No-Fear Ratatouille Recipe with Le Creuset
Ratatouille has become popular ever since the Disney movie of the same name came out. Children have been asking their parents to make ratatouille; young adults have been curious to know what it tastes like; restaurants have seen an increase in requests. What is ratatouille anyway, though? Traditionally, ratatouille is a vegetable stew consisting of onions, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. The version prepared in the movie is a different version of the recipe called confit byaldi, featuring thinly sliced vegetables over a bed of reduced peppers, onions, tomatoes, and herbs. That's the version we're going to be tackling today, using Le Creuset cookware!
Ingredients
2 eggplants
6 Roma tomatoes
2 yellow squashes
2 zucchinis
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
We used the Carl Mertens Country 6" Chef's Knife to make quick work of the veggies.
- Preheat the oven for 375˚F.
- Slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into thin rounds, then set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. We used some excellent Le Creuset cookware.
- Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers for 10 minutes, or until soft.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes.
- Remove from heat, then stir in the chopped basil.
- Smooth the surface of the sauce with a spoon.
- Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover the pan and bake for 60 minutes, uncovering for the last 20.
- Spread chopped basil, chopped garlic and olive oil over the cooked ratatouille.
Serve while hot, and like many ratatouille dishes, it improves overnight in the fridge!
