One of the main aims of our trips and definitely a highlight for me is to make the dishes that are traditional to each of the areas that we visit.
I have dreams about going into the markets, meeting up with locals and them sharing their recipes with me that got passed down through generations...yeah, I know...how am I going to do that in my broken French and why would they share their recipes with me...well, I'm still working on it and trust me as soon as I get a recipe straight from a locals mouth, it will be on here!
But, for now, you will have to put up with the recipes that I find, merge from several recipes, or that I translate from the couple of French cookbooks that I have purchased already whilst here (that shipping container of 'stuff' is getting bigger!)
Todays recipe is Ratatouille. This dish originated in Nice and is now known as one of the trademarks of Provence. I have always loved a good ratatouille, Michael not so much...but now that I have cooked it the traditional Provencial way it is a family winner - the kids are wolfing it down too. The secret is to cook all the vegies separately, so it's not one big mushed up stew, but rather, the flavours, both delicate and robust from each individual ingredient coming through in every mouthful.
Joël Robuchon, one of France's greatest chefs with, oh, just 28 Michelin stars under his belt...has said "The secret of a good ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately so each will taste truly of itself"...and who am I to argue?
RATATOUILLE
Ingredients:
olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 red capsicum/pepper
1 yellow capsicum/pepper
2 eggplants/aubergines
2 zucchinis/courgettes
2 tomatoes
2 tbsp (or to taste) herbs de Provence (if you don't have access to herbs of Provence - use a mixture of dried basil, marjoram, thyme etc.)
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Prepare all vegetables and keep separated:
- large dice onions
- crush garlic
- large dice (about 1cm) capsicums
- large dice (about 1cm) aubergine (either skin on or removed - I have removed it as I know my little man wouldn't eat the skin and it doesn't interfere with the final meal) - salt the cubes in a strainer, leave for a few minutes, rinse, pat dry with paper towel
- large dice (about 1cm) courgettes (skin left on otherwise it tends to fall apart)
- halve tomatoes, then remove the seeds and juice - don't need to be too pedantic about this - large dice (about 1cm)
2. Heat olive oil and sauté onions and garlic for several minutes until softened
3. Add both colours of capsicums to the onions and continue to sauté until slightly caramelised and onions are becoming a bit jammy - about 5 -8 minutes - remove from pan
4. Add a splash more olive oil and add the eggplant in batches - just enough to cover the base of the pan. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes until one side starts to become brown, then flip them over. Resist the urge to stir them - letting them brown on the outside seals in the flavour and gives them a nice little crust. Remove from heat - add to the capsicum mixture
5. Reheat the pan with a touch more olive oil then add the courgettes. Sauté these for several minutes by themselves until they begin to brown. Once the are beginning to brown, add the chopped tomato and herbs de Provence, sauté a couple of minutes
6. Once the tomatoes begin to collapse a little (about 3-4 mins), add back in all of the other vegetables. Stir well to combine and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more herbs if you choose.
Serves 4 - 6 (as a side)
This can be served as a side dish to meat, chicken or fish, or can be served as a meal by itself.
We ate it with some grilled chicken breast and roasted potatoes, then the next day we had the leftovers cold, simply served with a crusty baguette for lunch. Delicious!
We only have one week to go now in Provence for this part of our trip before we move onto Burgundy! I wonder what culinary delights we will encounter there?!
Jusqu'à la prochaine fois...au revoir!
(Until next time...farewell!)
xo
Kim
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