We Have Got You A Moreish Mediterranean-Style Vegetable Stew Which Is Perfect For A Super-Healthy Midweek Supper With Nothing Short Of Class. Brace Yourselves With The Classic Provençal Dish—Ratatouille!
Ratatouille
This Provencal-inspired Classic French Ratatouille recipe has all the veggie goodness going on. It’s THE dish that can bring abundance to your vegetable garden, after a trip to the farmer’s market or for a quick culinary escape to the south of France any time of year!
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 Korean incubator pumpkin (also called Korean zucchini or aehobak; I got mine from K Fresh)
• 1/2 eggplant
• 1/2 yellow zucchini
• 1/2 daikon radish
• 2 Roma tomatoes, or regular red tomatoes
Sauce
• 30ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 8g (1/2 tbsp) Dijon mustard
• 8g (1/2 tbsp) gochujang
• 240g (1 cup) tomato puree
• 5g (1 tsp) salt
• 1g (1/2 tsp) black pepper
Basil oil (makes more than you need for the ratatouille)
• 15-20 basil leaves
• 3g (1/2 tsp) salt
• 100ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil, or any other neutral oil
1 sprig fresh basil, for garnishing
HOW TO COOK?
1. Slice vegetables: Start by slicing the aehobak, eggplant, yellow zucchini, daikon radish, and tomatoes about 3-5mm.
2. Make sauce: Pour the vegetable oil into a pan, and place it over medium heat. Add the diced onions and red peppers, and saute it for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent, making sure not to burn them. Add in the minced garlic, and saute for a further 2 minutes. Add in the mustard, gochujang, tomato puree, salt, and pepper, and bring the whole mixture to a simmer, and cook for 3-5 minutes to let the flavours familiarise. Take the sauce off the heat, let it cool for 5 minutes, then pour it into a blender. Blend on high until a smooth puree forms.
3. Preheat oven: Heat your oven up to 180°C.
4. Assemble ratatouille: The ratatouille is best made in a Dutch oven or cast-iron or an oven-proof pan. Pour the sauce into the pan and spread it out with a spoon so the bottom of the pan is evenly covered in sauce. Then, shingle the sliced vegetables on top, in 3-4 concentric circles, to get a nice pattern to your ratatouille for aesthetics.
5. Bake ratatouille: Cover the top of the pan with aluminium foil, and bake the ratatouille for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil from the pan, and bake for a further 30 minutes to concentrate the flavour of the vegetables.
6. Make basil oil: While the ratatouille is baking, ready a small pot of boiling water. Blanch the basil leaves in the water for 20 seconds, then immediately sift out the leaves and drop them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Then, take out the leaves, give it a hard squeeze to remove the excess liquid, and put them in a blender together with the salt and oil. Blend for 20-30 seconds until the basil leaves are completely pulverised and the oil is a brilliant shade of green. Transfer the oil into a bowl or bottle.
7. Garnish, serve, and eat: When the ratatouille is done, take it out of the oven, drizzle 2-3 teaspoons of basil oil on top, and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil in the middle. Serve and eat it immediately for the best flavour!
