La Ratatouille

My Lebanese grandmother would often make something very similar to this ratatouille which we knew in Arabic as mtab’a. About age 15, I finally had a “French” ratatouille in Provence, made by my French step-mom’s father. I always loved my grandmother’s mtab’a and so embraced ratatouille immediately. It’s very satisfying served as a main meal with some rustic bread (Pain de Campagne), or goes well as an accompaniment to fish, meat or rice. Enjoy it warm or cold!

La Ratatouille

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

The name ratatouille is actually derived from French verb that mean "to toss". Here's some history on the ratatouille.

Author: Bethany

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 2 medium sized onions, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp dried Herbes de Provences
• 6 garlic cloves, passed through a garlic press
• 240ml/9 fl oz/1 cup of white wine
• 2 medium aubergines, roughly chopped and salted (degorger
• les legumes- as the French say.) I prefer not to peel them.
• 2 medium courgettes/squash, roughly chopped
• 3 bell peppers, roughly chopped
• 6 mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 5 medium tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium-low heat, add the onions and the dried Herbes de Provences, cover and sweat for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft, translucent and aromatic. Add the garlic and then pour in the wine keeping the lid removed and allow the wine to evaporate by half then add the remaining vegetables, herbs and season with salt and pepper then cover with the lid and cook for about 30-45 minutes. Stir the vegetables every so often so they don’t stick to the bottom the pot and burn. When you are ready to serve, pour over a generous drizzle of olive oil and serve with warm crusty bread.

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