Meridional Cooking is very healthy and Ratatouille is the archetype of a flavoursome dish excellent for all occasions.
Ratatouille Meridional is a fresh recipe which is typical of the type of cooking around the Mediterranean in the south of France. Originally from Provence, it is basically a vegetable stew. But the flavours of all the vegetables cooked slowly together turns Ratatouille into a stew above all stews. Children do love this dish and don't seem to mind that it contains only vegetables.
Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, however it can also be a main dish combine with a traditional French desert as a Tarte Tatin. It is an easy meal to cook and will impress guests and family equally.
Ingredients for Ratatouille
- 2 large aubergines
- 2 onions
- 2 green peppers
- 2 tin tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- 3 courgettes chopped and peeled
- 2 tbs of herbs (herbes de Provence)
- a "big" pinch of sugar
- salt and pepper
Directions:
Ratatouille Cooking Method:
- Peel and chop the onions, the peppers, the aubergine (cut the slices in 2) the garlic and the courgettes.
- In a large pan or a pressure cooker, heat the oil and add in the vegetables in the following order, stirring as you go along
- First the onion which you fry until transparent
- Then garlic and peppers to be fry for 5 minutes
- Then pour in the tinned tomatoes
- Add Seasoning: herbs, salt, pepper, sugar
- Last but not least the aubergines, there is no need to fry the aubergines as they would absorb quiet a lot of fat.
- If you use the pressure cooker, cooking time is 30 minutes without it will take 45 minutes in a large saucepan with a lead .
- Add the courgettes and continue to cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
Notes:
- Cooking time : 30 minutes in a pressure cooker + 30 minutes without pressure or at least 45 minutes in a large pan. Do not hesitate to cook this dish as long as you can, the more it is cooked, the better the flavours are.
- In traditional Mediterranean household, Ratatouille is cooked late afternoon when the sun comes down and cooking is not such a chore. The dish is reheated in the morning for lunch.
- In Nice, cooks often add a kind of bacon (called lardons) and reduce the amount of salt.
- Here are some side-dish suggestions: lovely with fried eggs, roasted chicken, simply with chunky slices of bread.
- Leftovers, that is if there are any, can be used as filling for crepes or bagels.
The copyright of the article Ratatouille Recipe in Classical French Cuisine is owned by Solange Berchemin. Permission to republish Ratatouille Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
