After perusing the produce at my local farmers’ market last weekend, all I could think was: “I must make ratatouille.”
The ingredients I use to make it — eggplant, zucchini, onion, garlic, tomatoes and peppers — were pristine, packed with flavour and sure to make my ratatouille a summer sensation.
Ratatouille is a vegetable dish believed to have originated in the south of France around Nice. A few sources suggest the word ratatouille is from the French ratouiller and tatouiller, two expressive forms of the verb touiller, which means to stir or toss.
It’s a popular summer dish in France and internationally because it’s not difficult to make, it tastes good and you can serve it warm or cold, the latter option being welcomed when the temperature outside is soaring.
Chopping and stewing the vegetables in olive oil and flavouring them with herbs is typically how ratatouille is made. How that is achieved can vary from recipe to recipe.
For example, some simmer all the ingredients together until they’re stewed. Others cook the eggplant and zucchini separately and then add them to a saucy mixture made from the tomatoes, onion, garlic and peppers.
Once that’s done, the ratatouille is simmered and finished on the stovetop, or baked in the oven.
In today’s recipe, I took the latter approach, roasting the eggplant and sautéing the zucchini separately, before adding them to a fresh tomato mixture. This method gives the eggplant and zucchini more character and makes them stand out better, even after they are simmered with the other ingredients.
I like my vegetables to have a little bite, so I don’t cook my ratatouille for quite as long as some other recipes suggest. If you do like them extremely tender, once the eggplant and zucchini are added to the pot, exceed my suggested cooking time until the vegetables have that texture.
Ratatouille can be served as a side dish, accompanying fish, sausages, roast chicken or grilled meats such as lamb, beef or veal. It could also be served as a vegetarian main course, with boiled potatoes, rice or pasta. Ratatouille can also be used to fill crêpes, tart shells or omelettes. When served cold, the ratatouille can be spooned on to a plate alongside paté. sliced ham or other cured meats, cheese, hard-cooked egg and bread.
Summer Farm Market Ratatouille
The eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, peppers and garlic used in this tasty version of ratatouille were purchased at my local farmers’ market. They were bursting with flavour and so, not surprisingly, was my ratatouille.
Preparation: 35 minutes
Cooking time: One hour
Makes: Six servings
2 small eggplant (each about 12 centimetres long and 7 cm wide), unpeeled, cut into 1-cm cubes
6 Tbsp olive oil, plus some for drizzling
4 ripe medium tomatoes, peeled (about 550 grams; see Note 1)
1 small yellow zucchini, cut into 1-cm cubes
1 small green zucchini, cut into 1-cm cubes
1 medium onion, cut into 1-cm cubes
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-cm cubes
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp herbs de Provence (Note 2)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• chopped fresh parsley to taste (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the eggplant on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and toss with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Roast 30 minutes, stirring once, or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
Coarsely chop the peeled tomatoes and place them and any juices on the board in a bowl. Set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp of the remaining oil in a wide pot set over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook until lightly browned on all sides, about five minutes. Scoop zucchini out of the pot and into a bowl. Set the zucchini aside.
Place the remaining 2 Tbsp oil in the pot. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and lower the heat to medium. Sauté these vegetables until softened, about five minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and herbs de Provence and cook one minute more.
Add the chopped tomatoes, wine and water to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer. Partially cover and simmer 15 minutes. Mix in the sautéed zucchini, roasted eggplant and salt and pepper to taste. Partially cover and simmer 15 minutes more, or until the vegetables are quite tender and tasty.
Taste the ratatouille and add additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature or cold. (For the latter, cool completely at room temperature then refrigerate.) If desired, just before serving, drizzle the ratatouille with a little olive oil and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.
Note 1: To peel the tomatoes, bring a medium to large pot of water to a boil. Cut the stem end out of each tomato. Cut a small, shallow X into the blossom (curved) end of each tomato. Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for one minute. Lift out of the water, set on a plate and let cool a few minutes. Now pull the skins off the tomatoes; they should slip off easily.
Note 2: Herbs de Provence is a French-style blend of dried herbs available in bottled herb and spice aisle of most supermarkets and at specialty food stores.
Eric Akis is the author of Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.