Practicing the Art of French Cooking: Ratatouille

I've looked in cookbooks and I've looked online. I've found many variations on this French "peasant dish" but there are quite a few standards to take note of: Eggplant is used as the primary vegetable, and it is accompanied by zucchini, tomatoes, onion, and garlic, most frequently. Most recipes have you cook the vegetables separately and then add them all back into a rich tomato-based sauce that is either baked (where most of the sauce evaporates) or cooked like a stew on the stove.

I'm cheating. I won't be using fresh tomatoes because, frankly, I don't have them right now, and canned tomatoes (especially home-canned tomatoes) are something I've come to appreciate both for the flavor and the ease of preparation (there will be no par-boiling baths and peeling messes here). Aside from that I think I'll keep this version on the stove-top and see what I can accomplish.

Also, the tempeh from two days ago - now enriched with the flavors of garlic and thyme - the two flavor notes I plan to accentuate in the dish itself... it should be delicious! Let's get started, shall we?

Ratatouille

2 large eggplants
2 green peppers
2 onions
4 medium zucchini
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
the tempeh from the previous recipe post

1 quart canned chopped or whole tomatoes (if whole, crush them with your hands - it feels WONDERFUL)

1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper

1) Prepare the eggplants by chopping them into bite-sized cubes. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp salt and set in a colander in the sink to drain for 10 minutes- this gets rid of the slightly bitter taste eggplants can sometimes have. Rinse and pat dry.

2) While the eggplant is draining, chop, but keep separated, the peppers, onions, zucchini, and garlic. In a large pan set over medium heat add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Add the onions with salt and pepper and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 12 - 15 minutes. Remove to a large bowl.

Next add the green peppers with salt and pepper and cook until softened - about 12 minutes. Remove to the same bowl as the onions.

Add more oil to the pan if necessary. Now add the zucchini with salt and pepper and cook until softened, followed by the eggplant in the same manner. Add more oil and salt and pepper to each vegetable to taste.



3) If your pot looked anything like mine, there will likely be some delicious brown bits on the bottom. Add the tomatoes to the pot with no more than 1/2 cup chicken stock if the tomatoes lack liquid.



Once the liquid heats up, make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot, then add the garlic, salt and pepper, and thyme. Let this mixture come to a boil, then add all of the vegetables back into the pot. The liquid should not cover the vegetables.

4) Bring the ratatouille to a boil and cover, reducing the heat to low, for about 30 minutes. Stir the stew occasionally. If, after the thirty minutes the sauce is still thin and plentiful, increase the heat to medium - medium-high and allow it to reduce for about another 30 minutes. That's about how long it took me.



5) Every recipe I've seen also claims that this is even better the next day which is why it's perfect for dinner this week. Anything that reheats and tastes better the next day is delicious by me.

An interesting note - despite it's French country origins, the process and result are remarkably similar to a vegetable curry, like Rebecca B's off to the side... with the exception of the crazy indian spices that is... still, it's delicious!