Ratatouille
Ratatouille is essentially a mélange of fresh vegetables and herbs that have been sautéed and simmered together to a stew-like consistency
Ratatouille originated in the 18th Century in the Provence region of France, which is located in the southeast part of that country. Provençal cuisine is heavily influenced by its proximity to the Mediterranean. The name of the dish is derived from a combination of a word in French and Occitan (a dialect of French spoken in Provence) that means "to stir" or "to toss," indicating the dish’s humble beginnings of using readily available, seasonal vegetables, chopped and tossed into a pot and simmered together to make a nourishing peasant meal.
Confit Byaldi
Thanks to the 2007 Pixar movie by the same name, Ratatouille came into the international spotlight and grew in popularity.
French Chef Michel Guérard mastered Ratatouille as a layered dish, known as Confit Byaldi, which was recreated for the movie and now, of course, the Internet is littered with recipes of how to make it. The focus seems to be more on style, not content. Chef Guérard also took out the peppers and added mushrooms to his version. My version has both.
My version is also the more traditional approach, which is to say it is not layered and I also add Kalamata olives to my recipe, which is not considered traditional but strikes me as very Mediterranean.
Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled
- 2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 lb Crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, whole pitted
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes (like, Hunt's)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (like, Hunt's)
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasonings
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/8 cup dried parsley flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 10-12 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into slices and liberally coat with salt. Place the slices on a rack above some paper towels. Using a paper towel, occasionally dab off the moisture as it leaches from the slices.
- Turn the eggplant slices over after 15-20 minutes and dab off the moisture as it accumulates. After 30-40 minutes, brush off all the salt with a dry paper towel. Then, dice the slices up into rather large chunks.
- Over medium high heat in a large skillet, heat the olive oil to shimmering, and then sauté the onions until they collapse and just start to caramelize. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.
- Add a bit more oil if necessary, and then cook the mushrooms until they shrink and collapse, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, and mix it well into the onions and mushrooms, coating them completely. Allow the tomato paste to brown a bit. Season with salt & pepper.
- Again, add a bit more oil if needed, and then add the eggplant and the zucchini to the skillet. Stir to combine everything and let the vegetables cook 5-8 minutes.
- Add all remaining ingredients, including the black olives, tomatoes, Italian seasonings, parsley and white wine. Test for seasoning and add pepper and salt, if needed.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes. Your eggplant and zucchini should still be fork tender but not mushy. The sauce should be thick and not runny.
