Serves:
About the Recipe
Ratatouille is a classic French peasant vegetable stew from Nice, served as a main course over creamy polenta, pasta, or rice, or as a flavorful side for meat, fish, or eggs. It makes a delicious empanada filling, and one of my favorite ways to serve it is to place the cooked stew in individual or a family-sized baking dish, top with shredded Gruyère, and bake for 5–10 minutes in a 425°F oven, until the cheese melts. I serve it with a warm, fresh, crusty French baguette and a crisp French wine.
Ingredients
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried tarragon
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 small (3/4 lb.) eggplant, cut into cubes (about 3 cups)
2 small or 1 medium zucchini, cubed
2 bell peppers, 1 red and 1 yellow, cut into cubes
2 medium tomatoes, cut in chunks or 1 (15oz.) can tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. black pepper or 1 ½ tsp. PGS (Pasta Girl Seasoning)
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Optional toppings: 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese and black olives
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a medium-size Dutch oven or pot. Add onion, garlic, basil, oregano, tarragon, thyme, bay leaf, and sauté until onion is transparent. Add eggplant, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Add zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste and half of the salt and pepper or PGS.
Mix and continue to cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
Adjust the seasoning by adding remaining salt and pepper or PGS.
Just before serving, remove the bay leaf and mix in the fresh parsley.
Note: *Herbs may be substituted with Herbs de Provence.