RATATOUILLE - Mediterranean Vegetable Stew

Ratatouille, from the Occitan word ratatouiller, meaning to stir, is a Provençal vegetable dish, the epitome of Mediterranean cooking and flavours. Similar stews exist around the Mediterranean basin, for example, tombet in Majorca, samfaina in Cataluna or caponata in Italy.

 

There are many ways of cooking ratatouille. Some people put all the cubed ingredients in one pot, cover and cook for about 1½ hours. Others brown or sauté each individual ingredient separately, then cook them altogether for about 45–60 minutes. A friend of mine puts the aubergines and courgettes in the oven and bakes them for about 30 minutes before combining them on the hob with the other vegetables. The most important point for me is the aubergines. They have to be really well cooked and melting, not spongy. So, whether you prefer to put them in the oven separately or to fry them alone first and then cook them with all the other vegetables, is up to you. In this recipe, I diced the courgettes and the aubergines and baked them for 20 minutes. All the other ingredients are stir-fried on the hob and then everything is simmered together. You want a confit of vegetables (cooked slowly in their own fat or juices) not a stew with lots of sauce.

Ratatouille goes very well with grilled chicken and fish, poached fish and grilled lamb chops, or served on its own with a nice piece of crusty bread.

 

Serves 4–6

 

2 medium aubergines, diced

2 courgettes, diced

olive oil, for drizzling and frying

1 large onion, finely chopped2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into cubes2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped3 large ripe fresh tomatoes or 4 canned plum tomatoes, roughly choppeda small handful of mixed fresh thyme and parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra parsley to garnish

about 60ml/2fl oz/¼ cup water

about 6–7 Kalamata olives, stoned and roughly chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice, to finish

 

·       Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

·       Scatter the diced aubergines and courgettes on an oven tray. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle some olive oil on top and mix with your hands so that all the vegetables are coated with the oil.

·       Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, turning them over halfway through. Set aside and keep warm.

·       Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or pot and sauté the onion on a medium heat until very soft and translucent, about 20 minutes.

·       Add the red peppers and garlic and stir to mix. Cook for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally, until softened.

·       Add the baked aubergine and courgette and cook for another minute or two.

·       Add the tomatoes and the mixed thyme and parsley, season with some salt and pepper, then cover and simmer on a medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

·       Add the water and continue cooking for another 40 minutes or so, stirring every so often. You want to achieve a honey-like consistency at the end.

·       Once cooked, stir in the olives.

·       This dish is best served a few hours later or the following day (cool and refrigerate overnight) when you can reheat it. Enjoy it hot or at room temperature.

·       Spoon the ratatouille into a large serving dish, or serve as a starter on individual plates. Drizzle the lemon juice on top and garnish with some extra chopped parsley.