Ratatouille Dip Food

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Coat a large wide pan with olive oil. Add the onions, season with salt and crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium heat. Cook the onions until they are soft and very aromatic but have no color, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, thyme bundle and season with salt. Cook the tomatoes until they become very pulpy and have broken apart, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, summer squash and zucchini, season with salt and cook until the squash is soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in the basil and taste to make sure the seasoning is correct. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Meanwhile, prepare vegetables: Peel and trim onions, then cut in half from top to bottom. Cut each half into 4 wedges, then cut into a large dice. Place in a bowl and set aside. Trim and core the peppers; discard stems and cores. Cut in half, then remove and discard seeds and veins. Slice into 1-inch strips, then cut into a large dice. Place in the bowl with the onions and set aside. Peel and slice garlic cloves in half. Remove and discard any green germs inside, then finely mince. Place in a bowl and set aside.
• Trim zucchini and cut into quarters, lengthwise; then cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a bowl and set aside. Trim eggplants, then cut in half. Cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a bowl and set aside.
• Sauté vegetables: In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, followed by onions and peppers. Stirring occasionally, gently sweat the vegetables until they are soft but have taken on no color, 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium-high heat, heat a generous tablespoon olive oil. Add zucchini, a pinch of salt, and a few turns of the pepper mill. Stirring occasionally, sauté until zucchini has taken on a golden color, 5-6 minutes. Season onion-pepper mixture with a few pinches of salt and the red pepper flakes.
• Blanch tomatoes: When the large pot of water is simmering, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water; set aside. Use a paring knife to cut out the tomato stems and discard. Score an "x" into the bottom of each tomato, for easy peeling after blanching. Place tomatoes in simmering water for 30 seconds. Use a strainer to immediately transfer the tomatoes to the ice bath; allow to cool completely. Use a paring knife to peel away the tomato skin and discard.
• When onion-pepper mixture has been sweating for 4-5 minutes, turn heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove zucchini from skillet, leaving some oil behind, and set aside. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add another tablespoon olive oil, followed by eggplant, a pinch of salt, and a few turns of pepper. Stirring occasionally, sauté until eggplant has taken on a golden color, 5-6 minutes. Try to keep the eggplant pieces intact. (If the eggplant sticks, add up to another tablespoon or so of olive oil, as needed.)
• Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Use your hands to remove most of the seeds, then gently squeeze to remove excess juice. Halve the tomatoes horizontally again, then cut into 1-inch chunks and set aside. Remove eggplant from heat and set aside; the volume of the eggplant should be reduced by about half. By now, the onions should be soft and translucent; stir garlic and tomato paste into onion-pepper mixture. Add zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes; gently stir to combine. Season with 2 pinches of salt and bring to a low simmer, 2-3 minutes.
• While the ratatouille is simmering, make a bouquet garni: Gather the basil, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf into a small bundle, using the basil to contain the other herbs. Wrap securely with butcher's twine and tie with a double knot. Trim the ends of the bouquet garni, then submerge it in the middle of the ratatouille. Next, make a parchment paper lid, or "cartouche," for the Dutch oven: Fold a large sheet of parchment paper into quarters. Fold in half twice diagonally to make a flat wedge; then trim the outer edge so that the wedge is as long as the radius of the pot. Finally, snip off the point of the wedge to create a steam vent. Unfold the parchment: you should have a cartouche that is about the same size and shape as the Dutch oven, with a small hole in the center. Lay the cartouche directly on the surface of the ratatouille. Place in the oven and bake, 45-60 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, remove ratatouille from oven; the vegetables should be soft and the sauce thickened. (If the ratatouille is watery, continue cooking for up to 15 more minutes.) Discard cartouche. Tear half the basil leaves and gently stir them into the ratatouille. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Transfer the vegetables and most of the liquid to a serving platter. Garnish with whole basil leaves and baste the top of the ratatouille with remaining liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed before serving, hot or cold.

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Cook and stir until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
• Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

RATATOUILLE DIP

Steps:

• Cook eggplant, onion, green pepper, 3 Tbsp. parsley, garlic, lemon juice, sugar and Italian seasoning in oil in large skillet on medium heat 5 minutes.
• Add tomato; simmer 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Spoon into serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.
• Serve immediately with crackers or refrigerate until ready to serve.

ROASTED VEGGIE RATATOUILLE (FRANCE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet or baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast until the vegetables are soft and pliable, about 20 to 30 minutes, turning them halfway through the cooking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle transfer them to a cutting board and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, crushed red pepper and season with salt, to taste. Saute until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and season again with salt, if needed. Cook until the peppers are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add the roasted vegetables to the pan along with the vinegar, marjoram, and thyme. Toss well to coat and add 2 to 3 more tablespoons olive oil, if needed. Taste to check the seasoning and transfer to a serving platter or bowl. Voila!

RATATOUILLE DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Prick eggplant in 3 places and coat lightly with additional oil. In a shallow baking dish roast eggplant in middle of oven, turning once, 1 hour, or until collapsed and soft, particularly at stem end. Cool eggplant slightly and halve lengthwise. Scoop out flesh into a bowl and cool. Discard liquid that accumulates in bowl and in a food processor purée eggplant. Eggplant purée may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring purée to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.
• In a large heavy skillet, cook onion in 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat, stirring until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add bell peppers, zucchini, squash, thyme and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. In a bowl, stir together eggplant purée, vegetable mixture and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Dip may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Serve dip at room temperature with toast or crackers.

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tomatoes and juices on a rimmed baking sheet and use your hands to break tomatoes into 3/4-inch pieces. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and bake until thickened, 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a colander, toss eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let sit 20 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until onions and garlic are soft, 5 minutes. Add peppers and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bay leaf, and marjoram to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook at a gentle simmer until vegetables are tender but not mushy, 15 minutes. Season to taste with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Remove bay leaf before serving.

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare the vegetables: Smash and peel 3 garlic cloves, reserving the 4th. Halve onions through their roots, and slice halves into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Slice zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes or spears. Seed peppers, and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
• Spread each vegetable on a separate rimmed baking sheet (use extra sheets as necessary). Add the 3 cloves of smashed garlic to the onion pan. Add 1 sprig rosemary and 2 sprigs thyme to each of the pepper, eggplant and zucchini pans. Sprinkle salt lightly over vegetables. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil on each of the pans.
• Place all the pans in the oven (or work in batches if they don't fit at once). Cook until vegetables are very tender and lightly browned at the edges. This will take about 35 to 40 minutes for the peppers (their skins should shrivel), 40 to 45 minutes for the eggplant and zucchini (the eggplant should crisp slightly and the zucchini should be well cooked, so let them go 3 to 5 minutes longer than you normally might), and 60 to 65 minutes for the onions. Don't worry about the vegetables being pretty; they will meld into the ratatouille. Shake or stir the pans every 15 to 20 minutes or so, especially the onions.
• In the meantime, prepare the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and blanch until the skins split, about 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to quickly transfer the tomatoes to a bowl filled with ice water.
• Using a paring knife, peel the cooled tomatoes (the skins should slip right off). Halve tomatoes across their equators. Set a sieve over a bowl. Working over the bowl, use your fingers to seed the tomatoes, letting the seeds catch in the sieve and the juice run into the bowl. Discard seeds but save juices. Dice tomatoes and add to the reserved juices in bowl.
• Finely grate or mince remaining garlic clove. Add garlic to tomatoes along with bay leaves and a large pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Once vegetables are done cooking, combine them on one baking sheet or a large shallow baking dish and add ingredients from tomato bowl. Toss well. Vegetables will be stacked, and that's O.K. Cover generously with olive oil, using remaining ¼ cup oil or more, and sprinkle with salt. Everything should have a good coat of oil, but should not be drowning in it. Cook at least 1 hour, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are very tender and imbued with juices and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve warm, or let cool.