Ratatouille
I’ve have made another version of Ratatouille, but my husband and I both agree, this surpasses that “other” one BY FAR! Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed. You all know I love cooking, so WHY do I NOT have a mandolin in my kitchen?? A mandolin slices veggies, fruit, etc in record time. Love it!! I bought a cheap one for this and whoa… it made a HUGE difference in prep time. Eventually I’ll upgrade, but trust me… get a mandolin! AND… this is gluten free (minus the bread)… so enjoy!
Ingredients:
Pepper Sauce
1 red bell pepper, ribbed and diced
1 yellow pepper, ribbed and diced
1/2 onion, diced (I am not an onion fan, so I omitted this particular onion)
2 small shallots, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium tomatos, cubed
Olive oil
Salt
Vegetables
1 yellow squash, sliced into 1/16”
disks (I did not measure… I just sliced!)
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/16” disks
2 Japanese eggplants, sliced into 1/16” disks (Honestly… where do you find Japanese eggplants?? I have never seen them. Pick long skinny ones if possible.)
2 roma tomatoes thinly sliced. I used a sharp knife so not to smoosh the tomato.
Garnish
Fresh thyme
Fresh grated parmesan
Bread for dipping
I have a large family, so I usually double EVERY recipe I do. I would recommend it for this recipe as it will disappear. (Makes GREAT leftovers… may even be better than day of?!) The sauce is GREAT for dipping… you should absolutely double that. But also… I have a GREAT recipe specifically for any leftover veggies NOT used in this dish. Read below!!
Directions:
1. In a small pot, sauté the diced peppers, onion, shallot in olive oil over low heat until onions are translucent and peppers are soft. After they are done, add the minced garlic and tomatoes and sauté for an additional 2 minutes over medium heat. Turn heat low and cover and let sit for about 5 minutes, then turn off heat, keeping covered.
2. Using a soup or hand blender, blend the pepper and onion mixture until well blended, some chunks are ok, but should be the consistency of a thick sauce.
3. PREHEAT oven to 275.
4. In a baking or pie dish (I used two because I doubled it), spread a generous layer of your red pepper sauce and a sprinkling of fresh thyme. Next, arrange your vegetables in the dish in a circular pattern, rotating between each vegetable and exposing about a centimeter of each vegetable. (If this does not happen because of the mixed sizes of your veggies, don’t worry… I have another recipe that is my own called… RATATOUILLE WRAPS for all your leftover veggies!) Use a tomato slice every second or third rotation (your call) because too many tomatoes can make the ratatouille a bit watery. Keep spiraling the vegetables towards the center until the dish is full. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme and then cover with tin foil.
5. Place your covered ratatouille in the oven and let back for 1 hr 45 min. Uncover and cook for an additional 10 min. Then turn your broiler on and cook for approx. 2 minutes, until vegetables turn golden.
6. You are done! Best served sprinkled with fresh thyme and fresh parmesan and with a loaf of piping hot bread!!
This is not my recipe… found it on Pinterest… here is the link of hte original recipe… http://pinkbrandywine.tumblr.com/post/61910919651/ratatouilles-ratatouille