Oven-Roasted Ratatouille

I adore ratatouille but, more often than not, am sorely disappointed when ordering it at a restaurant. Undercooked, overcooked, under seasoned, watery – you name it, I have paid for it.  I have much better luck in France but am only there a few times a year so have resorted to making my own.  Key, as for many dishes, is using fresh ingredients.  But, I like ratatouille year round.  To adjust for bland, out-of-season produce, I have taken to roasting the vegetables and slowly cooking everything together on the stove to meld and deepen the flavors.  Using this method, it can be frozen for months and still taste amazing.  I submitted my recipe during a competition at Hiltl, the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Europe, and won!  My dish was cooked by the chefs and served to customers as part of their delicious, impressive buffet.

Here is a step-by-step description of how to make this easy and nutritious dish.  A printable text-only recipe is at the bottom of the post.

Basic ratatouille ingredients can include zucchini, eggplant, onions, garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, olive oil and fresh or dried herbs.

Begin by cutting off the base and stem of the eggplant.  Peel (if very fresh, skin can be left on) and cut into small, bite size pieces.  Place in a bowl and toss with just enough olive oil to very lightly coat everything.  Sprinkle with salt and place on a baking sheet pan.  I like to line my  pan with a non-stick liner or quick release foil.

Bake in a  preheated  425ºF / 220º C oven until nicely browned, but not burned.

Cut the top off a head of garlic.  Place on a piece of foil.  Drizzle with olive oil and seal the foil.

Pop the garlic into the oven and roast until the cloves are mushy, about 20 minutes.

Follow the same procedure for the zucchini as that for the eggplant.

 

Peel and dice the onions (How To Dice An Onion).  Saute over medium-high heat in a large pot.

If using fresh tomatoes, grate on a cheese grater and throw away the skin.  OK to use high quality, canned, chopped tomatoes.

When onions are nicely browned, add about one ounce of wine and cook until wine is reduced.  Add tomatoes.  Stir in roasted garlic, zucchini and eggplant when they are nicely browned.  If necessary, add some water to prevent sticking and burning.

 

Time to roast the peppers.  The easiest way to stem and core bell peppers is to press around the stem with your thumb.  When it releases, pull it out.  Break the pepper apart lengthwise and remove the seeds. Very lightly toss with olive oil and place skin side up into the hot over.

Roast until the skin blackens and blisters.

Immediately place the hot peppers in a bowl and seal with plastic wrap.  This serves to trap the steam making the skin easy to peel off with your fingers.  Discard the skin.

Rough chop the skinned peppers and add to the ratatouille mixture.

Add bay leaves and fresh or dried oregano, fresh or dried thyme and dried basil (only if fresh is not available to add at the end).

Simmer for an hour or more to blend flavors, stirring occasionally and checking it water needs to be added.

Serve over polenta or pasta, under a piece of grilled salmon, as a topping for homemade pizza or as a side dish.