For those of you who saw the movie Ratatouille ages ago, but
have never really had the Provençal dish, I want to let you know one
thing: traditional ratatouille
doesn’t look anything like the dish in the movie. A picture of perfectly mandolined and shingled vegetables
does not resemble what I first tasted in France. (There is, of course, a recipe out there from a fancy chef,
from which the movie took its visual representation. Kids who saw the movie
begged their mothers to make something so extraordinarily delicious, and were
quite disappointed that it didn’t actually look like that. My guess is that it doesn’t taste
nearly as good as the real thing).
My first ratatouille experience came from a roommate’s mother; one
weekend she brought home three or four jars of what looked like spaghetti
sauce, but what tasted like the sun in the south of France. Since then, I’ve been on a quest to
recreate that ratatouille each and every summer.
This is the best time of year to make ratatouille. All of the basic ingredients are in
season: eggplant (aubergine),
zucchini (courgette), tomato (tomate), garlic (ail), onion (oignons), bell
pepper (poivron), herbes de provence.
Some ratatouilles add different ingredients or make substitutions. The basic recipe is wonderful, however,
as long as all ingredients are fresh.
The little secrets I’ve learned throughout the years? Grill or roast the eggplant chunks
before adding them to the rest; you will avoid the bitterness and strange
texture of sautéed eggplant. Also,
this is a stew, but don’t cook it too long. After the ingredients are all sautéed, mix them together
(without completely destroying the tomato chunks) and simmer for only about
five minutes or so. Third, take
the thing off the stove, let it cool, put it in the fridge, and wait until
tomorrow to re-heat and eat it.
The flavors meld together perfectly overnight. Finally, don’t make the mistake I’ve made for years and make
army-sized batches. Like jam or
preserves, for some unknown reason the flavor is superior in small
batches. It’s delicious by itself
or over couscous or rice.
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| My jar of summer deliciousness |
So, my loose attempt at a recipe:
One medium-sized eggplant or 2-3 small Japanese eggplant,
peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
One large onion, chopped
Three cloves of garlic, chopped
Two small or one large bell pepper (I prefer yellow, orange,
red or purple, but green is OK too), cut into 1-inch pieces
One medium-sized zucchini, cut into ½ inch quarter rounds
Two 14-oz cans of whole tomatoes, cut into large chunks, and
the juice of one can OR 3 large/5 roma tomatoes, cut into large chunks
Herbes de provence (1 T. or to taste); alternately, use a
combination of any of: fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram, savory
Salt and drain cubes of
eggplant on paper towels for a few minutes, then toss in a tablespoon of olive
oil. Roast under broiler or at 400
degrees until lightly browned on all sides. Meanwhile, sauté onion in another tablespoon of olive oil
until starting to brown, add garlic for a minute, then pepper and
zucchini. Saute for a few minutes,
then add in roasted eggplant, tomatoes and herbes de provence. After it’s brought to a boil, turn down
and simmer for 5-10 minutes (no lid) or until the very soupy tomato liquid is
reduced and you could eat the stew with a fork. Serve over couscous, rice, or pasta, or as a side dish of
vegetables.
It might even taste good
while watching an animated movie about a rat who’s a chef.
