Ratatouille Two Ways – Around the Kitchen Table

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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One of the great pleasures in life has got to be vegetables cooked and seasoned properly. There’s something so wonderful about the fresh taste that nature has given to us in so many different flavors, shapes and colors. And cooking them properly is really easier than you think!

Many years ago I learned how to prepare a classical version of Ratatouille, it was simple and easy to cook. No bells, no whistles, no extra seasonings, no kitchen magic. Just fresh delicious vegetables cooked to perfection tasting as nature intended.

I will admit it had been too many years since I cooked this classical version of ratatouille, and I went back to do a little research on the dish. After finding many new versions on all the cooking sites with different herbs, seasonings, vinegars, sugars…….sigh. You name it they had changed it up and recreated different versions. Now don’t get me wrong, I do love a little tweaking here and there and I’m sure they were all very tasty, but I wanted what I wanted so I turned to Julia Child, and Jacques Pepin. And each one told me the same thing about seasonings. Salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Julia and Jacques have long been the authorities I turn to when I have questions about authenticity and they didn’t let me down! Of course I did go back to my roots and as Mama Jennette had taught me I used crushed tomatoes instead of fresh, but thats a very slight adjustment and no flavors were harmed in the process.

I did promise you Ratatouille Two Ways and while I do love the richness of the classical version, this has taken its place as the Ratatouille of choice in my home. I did get a scolding from a Ratatouille Master for including the vegetables I did in this dish, but as I explained to her this was my Mediteranean Roasted Vegetable Version of Ratatouille not the classic.

One message I always try to deliver in my classes is nothing is etched in stone and adjustments can be made to just about any dish to make it something that you’ll enjoy eating time and time again. Don’t ever feel trapped by recipes, they’re simply guidelines.

5 from 1 vote

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Ratatouille Recipe

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Classical Ratatouille

• 1 Sweet Onion- Large cut
• 1 Large Red Bell Pepper- Large Cut
• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 leave Eggplant peeled and cubed you may the skin on if you prefer
• 2 Zucchini –sliced
• 20 ounces of crushed tomato or 3 large tomatoes chopped
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea salt to taste
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Mediterranean Roasted Ratatouille

• 1 Sweet Onion- Large chop
• 1 leave Head of Garlic peeled the cloves whole
• 1 leave Eggplant the skin on and cube
• 1 Zucchini –sliced
• 1 Yellow Squash – sliced
• 1 leaves Fennel Bulb –sliced the bulb and some of the stalk add the as seasoning
• 1 Large Bell Peppers your choice of color -sliced
• 6 Stalks celery -sliced
• 1 Pint of Grape Tomatoes
• 3 Sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 Sprigs fresh thyme
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea salt to taste
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Instructions

Classical Ratatouille

1. In a large saute pan over medium high heat add olive oil and allow to heat
2. Add peppers, onions and garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes
3. Add eggplant and season with salt and pepper and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggplant is beginning to look cooked.
4. Add zuchinni and saute until it appears to be slightly cooked (about 5 mins)
5. Add crushed tomatoes, turn down heat to a simmer and allow mixture to cook for 15-20 minutes or until the eggplant is fully cooked.
6. You want the vegetables to be soft but not mush
7. Reseason as needed and serve over chicken, fish, pasta or simply as a side dish.

Mediterranean Roasted Ratatouille

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Wash and cut the vegetables in a variety of shapes and sizes but try t0 keep them bite size.
3. Rinse the herbs.
4. Combine everything in a large bowl with enough olive oil (about 2 Tbsp) to coat the vegetables, add the salt and pepper and mix well. Place them in an ovenproof dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes
5. At this point the vegetables should be cooked but not colored, and there should be cooking juices at the bottom of the pan.
6. Remove the foil and bake for another 30-45 minutes, keeping an eye on the progress until the cooking juices have mostly evaporated and the vegetables have taken on a nice roasted aspect.
7. Remove the sprigs of herb and serve immediately, or at room temperature.

Here’s the video of this episode of Around the Kitchen Table.