C – I always wondered if that ratatouille in the Pixar movie Ratatouille tastes as good as they made it out to be.
I have never really liked the rustic version of Ratatouille Nicoise, with all of the vegetables diced up into cubes and cooked together. The vegetables can be mushy or soggy. I am just not a big fan of the texture.
It’s like a really chunky tomato sauce with lots vegetables. It’s usually a side dish that I usually try to avoid.
I know this Ratatouille Confit Byaldi has to be better. It has all the things I like. It’s artfully decorated, beyond OCD, and if its as good tasting as I am hoping, it’s the perfect trifecta. Thomas Keller makes it this way. His stuff is usually good. I hope mine is as good.
The process might be slow and tedious for some. This is right up my alley. Laying perfectly thin slices of vegetables all in a row and slowly roasting them for 90 minutes. It sounds really delightful. I always loved organizing things and color coding.
This ratatouille was beyond indulgent. Can I say that about a healthy dish? It’s not loaded with butter or oil. It’s just creamy from slow roasting the vegetables. It’s full of flavor from all the herbs and spices that are sauteed into a beautiful thick sauce.
I love being able to arrange the vegetables beautifully on a plate when serving, instead of slopping it on a bowl. I loved eating a few slices at a time, getting a thinly sliced tomato in one bite then a zucchini in another. The flavors just popped in my mouth. Filled with warm thyme and refreshing basil.
The only thing I don’t like is this only served two. Maybe four if you have lots of food along with it. It was good. Really good.
Yeah, I think I was that critique in the movie who closed his eyes and went to a happy place after eating this.
| Summer Vegetables Week 2016: Ratatouille Confit Byaldi |
- 1 yellow squash, sliced 2mm thin, save the ends for the sauce, about ½ cup chopped
- 1 Japanese eggplant, sliced 2mm thin, save the ends for the sauce, about ½ cup chopped
- 1 zucchini, sliced 2mm thin, save the ends for the sauce, about ½ cup chopped
- 4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and sliced 2mm thin, save the ends for the sauce, about ½ cup chopped
- 1 Tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp ground dried coriander
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- pinch of red chili flakes
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a saute pan, on medium high heat, add oil and heat. Add onions and cook until translucent with a pinch of salt and pepper. About 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for a minute.
- Add the ends of tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini. Add thyme, coriander, red chili flakes, a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Let the vegetables sweat and cook down. Add a cup of water and let simmer for about 15 minutes until cooked down. Add more water if needed, if it’s too dry.
- Add the basil and oregano. Season to taste.
- Place the mixture into a food processor. Blend until pureed.
- Place a thin layer the mixture into a round 9 inch or bigger baking pan.
- Arrange the thinly sliced vegetables like shingles around the pan.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over top and drizzle oil over top.
- Place a piece of parchment paper over top of the vegetables.
- Bake for 90 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Sprinkle fresh basil over top.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
The next time I make this I will use a bigger pan. I had enough vegetables and sauce leftover to make double the amount.
It’s really good and worth making lots.