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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Traditional Ratatouille


I love ratatouille since the day I was introduced to it by Flavour magazine Sept-Oct issue 2007. Ratatouille is a very versatile dish and can be eaten with spaghetti , as topping for pizza and on baguette or as a side dish for a main course. There is no short cuts - like what the writer said , it is a good understanding of the various parts of the recipes that will allow you to make the perfect ratatouille. I decided to have ratatouille with the organic bread that was given to me by my friend Claire. It tasted so good that I had four slices of the organic bread for dinner. The ratatouille was well cooked and it was flavorful...mmmmmm yummy no doubt. I will let my pictures do the talking once again. I added the shimeiji coz there were a small portion left after cooking the Ramen, so instead of wasting it, I throw them in to make the ratatouille and it was truly good. Now I know why the French people love this dish! It is simply delicious!


Step 1 : gathers all the ingredients together
Step 2 : saute them in a non-stick pan
with olive oil till fragrant


Step 3 : add in the tomato puree
and the fresh herbs- rosemary and parsley
Step 4: Simmer over low heat for 1 hour


the taste of love...real traditional ratatouille


this is the organic bread that Claire gave me
texture is rough due to the 7 grains that is used
in this bread...but lotz of goodness
the 7 grains are millets, rye, lentil, soya , wheat, oats and corn :)
a loaf costs RM 6.50


served them with ratatouille and topped with...........


cheddar cheese...yummy !


I really love ratatouille and can have them everyday
very tasty and flavorful and lots of goodness in this
dish.... this is my dinner and lots of vitamins and minerals
can be found in this ratatouille :))



Traditional Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1 long purple aubergine
salt for sprinkling

2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 zucchinis, cut into 2cm cubes
1 onion, cut into cubes or sliced
1 red capsicum, seeded and sliced
1 green capsicum, seeded and sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
200g tomatoes, peeled and cubed
100g tomato puree or to taste
1 sprig rosmary ( or other herbs)
1 sprig thyme ( or other herbs)
brown sugar to taste
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

optional: black lives, saffron, smoked
chillies, sun dried tomatoes

Preparation:

Split the aubergine lengthwise, place in a colander, and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitterness. Set aside for 30 minutes, drain and cut into 2cm cubes.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed or cast iron pan. Add the aubergine and cook until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, cook the zucchinis the same way.

In the same pan, cook the onion ( add more oil if neccessary) until translucent. Add the red and green capsicums and cook until tender, add garlic, aubergine, zuchinnis, tomato and tomato puree. Cook for 1 minute.

Pluck the rosemary and thyme leaves, and add to the ratatouille. Add optional ingredients, if using. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

Alternatively, you can cook it the oven at 180 C for 40 minutes, then at 150 C for another 40 minutes.

Season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper. Remove from heat, allow to cool and refrigerate if not using immediately. The flavors will develop overnight. Serve warm or cold, as a side dish, as a topping or use as a base or flavoring for other recipes.


Enjoy and have a great weekend with ratatouille a french cuisine! :))




Quote for the day


" We must keep these pleasures in proper
perspective; we must indulge them reasonably,
not grossly.....
The savour of good food and good wine
is one of the elements of true civilization,
and no man who embarks upon a fine meal
in that knowledge can rise from it
without thinking something real has been
added to his nature. "

~ Bernard Levin ~




~*~*~*~*~*~*~



14 comments:

  1. WOW! So good to see this early this morning. Had never try this before, sounds great, will add this in my to do list. Thanks, Elin :D

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  2. instantly, the sight of a blue rat of a chef comes to mind. :)
    I've only tried some half-hearted attempts in restaurants, serving them as sides.

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  3. elin, new recipe again?? how does it taste like? i imagine acah when i look at this.. western achah..

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  4. This dish is a classic for a reason. Beautiful, fresh, simple flavors. You can't beat it!

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  5. MMMMMMMMMM you make it looks so so so delicious and mouth watering...esp the photo on of it on the bread....ohhh want to make it so much now! thanx for sharing :)))

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  6. At a glance I thought it was sambal. I just got up and I am still dreaming ha ha..I never try Ratatouille before. Heard so much about it though. It is time to try it soon.

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  7. WOW!! Healthy, tasty and hearty! Great dish :)

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  8. Have never tried ratatouile, but after reading this recipe, I'd love to. The organic bread looks fantastic- 7 grains, wholesome indeed!

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  9. hi Elin, drop by to check ur blog..and i must say I like it and I guess it will take me awhile to check out all...

    nice to know u and Clair..u gals rocks!!

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  10. Anncoo : You are welcome..you must try this out if you have watched the movie Ratatouille LOL!

    TEAH : Hi..it is helalthy and delicious:)

    J2Kfm : Hi James..it is the movie that spurned me on to try this out...where food is concern Elin is game :)

    reanaclaire: Hi Claire, it tastes good...a far cry from the achar. You have to try it out yourself to know the taste...I don't know how to describe to you haha:)

    Cookin' Canuck : Hi CC...yup I agree fully with you on that :))

    Zurin: you must try this out Zurin, you will love it for sure! :)

    I Cook4Fun : Hi Gert, this is a wonderful dish you love french cooking :)

    Fiona: Hi Fiona..how's college life..I see you are enjoying urself. Try to meet up with Jo again...she will be back for good after Jan 2010. 3 mths of holiday before shooting off to UK. Do try this recipe if you have the time...as topping for your pizza, add some cheese on top..yummy! :))

    The Little Teochew: Hi, yup it is so healthy and delicious !

    Shirley: Hi, yuppy this is a wholesome meal indeed :))

    Mandy : Hi Mandy...same over here..it is great to meet up with you and STP. When you are in Ipoh do let us know..we can meet up again :)) Take your time to drool at the food here LOL!

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  11. Yummm.... I would prefer it on toast and with baked cheese on it! Wow... that's super delicious!

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  12. Hi Kristy...yup baked it with cheese and it is yummy too!

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