Ratatouille - The World's Food
The World's Food
Yield: 8
Time: 2 hours
Classic "peasant food", stewed vegetables originally from Provence, France
Ingredients
1 large onion, cut into medium-sized pieces5 cloves garlic, minced
2 yellow squash, cut into medium-sized pieces
2 zucchinis, cut into medium-sized pieces
1 eggplant, cut into medium-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, roasted and skinned, then cut into medium-sized pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, roasted and skinned, then cut into medium-sized pieces
5 tomatoes, de-seeded and cut into medium-sized pieces
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400 F and roast bell peppers for 20-30 minutes on a baking sheet
Preheat oven to 400 F and roast bell peppers for 20-30 minutes on a baking sheet
Step 2
Allow bell peppers to cool and remove the skins, char over open flame to aid in peeling the skins if needed. This helps aid in digestion of the bell peppers
Step 3
Cut the zucchinis, squash and eggplant into medium-sized chunks
Step 4
Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet, place the vegetables down, coat with more olive oil, then generously season with salt and pepper
Step 5
Mixed vegetables together and roast in a 375 F oven for 30 minutes, then set aside
Step 6
Remove the seeds from the tomatoes but keep the tomato juice. Do this by straining the seeds over a bowl. You may need to squeeze the seeds to get all the juice out
Step 7
Cut the de-seeded tomatoes into medium-sized pieces and add to the bowl with the juice
Step 8
Dice the onion and mince the garlic
Step 9
Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil and cook the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes
Step 10
Add garlic, stir and cook another 3 minutes
Step 11
Add the zucchini, squash, eggplant, tomatoes and tomato juice, stir
Step 12
Add herbes de Provence and stir
Step 13
Partially cover the Dutch oven, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour
Step 14
Optional step: Put ratatouille in refrigerator overnight to allow flavors to meld together
Step 15
Just prior to serving, add 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, or adjust to taste