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Ratatouille is believed to have originated in Nice. However, it has taken on a life of its own and tells the story of French cuisine in a single dish. Made with eggplants, tomatoes, onions, zucchini and peppers (and sometimes other vegetables) stewed in oil, the name of the dish derives from the word Niçoise. rat or “mix” and the French touiller, which means “to stir.” It was originally a rather sloppy dish: everything was dumped into a pot until it turned into mush.
Over the years, the method has been perfected. The authorized recipe now calls for sautéing each vegetable separately to preserve its flavor and character before combining them and adding chopped, skinned tomatoes. Canadian food writer Rosa Jackson, who runs Nice’s The little farcis cooking school, offers a definitive recipe in his new book niçoise (W. W. Norton). Your ratatouille takes up to an hour to prepare, although you save time by using pans simultaneously: one for the aubergines followed by the one for the zucchini; and another for the peppers, to which he adds the onions so that they caramelize.
“When I opened my school here in 2015, local grandmothers started coming in from the street and the first thing they always asked was, ‘How do you make ratatouille?’” Jackson says. When she told them, they nodded in approval. Locals start making ratatouille in mid-June, when the tomatoes are at their peak. “If you don’t have sweet tomatoes, forget it,” Jackson says. “In addition, we use trumpet, a pale green zucchini that is actually a tender squash and firmer than the dark green zucchini most people use. If you can’t find them, use small, seeded zucchini. “We also prefer red onions and yellow peppers for their sweetness and color.”
Opinion differs on other ingredients. Jackson stipulates fresh basil and chili powder. Elizabeth David and Nigella Lawson allow parsley and crushed coriander seeds. Paris-based food writer and stylist Rebekah Peppler, author of Le Sud and a table (Chronicle), suggests adding rosé wine, white wine or vermouth after cooking the tomatoes, both for a flavorful soup and for “continuity on your table.” If, like Provençal cooks, you don’t already have a bottle on the go, this is your excuse to open one.
In the 1970s, French chef Michel Guérard created a version that was actually a candied byaldi, made with vegetables delicately cut and baked in a dish. In 2007, American chef Thomas Keller proposed a similar version for the Pixar film. Ratatouille. Nowadays, this baked vegetable dish, which any Niçois would recognize as a tian (because of the clay pot in which it is made), is commonly confused with ratatouille. It is true that this imposter has a lot to offer. It takes less time to prepare, appeals to kids who have studied at Disney, and looks much nicer. There are few versions more beautiful than the one at Dovetale in London’s Mayfair, which is actually a tribute to Keller.
You can pair ratatouille with fish, lamb or beef; Eat it hot or cold, as a main dish or side dish. Jackson prefers leftover toast with olive oil and pistou. Peppler likes hers with a salad and a cold glass of wine. like french kitchen Since the shift from butter and cream-based sauces to a cuisine based on extracting the flavor of seasonal products, ratatouille has become a traditional dish that exemplifies a Mediterranean way of eating. “But I always say that people in Nice don’t eat this way because it’s fashionable,” Jackson explains. “It’s just the way they’ve always eaten.”
Ratatouille Niçoise by Rosa Jackson
For 4 people
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Optional step: place the diced eggplant in a colander placed over a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt and stir, then cover with a plate and a small weight and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes until the eggplant releases some liquid. I know that.
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Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring and turning occasionally, until golden and soft (but not mushy), about five to seven minutes; Sprinkle with salt toward the end of cooking time. Transfer to a medium saucepan and set aside.
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Heat another two tablespoons of oil in the pan and add the eggplant. Cover and cook over medium heat for eight to 10 minutes, occasionally removing the lid and stirring the eggplant. When the eggplant is almost golden brown, test a few pieces with the tip of a knife to make sure they are soft. Transfer to the pan with the zucchini.
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Heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in the same pan (or do it in a separate pan at the same time you cook the eggplant) and add the peppers and a little salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers begin to soften, five to seven minutes, then add the onions, the remaining tablespoon of oil, and another pinch of salt and continue cooking until the vegetables are soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over medium-low heat for another two minutes. Transfer mixture to saucepan.
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Add the tomato coulis, chilli powder and basil to the vegetables and stir gently with a rubber spatula so as not to break the vegetables. Season with salt to taste and adjust the amount of chilli and/or basil.
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Place the saucepan over very low heat and let the flavors combine for five to 10 minutes. Serve warm (not hot) or at room temperature.
Niçoise: Cooking Inspired by the Market in France’s Sunniest City, by Rosa Jackson, is published by W. W. Norton