Being a lover of French food, I thought this French holiday is the perfect excuse to talk about one of my favorite summertime dishes from the South of France – Ratatouille.
Now in case you always thought that ratatouille is just the name of the rat in that beloved animated movie, ratatouille is a classic French dish comprised of eggplant, peppers, zucchini, and basil.
It uses all the veggies that are in season right now in the South.
Ratatouille can be fancy with thinly sliced vegetables or more rustic like I make it – with the vegetables all cut up into pretty large chunks.
Years ago, my friend Alyce Mantia, who owned the much-missed Mantia’s International Market in Memphis, TN, told me to cook each vegetable separately. I still do that to this day – leaving the eggplant for last because it soaks up so much oil.
Enjoy as a side dish or toss this delicious vegetable stew with cooked ziti or penne pasta for a vegetarian entrée.
And for an interesting twist on this classic French dish, follow Alyce’s lead. She puts the hot ratatouille in little individual casserole dishes, then breaks an egg on top, and pops them into the oven until the white is set. Serve it for brunch with a salad and some fresh bread.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
Ratatouille
- 1 medium eggplant, cubed (about 3 cups)
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion (1 small onion)
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
- 1 1/2 cups diced zucchini (about 3 small zucchinis)
- 1 cup diced yellow squash (about 2 small squash)
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (about 4 tomatoes)
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- Freshly ground black pepper
Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let the eggplant drain in the colander for 1 hour, rinse, and then pat dry.
In a large sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil until a few droplets of water sizzle when carefully sprinkled in the pot.
Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and set aside. Add the onions and peppers and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the zucchini and squash and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
In a casserole dish, layer the eggplant, half the garlic, onions and peppers, half the tomatoes, half the basil, the zucchini and squash, the remaining tomatoes, the remaining basil, and the remaining garlic, onions, and peppers.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve immediately.
Garnish the top with fresh basil leaves if desired.
Serves 4 to 6.
Cooking Tip: Salting eggplant removes bitterness. If cooking fresh in-season eggplant (summer months), you can omit this step.
Recipe for Simply Suppers by Jennifer Chandler.
