The Art Of French Cooking- Week 6 -Ratatouille

Click here to enter my Cottage Charm Giveaway. 

(Giveaway ends tonight-- Saturday, the 29th, at midnight EST)

This week, Miss S actually made Ratatouille,

while I was watching the movie.
Your eyes are fine--
that's just a glare down the center of our TV screen.

Ratatouille

[Eggplant Casserole--with tomatoes, onions, peppers and zucchini]

Ratatouille perfumes the kitchen with the essence of Provence and is certainly one of the great Mediterranean dishes. As it is strongly flavored, it is best when it accompanies plain roast or broiled beef or lamb, or plain roast, broiled, or sauteed chicken. Equally good hot or cold, it also makes a fine accompaniment to cold meats, or may be served as a cold hors d'oeuvre.

A really good ratatouille is not one of the quicker dishes to make, as each element is cooked separately before it is arranged in the casserole to partake of a brief communal simmer. This recipe is the only one we know of which produces a ratatouille in which each vegetable retains its own shape and character. Happily, a ratatouille may be cooked completely the day before it is to be served, and it seems to gain in flavor when reheated.

• 1 lb. eggplant
• 1 lb. zucchini
• A 3 quart mixing bowl
• 1 tsp. salt
• 10-12-inch skillet
• 4 TBSP. Olive oil, more if needed
• 1/2 lb. (about 1 1/2 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
• 2 (about 1 cup) sliced green bell peppers
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. firm, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced
• 2 1/2 quart oven-proof casserole dish with lid
• 3 TBSP minced parsley

Peel eggplant and cut into lengthwise slices 3/8" thick/3" long/1" wide.

Slice ends off zucchini and cut zucchini into slices 

the same size as eggplant.

Place vegetables into bowl and toss with salt.

Let stand 30 minutes. Drain and dry slices.

One layer at a time, saute' the eggplant, then zucchini in hot oil 

for one minute on each side to brown lightly. 

Remove to a side dish.

In the same skillet, cook the onions and peppers, 

slowly for 10 minutes, until tender, not browned. 

Stir in garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

To peel tomatoes, hold tomatoes in boiling water for 10 seconds.

Tomato skin loosens,

and is peeled off easily.

Set oven to 450 degrees.
Cut peeled tomatoes in half crosswise, not through the stem.
Squeeze each half gently to extract the seeds and juices.

Slice tomato pulp into 3/8" strips, lay them over the onions/peppers. 
Cover skillet and cook over low for 5 minutes.
Uncover and raise heat and boil until juice has almost entirely evaporated.

Layer amounts in thirds into the casserole dish: 
tomato mixture
then
parsley
then
eggplant/zucchini.
Repeat twice more, top with parsley.

Cover casserole, and bake for 15 minutes.
Set aside, uncovered until ready to serve,
or let cool, refrigerate and serve cold.

Review:

We had high expectations from this dish.
After all, a movie had been named after it!


We anticipated tasting this famous Provence fare.


Miss S prepared this dish, 
and it took her almost the whole length of the movie to make.
So, we figured, with something that took this long,
it was bound to be good.


The scents of onion, garlic and parsley wafted throughout our home,
our tummies growled and our mouths watered.
We could NOT wait till it came out of the oven.


We all sat down, 
placed our hands together and gave thanks,
placed our napkins on our laps,
placed a forkful of French happiness to our lips.


We were not happy.
In fact, we were disappointed.
The recipe had been followed exactly, 
so we know it wasn't Miss S' fault.


This dish was boring, 
it tasted like Fajita veggies that someone 
forgot to put the cumin and chicken in.


Maybe we are too Americanized (what else would we be, right)?
But we decided that we wouldn't make this ever again.
I am sorry if I am hurting any of my European home maker friends' feelings,
especially if you love the dish!


We are veggie lovers,
but maybe not this combination of veggies.

We give this:

*

out of

* * * * *

Till next Saturday,

Bon Appetit, y'all!