Rataouille
The word ratatouille derives from the Occitan ratatolha and is related to the French ratouiller and tatouiller, expressive forms of the verb touiller, meaning "to stir up". From the late 18th century, in French, it merely indicated a coarse stew. The modern ratatouille - tomatoes as a foundation for sautéed garlic, onions, zucchini, eggplant, bell
peppers, marjoram, fennel and basil, or bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs like herbes de Provence - does not appear in print until 1930.
Layered
ratatouille
Portion -2
INGREDIENTS
|
QUANTITY
|
ONION
|
10-12 slices
|
GARLIC
|
4 cloves
|
TOMATO
|
2 no.
|
TOMATO PUREE
|
100 gms
|
OREGANO
|
10 gms
|
ROSEMARY
|
1 sprig
|
BASIL
|
4-5 no.
|
SALT
|
a pinch
|
ZUCCHINI
|
10-12 slices
|
EGGPLANT
|
10-12 slices
|
BELLPEPPERS
|
2 no.
|
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C.
Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long
way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in
oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, one tablespoon of the olive oil, and season
the sauce generously with salt and pepper.
Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. Trim the top of the red pepper and remove the core.
On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very
sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very
thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.
Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared
vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat
surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover
that do not fit.
Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously
with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your
fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.
Cover dish with a piece
of parchment paper cut to fit inside.
Bake for
approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and
are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp.
They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce
is bubbling up around them.
Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or
with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.
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