TATOUILLE, MY WAY
Hove the combination of flavors in ratatouille. With some slight variations, this basic vegetable sauce can be used on a number of things. It can be placed in a crock, topped with cheese, and baked; it can be served as the sauce for a rustic pizza; it can be slightly pureed and added to cream for a sauce to be enjoyed with a grilled marinated veal chop. Of course, it is also lively by itself as a nice vegetarian dish.
In this method, I combine both old and new cooking styles. We need the rich flavors of long cooking that nouvelle cuisine too often forgets, but we employ a step that allows us to enjoy the modern appreciation for vegetables with more texture than in la cuisine ancienne.
It is best to have all of your vegetables prepped and ready to go: This preparation is simple but time-consuming, and the succession in which you cook the vegetables is vital for consistency and flavor.
Serves 10 to 12
TOMATO SAUCE
% pound (2 sticks) butter 15 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, chopped
3 large Spanish onions, peeled and sliced % cup herbes de Provence vinegar or
medium-thick red wine vinegar (see Note)
8 raw garlic cloves or 12 Roast Garlic 1 large bunch basil leaves, chopped
cloves (page 200), if available 1 cup pure tomato juice
3 bay leaves Cracked black pepper, to taste
V2 to •% cup sugar
Olive oil 1 poblano pepper, stem, ribs, and seeds
Butter removed, cut into medium julienne
% bulb fennel, core removed and thinly (optional)
sliced 3 medium-large zucchini, cut into medium
1 sweet red pepper, stem, ribs, and seeds julienne
removed, cut into medium julienne 2 medium eggplants, cut into medium
1 sweet yellow pepper, stem, ribs, and julienne
seeds removed, cut into medium julienne Salt and pepper to taste
1 sweet green pepper, stem, ribs, and
seeds removed, cut into medium julienne
1. Make the sauce: Heat a large saucepan and add the butter, then the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally-your goal is to brown the onions. This caramelizes them and brings out their sweetness. When they begin to color and stick to the pan slightly, add the garlic, bay leaves, and sugar. Cook a moment, stirring. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, basil, and tomato juice. Stirring often, reduce the liquid by half.
2. Season sauce with freshly cracked black pepper. Lower heat and simmer on a low flame, stirring occasionally, while you go on to the vegetables.
3. Set up a large colander over a large bowl near your stove. Heat a large saute pan. Add equal parts of olive oil and butter (how much butter and oil depends on how large your pan is-you want enough fat in the pan to cook your vegetables without making them greasy).
4. Cook the vegetables in batches according to their type. Do not mix them in the same pan because they require different periods of cooking time. Saute the vegetables over high heat, seasoning them slightly with salt and liberally with pepper, only until they are just cooked. As you finish one batch, put the vegetables in the colander; the excess oil and juices will fall into the bowl. You will note that the eggplant will absorb much more butter and oil than the other vegetables. That's okay, they'll taste better. Add the fat
as you see that the vegetables require it.
5. When the vegetables are all in the colander, stir them a little to rid them of any trapped excess oil and then add all the vegetables to the tomato sauce. Cook the vegetables and tomato sauce together over moderate heat for 10 to 15 minutes. (Discard the oil and vegetable drippings in the bowl, but then set the colander back up over the empty bowl.)
6. Now pour the vegetable and tomato mixture into the colander and stir it to release the juices.
7. Put the collected juices in a clean, heavy saucepan large enough to accommodate them. Heat this liquid until it becomes thick and intensely flavored. Its thickness will be about midway between a tomato sauce and tomato paste. Be careful not to burn it.
(recipe continues)
8. Put the vegetables into a dish large enough to hold them. Pour the reduced cooking liquid over the vegetables and mix gently. The ratatouille can be served immediately or refrigerated for later service.
Note: The herbs de Provence vinegar is worth looking for. The added herbal fragrance gives a very pleasing cleanness to the sauce.