Roasted Ratatouille
This method removes the risk of turning your vegetables into a mushy stew. By roasting, you gain control over the texture and deepen the natural sugar content of the aromatics.
Uniformity is your best friend.
The slices need to be consistent in thickness so they cook at the same rate. Use a mandoline if you have one, or a very sharp chef's knife.
- Mandoline or sharp chef's knife
- Round or oval baking dish
- Parchment paper
What goes in.
- 1 largeglobe eggplant
- 2 mediumzucchini
- 2 mediumyellow summer squash
- 4 largeRoma tomatoes
- 1 cupcrushed tomatoes
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1/2 cupyellow onion, finely diced
- 3 tbspextra virgin olive oil
- 1 tspdried thyme
- to tastesea salt and cracked black pepper
The Spiral Stack
Overlap your vegetable slices in a tight spiral starting from the outer edge of the pan. This allows the heat to circulate through the layers while keeping the vegetables standing upright.
The method.
Prepare the base
Sauté the diced onion and garlic in a tablespoon of oil until the onion is transparent. Spread this mixture across the bottom of your baking dish.
Slice the vegetables
Slice the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes into rounds no thicker than an eighth of an inch. Keep them roughly the same diameter if possible.
Arrange the pattern
Place the slices into the dish in an alternating sequence: eggplant, zucchini, squash, tomato. Repeat until the dish is filled in a snug spiral.
Season
Whisk the remaining oil with thyme, salt, and pepper. Brush or drizzle this over the tops of the vegetables.
Roast
Cover the dish with parchment paper and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes. Remove the paper and roast for another 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the edges have darkened.
Other turns to take.
Cheese-topped
Sprinkle finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino over the vegetables during the final 10 minutes of roasting.
Pepper base
Include thinly sliced red bell peppers in your base layer for a sweeter profile.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Salt your eggplant slices for 15 minutes before assembling to draw out excess moisture.
If your tomatoes are watery, use a slotted spoon to scoop them out of the mix before layering.
Let the dish rest for 10 minutes after removing it from the oven; it allows the juices to settle and thicken.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why do the vegetables need to be so thin?
Thin slices ensure they cook through completely without the bottoms burning before the tops are soft.
Can I use different vegetables?
Stick to vegetables with similar water content. Root vegetables will not cook through in this timeframe.
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