Ratatouille - Baked Eggplant with Zucchini, Red and Yellow Peppers

I happened to watched Disney's Ratatouille during my French Food Week in November 2016 and loved Remy, the little rat that wanted to become a renowned French chef. So I checked out for this recipe and tried it out. Ratatouille happens to be a delicious dish and though the recipe looks a little complicated, it is quite easy to prepare. It is typically made with garlic, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. It can be baked or simmered on the stovetop, and the seasonings usually include a variety of herbs. This stew is perfect on its own with toasted bread or cooked eggs but it can be eaten over pasta of choice too! I found this recipe at https://cookieandkate.com/best-ratatouille-recipe/

Serves 3 to 4 

Ingredients

• 900 g ripe red tomatoes
• 450 g eggplant (brinjal) diced into ½ inch cubes
• 225 g large red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, cut into ¾ inch squares
• 225 g zucchini, diced into ½ inch cubes
• 225 g yellow squash, diced into ½ inch cubes
• 5 tbsp + 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ¾ tsp fine sea salt, divided, more to taste
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 425 °F with one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.
• To prepare your tomatoes, remove any woody cores and blitz them in a food processor until they are broken into a frothy pulp. Set aside.
• On one baking sheet, toss the diced eggplant with 2 tbsp of olive oil until lightly coated. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer across the pan, sprinkle with ¼ tsp of salt, and set aside.
• On the other baking sheet, toss the bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash with 1 tbsp of olive oil and ¼ tsp salt. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer. Place the eggplant pan on the middle rack and the other vegetables on the top rack. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and ¼ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and caramelizing on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic, stir, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, and use a wooden spoon or to stir any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low, or as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Once 15 minutes are up, remove both pans from the oven, stir, and redistribute the contents of each evenly across the pans. This time, place the eggplant on the top rack and other vegetables on the middle rack.
• Bake until the eggplant is nice and golden on the edges, about 10 more minutes (the eggplant will be done sooner than the rest). Remove the eggplant from the oven, and carefully stir the eggplant into the simmering tomato sauce.
• Let the squash and bell pepper pan continue to bake until the peppers are caramelized, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Then, transfer the contents of the pan into the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for 5 more minutes to give the flavours time to meld.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in 1 tsp olive oil, the fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Crumble the dried oregano between your fingers as you drop it into the pot. Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper.
• Serve in bowls, with a little drizzle of olive oil, additional chopped basil, or black pepper on top, all optional with toasted bread with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top or with cooked eggs or on pasta.