| Ratatouille is a wonderfully versatile dish that you can | | | | wish. Serve it hot or cold. With an omelette or a |
| easily fix in under 20 minutes if you follow my method. | | | | vegetable terrine. Serve it on pasta or simply with |
| I was cooking ratatouille long before I moved to the | | | | bread. Sprinkle it with cheese if you wish. The French |
| south of France and discovered that it had a name. I | | | | like it with different meats, poultry and fish. I add hot |
| always called it vegetarian spaghetti sauce. I'd go to | | | | pepper sometimes. Now that is definitely not French, |
| the grocery store and find the freshest, tastiest looking | | | | but it is very good. |
| vegetables available. When I got home I'd put two big | | | | Here's my recipe, and please change it as you see fit |
| solid pots on the stove, one filled with hot water for | | | | and don't forget to enjoy all of those lovely vegetables |
| the pasta, and the other to cook the sauce in. I always | | | | as you are chopping them up. They are gorgeous you |
| started with onions, put them in the pot with a | | | | know! Bon appetit. |
| generous amount of olive oil (vegetarians get to do | | | | Ratatouille |
| things like that - use lots of olive oil), and than kept | | | | 1/4 cup olive oil |
| chopping vegetables and adding them to the pot as I | | | | 2 onions, slivered |
| went. I soon learned the best order to add vegetables | | | | 3 bell peppers, cut into one inch squares (try different |
| to the sauce. | | | | colors) |
| Fussy French Ratatouille | | | | 2 eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch cubes |
| When I got to France I ran out and bought a fancy | | | | 2 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes |
| French cookbook - Larousse de la Cuisine. It is a | | | | 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed |
| wonderful book and is now falling to pieces after | | | | 2 pounds tomatoes, chopped |
| years of use. Some of the recipes though I find a bit | | | | 1 tablespoon minced fresh thymesalt and pepper |
| humorous in their complexity and their ratatouille recipe | | | | 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil |
| is one of them. It has all of the classic ingredients of | | | | Heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot on medium heat. |
| ratatouille (onions, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini and | | | | Sliver onions and add to oil. |
| tomatoes), but it requires you to cook each of these | | | | While the onions cook, chop the bell peppers and add |
| ingredients separately before assembling them into | | | | them to the pot, stirring well. |
| another pot. For me, that destroys the charm of | | | | Chop the eggplants and add to the pot, stirring well to |
| ratatouille. | | | | coat the eggplant with oil. At this point all the olive oil will |
| Ratatouille the Easy Way | | | | have soaked into the eggplant, so you need to stir |
| I always imagine someone stepping from their kitchen | | | | often to keep things from burning until they soften |
| out into their vegetable garden on a hot summer | | | | some. |
| afternoon. They pick whatever is ready to be eaten | | | | Chop the zucchini and stir it in once the eggplant has |
| that evening, and that is what goes into the ratatouille. | | | | softened a bit. |
| As for cooking it, you really should try my method of | | | | Chop the garlic and add to the vegetables, stirring well. |
| chopping as you cook. Ratatouille goes together | | | | Chop the tomatoes and add them. |
| perfectly like this. | | | | Chop the thyme and add it along with salt and pepper |
| What to serve it with | | | | to taste. Stir well and cook two minutes. |
| Ratatouille goes with so many things and you can vary | | | | Turn down heat and cover the pot. Simmer until |
| the ingredients (both the vegetables and the herbs) | | | | everything is soft and well blended - about 40 minutes. |
| depending on what you have available. Do you | | | | Stir in basil and remove from heat. |
| remember how in the movie of the same name the | | | | Makes 4 to 6 servings. |
| rat fancied up ratatouille? You can do the same if you | | | | |