Ratatouille Niçoise (Provençal Summer Vegetable Stew)

I will admit upfront that this one is not Portuguese, it is French, from a summer I spent with a friend outside Nice who cooked lunch every single day out of whatever the market stalls had piled highest that morning. Ratatouille was the dish that made me start collecting French recipes at all, and it now sits alongside tarte tropezienne (recipe on the site) and poulet basquaise (recipe on the site) as my little corner of the blog for the country next door.

The name comes from the old French verb touiller, to stir, and real Niçoise ratatouille is nothing like the watery, mushy version so many of us grew up with. The traditional method cooks each vegetable, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, separately before combining them with a simple tomato base, so every piece keeps its own texture and identity instead of dissolving into a single soft mass. It takes a few more dishes to wash, and it is worth every one of them.

This is exactly the season to make it, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes are all at their absolute best from June through August, which is more or less the entire reason I am posting it right now instead of waiting for fall. Serve it warm alongside grilled fish, or the way we actually eat it most often, piled onto toasted bread with a fried egg on top.

Ratatouille Recipe

Prep time: 25 minutes · Cook time: 1 hour · Total: 1 hour 25 minutes · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~180 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped (or 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand)
• 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 bouquet garni (a few sprigs thyme, a bay leaf, and a sprig of rosemary tied together)
• 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Fresh basil, torn, for serving

Instructions

1. Salt the eggplant cubes and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes to draw out excess moisture, then pat dry.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the eggplant in batches until golden on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch; set aside.
3. Add a little more oil and cook the zucchini until lightly golden, about 5 minutes; set aside with the eggplant.
4. Cook the bell peppers the same way, about 5 minutes, and set aside.
5. In the same pan, add the remaining oil and cook the onion until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
6. Add the tomatoes, bouquet garni, and herbes de Provence. Simmer 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
7. Return all the cooked vegetables to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and simmer gently, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is tender but the vegetables still hold their shape.
8. Remove the bouquet garni. Taste and adjust seasoning. Scatter with torn basil and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

• The traditional Niçoise method cooks each vegetable separately before combining, which keeps them from turning to mush, it is a few more dishes to wash, but worth it.
• Ratatouille is even better the next day; the flavors deepen significantly overnight in the fridge.
• This is the season to make it: eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes are all at their best from June through August.
• Serve it as a side with grilled fish or chicken, spoon it over rice, or pile it onto crusty bread with a poached egg on top for a simple summer dinner.