Summer

Classic Ratatouille

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Although Ratatouille is sometimes used as a generic term and can have many variations, it is traditionally made entirely of summer vegetables and is typically considered a summer recipe. Aside from being totally in season, the dish has other advantages for the summer in that it can be refrigerated for several days and it is excellent served hot, cold or at room temperature. It also can be served as a main course over rice or as a side dish to many meat or fish recipes.

In French culinary school, we learned that, for a perfect ratatouille, each ingredient should be cooked and seasoned separately and then simmered together briefly at the end. While this has the advantage of ensuring that each ingredient is cooked and seasoned exactly right the added time and effort makes it seem more appropriate for a restaurant kitchen than for your home after a long day at work. The recipe I’ve put together here only requires one pan and allows all the vegetables and spices to stew together, taking less time and bringing all the various flavors together.

Variation to this recipe could easily incorporate other vegetables but the problem remains of finding ingredients that are currently in season. One resource I’ve found to be excellent for just this purpose is a book by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page called The Flavor Bible (Little, Brown and Company, 2008). It is an encyclopedia of foods listed with their peak seasons and cross-referenced with other ingredients that pair well with it. It’s an excellent resource for anyone who wants to grow as a chef or even just explore the possibilities of creative cooking. That, of course, includes cooking with the seasons.

Classic Ratatouille

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Onion chopped fine
  • 4 cloves Garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife and minced
  • 3 Japanese Eggplants split lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1 small Zucchini split lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • 1 small Red Bell Pepper chopped
  • 4 Plum Tomatoes chopped coarse
  • 1/8 tsp ground Coriander
  • 1/8 tsp ground Fennel
  • 1/4 tsp ground Cumin
  • 1/4 tsp Curry powder
  • 1/4 cup fresh Basil leaves or fresh Cilantro chopped fine
  • Vegetable or Canola oil
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Spread cut eggplant flat on a dry paper-towel and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
  2. In a large, heavy skillet heat about 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add a pinch or two of salt to taste.
  3. With the heat still on medium high, stir in the bell pepper and cook for about 2 minutes (if it seems too dry you can add a little more oil). Add the tomatoes, half of each of the dry spices and salt to taste. Cook for another minute.
  4. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the eggplant is softened. Then add the zucchini and the rest of dry spices. Mix well and reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes till all the vegetables are done. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Mix in the fresh herbs just before serving.

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