Ruminations on ratatouille

Eggplant Tagine. Photo by Kitty Morse

Having purchased an eggplant the size of a football at my local supermarket, I pondered ways to prepare it: in a tagine? in zahouk (the Moroccan version of baba ghaanouj)? I yearned for ratatouille.

Just the sound of “ratatouille” is enough to enliven my tastebuds. According to Wikipedia, “The word ratatouille comes from Occitanratatolha and the recipe comes from Occitan cuisine. The French touiller means to toss food. Ratatouille originated in the area around present day Occitan Provença (French: Provence) and Niça (French: Nice);” . . .

Though easy to prepare, ratatouille calls for  a certain amount of attention. Forget shortcuts, such as combining all the vegetables in a pan. NON! NON! For ratatouille to attain its characteristic sweetness tinged with rosemary, the eggplant, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper (in my view, only red will do) prefer to perform solo before being tossed  (“touiller” in French)  into a communal dish.

Kitty’s Ratatouille

Ratatouille keeps well, in a covered container in the refrigerator for several days. (Cook’s confession: I eat ratatouille anytime, including breakfast.)

1 medium unblemished eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 or 2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 small onions, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced or 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 yellow crookneck or zucchini squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 bay leaf

1 sprig rosemary

More salt, to taste

     Place eggplant cubes on a clean towel, and let sweat 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse under running water. Pat dry. (You can omit this step if the eggplant is very fresh.)

     In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Cook garlic, stirring occasionally until golden, 4 to 5 minutes.  Using a slotted soon, discard garlic. To the same pan, add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden.

     Add eggplant, and cook, stirring until lightly browned, 10 to 12  minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

      To the same pan, add red bell pepper, and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add to bowl and set aside.

     To the same pan, add squash, and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add to bowl and set aside.

     To the same pan, add tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and rosemary. Cook, partially covered, until mixture thickens somewhat, 10 to 15 minutes.  Add reserved vegetables and cook, uncovered until ratatouille thickens. Discard bay leaf and rosemary. Add a pinch of salt, if desired. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

If by chance you have leftovers, give them a Moroccan twist by adding a couple of pinches of ground CUMIN to the mixture:

Eggs in a Nest of Ratatouille

Serves 4

Simmer the ratatouille in an ovenproof pan until most of the liquid evaporates.

3 cups prepared ratatouille

Cumin, to taste

4 large eggs

Paprika, for garnish

     Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spread a thick layer of ratatouille on bottom of a shallow 1 1/2-quart ovenproof dish.  Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 “nests” in the vegetables. Break 1 egg in each nest. Cover with foil, and bake until egg whites set, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle eggs with paprika. Serve with warm, crusty bread.  

Adapted from 365 Ways to Cook Vegetarian by Kitty Morse (HarperCollins)