Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille
In the spirit of re-mastery - not to mention simplicity - I roasted the eggplant and zucchini instead, and finished them in a pan with sauteed onion, garlic, zucchini and thinly sliced fennel. Each of the vegetables retains their shape, which, as Julia points out is an important element in a ratatouille. But they still get to mingle together for their "brief communal simmer" to bring all the flavors together.
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 sheet pan
- 1 large sauté pan
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant peeled and sliced into 2-inch pieces
- 1 pound ripe Roma or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- Rosemary and/or thyme sprigs
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 thinly sliced onion
- 2 or 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 fennel bulb stalks trimmed, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes or to taste
- 3 or 4 very small zucchini 1-inch diameter, halved lengthwise and sliced into chunks
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Arrange the eggplant, tomatoes and peppers on a sheet pan and toss with about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil - use more or less as needed to coat the vegetables evenly. Sprinkle the salt and herb sprigs over the vegetables and roast for 25 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender and golden.
- In a large sauté pan, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook gently until the onion is soft and wilted. I like to cover the pan slightly to keep moisture in and prevent the onion from browning.
- Add the garlic and fennel to the pan, cover and cook until the fennel is softened. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the zucchini and chili flakes, stirring frequently, until the zucchini are just tender. I don't like mushy, overcooked zucchini so I tend to cook it very briefly.
- Scrape the eggplant and tomatoes into the pan along with all their accumulated juices. Add a little water or broth to the pan if it looks dry and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and season liberally with more salt and freshly ground pepper.
Video
Notes
You can't argue with the versatility of a vegetable dish like this, as it could be a main course along with some cheese and crusty bread; a cool or room temperature salad for potluck or picnic, or - as I served it - a topping for grilled chicken seasoned with lemon and oregano.