Ratatouille

Bonne fête! It's that time of year again, when we celebrate Bastile Day through classic dishes of France. Our Bastile Day feast started with escargot and bread and continued into a pan-seared ribeye and ratatouille. I've enjoyed ratatouille here and there over the years and made it a few times before, but had not yet dug into the sources on it. Julia Child has two versions, both on the fancier side, with thin slices of eggplant and zucchini layered between the peppers and onions. Mark Bittman's recipe does the same. Jacques Pépin goes with a more rustic style with cubed vegetables all mixed together. That is the form of the dish I'm most familiar with, so that's what I did here. The most interesting thing I took from these sources is to keep the cuts of vegetables large, so that each can be enjoyed on its own merits. This recipe makes a lot, but the sources agree that ratatouille is excellent both cold and reheated.

Ratatouille is a classic dish of Provence, the southeastern coastal region generally known for its seafood. As I wrote on 2019's Bastile Day post, olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes are characteristic of Provençal cuisine. These elements are central to ratatouille, as well. The four other vegetables featured here (eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion) seem to be the most commonly used, but can certainly be swapped out. It's an excellent way to use up summer vegetables like yellow squash or kohlrabi. Any fresh herbs you have on hand can also boost the dish. I used basil because I tend to have a lot of it on hand this time of year. I will finally note that I increased the recommended baking temperature to 400, up from the 350 I used. A dish composed entirely of vegetables has a lot of liquid, which could have been reduced more. At that higher temperature, it may be necessary to stir more often.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. eggplant (about 1 large eggplant)
• 1 lb. zucchini (about 2 zucchini)
• 1 lb. bell peppers (about 1 red and 1 green bell pepper)
• 1 lb. yellow onion (about 1 large onion)
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp. herbes de Provence
• Handful fresh basil leaves
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Before cooking, prepare the vegetables. Remove the ends of the eggplant and zucchini. Cut as close as possible to 1-inch cubes. I first made 1-inch thick slices and cut 3-4 pieces from each. Remove stem, seeds, and ribs from the peppers and cut into 1-inch squares. Peel the onion and remove ends. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel and mince garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook the eggplant until soft, which will take several minutes. Lightly season with salt. The eggplant will absorb oil, so add more as needed. Set aside, add more oil, and cook zucchini until soft. Lightly season with salt. Set aside.

Add more oil and cook the peppers and onions until soft. Season with salt. Add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice and herbes de Provence. Return the zucchini and eggplant to the pan. Mix together and bring to a boil. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 1 hour, checking to stir halfway through.

Cut the basil to a chiffonade. When the ratatouille is done cooking, stir in the basil, reserving a little for garnish. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil on top and garnish with basil. Let cool about 15 minutes before serving.