This is the ratatouille recipe from my cousin Bernard’s cookbook, La Cuisine Vagabonde. It is by far my favorite version.
Ratatouille A La Nicoise
Author: Kristin
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: French
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10
Ingredients
- 1 lb. of eggplant
- ½ lb. of zucchini
- ½ lb. of green peppers
- ¾ lb. of tomatoes, canned peeled tomatoes can be used
- 3 onions
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Herbs of Provence
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- Salt, pepper
Instructions
- Peel the eggplant with a vegetable peeler. This is important because cooked peel can give a very bitter taste. Cut the eggplant into small cubes.
- If using fresh tomatoes, peel the tomatoes after boiling them and then dice them.
- Peel and dice the onions.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the green peppers and cut them into small cubes.
- In a skillet with about a quarter inch of olive oil, fry the eggplant first, next the zucchini, and then the green peppers. This process is long but especially important for the eggplant, as it must be fried on all sides equally until golden. Add oil if necessary.
- In a pot large enough to hold all of the ratatouille, add a little olive oil and fry the onion. When the onion is golden, turn the heat to low and add the tomatoes and the rest of the vegetables.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, the garlic, and the Herbs of Provence, and stir everything together.
- Let cook on very low heat for 1 hour or more to get the ratatouille to a jam-like consistency. If water evaporates too much, you can add some to prevent sticking.