Summer is the perfect season to celebrate the various vegetable harvests, and what better way to do this than with a ratatouille? Better yet, a ratatouille without the fuss of making Béchamel sauce (often the traditional way of making the dish). A gradient of vegetables weaved together across the skillet, garnished with thyme and basil to elevate the taste of summer.
Tools:
Baking pan or skillet
Knife or a Julienne slicer
Cooking pan
Ingredients:
1 large tomato
1 large eggplant
1 large zucchini
Tomato paste
1 shallot (sliced)
4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
¼ cup of water or chicken broth
Thyme and basil (finely chopped)
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Cut the vegetables into thin circles. If your knife skills are limited, cut it as thin as possible or use a Julienne slicer. Set aside and prepare the sauce by finely chopping two garlic and shallot cloves. Combine the garlic, shallots, and tomato paste in a pan heated with oil, and cook for 3-4 minutes at medium heat or until the shallots have softened. Once softened, mix in the water or chicken broth. For the garnish, finely chop the remaining two garlic cloves, thyme, and basil. Mix the aromatics together and generously season with salt.
In the skillet or baking pan, assemble the ratatouille by placing the vegetables in overlapping layers, to mimic a wave pattern. Once assembled, evenly pour the sauce over the vegetables and top it with the garnish. Bake the ratatouille at 400 F for about 20-30 minutes, or until the eggplants and zucchinis are translucent inside.
This is the perfect dish to make in the late summer when tomatoes and eggplants are at their peak season, and zucchinis are just wrapping up their prime season during midsummer. This recipe serves as a final farewell to summer vegetables before fall approaches. Hope you enjoy it!
