Ratatouille

The secret of ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately so each will taste truly of itself. ~Joël Robuchon, The Complete Robuchon

I made Ratatouille yesterday and transformed the leftovers into amazing breakfast. It's like France meets Philippines when I topped the Ratatouille to our Pandesal. I toasted the pandesal to give a nice crunch. I really enjoyed every bite of it!

By the way, did you know that the Ratatouille dish prepared by Remy (in the movie Ratatouille) is the alternate variation called confit byaldi? The variation differs much from the conventional ratatouille in terms of preparation and method. The major difference is that the vegetable used are sliced thinly and baked instead of cooking them in a pot. (trivia source: imdb)

Now you know some facts about Ratatouille, you can now try it and become a Julia Child in your own kitchen. Here's the recipe. Bon Appetit!

INGREDIENTS:
(Inspired by Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

3 pcs eggplant, and cut into thin slices
1 medium size zucchini, cut into thin slices 
1 big red bell pepper, strips
1 big yellow onion, strips
1 small slice of squash (optional), chopped
10 pcs of tomatoes* (preferably big and ripe), peeled and sliced (please click to see: how to peel and seed a tomato) 
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 to 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
small pinch of dried thyme (optional)
olive oil
1 1/4 cup water and tomato juice*

* I only get 1/3 cup of tomato juice in 10 pcs tomatoes. I just added water to make it 1 1/4 cup.



PROCEDURE:
1. Wash thoroughly the eggplant, zucchini, and squash. Cut it into very thin slices. Put it in separate bowls. Sprinkle with salt and toss.
2. Pan fry the eggplant, zucchini, and squash in batches for about 1 minute by each side. Put it again in separate bowls. Set aside.
3. Sweat the onion with a little oil over low heat for about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and cook for a minute. Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper, cook for a couple of seconds. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the tomato juice+water mixture. Add the sugar and a pinch of dried thyme (these two are optional). Stir and cook for several minutes uncovered, until the juice has almost entirely evaporated. Turn off the heat. Set aside.
4. Place 1/3 of the tomato mixture in a casserole or pot or skillet. Then carefully arrange the zucchini, eggplant, and squash on top. Then cover another third of the tomato mixture. Put the rest of zucchini, eggplant, and squash then cover it with the remaining tomato mixture. (tomato mixture-zucchini-eggplant-squash-tomato mixture-zucchini-eggplant-squash-tomato mixure)
5. Simmer for 10 minutes over low heat, covered. Raise the heat slightly, rotate the pan once in a while so that vegetables won't scorch in the bottom of the casserole. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
6. Serve. Share and enjoy.

QUICK NOTES:
1. If you don't have dried thyme, substitute it with other herbs like parsley or basil (fresh or dried). Use 2-3 Tbsp chopped FRESH thyme, parsley or basil.
2. This is a popular side dish but you can serve this with rice or toasted / crusty bread. It can also be used as a filling to your omelette or frittata, a sauce for your pasta, or a topping for your pizza.
3. Ratatouille actually tastes even better the next day. Just slowly reheat it to intensify the flavor.

Yield: 5-8 servings

Happy day always,

Rhea