Food for Friday: Ratatouille

About time I shared some foodporn with you guys! A few weeks ago, I got this idea in my head of making ratatouille. Just like that, I had a craving. I'd never made it before, and I had only eaten it like once in a restaurant. It wasn't even very good! So I fully blame my obsession with ratatouille on that adorable Disney movie. One of my absolute favorite recent animated movies. Who can resist a movie with cute furry creatures and amazing food set in luminous Paris, right?

Anyway, so I got that stuck in my head. So I got down and dirty and cooked up some DEE LISH ratatouille. Seriously. My mind was blown because of the rich, full flavours that smacked of summer.

Want to make your own?

What you'll need:
  • tomatoes
  • two bell peppers
  • a zucchini
  • mushrooms
  • olives
  • eggplant
  • tomato sauce
  • worcestershire sauce
  • oregano
  • lemon
  • a big red onion
  • about three medium sized cloves of garlic
  • olive oil 




What you'll do:

First, it's time to grill your bell peppers. Our oven has a grill-setting, which I only discovered a few months ago but which has been a REVELATION. If you have a grill oven, simply cut your peppers in halves, remove the seeds and lightly drizzle them with some olive oil. This last step supposedly helps the skin loosening up. Now, place them on an aluminium lined baking tray and pop it right under the grill. Let your bell peppers get all black and blistery, like this. When they've sufficiently grilled, put your peppers in a closed plastic bag. Leave it there for a few minutes. This allows the skin to be easily removed.




If you don't have a grill oven, you can also char vegetables on the barbeque or on a gas stove. Be creative! And if you don't have the means to grill your peppers, don't fret. Just peel them with a peeler (duh) and throw them in your oven dish.

While your peppers are grilling or sitting in a plastic bag, you'll have time to wash, peel and cut your vegetables in the way you like them. I personally always peel my eggplant, because its skin is tough. I only half peel the zucchini to leave a bit of colour in my dish.




Throw allllll of your gorgeous veggies in an oven dish, along with the tomato sauce and herbs. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil and worcestershire sauce. Toss everything around until your vegetables are covered in sauces and seasonings, and pop your dish into the oven (preheated at about 175°C). Now you'll wait for about 45 minutes - an hour and PRESTO, gorgeous ratatouille! Allow your ratatouille to properly reduce by not taking it out the oven too soon. This will magnify all the flavours until you get a PARTY IN YOUR MOUTH.

- Before -




- After -




WINNER.

I served mine with some merguez sausages, mixed lettuce and feta cheese. It was delicious. Next day, I just had the ratatouille with the lettuce and feta, and it was still amazing, so you can definitely use these in a vegetarian dish.




Bon appetit!

7 comments

  1. Ratatouille is so good! Maak ik echt maandelijks :D, altijd met rode ui en een massa look. Ik meng het met farfalle pasta of bij bruine rijst. Worcestershire saus (of onuitspreekbaar ding) nog nooit hierin gebruikt dus dat is voor de volgende. Cant wait, nomz.



    (En ja! FETA! Ik doe dat op bijna al mijn gerechten. Te verslavend.)

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  2. Mmm ziet er lekker uit, heb het ook nog nooit zelf gemaakt maar lijkt mij een goede optie!

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  3. oui c'est bon, mais y'a de moins en moins de monde qui mange de légumes, ils préfèrent les nouilles et pomme de terre, mais c'est dommage, ils savent pas toute les bonnes choses qu'ils ratent

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  4. I've only ate Ratatouille once when I was in Paris. I'm not so much into bell peppers but the mushroom and everything else in that dish does taste good =)

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  5. Mmmm I want it. Eigenlijk zijn driekwart van de gerechten die ik maak een variatie hier op haha.

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  6. ik ben geen foodie :( maar deze ziet er eeeeerg njammie uit!

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