Ratatouille
Cooking time
Ready in around 50 minutesSkill level
EasyServings
Serves 4Enjoy this superhealthy classic French vegetarian dish - counts as 4 of 5-a-day
Nutrition and extra info
Additional info
- Freezable
- Vegetarian
- Healthy
Nutrition
- kcalories
- -
- protein
- -
- carbs
- -
- fat
- -
- saturates
- -
- fibre
- -
- sugar
- -
- salt
- -
Ingredients
- 2 large aubergines
- 4 small courgettes
- 2 red or yellow peppers
- 4 large ripe tomatoes
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- supermarket pack or small bunch basil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar (any kind)
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Method
- Cut the aubergines in half lengthways. Place them on the board, cut side down, slice in half lengthways again and then across into 1.5cm chunks. Cut off the courgettes ends, then across into 1.5cm slices. Peel the peppers from stalk to bottom. Hold upright, cut around the stalk, then cut into 3 pieces. Cut away any membrane, then chop into bite-size chunks.
- Score a small cross on the base of each tomato, then put them into a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, leave for 20 secs, then remove. Pour the water away, replace the tomatoes and cover with cold water. Leave to cool, then peel the skin away. Quarter the tomatoes, scrape away the seeds with a spoon, then roughly chop the flesh.
- Set a sauté pan over medium heat and when hot, pour in 2 tbsp olive oil. Brown the aubergines for 5 mins on each side until the pieces are soft. Set them aside and fry the courgettes in another tbsp oil for 5 mins, until golden on both sides. Repeat with the peppers. Don’t overcook the vegetables at this stage, as they have some more cooking left in the next step.
- Tear up the basil leaves and set aside. Cook the onion in the pan for 5 mins. Add the garlic and fry for a further min. Stir in the vinegar and sugar, then tip in the tomatoes and half the basil. Return the vegetables to the pan with some salt and pepper and cook for 5 mins. Serve with basil.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, September 2006
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Comments, questions and tips
Comments
I have been making this for years and have grown to love it very much. I have recently been making it with a couple of splashes of
Pernod or similar. Also, I dry the slices of aubergine in a warm oven to remove nearly all of their moisture.
We would not have this cracking recipe if it had not been for the Moorish occupants of Spain and trade with Provence, who brought so many of the ingredients with them.
I have been making this for years and have grown to love it very much. I have recently been making it with a couple of splashes of
Pernod or similar. Also, I dry the slices of aubergine in a warm oven to remove nearly all of their moisture.
We would not have this cracking recipe if it had not been for the Moorish occupants of Spain and trade with Provence, who brought so many of the ingredients with them.
Serves four? They would need to be very hungry! This filled my very largest pan to the brim. Like others, I see no point in taking the seeds and juice away from the tomatoes, though I did skin them. But I did not see the point of skinning the peppers. Added a stock cube and extra spices - does this make me a philistine?
Did this tonight. Very tasty. Used balsamic vinegar instead because I didn't have red wine vinegar. Cooked the courgettes and the aubergine in the same pan, combining the 1st 2 steps. Didn't bother peeling or deseeding the tomatoes - just roughly chopped them. The veg was cooked just right and the mixture had nice flavours, with juicy tomatoes and crunchy veg. I used both red and normal onion, fried the red onion first (due to lack of pan space) and added the garlic, sugar, vinager and tomatoes to that mixture before tipping that pan into my veg pan. Then I did the regular onion while the mixture was heating through. The result was that there was a mixture of flavours of onions - the red onion slightly sweeter because it had had the sugar added to it, and the regular onion slightly crunchier. Over all very tasty, very simple, very easy and very healthy. Definitely recommend as a quick, easy and healthy cheap eat.
Having tried this recipe, following each instruction to the letter, I can honestly say this recipe needs a LOT of work, the Aubergines were inedible, far too "crunchy" and the only redeeming feature was a mildly palatable aftertaste. Nothing like the delicious ratatouille I've had at restaurants, personal taste I suppose, far too dry and also expensive for an every day dish, not practical at all, the difficulty rating obviously does not factor in the amount of chopping, peeling, etc that goes into this dish.
Recently moved to India where I can find a surplus of beautiful veg but am pretty limited on the meat front ie we've eaten chicken every day since being here so this was a fab alternative to a chickeny meal and cost about 90p to make the entire thing!
Added some cheese on top and served with bread YUM!