Ratatouille

The inspiration for this recipe came from my daughter Alia. Originally I based this on Julia Child's recipe.

Ratatouille has been enjoying a resurgence since the animated movie came out in 2007. Pixar animation enlisted American chef Thomas Keller to help create a realistic restaurant kitchen, and it's also his version of the recipe in the movie. Keller's ratatouille is loosely based on Michel Guerard's confit byaldi, to create a sauce that is the base of this recipe. It's also a litte time-consuming but surprisingly simple, being composed of a piperade-style sauce, slow-cooked in the oven with thinly sliced vegetables.

Ripe tomatoes, courgettes (zucchini), aubergines (eggplant) and peppers (capsicum) are the main ingredients that you'll see here. Cooked to a velvety texture on the verge of disintegration (oddly enough, not vegetables at all--they're all fruits, technically--but for simplicity's sake we'll call them vegetables). The garlic, balsamic vinegar and basil bring it together into an intense, almost jammy sauce with lashings of olive oil thrown in for good measure. Please use fresh, fully ripe tomatoes. Canned tomatoes can be used in the sauce (only!) but it lacks the depth that comes from the acidity of fresh produce.

Credits: Julia Child, Thomas Keller, Felicity Cloake and Nigel Slater
v1.1

Ingredients

• 3 Zucchini, thinly sliced 5mm, green and yellow mix if possible
• 1 Eggplant, thinly sliced 5mm
• 1 tblspn Salt
• 2 Capsicum, red
• Saucy Base:
• 2 tblspn Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, diced
• Minced Garlic
• 400g can peeled Tomatoes
• 2 tspns Thyme Leaves, divided
• 1 pinch Saffron
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1 tblspn Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
• Assemble:
• 4 Plum Tomatoes, thinly sliced 5mm
• 50ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 handful Basil Leaves, fresh

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 230degC.
2. Place the zucchini and eggplant in a bowl and toss with the salt. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
3. Cut the capsicums in half, removing the seeds and pith, and place them cut-side down on a lightly oiled baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes until the skin has blistered, then remove and leave to cool, turning the oven down to 140degC.
4. Rinse the zucchini and eggplant slices under running water, drain and dry each slice with a clean cloth. Set aside.
5. Saucy Base:
6. Heat olive oil over a medium heat in a pan, add the onion and cook until soft, but not browned (about 6 minutes). Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the canned tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of thyme, and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
7. Meanwhile, peel the capsicum, dice and add to the pan along with the saffron. Season to taste, and stir the balsamic vinegar into the sauce now.
8. Assemble:
9. Spread two-thirds of the sauce on the bottom of an oven dish (20cm x 20cm x 5cm).
10. Arrange the sliced vegetables on top (Zucchini, Eggplant, Plum Tomatoes). Try to layer them in rows so that you get a rainbow of colours.
11. Spread the other one-third of the sauce on top of the sliced vegetables.
12. Mix 1 teaspoon of minced garlic with 50ml extra virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon of thyme, scatter over the top of the dish. Cover and put in the oven for 1 hour until the vegetables(fruits!) are tender.
13. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes more – if the top starts to brown, cover again. If there is any liquid left in the dish after cooking, decant it into a small pan, and reduce over a medium heat, then pour back in. At this point it can be kept for a couple of days.
14. Just before serving, re-heat if desired, then put the ratatouille under a hot grill until lightly browned. Serve with extra virgin olive oil, a handful of fresh basil leaves and crusty bread. Pair with a roast beef and a pinot noir or shiraz.