When I made the decision a few months ago to eat mostly vegan food, I knew that I'd need to source new recipes and modify some that were already in my rotation. I almost never follow recipes exactly, generally out of laziness or some secret finickiness that I must have somewhere, but I try not to deviate from a new recipe too seriously the first time I make it. Enter this ratatouille recipe. Definitely my favorite new-to-me recipe, it hails from the gorgeous cookbook "Plenty", by Yotam Ottolenghi, who writes The New Vegetarian column here for The Guardian and owns a couple of restaurants/delis in London - I'm 62% sure I passed the Kensington location once while wandering around the area on a visit, but perhaps the building just looks similar to something else I'm remembering ... or perhaps I'm just wistfully wishing I could teleport ...
I learned while researching this post that in addition to being an accomplished chef and author of enviably good cookbooks, Mr. Ottolenghi has a master's degree in comparative literature. I enjoy this fact because I do too! And from time to time I feel a pang of something resembling sadness about the fact that I didn't end up continuing for a PhD or following a traditional academic career track. I wouldn't say that it keeps me up at night, but I think about it a bit and I felt a happy kinship upon learning more about Ottolenghi's background. It makes me less inclined to lament the basic inertia which is the modern office, and more inclined to be grateful that I ended up with a pretty good job and a fantastic recipe for ratatouille.
Anyway, back to the recipe. It really is a good one. And I would recommend trying to stick closely to it (my small swaps are noted below). There is something to the combination of vegetables and order of cooking that really just makes it all sublime and magical.
Ottolenghi has the following to say about the dish:
Although I call this ratatouille the name doesn't do it any justice, as this is the most magnificently delicious dish, nothing like the drab pile of limb zucchini I'd normally associate with the name. I was given the recipe by Tamara Meitlis, a friend and a wise cook who would tell you - and I can't agree more here - to get all your vegetables prep done before you start cooking. I also advise you to follow the instructions closely; overcooking the vegetables is exactly the point here.
Also, this yields a TON of ratatouille. I made a half recipe yesterday and still ended up with about four generous servings. I am excited about the ample leftovers.
Rataouille (from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty)
Serves 6
7 tbsp sunflower oil (I used much less - probably 3-4 tbsp of oil)
2 small onions, cut into 1 1/4 inch dice
4 garlic cloves, sliced (I confess - I use 6!)
1/2 fresh green chili, thinly sliced
2 small red peppers, cut into a 1 1/2 inch dice
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into a 1 1/4 inch dice
1 small parsnip, peeled and cut into a 1 1/4 inch dice
1 cup french beans, trimmed
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1 1/4 inch dice
1/2 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 1/4 inch dice
1 small potato, peeled and cut into a 1 1/4 inch dice
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 tbsp sugar (I skip the sugar)
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt and black pepper
1 cup water
chopped cilantro to garnish (optional)
Pour two-thirds of the oil into a large heavy casserole dish or a pot and place on a medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, stir in the garlic, chili and red peppers and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the squash and parsnip and continue frying for 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, lift the vegetables out of the pot and into a medium bowl, leaving as much of the oil in the pot as possible. Top this up with remaining oil. Add the French beans, zucchini and eggplant to the hot oil and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Return the contents of the bowl to the pot. Add the potato, tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste and plenty of salt and pepper. Stir well, then pour in the water. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes. Taste the vegetables and add more salt and pepper, if you like.
Finally, preheat the oven to 400 F. Use a slotted spoon to gently lift the vegetables from the pot and into a large, deep roasting pan to make a layer about 1 1/4 inches thick. Pour the liquid over the vegetables and place in the oven to cook for 30 minutes. At this point all the vegetables should be very soft and most of the liquid evaporated. Garnish with cilantro, if you like, and serve.
(Note: I have made this a few times and sometimes need to leave in the oven longer to make sure all water is evaporated - usually around 45 minutes, but I keep a close eye on it)
Prepping vegetables ...
Final product, served with a flashy sprig of cilantro and a wisp of steam.
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