Ratatouille: Roasted and Reconsidered

Prepared properly and with a little love, Ratatouille, an old seasonal farmer's dish, can be 4-star.

By David Smith
Published: Dec 26, 2007

The last time a woman “cooked” for me she opted to tackle lamb. It was the sweetest gesture, but when she plated it up, rare beyond belief, I was convinced that little guy still could’ve torn a sweater to shreds. That said, I’m no professional chef, but traversing three continents in search of quality cuisine and covertly trading cocktails for entrees while managing the bar of an elegant French Quarter landmark gives me enough cred to know shite when I see it. Bottom line: I’m the type who would spend their last Jackson on one meal rather than subsist on the dollar menu at Mickey D’s. Therein lies my weakness, and the primary reason why I’ll never go “Into the Wild.” But that’s a novella, not a recipe.

This Ratatouille, adapted from an amazing, 9-ingredient recipe from Cooks Illustrated, demystifies the necessary steps for getting the most from your eggplant, and offers an entirely new approach to the preparation of the dish. Who would have thought that roasting the vegetables beforehand would transform an oily pile of mush into something so fresh-tasting and enjoyable? But that’s what makes this recipe such a revelation – that this age-old Italian dish gets a most unlikely kick in the ass from a test kitchen in Boston.

For the working professional, Ratatouille warms the heart and satiates the soul like few other one-dish dinners, and it beats the hell out of take-out four nights a week.
For “foodies” (can we kill this word already?), the roots of Ratatouille Nicoise can be traced back to the soil of present day Nice, and was originally a poor farmer’s dish, prepared in the warm months with seasonal vegetables. It comes straight from the dirt – no animals involved - and when prepared properly and with a little love is as brightly flavored and healthy as it is delicious and satisfying. Ratatouille also offers bang for your buck and the leftovers rock - you know the whole flavors blending and getting better each day thing. So crank up your oven to 500 and check this one out. I promise.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplant (2 - 2 ½ pounds), cut into 1-1 ½ -inch cubes
2 teaspoons of table salt
2 large zucchini (1 ½ pounds), washed and cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped large
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes (nice ripe beefsteaks, if possible), about 1 pound, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (both to taste)

1. Place the eggplant in a large colander set over a large bowl. Sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons of salt and toss to distribute salt evenly. Let the eggplant stand at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours for maximum water removal. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly under running water to remove the salt, and spread in an even layer on a triple thickness of paper towels. Cover with another triple thickness of paper towels and press down firmly on eggplant until it is dry and feels firm and compressed.

2. Adjust one oven rack to the upper-middle position and the second rack to the lower-middle position, and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil.

3. Toss the eggplant, zucchini, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil together in a large bowl, then divide evenly between the baking sheets, spreading in a single layer on each. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until well-browned and tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Halfway through the roasting time, rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom. Set aside when cooking has completed.

4. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (or the best pot you’ve got) over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion; reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook until they release their juices and begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted eggplant and zucchini, stirring gently but thoroughly to combine, and cook until just heated through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, basil and thyme and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve with crunchy bread and a nice red …or two.

Dave claims that he is not metrosexual, but we have good word that he wrote this entire piece while listening to Roxy Music’s “Stranded.” On vinyl. Twice.