Ratatouille — Each Vegetable Fried Separately, That Is the Trick
Yvonne Ammann VeganFry the aubergine, courgette and pepper one after another in olive oil and remove, then cook the onions, garlic and tomatoes into a sauce and stew the vegetables in it for the last 15 minutes. That way each vegetable stays distinct. Everything in the pot at once gives vegetable mush.
Ratatouille is the summer dish for the moment when courgette, aubergine and tomatoes are all cheap at once — here from July to September. The difference between a good ratatouille and vegetable mush lies in a single step: each vegetable is fried on its own before everything comes together. It takes 20 minutes longer and is worth every one.
Ingredients
- 1 piece Aubergine
- 2 pieces Courgettes
- 2 pieces Bell peppers (red and yellow)
- 2 pieces Onions
- 3 pieces Garlic cloves
- 600 g Tomatoes (ripe)
- 1 tbsp Tomato purée
- 6 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 sprigs Thyme
- 1 piece Bay leaf
- 1½ tsp Salt
- Pepper
- ½ bunch Basil
Method
- 1
Cut the vegetables
Cut the aubergine, courgette and peppers into 2 cm cubes, the onions into strips, chop the garlic. Score the tomatoes, dip 30 seconds in boiling water, peel and dice.
- 2
Fry the aubergine
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pot until very hot, fry the aubergine 5 minutes until browned, salt and remove. It soaks up oil — do not add more, it releases it later.
- 3
Courgette and peppers
With 1 tbsp oil each, fry the courgette hard for 4 minutes and remove. Peppers 5 minutes, remove. Each vegetable should colour, not steam.
- 4
Tomato sauce
Remaining oil, soften the onions 5 minutes, add the garlic and tomato purée for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, thyme, bay and salt, simmer uncovered 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- 5
Stew together
Return all the vegetables to the sauce and stew covered gently for 15 minutes. Remove the bay and thyme stalks, pepper, scatter with basil. Serve warm, lukewarm or cold.
Tips
- Ratatouille is better on day two — the flavours merge. Make double: as a side for barbecued food, with rice or polenta, cold with bread, on pasta or as a filling for a Wähe.
- With a fried or poached egg on top and bread it is a complete supper. Baked under feta it becomes a gratin.
- In the oven it needs less watching: all the vegetables with oil on two trays, roast 30 minutes at 220 °C, then mix with the tomato sauce and simmer 10 minutes together.
What can I substitute?
Out of season the better choice — winter tomatoes taste of nothing. Season with 1 tsp sugar.
For anyone who dislikes aubergine. Fry fennel wedges 6 minutes, mushrooms 5.
Dried, into the sauce with the tomatoes. This is the mix most often used in France.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my ratatouille turn to mush?
Because all the vegetables were stewed together in the pot. Courgette and aubergine release a lot of water, and in that liquid they cook to pieces. Fry separately over high heat and add to the sauce only for the last 15 minutes — then every piece stays whole.
Do you need to salt aubergines first?
Not any more. Modern varieties are hardly bitter. Salting and standing 30 minutes only helps them absorb less oil when frying — do it if you have time, but it is not necessary.
Can I freeze ratatouille?
Yes, up to three months. The vegetables soften on thawing, the flavour stays. Ideal as a pasta sauce or tart filling in winter — and the cheapest way to preserve summer.
What goes with ratatouille?
As a side: barbecued food, lamb chops, chicken, fish. As a main: with rice, polenta, couscous, pasta or bread, plus an egg or feta. Cold with bread as a starter.
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