Ratatouille

• 1eggplant · cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2zucchini · cut into half-moons
• 2bell peppers · chopped
• 4 tbspolive oil · divided
• 1onion · diced
• 5 clovesgarlic · sliced
• 1 cancrushed tomatoes · 14 oz
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspdried herbes de Provence · or a mix of thyme and oregano
• 1small bunch basil · torn, to finish
• 1/2 tspkosher salt · to taste

Methode

1. 1

   Cook each vegetable separately

   The single thing that separates good ratatouille from a grey stew is browning each vegetable on its own. Eggplant, zucchini and peppers each release water and cook at different rates. Thrown in together they steam into mush; browned separately, each keeps its texture and flavour before they are combined.

2. 2

   Give the eggplant room and enough oil

   Eggplant is a sponge and needs space and oil to brown rather than steam. Cook it in a single layer until golden and creamy inside. Crowd the pan and it goes grey and bitter. This is the vegetable most worth the separate-pan patience.

3. 3

   Salt the eggplant if it is large or old

   Larger, older eggplants can be bitter and very wet. Salting the cubes and letting them drain for twenty minutes draws out moisture and bitterness so they brown better. Small, young, glossy eggplants can skip this step.

4. 4

   Build a proper tomato base

   Soften the onion, add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until it darkens, then the crushed tomatoes and herbs. Let this simmer into a real sauce before the browned vegetables go back in. It is the thread that ties everything together.

5. 5

   Fold the vegetables in gently at the end

   Return the browned vegetables to the tomato base and simmer just long enough to marry the flavours, ten to fifteen minutes, stirring gently. You are combining, not cooking them further, so they keep the texture you worked to build. Overcook now and you undo the whole point.

6. 6

   Rest it, and finish with basil and good oil

   Ratatouille is even better after resting and is famously excellent the next day, warm or at room temperature. Finish with torn basil and a drizzle of your best olive oil off the heat. Serve with crusty bread, over polenta, or with a fried egg on top.