At summer’s end, ratatouille rocks
When we think stew, we see meat. But as St. Paul wrote, “And now these three remain: Bourgignon, goulash and ratatouille. But the greatest of these is ratatouille.”
No meat.
This all-vegetable stew may be its finest at summer’s end when vines, plants and trees push out their ripest, chin-dripping best.
Ratatouille (RAT-uh-TOOee) originated in Provence in southern France. The list of classic ratatouille ingredients is a painter’s palette of Provence: eggplant, tomato, summer squash, red bell pepper and the herbs oregano, thyme, and basil.
Other countries make similar all-vegetable stews, especially at their own summer’s end, and their variations on the theme are recipes that you may imitate as well. Italians, for example, who call their meatless vegetable stew ciambotta, well may add potato, celery, and carrot, even green bean. Sicilians make caponata, a sweet-sour ratatouille of a sort with green olives, celery and capers.
Catalans fry their ratatouille-style vegetables, layering them in a dish that they call tumbet. To their versions of ratatouille, countries along the northern arc of Africa often add legumes such as chickpea (garbanzo) or dried yellow pea. And they spice up the stew with chili pepper concoctions such as ras el hanout (a North African spice mixture of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger) or harissa.
So, taking cues from these many places, choose to add flavors to your ratatouille by doing some of these.
Roast the vegetables: When you roast vegetables (for, say, 15-30 minutes at 375-400 degrees) such as eggplant slices, carrot, onion, zucchini and celery, you caramelize their sugars. That adds another dimension of flavor — and an important one — not possible if you merely plop the same vegetables into the pot.
Spice it up: Vegetable stews call for more and different spices and herbs as flavor supplements than those used in traditional meat stews. So add, as you stew, some ras el hanout or harissa (both available at a Mediterranean market); sweet, hot or smoked paprika; a splash of rice vinegar or white wine vinegar; or flavor seeds such as corian- der, yellow mustard or green cardamom.
Herbs: This is the time (in a recipe and at a season) for a lavish hand with herbs such as basil, oregano (or marjoram), flat-leaf parsley or summer savory. During the cooking of the ratatouille, they add a “dark” dimension; at the end, as a garnish or sprinkle, they add their brightness. Why not do both?
Things farinaceous: While beans and some legumes don’t fit in with most meat-based stews, they’re terrific in vegetable stews such as ratatouille, either whole or pureed, where they not only add flavor but also thicken.
One very nice aspect about ratatouille, and its several versions, is that it is delicious warm, at room or ambient temperature, and even slightly cooled. That makes it all the more perfect for summer’s end al fresco dinners or picnics.
Ratatouille From Gourmet magazine; serves 4
Ingredients
1 onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
1¾ pounds eggplant, cut into ½-inch
pieces (about 3 cups)
1 small zucchini, scrubbed, quartered
lengthwise, and cut into thin slices 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped ¾ pound small ripe tomatoes,
chopped coarse (about 1¼ cups) ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled k teaspoon ground coriander ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup shredded fresh basil leaves Directions
In a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and heat it over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the eggplant and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened.
Stir in the zucchini and the bell pepper and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the oregano, thyme, coriander, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper to taste and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil and combine the mixture well. The ratatouille may be made one day in advance, kept covered and chilled. Reheat before serving.