The secret of making a great Ratatouille is to take care of the main components separately... this is my favourite Vegetarian dish of all time - it can be served as a main in all its glory, as a side with meat/fish/carbs, as a garnish on hot toast, eaten cold with a salad, served with a poached egg for breakfast, etc. etc. The possibilities are endless.. I like to make it the day before to allow the individual ingredients to get well acquainted overnight..
So you need:
Ingredients:
2 large red peppers - deseeded and diced
2 medium courgettes - diced
1 large aubergines - diced
1 large onion - diced
1 large tomatoes - diced
1 clove of garlic - finely chopped/grated
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
Pinch of dried crushed red chilli [optional]
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of Olive oil in a non - stick frying pan and add the courgettes. Season with salt and freshly crushed black pepper. Fry until golden and set aside in another frying pan with a lid.
2. Throw in the red peppers into the frying pan and fry on a high heat. They should be slightly charred [not burnt] but not cooked through. Set aside with the courgettes.
3. Add another tablespoon of Olive oil to the frying pan. Fry the Aubergines for 1 minute and add salt and pepper - they will suck up all the oil immediately - DO NOT ADD MORE. Just turn down the heat and cover with a lid and ignore for a few minutes. The steam will continue to cook the oil greedy egg plant until eventually they will succumb to the heat and release their waters and the oil they soaked up initially. This frying then steaming method ensures you don't use too much oil and that the aubergines are not soggy with oil later on!
4. Set aside the cooked aubergines cubes with the peppers and courgettes. Then add one final tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Fry the onions gently just to soften. This may take about 5 - 10 minutes. Salt the onions and add the garlic. Fry for 1 minute then add the pinch of chilli followed by the puree. Cook out for 30 seconds then add the diced tomatoes.
5. Throw the whole lot in with the other veg - mix well on the heat. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Turn the heat off and cover the whole thing with a lid and ignore till you are ready to serve. When you do serve it, check the seasoning again and garnish with finely chopped parsley.
Nutritional points: Well Vegtables. What can I say? Need I say anything guys? The more colourful the fresh veg that you eat the more antioxidants they contain and the more vitamins and nutrients. If you eat the skin you get more of the nutrients as they tend to be just under the skin. Okay so I have fried each of the veg - but only in the very respectable olive oil and no more than 3 tablespoons in total - so it is all good and wholesome.
ps.Never over cook your veg as the vitamins all disappear and you end up with mush at the end.
I think you could pig out on this and still award your self brownie points for being good.. I had a serving with a poached egg on top for brekkie, then another with fish for lunch... then another portion at dinner time with some chickpeas for a wholesome smack on the lips... this is not a diet dish - it is just the most versatile and yummy dish ever!
So you need:
Ingredients:
2 large red peppers - deseeded and diced
2 medium courgettes - diced
1 large aubergines - diced
1 large onion - diced
1 large tomatoes - diced
1 clove of garlic - finely chopped/grated
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
Pinch of dried crushed red chilli [optional]
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| The main ingredients for my ratatouille |
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| Fry courgettes in a little olive oil salt and black pepper |
2. Throw in the red peppers into the frying pan and fry on a high heat. They should be slightly charred [not burnt] but not cooked through. Set aside with the courgettes.
 |
| Fry red peppers without any more oil |
3. Add another tablespoon of Olive oil to the frying pan. Fry the Aubergines for 1 minute and add salt and pepper - they will suck up all the oil immediately - DO NOT ADD MORE. Just turn down the heat and cover with a lid and ignore for a few minutes. The steam will continue to cook the oil greedy egg plant until eventually they will succumb to the heat and release their waters and the oil they soaked up initially. This frying then steaming method ensures you don't use too much oil and that the aubergines are not soggy with oil later on!
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| Caramelise on a high heat in very little oil then cover to steam and finish cooking |
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| Steaming aubergines in their own juices prevents the need for more oil |
4. Set aside the cooked aubergines cubes with the peppers and courgettes. Then add one final tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Fry the onions gently just to soften. This may take about 5 - 10 minutes. Salt the onions and add the garlic. Fry for 1 minute then add the pinch of chilli followed by the puree. Cook out for 30 seconds then add the diced tomatoes.
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| Onions, Garlic, Chilli and tomatoes - the basis of any great dish |
5. Throw the whole lot in with the other veg - mix well on the heat. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Turn the heat off and cover the whole thing with a lid and ignore till you are ready to serve. When you do serve it, check the seasoning again and garnish with finely chopped parsley.
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| Set aside till the next day and enjoy any which way and how ... Divine! |
ps.Never over cook your veg as the vitamins all disappear and you end up with mush at the end.
I think you could pig out on this and still award your self brownie points for being good.. I had a serving with a poached egg on top for brekkie, then another with fish for lunch... then another portion at dinner time with some chickpeas for a wholesome smack on the lips... this is not a diet dish - it is just the most versatile and yummy dish ever!
1 comment:
Looks like a great recipe.
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