As I sit here eating cold, leftover ratatouille and listening to John Coltrane's The Way you Look Tonight, I have to wonder what the world would do without these 2 marvelous creations. I really couldn't be happier, who knew the 2 went so well together? I don't need to say anything more about Coltrane than that he is an absolute master of the beat and my heart, but ratatouille, that may need some explaining.
My history with ratatouille only goes back a few years, I believe when I came to Spain was the first time I ever tried it. My mother used to make something similar for my sister and I when we were younger but with squash and zucchini, in the same sweet tomato broth, just as delicious, but not ratatouille. The strong taste of the green peppers, combined with the soft texture of the zucchini and eggplant and the light tomato sauce makes it one of my favorite comfort foods. Hearty, warm and full of flavor it's impossible for me to resist, especially when the freak snow storm hit Barcelona a few weeks ago, I went straight for the eggplant.
Looking for a recipe I fell across one by the great Julia Child. I know I am not the only female, food obsessed journalist who watched Julie & Julia and felt the urge to begin cooking the marvelous recipes of Julia Child, while documenting the turn out on my blog. I am practicing huge amounts of self-control by only posting one, well another may pop up later, of the culinary master's dishes. Although, this may catapult me into my love of all things French; I cry leaving Paris every time (it's just so beautiful), I spent years attempting to learn French and I listen to Edith Piaf religiously, I will try to stay on topic.
This is the Ratatouille I pair with good jazz, buttery basmati rice, rain or snow and sometimes, the film La vie en Rose.
Ratatouille
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child
Ingredients
½ lb. eggplant
½ lb. zucchini
1 tsp. salt 4 Tb. olive oil, more if needed
2 thinly sliced yellow onions
2 sliced green bell peppers
2-3 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves mashed garlic
1 lb. firm, ripe, red tomatoes for pulp
3 Tb. minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Peel the eggplant and cut into slices 3/8 inch thick, about 3 inches long, and 1 inch wide. Scrub the zucchini, slice off the two ends, and cut like the eggplant. Place in a bowl and toss with the salt. Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Drain your eggplant and zucchini slices and dry them on a towel.
3. One layer at a time, sauté the eggplant and zucchini in hot olive oil on each side to brown very lightly. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. In the same skillet, cook the onions and the peppers slowly in olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender but now browned. Stir in the garlic and season to taste.
5. Prepare tomato pulp by boiling the tomatoes for 10-15 seconds. When done, remove and run under icy cold water. Peel off the skins and cut them in half. Squeeze out the seeds and juices into a small bowl and slice them in 3/8 inch strips.
6. Lay tomatoes over the onion and pepper mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have begun to render their juice.
7. Uncover, baste with the juices, raise heat and boil for several minutes, until juice has almost evaporated. Place a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a heavy casserole pot (the first time I made this I didn't have a cassarole pot and used a normal pot, which worked well also) and sprinkle over it 1 Tb. of parsley and half of the eggplant and zucchini on top. Continue the layers until all ingredients have been used, finishing with the tomatoes and parsley. Put in the rest of the eggplant and zucchini, and finish with the remaining tomatoes and parsley.
8. Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and baste with the rendered juices and add salt and pepper if necessary (I normally do not need to adjust the salt, but test it out just in case)
9. Raise the heat and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes more, basting several times, until juices have evaporated.
10. Turn off heat and serve, it's even better the next day cold or hot.
3. One layer at a time, sauté the eggplant and zucchini in hot olive oil on each side to brown very lightly. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. In the same skillet, cook the onions and the peppers slowly in olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender but now browned. Stir in the garlic and season to taste.
5. Prepare tomato pulp by boiling the tomatoes for 10-15 seconds. When done, remove and run under icy cold water. Peel off the skins and cut them in half. Squeeze out the seeds and juices into a small bowl and slice them in 3/8 inch strips.
6. Lay tomatoes over the onion and pepper mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have begun to render their juice.
7. Uncover, baste with the juices, raise heat and boil for several minutes, until juice has almost evaporated. Place a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a heavy casserole pot (the first time I made this I didn't have a cassarole pot and used a normal pot, which worked well also) and sprinkle over it 1 Tb. of parsley and half of the eggplant and zucchini on top. Continue the layers until all ingredients have been used, finishing with the tomatoes and parsley. Put in the rest of the eggplant and zucchini, and finish with the remaining tomatoes and parsley.
8. Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and baste with the rendered juices and add salt and pepper if necessary (I normally do not need to adjust the salt, but test it out just in case)
9. Raise the heat and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes more, basting several times, until juices have evaporated.
10. Turn off heat and serve, it's even better the next day cold or hot.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment