preference is to cook it with a delicious roast lamb shoulder or leg, and both can be timed perfectly to be completed before friends arrive for dinner. I think ratatouille is perfect for eating outside on a warm Summer's night or served as comfort food on a Winter's evening. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to five days, and can also be eaten with chicken or fish throughout the week. 

 In my previous post on my visit to Montpellier in France, I mentioned that I cooked Ratatouille over there, as I needed to make a vegetarian dish. My son's French Mother-in-Law was coming for dinner. I'm sure she has cooked Ratatouille many times before, but she rarely cooks now, so we had a discussion in broken French and English about her cooking method and she said that if time was short, she would cook all the vegetables together. I prefer to cook the onion separately, then the capsicum, garlic and eggplant and then add the other vegetables as I've described below, which results in a casserole with firmer vegetables. The zucchini softens very quickly during the cooking process and I like them to still be a little firm if possible, however it's not essential. If you have the time, the best results for a delicious ratatatouille will be achieved by pan searing each vegetable separately in a different pan to the one you will be using for the finished dish. Browning the vegetables slightly means more flavour, then braise all the vegetables together until all the flavours and vegetables have combined together, about 20 minutes. However not everyone has the time to spend cooking the vegetables separately.

Before I cooked this dish in French Montpellier, I'd been to the Halles Castellane markets in the old town and purchased some beautifully fresh vegetables which were perfect for this dish.  The original French version of ratatouille cooks into a soft stew with the ingredients melding together and mostly losing their shape, but there are wonderful, luscious juices as a result. 

It's versatile.

In addition to the vegetables I have used, you can also use mushrooms, fennel or celery. It's a shame to leave some vegetables out of this dish, so you can even use those greens that are wilting in your refrigerator crisper if you wish. Add a few black stoned olives for some more intensity if you wish. 

Because there are so many seasonal vegetables in a ratatouille, I often can't fit all of them at the same time in my enamelled pot. This is another good reason to chargrill them separately so that they cook down slightly. Often I cook the tomatoes separately in another pan, and then it is easier to add them at the end of the cooking time. The tomato skins can easily be removed during the cooking process, if you don't like the skins in your cooked dish. I find that much easier than blanching the tomatoes first to remove the skins, up to you though. Just be sure not to let too much of the tomato juice evaporate if you cook them separately.

The vegetables I used.

Tomatoes - which are essential for the sauce

Very fresh and ripe tomatoes make the world of difference with a successful ratatouille. The tomatoes in Montpellier were so juicy and with so much flavour. I just loved them. Try to not keep your tomatoes in the refrigerator if you can help it, they are at their best at room temperature. In the Australian summer, that can be almost impossible though.

In season tomatoes purchased at the markets in Montpellier

 Eggplants (aubergines) - the fresher the better. I have eaten ratatouille without eggplant in there, but I adore eggplant, and it soaks up all those delicious juices and brings a lot of texture to the dish as well. 

Onions and garlic  - The flavour base for most savoury dishes I cook, the onion needs to be lightly sauteed separately in extra Virgin Olive Oil to bring out the sweetness and flavour. Garlic - please use the fresh stuff for flavour 

Parsley  - for flavour and as a garnish. It is traditionally French in Summer, but basil and thyme can also be used.

 Capsicums - These bring a sweetness, some colour and some texture to the dish. Add a chilli too for some punch if you wish. 

Zucchinis (courgettes) -These don't need too much cooking as they soften up even after the dish has been removed from the stove.

Coriander seeds, crushed - A lovely spice to use.

 Ingredients:

2-3 eggplants (aubergines) cut into 3 cm cubes

1/2 cup olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 red peppers (capsicums), seeded and cut into 3 cm cubes

6 small or 3 large zucchinis (courgettes), cut into 3 cm chunks

a few crushed coriander seeds

4 large ripe tomatoes 

freshly ground black pepper

freshly chopped parsley or basil

Method:

In  this method, I haven't cooked each vegetable separately before adding to the pot, and it was still delicious.

Unless your eggplant are very fresh and harvested from your garden within a couple of days, place them on a tray and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Cover the eggplant with foil, and press them lightly with a few tins or something heavy for 1 hour. 

This action will squeeze out the bitter juices. Wipe off the moisture with kitchen paper and discard the juices.

Heat the olive oil in an enamelled cast-iron casserole dish from which you can serve the finished dish. Sauté the onion until limp and golden. 

Add the garlic, capsicum, and eggplant, then cover the casserole and cook gently for 40 minutes. 

Add the zucchini, crushed coriander seeds, cooked tomatoes and a grinding of black pepper, and cook for a further 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. 

Stir in the parsley and adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Thanks to the amazing Stephanie Alexander for this original recipe, I make this one a lot, particularly when I have fresh eggplant to use up.

The ratatouille should be moist and juicy, but thick enough to pile on top of a plate. Add more salt and pepper to your taste.

Another way of cooking ratatouille which has been very popular on my blog is the oven roasted method. You can find the link to that recipe here.

Bon appetit,

Pauline x