Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Ratatouille

Above: Tipsy holding the aubergine just picked from my mom's garden.

I did not always like ratatouille.

Then one night in New Haven, Lucy, a pretty fellow waitress at the restaurant where I worked at night, invited some of us over for dinner to the apartment she shared with her doomed boyfriend, the alcoholic and bi-polar barman. Ratatouille and chicken breasts were on the menu. The unctuous former saved the latter from the dessication for which it was destined. I was converted.

For Four:

8 garlic cloves, peeled
5 shallots or small onions, halved
1 big aubergine, cubed
3 tomatoes, quartered
1 sweet red pepper, in chunks
6 small courgettes, in thumb-sized lengths
lots of thyme
lots of parsley
Salt, pepper, some sugar

In a generous sloshing of olive oil over medium heat saute the cloves of garlic and the shallots, add aubergine, stirring until coloured lightly; add the pepper, the tomatoes, the courgettes. Add the herbs, salt, pepper and a little sugar. Stir again and cover with a lid. Cook for about an hour and a half. Remove lid and finish in a hot oven for half an hour to allow it to caramelize slightly.

Serve with dry chicken breasts.

Also very good, cold or hot, on bread. For wildness, add a poached egg.

7 comments:

  1. But what happened to the doomed boyfriend?

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  2. And what's "American" for "corgette"? It sounds wonderful - unless a corgette is a dill pickle! thanks.

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  3. Sigrid - no idea.

    Webb - zucchini!

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  4. Marie--I love coming here because I learn so much. I never knew that an eggplant could also be known as aubergine. I always just thought that was a color...(of course of an eggplant) but never knew it actually WAS an eggplant. Thanks for making me go to the dictionary and do some research. That is what I love about these blogs: I am ALWAYS learning something new.

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  5. Oh how I long for ratatouille! It's the embodiment of summer for me. Welcome back from your roaming...can't wait to hear the details.

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  6. I love ratatouille! One of my favorite ways to cook aubergine, next to Imam Bayildi. And the aubergine being held by Tipsy is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen!

    Keli'i

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  7. My favorite thing about eggplant is that the flowers are so beautiful.

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