Text 10878, 84 rader
Skriven 2007-01-23 17:39:20 av Ian Hoare
Ärende: French Eggbergine for Carol
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This is one of the very great classics. It's long and slow and difficult.
Worth every second's work.

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      Title: Ratatouille
 Categories: casseroles, french, side dish, starters, vegetables
      Yield: 6 servings

    1/2 lb aubergines
    1/2 lb courgettes
      1 ts salt
      3 tb olive oil; more if needed
    1/2 lb onions; thinly sliced
      2    green peppers; sliced
      2    cloves garlic; mashed
      3 tb olive oil; if necessary
      1    salt & pepper to taste
      1 lb ripe good tomatoes
      1    salt & pepper
      3 tb parsley

NB. This ratatouille recipe is the only one I know in which the vegetables
all retain their own identity and don't end up in a more-or-less anonymous
mush. The disadvantage is that it is a lot of trouble to prepare. Try it
none-the-less in the early autumn, when the ingredients are all reasonable
in price and at their best. Don't bother with watery orange tomatoes and
glasshouse grown peppers & aubergines.

Method
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Peel the aubergines and wipe the courgettes. Remove the ends then cut into
3/8" (1cm) thick slices. The slices should be taken lengthwise and end up
about 1" by 3" (2.5 x 8 cms). Place the vegetables in a bowl and toss with
the salt - you can use a little more if you feel like it. Turn into a
colander and layer evenly placing a weighted plate on top. Leave 30 minutes
to drain. Peel the tomatoes (10 secs in boiling water - into cold water)
and halve them across. Squeeze each half to push out the pips, and then put
them cut side up in a rack or colander. Sprinkle with salt and then turn
over. Sprinkle again and leave for about half an hour. Slice them into 1/2"
(1cm) strips, removing the stems if tough. Leave aside until ready to use.
Peel and slice the onion thinly, core the green peppers and slice them,
crush the garlic. Chop the parsley. Put the olive oil in a large frying pan
over high heat. While it is heating, dry the courgettes and aubergines
carefully with paper towels. A layer at a time and starting with the
courgettes, fry the courgettes and aubergines on both sides until lightly
browned - about a minute a side. When fried, keep on a plate until needed.
Aubergines absorb a lot of oil in the frying, so add more oil if needed.
When all are fried, sweat onions with the peppers and the garlic in the
remaining oil in the same pan, adding further oil at the beginning if
needed. Cover the pan and cook about 10 minutes until the vegetables are
tender but not browned. Season to taste. Now layer the tomatoes on top of
the onion pepper mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer
5 minutes or until the tomatoes have begun to render their juice. Uncover,
baste the tomatoes with the juices, raise heat and boil for several
minutes, until juice has almost entirely evaporated. Take a large fireproof
casserole, and in the bottom, put 1/3 of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle over
it 1/3 of the parsley, then layer half of the aubergines and courgettes.
Repeat with a second 1/3 of the tomato mixture, a second third of parsley
and the remaining aubergines and courgettes. Now cover with the remaining
tomato mixture and parsley. Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat
for 10 minutes. Correct seasoning, if needed. Raise heat slightly and cook
uncovered for about 15 minutes longer, basting several times until the
juices have evaporated, leaving a few spoonfuls of flavoured olive oil. Be
careful of the heat, do not let the vegetables scorch in the bottom of the
casserole. Either serve, or leave to cool. Ratatouille may be served cold
or warm as a starter, or warm as an accompaniment to meat courses. If
wanted warm, reheat gently just before serving time, taking care not to
burn the vegetables. Don't be put off by the length of this recipe. It IS a
fiddle, but the result is simply superlative. We often make the dish in
double quantities or more and sterilise in jars.

Original recipe from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" ISBN 0 74 046
119 1


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Bon appetit
Ian in Forges
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