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Ratatouille
Ingredients:
2 medium onions skinned -- halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, halved, seeded -- sliced
3/4 pound zucchini, topped and tailed -- sliced on bias
2 medium eggplants, topped, halved lengthways -- sliced
Olive oil
1 quantity tomato/chipotle sauce.
Fresh herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary)
Instructions:
There are two essential things for good ratatouille: firstly, use
the freshest, best quality produce you can get. Using tired vegetables
past their peak or (even worse) tinned or frozen will give you vegetable
stew; secondly, *cook each of the constituent parts separately* only
combining them for a brief simmer immediately before serving. It takes
slightly longer this way but the effort is well worth it. The thickness
of the slicing and the cooking time will vary according to your taste.
It can range from thin slicing and cooking slowly till soft to thick
slicing and brief stir-frying on a fierce heat. Experiment but go
for the middle range (c 1/4 inch slices and cooking until al dente)
first and see how you like that. Take eggplant slices and layer in
a colander cut sides up, sprinkle with salt. Add extra layers as necessary.
Don't worry too much about the salt you use as you will wash most
of it off later. Leave for c 30 minutes, rinse off salt and juices
that have come out of the eggplant. Shake off excess water and leave
to dry for c. 30 minutes. This process softens the eggplant and reduces
any potential bitterness. I'm told that fresh picked eggplants do
not need this but I don't grow them so I've never been able to test
this out. Heat 4-6 tablespoons olive oil in frying pan. Fry onions
and garlic gently until golden and soft, remove from pan with slotted
spoon and place in large bowl. Check oil level and add more if necessary
and bring back to heat. Fry peppers rather more vigorously stirring
often until al dente, remove peppers with slotted spoon to same bowl
as onions, pour back any oil from bowl into frying pan, add oil as
necessary to pan and return to heat, fry courgette slices until browned
both sides, remove to bowl as before. Check oil (eggplants absorb
a lot of oil while frying and adding oil while they are frying can
make them soggy) and fry eggplants until browned and soft. Remove
to bowl when done. Bring tomato sauce back to boil and add fried vegetables
to it and stir in. Add chopped fresh herbs (basil most of all, a little
thyme and rosemary) simmer for 5 minutes or so until heated through.
Check for seasoning and add a little salt and fresh ground black pepper
to taste, a little lemon juice will lift the flavor. Serve either
as a main course with plain boiled rice, or a starter with crusty
French bread. Also excellent as an accompaniment to char-grilled meats
such as lamb or pork (or even tuna steaks). For the last two you can
cook in advance and serve it lukewarm rather than hot so it's great
for barbecues. Wine: a Bandol (or other Mourvedre/Mataro) wine or
a good fruity dry rose. Posted to the BBQ List by Carey Starzinger
on Mar 27, 1996. |
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