Monday, February 17, 2014

Classic Ratatouille

One of my favorite dishes has got to be ratatouille.  It's nutritious and delicious - I usually serve it as a side dish to accompany a meal - think steak, roast chicken, a pork chop etc.  One of the best meals I have ever eaten in my life included ratatouille - I think I was 16 and in the south of France, eating lunch outside with some family friends on a gorgeous day.  My plate consisted of filet of beef with a dark mushroom jus and ratatouille, and it was just the right combination of savory flavors.

This recipe is very good and IS simple, but takes some time and patience.  The key is to saute the pepper, eggplant and courgette (zucchini)  all separately.  If you do this, your ratatouille will be one step above the masses.

Ratatouille
Makes 4 servings as a side

Ingredients
1 eggplant, cut into small cubes
1 courgette (zucchini), cut into small cubes
1 yellow or red pepper, cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and gently broken open
1 can of tomato sauce (8oz) 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
few sprigs of fresh thyme

Method
1.  Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a shallow, wide pan
2.  Add eggplant and saute over medium heat, stirring frequently until fully cooked (approximately 10-15 minutes) then remove to a bowl - eggplant is cooked when it's completely soft and starting to brown slightly around the edges
3.  Repeat steps one and two with courgette and pepper, respectively - courgette and peppers take less time than eggplant - they will both start to look quite translucent and brown slightly around the edges when done
4.  In the empty pan, add a bit more olive oil if necessary
5.  Add onion and garlic, and saute until onion is soft
6.  Add tomato sauce and thyme, stirring in the pan for one to two minutes
7.  Add back pepper, courgette and eggplant to the pan
8.  Season with salt and pepper, and stir all together
9.  Cover with lid and simmer over a low heat for 10-20 minutes