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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, September 11, 2002

Veggies love turning into ratatouille

By Sarah Fritschner
Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal

Local, seasonal vegetables first inspired the French dish ratatouille (rah-tuh-TOO-ee).

And one look at the ingredients tells you it is nothing more than a summer vegetable stew, made by a cook at the mercy of an unchecked gardener, perhaps. All the vegetables are summer garden vegetables — onions, zucchini, eggplant, peppers and tomato, simmered for hours and seasoned with fresh or dried herbs.

There is certainly no one right way to cook the dish. Depending on the cook's philosophy, the vegetables can be cooked separately and combined, or cooked lightly and folded together. I learned from a French cook that the dish sat on the back of the stove for hours simmering at the lowest temperature until it was a sauce with chunks in it.

Ratatouille's advantages range beyond its ability to cook a heaping basket of summer produce into a manageable amount of food. It is delicious served nearly any way — cold, hot or room temperature; as a dish in its own right, or spread on croutons, served as a casserole or inside an omelet.

I love the idea of letting something simmer all day on Sunday afternoon, but there are some days when you need a quicker approach. Then you can roast the same vegetables in your oven, or grill them outdoors, and use the same combination to create a little different dish. Just as good, just as versatile.

Peel the eggplant only if you prefer (I don't).

Roasted Ratatouille

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut in eighths
  • 1 medium onion, sliced one-fourth inch thick
  • 1 zucchini, trimmed and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
  • 1 small eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Place olive oil in wide, shallow roasting pan and tip to coat the bottom. Add all the vegetables. Sprinkle with one teaspoon salt and red pepper flakes. Put the pan into the oven and bake 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables and bake 10 minutes more. Stir again and bake 10 minutes more.

Remove and serve as a main dish over rice, noodles or couscous (top with cheese, if desired); as a side dish to meats such as chicken or pork chops; as a filling for crepes, wraps or frittatas; baked on a pizza or in a casserole topped with cheese, etc.

Serves four as a main dish; six to eight as a side dish.