Ratatouille is the great vegetable stew of Provence, built from whatever the summer market has piled highest: eggplant, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes, slowly softened in olive oil with garlic and herbs. It sits alongside tarte tropézienne (recipe on the site) and poulet basquaise (recipe on the site) in the French corner of the site.
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.
Make it in high summer: eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes are all at their best from June through August. Serve it warm alongside grilled fish, or piled onto toasted bread with a fried egg on top.
Ratatouille Recipe
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
- Salt the eggplant cubes and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes to draw out excess moisture, then pat dry.
- 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.
- Add a little more oil and cook the zucchini until lightly golden, about 5 minutes; set aside with the eggplant.
- Cook the bell peppers the same way, about 5 minutes, and set aside.
- 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.
- Add the tomatoes, bouquet garni, and herbes de Provence. Simmer 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 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.
- Remove the bouquet garni. Taste and adjust seasoning. Scatter with torn basil and serve warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy our recipes? Add Maria’s Cookbook as a preferred source on Google to see more of our content in your search results.
