Ratatouille is a traditional French Provencal (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) stewed vegetable dish that originated in Nice. The full name of this dish is ratatouille niçoise. Besides the fact that properly, made this dish is delicious, the reason that it is so popular is that (like any traditional dish) it is cheap, convenient (because it can be eaten hot or cold), and relatively easy to make.
Before I came to Montreal, I lived in Marseille, France, but I was born in Nice, a beautiful place full of beautiful people. Ratatouille has a special place in my heart. In my family, we all live all over the world and we do our best to get together during Christmas holidays and during that time each Sunday after church, the whole family gets together and we have ratatouille. I can picture it now: my parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends coming in from the cold and having a warm home cooked meal, passing the gigantic pot of ratatouille around the table. It really warms my heart. It’s always been a part of my life, you could say, or any person that comes from Nice. I mean to say if you live in Nice, it isn’t anything special or out of the ordinary―it’s the people you eat it with, and the love that was put into making it that makes it special. We are very proud of our ratatouille, and trust me, you haven’t had good ratatouille until you’ve had home cooked ratatouille in Nice.
Recipe
Ingredients
– 3 zucchinis
– 1 eggplant
– 1 green bell pepper
– 1 yellow bell pepper
– 1 red bell pepper
– 4 tomatoes
– 2 medium sized onions
– 2 cloves garlic
– salt
– pepper
– herbs of choice (e.g. thyme, basil, bay leaf)
– olive oil
– sugar
Procedure
- Wash all the vegetables.
- Cut all the bell peppers into small pieces, then put them aside in a small container.
- Dice the eggplant and put them aside.
- Slice the zucchinis in round slices.
- Cut the onions and garlic into thin slices and set them aside.
- Cut the tomatoes into small cube shapes and set them aside.
- In a big pot, pour in 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
- When the oil is heated, throw in the onions and stir until they are transparent (this happens quickly so constantly keep an eye on it).
- Add all of the bell peppers and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, then lower the heat. Add the eggplant and stir again for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, stir, then cover the casserole.
- Let it sit at low heat for 30 minutes, checking and stirring occasionally.
- After 30 minutes of cooking, add tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, herbs, and a pinch of sugar.
- Remove the lid and let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. If you want to let it simmer longer, be sure to put the lid back on so it doesn’t dry out.
- This dish is typically served over either rice, pasta, meat or an omelette.
- Depending on your taste, you can add things like black seedless olives, carrots, etc.
- For those who do not want tomato peels, make sure to peel the tomatoes before you cut them. To facilitate this, plunge tomatoes into boiling water for approximately 30 seconds.
- Fresh vegetables are of course ideal, but you can also use frozen vegetables.
- Some people will prefer to sauté the zucchini and eggplant separately, while the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bell peppers are made into a sauce. The ingredients are then layered in a casserole (zucchinis then eggplant then sauce) and then baked in the oven.
Photo source: http://www.foodmoods.net/2010/07/ratatouille.html
