Classic Ratatouille recipe inspired by travels in Provence onboard Oceania Cruises. Feel free to substitute any veggies you’d like. This is a great dish which is both gluten free and vegetarian.
Classic Ratatouille Recipe
Ingredients:
½ cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant, trimmed (not peeled) and diced
3 medium zucchini, trimmed (not peeled) and diced
3 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and diced
2 large onions, diced
5 to 6 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
¼ cup white wine
4 to 5 fresh or canned tomatoes, diced
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig marjoram
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
6 to 10 Niçoise olives (optional)
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the eggplant for about 8 minutes, until cooked. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside. Carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel.
Heat 2 more tablespoons of the oil in the same pan and sauté the zucchini until soft but not brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan.
Heat 2 more tablespoons of the oil in the same pan and sauté the bell pepper until soft but not brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the same pan and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and then immediately add the wine. Cook until most of the wine has evaporated and the mixture is nearly dry, or “sec.” Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked.
Add 1 tablespoon of the tomato paste to enrich the sauce. Add the remaining tablespoon if desired, but be careful not to add too much tomato paste as it can overpower the vegetables. Add the eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper to the tomato mixture and incorporate well. Top the mixture with thyme, marjoram, and herbes de Provence.
Cover and warm on low heat. Do not cook the mixture; merely heat until the vegetables are warm. Garnish with olives if desired.
Serves 6
