This ratatouille dish reminds me of summer and warm evenings. That’s why I like to come back to it when it is already cold outside to cheer myself up. Very simple, full of flavor, ratatouille served with garlic bread warms everyone’s heart.
The secret is in the simplicity of preparation. Each vegetable we use here has a different texture and flavor. When we combine them together, our vegetable stew will be absolutely unique! Traditionally, it is a one-pot dish, but I have my own method, in which I use a pot and also a pan to fry each ingredient separately, so that they retain their individual flavor.
ZUCCHINI – it is the cheapest in the summertime and you can find it in two colors. However, when winter comes, zucchini is no longer the cheapest vegetable, but its taste is very important in this dish.
TOMATOES – I used passata in this recipe, but it is known that in the summer season it is worth replacing it with fresh soft tomatoes from the market because they have so much more flavor.
HERBS – Ratatouille goes great with parsley, but you can also add fresh basil to the dish.
INGREDIENTS
- 1x can of tomatoes or passata
- 1 eggplant
- 3 peppers
- 2 zucchini
- 2 onions
- 150 g oyster mushrooms
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Herbes de Provence
- parsley
- salt, pepper
RATATOUILLE – PREPARATION
- Dice the onion, cut the zucchini into crescents, and dice the peppers into strips. Let each vegetable have a different shape. Chop the garlic, cut the oyster mushrooms into 5 cm strips. Dice the eggplant, salt it and set aside for 20 minutes, then drain the excess water.
- We start frying with onion and garlic with a dash of olive oil. Fry the onion until golden, salt it and put it into the pot. Don’t heat the pot until all ingredients are inside. In the same pan, add a little oil and fry the zucchini for 5-7 minutes, finally add salt, pepper and add to the pot. Do the same with pepper and eggplant, be careful not to get them soft. Then fry the mushrooms and put them in the pot.
- We start stewing vegetables. Cover all the fried vegetables in a pot with passata, add the herbs and parsley, and braise it all on low heat for 15 minutes. Make sure that the vegetables do not overcook. Season it and set aside. Add some more fresh parsley on top.
- Serve with garlic bread or fresh baguette.
