Ratatouille is one of my favorite dishes to place in the center of the dining table.
It is a beautiful dish, filled with diverse flavors. In every bite, a deep, aromatic memory is aroused, going back to generations of French mothers and grandmothers preparing the Ratatouille.
WHAT YOU NEED
The Roast:
- 2 Bell Peppers (I use yellow and red)
- 1 Jalapeno
The Sauce:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 large juicy tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¾ cup dry white wine (or water)
- 1 large onion
- 2 carrots
- 3 celery sticks
- 5 garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp of butter (optional, but worth it!)
- 1 tbsp of thyme leaves
- 2 sage leaves
- ¾ tbsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 10 basil leaves
The Veggies:
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 Yellow squash
- 1 Butternut squash
- 1 or 2 thin Japanese Eggplants (or 1 regular Eggplant, but it will be bigger in size)
The Seasoning:
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 2 sage leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp of thyme leaves
HOW TO MAKE
The Roast:
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C
- On a baking tray lined with parchment paper, massage the bell peppers with some olive oil and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove the bell peppers from the oven and wrap them in parchment paper. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes - this makes it easier to peel and deseed.
- Lower the oven heat to 380F/180C (you will later put the Ratatouille inside to bake).
The Sauce:
- In a blender, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and white wine. Blend until you get a smooth mixture. Set aside.
Note: if you do not have a blender, use a grater.
- On a cutting board, coarsely chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic.
- In a braiser pan, or any oven-safe pot, on medium heat, add the olive oil and chopped onion. Saute until soft, for about 3 minutes.
- Add the carrot, celery, garlic, butter, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Stir well and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add the blended tomato mixture to the pot and stir well.
- While the sauce is cooking, peel and deseed the roasted bell peppers. Chop them coarse and add to the pot.
- Stir everything together, lower the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the sauce to a blender, add the basil, and blend until smooth.
The Veggies:
- Using a mandolin (or a knife) thinly slice the tomatoes, yellow squash, Butternut squash, and eggplant. Each slice should be about half an inch in thickness.
The Seasoning:
- On a cutting board, mince the garlic, and chop the thyme and sage thinly.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil with the garlic, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.
- Set aside.
The Ratatouille:
- In an oven-safe braiser pan, pour all of the sauce.
-
On top of the sauce, neatly arrange the thinly sliced vegetables. I like to arrange my vegetables in an alternating pattern of a slice of tomato followed by a slice of yellow squash, Butternut squash and eggplant and repeat the pattern.
I start the pattern at the edge of the pan and slowly make my way to the center. - Pour the seasoning mixture on top.
- Cover the beautifully arranged dish with parchment paper.
-
If using a round pan, I fold my parchment paper in half, then I fold that half into a triangle by folding the far opposite corners to one another. Then I fold the triangle into half and another half again. At this point, I have a long, thin triangle.
Then, I take the tip of this long triangle and place it in the center of my pan and cut the parchment paper where it meets the edge of the pan. Now, when you unfold the parchment paper, it should be in a circle shape that perfectly fits the size of your pan. - Place the Ratatouille in the oven for 2.5-3 hours at 350F/180C.
Serving suggestion:
- Chop some parsley and sprinkle on top. I love it with Tahini on the side.
