One school of ratatouille is Julia
Child’s.
In her highly evolved version, every vegetable must be meticulously cut and cooked separately before they “partake of a brief communal simmer,” as she described it. She took these pains to ensure that every vegetable maintained its dignity, without melting into a muddy soup, as they do in the other school of ratatouille—whose exponents just dump everything in the pot at once.
In her highly evolved version, every vegetable must be meticulously cut and cooked separately before they “partake of a brief communal simmer,” as she described it. She took these pains to ensure that every vegetable maintained its dignity, without melting into a muddy soup, as they do in the other school of ratatouille—whose exponents just dump everything in the pot at once.
Leave it to Alice Waters, longtime champion of
vegetable TLC, to show us there is a happy compromise. Her recipe only fusses
where it needs to fuss—over the eggplant, which does benefit from a salting and
brief time-out to draw out its moisture and bitterness. After patting dry and
browning it on its own, the eggplant behaves, turning sweet and bronzed with
creamy flesh.
For the rest, Waters simply adds the vegetables to
the pot one by one to build flavor, but because they’re cut small (½
inch/1.3cm), they don’t cook for long and don’t have a chance to inherit each
other’s idiosyncrasies.
Basil is delivered in two stages, via a bouquet
that swishes along in the pot the whole time, and a smattering of fresh chopped
leaves at the end. A pinch of red chile flakes sharpens the focus, and a
finishing swirl of fresh olive oil pulls the sauce together. What you end up
with is a humble stew, yes, but one that has every bit of integrity the summer
harvest deserves. Eat it hot with fried eggs or spoon it up cold onto torn hunks
of bread.
Serves 6 to 8
1 medium or 2 small eggplant, cut
into ½-inch (1.3cm) dice
Salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus
more to taste
2 onions, cut into ½-inch (1.3cm)
dice
4 to 6 cloves garlic,
chopped
½ bunch basil, tied in a bouquet
with kitchen twine, plus 6 basil leaves, chopped
Pinch of crushed red chile
flakes
2 sweet peppers, cut into ½-inch
(1.3cm) dice
3 medium summer squash, cut into
½-inch (1.3cm) dice
3 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into
½-inch (1.3cm) dice
1 Toss the eggplant cubes with a teaspoon or so of
salt. Set the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes.
2 Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a
heavy-bottomed pot. Pat the eggplant dry, add to the pan, and cook over medium
heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Add a bit more oil if the eggplant
absorbs all the oil and sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove the eggplant
with a slotted spoon when done and set aside.
3 In the same pot, pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons
of olive oil. Add the onions and cook for about 7 minutes, or until soft and
translucent. Add the garlic, basil bouquet, chile flakes, and a bit more salt.
Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in the peppers. Cook for a few more minutes,
then stir in the summer squash. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in the
tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then stir in the eggplant and cook for 10
to 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the bouquet of
basil, pressing on it to extract all its flavors, and adjust the seasoning with
salt.
4 Stir in the chopped basil leaves and more
extra-virgin olive oil, to taste. Serve warm or cold.
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