Print

Classic Ratatouille

Classic Ratatouille
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4 from 1 review

My take on the French classic. Fun fact: the signature dish Rémy serves at the end of Disney’s Ratatouille isn’t technically a ratatouille. It’s a tian, an artful arrangement of sliced vegetables atop a tomato sauce base. Ratatouille, on the other hand, is more of a stew. It usually involves cooking chopped vegetables with a good amount of olive oil and Provençal herbs until the vegetables are nice and soft and an almost jammy sauce forms. My recipe isn’t 100% traditional but it is delicious! It calls for pre-salting the aubergine and courgette to drive off some of the excess moisture and uses a few non-traditional ingredients.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Vegan, Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium courgettes
  • 1 large aubergine
  • 1½ tsps fine sea salt, plus more
  • 2 onions
  • 2 large sweet pointed red peppers
  • 4 large garlic cloves
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh basil, plus extra leaves to finish the dish
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • 100 ml white wine
  • 2 x 400 g tin good-quality whole peeled tomatoes, hand-crushed
  • 200 ml vegetable stock

Instructions

  1. Slice the courgettes into 2 cm thick rounds and chop the aubergine into large chunks. Transfer the courgette and aubergine to a large bowl. Add the 1 ½ tsp salt and toss to combine. Transfer the vegetables to a colander or oven tray and let sit for 30 minutes. The goal is to drive off some of the excess moisture.
  2. Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients: 1) Slice the onions and peppers. 2) Thinly slice the garlic cloves. 3) Tie the thyme, rosemary and basil sprigs together with twine. Set aside.
  3. Pat the courgette and aubergine dry with kitchen towel.
  4. Heat a generous glug of extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat.
  5. Working in two or three batches, cook the courgette and aubergine, stirring frequently, until they begin to take on some colour, around 5 minutes per batch. You may need to add additional extra-virgin olive oil in between batches. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl.
  6. Reduce the heat down to medium and add a final splash of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the onions and peppers and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, around 8 minutes.
  7. Add the garlic and herb bundle and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, then add the white wine and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated, around 2 minutes.
  8. Add the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock and season well with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
  9. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
  10. Stir the courgette and aubergine into the sauce and turn the heat up to medium. Bring the ratatouille to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for a further 20 minutes.
  11. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Tear in a small handful of fresh basil leaves and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with crusty bread or steamed rice – enjoy!

Find it online: https://zenaskitchen.com/classic-ratatouille/

Search