Thai Ratatouille Recipes

BEST EVER RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Saute in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until the vegetables are golden and just tender, 10 to 12 minutes: 1/4 C olive oil, eggplant and zucchini.
• Remove the vegetables and reduce the heat to medium-high. In the same pan, cook until the onions are slightly softened: 2 T of olive oil and onions.
• Add and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender but not browned, 8 to 12 minutes: red pepper and garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add: tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 minutes.
• Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook until everything is tender, about 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in: basil.

THAI COCONUT RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplants with 1 tsp of the salt and let stand for 15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Heat the chicken broth in a large pot over medium heat. Add the eggplants and cook for 5 minutes. Add the green beans, cabbage, onion, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, cilantro, and remaining 1 tsp salt. Cook covered over medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the banana, tomatoes and coconut milk. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro leaves.
• Divide the rice between 8 shallow soup bowls. Ladle the vegetables atop the rice. Serve immediately.

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Cut stems from eggplant and cucumber, then slice both to about 1/4" thick. Cut larger eggplant pieces in quarters.
• Place eggplants and cucumbers in a bowl, coating all surfaces with salt and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Stir fry eggplants and cucumbers in 3 tablespoons of olive oil for around 5 minutes until slightly brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add the onions, chilies and bell pepper to the pan with the remaining olive oil. Stir fry for around 10 minutes. Clear an open spot in the pan and add garlic with a little salt and pepper. Heat for about a minute while stirring continuously; once the garlic starts to brown, stir in with the other ingredients in the pan.
• Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the reserved eggplants and cucumbers with parsley and cook, covered, for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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.