Ratatouille

Name: Ratatouille
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: 2 eggplant; 3 zucchini; 3 bell peppers, red and green; 2 onions; 4 clove garlic; 1 kg tomatoes, ripe; 1½ dl olive oil; 3 sprig thyme, fresh; 1 bay leaf; 1 handful basil, fresh; 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste; pepper, freshly ground; 1 pcs crusty country bread, or baguette — for soaking up the juices

A Provençal vegetable dish where eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion are sautéed separately before coming together in a tomato sauce with thyme and bay leaf.

🍽️ 4 servings⏱️ 2 h 15 min (1 h 15 min active)french

The eggplant first releases its moisture while the tomatoes are blanched and prepped; then the vegetables are sautéed separately before being combined into a reduced tomato base and simmered briefly. Let the pot rest so the flavors and oil settle, and fold in the basil only just before serving. Cooking the vegetables separately is essential so they keep their own flavor and shape.

Ingredients

2 eggplant
3 zucchini
3 bell peppers, red and green
2 onions
4 clove garlic
1 kg tomatoes, ripe
1½ dl olive oil
3 sprig thyme, fresh
1 bay leaf
1 handful basil, fresh
2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
pepper, freshly ground
1 pcs crusty country bread, or baguette — for soaking up the juices

How to make it

Cut the eggplant into cubes of about 2 cm and toss them thoroughly with the 2 tsp salt in a colander, so the salt reaches every cut surface. Set the colander over a bowl.
Chef's tip Salt draws water out of the eggplant's spongy cells, which collapse rather than drink oil. Cubes of about 2 cm hold their shape through two cookings; smaller ones disintegrate in the final simmer.
Let the eggplant cubes sit for 30 minutes, until the cut surfaces glisten with moisture. Then pat them completely dry with a kitchen towel, since dry cubes absorb less oil and brown instead of steaming. ⏱ 30 min · passive
Set a pot of water on to boil. Meanwhile, score a cross in the bottom of the tomatoes, then dip them into the boiling water until the skin curls loose at the cross. ⏱ 8 min–10 min
Chef's tip Ripe tomatoes need only 15-30 seconds in boiling water — you're loosening skin, not cooking flesh. Leave them longer and the outer layer turns mushy and slips away with the peel.
Cool the tomatoes under cold running water and peel off the skin. Halve them, scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon, and cut the tomato flesh into rough pieces, so you're left with just the firm flesh.
Cut the zucchini into cubes the same size as the eggplant cubes, and cut the bell peppers into wide strips. Slice the onions into thin wedges and finely chop the garlic.
Heat 4 tbsp of the olive oil in a large, wide pot over medium-high heat, and sauté the eggplant cubes for 8-10 minutes, until golden and yielding when pressed. Turn them a couple of times as they cook, then transfer them to a bowl. ⏱ 8 min–10 min
Chef's tip Give the cubes room — a crowded pot traps steam and they turn grey and slack instead of golden. Listen for a steady sizzle; if it goes quiet, the pan has cooled and they're stewing.
Sauté the zucchini cubes in 2 tbsp olive oil in the same pot for 5-7 minutes, until the edges are golden but the cubes still have bite. Add them to the eggplant cubes.
Chef's tip Give the cubes room between them. Crowded, they release moisture and the sharp sizzle dies down to a low bubble — then they steam and turn soft instead of golden.
Turn the heat down to medium, add 3 tbsp olive oil to the pot, and sauté the onions for 8 minutes, until soft and translucent without taking on color.
Add the bell peppers and cook them along for 8 minutes, until tender and lightly colored at the edges.
Stir in the garlic and let it cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Keep it pale, since burnt garlic will make the whole pot bitter.
Add the tomato flesh, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf, and let it reduce uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes should break down into a thick sauce that pulls away from the bottom of the pot when you draw the spoon through it. ⏱ 10 min
Chef's tip The sauce needs to be thick already at this stage — once the cubes go back in, you can't cook off the liquid without the browned pieces falling apart. The spoon should leave a trail that closes slowly.
Gently fold the sautéed eggplant and zucchini cubes into the thick tomato sauce, cover with a lid, and let it all simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. The flavors come together while the cubes remain distinguishable from each other. ⏱ 15 min · passive
Chef's tip Fold with a spatula from underneath rather than stirring — the browned eggplant is soft enough to smear into the sauce, and once it does you lose the distinct cubes the dish is named for.
Fish out the thyme sprigs and bay leaf, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper, until the sweetness of the vegetables comes through clearly.
Chef's tip The eggplant still carries some of the 2 tsp salt from the draining, even after patting it dry. So season in small increments and taste after each one, rather than salting as you would an unsalted pot.
Take the pot off the heat and let the ratatouille rest for 15 minutes, until it's warm and the oil has settled as a clear ring around the edge. ⏱ 15 min · passive
Tear the basil leaves into large pieces over the pot and gently fold them into the warm ratatouille. Cut the bread into thick slices and put them in a basket on the table. Set the pot in the middle of the table with deep plates alongside, and drizzle the last of the olive oil over the top. Let everyone ladle their own and soak up the juices with the bread — ratatouille is eaten warm, never piping hot.