They’re backing vocals here to the lead singer veggies! ?Īs tempting as it is to throw all the vegetables into the pot and cook them at the same time, don’t! That’s the path to a big pot of flavourless mush. Olives – For little salty pops littered throughout the stew. To finish, fresh parsley would go down a treat A sprinkle of dried oregano instead would be totally at home, or even mixed herbs for that matter. Plenty of alternatives exist here so don’t fret if you don’t have these two exact herbs. You’d be hard pressed to find a savoury dish on this website that doesn’t start with these two!!įresh thyme and basil – Thyme is for the braising, and basil for a fresh finish. This is the sauce for this dish, so don’t ruin it with cheap, sour, flavourless canned tomato!! If you do, use a good brand please (I’m partial to Mutti).
Tomatoes (for the sauce) – Using a fresh tomato to me seems appropriate for a dish like Ratatouille where the whole idea is to celebrate fresh produce, but feel free to use canned tomato or passata. Vegetables – I used an eggplant, 2 capsicums / bell peppers (one red, one yellow = colour splash!) and 2 zucchinis (courgettes) I honestly wouldn’t hesitate to throw in a handful of wiltable greens either (like kale, spinach etc) if that’s what you have! Here’s what I put in my Ratatouille, but don’t feel limited to these vegetables! While these are the most traditional Ratatouille inclusions, any suitable vegetables that can be sautéed will work a treat – think mushrooms, fennel, celery, squash etc. So for us modern folk, it presents an excellent means to use up leftover vegetable bits and bobs in the fridge to serve up as a main or side dish!īonus: You get to feel totally virtuous eating so much veg in one sitting! Part of the spirit of the dish is its flexibility – it’s intended to make use of the summer harvest’s bounty, whatever it might be. With a tomato-based sauce and lightly flavoured with a hint of fresh herbs (thyme and basil, in this case), it’s a dish that celebrates great produce. Today it’s made less for frugal reasons and simply because it’s a delicious, wholesome dish in its own right. Originally a food of the poor, it is a braise made from a medley of summer vegetables: eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and whatever else is at hand. The most famous of all Provencal vegetable dishes though would have to be Ratatouille. Nicoise salade, soupe au pistou (vegetable soup with pesto), pissaladiere (onion and anchovy “pizza”) and olive tapenade are just some of Provence’s greatest vegetable-driven hits (recipes coming one day, I promise ?)! Vegetables grow in abundance here, and many of the area’s most famous dishes make the most of them. Ratatouille is a vegetable stew originating from Provence, a part of France on the Mediterranean coast known for its warm climate and excellent regional food. You also get some browning on the vegetables, and as we know, colour = flavour!! What is ratatouille? This way offers much better control over how much each vegetable gets cooked so you don’t end up with a pot of overcooked mush (the #1 Ratatouille offence, right there!). Most recipes will have you (attempt to) sauté everything in one pot at the same time but you will achieve a far better outcome by cooking them separately. The single most important thing that differentiates meh Ratatouille from holy-cow-this-amazing Ratatouille? Pan-searing each vegetable separately before bringing them together in a pot to braise.
It turns out I just never knew how to make it properly, and how good it can be when it is.
How terribly wrong I’ve been all this time. You’d never catch me ordering it at a restaurant, and it’s not the first thing I’d think of making using leftover vegetables. I was never one to jump up and down with anticipation at the thought of Ratatouille. Vegans rejoice! ? Ratatouille: French vegetable stew Healthy, versatile, and not just vegetarian but also 100% vegan. But made well, it punches well above its weight, a summery stunner bursting with Mediterranean flavours! The key to a great ratatouille is to sauté each vegetable separately before braising together. Ratatouille is a French vegetable stew that at first glance seems like a simple, humble dish.