Ratatouille, essentially a vegetable stew, is simple and delicious and will dazzle diners with its array of colours and textures. This dish is best when it has a chance to sit overnight, allowing the flavours to marry. If you can, take the time to slow roast the veggies over a grill. Make sure you save the juices that collect inside the peppers – to me, it’s these juices and the slow roasting of the veggies that really make a ratatouille stand out.
2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow)
1 medium sized green or yellow zucchini
1 medium eggplant
4 large tomatoes
1 small red onion
1 cup packed basil leaves
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
Place the bell peppers on a barbecue or in a 325 ° oven and cook slowly until the skin blister and the peppers are very soft. Make sure to keep the juices that collect inside the peppers. Remove from the barbecue or oven; set aside to cool. Remove the skin and seeds, cut into 1” pieces and add to a pot along with the juices.
Cut the zucchini and eggplant into 1” thick coins; toss with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and season with 1 tsp salt and fresh ground pepper. Place the coins on the barbecue or in the oven and grill or roast until soft. Dice into 1” pieces and add to the pot with the peppers.
Half the tomatoes and place on foil; julienne the red onion and add to tomatoes. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tomatoes and add the remaining 1 tsp salt. Place on the barbecue or in the oven and roast until the tomatoes and soft and release their juices. Cut the tomatoes into pieces and add to the pot along with the juices and onions. Add the fresh basil right before serving.
Note: You can place the ratatouille on the stove at this point and let it simmer for an hour, thickening the juices in the stew. For a fresh summertime approach serve at room temperature. Ratatouille is best if made a day ahead.
Check this recipe out in the July 29 edition of the Record newspaper under the Foodites column in the Taste of the Comox Valley pages. Connie Earl and I are contributors to these pages. For more recipes and tips, check out our blog site a twww.triaculinarystudio.blogspot.com
Garlic Scape
and Natural Pasture’s
Parmadammer Cheese Pesto
Grilled
Asparagus Topped with Fried Egg
Growing
strawberries
Stewed Rhubarb
& Fresh Strawberry Tart
Strawberry-Basil
Pesto
Summer Ratatouille
Succotash
Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto with Pan
Seared Scallops
Venison Loin with Dried and Fresh Fruit Mole Sauce Oyster Chowder
Asian Greens with Sweet Shallot Dressing