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Perhaps you have seen the Oscar winning Pixar film Ratatouille, and you would not be alone if that was your first introduction to this classic Provençal vegetable dish. Inspired by all of the delicious fresh produce now available at the farmers’ market here in Bend, in the premiere episode of season 7, I am going to show you why this dish deserves a permanent spot in your go-to seasonal recipes cookbook, one you reach for again and again.
Cooking five different vegetables, each separately to retain their flavor before combining them into the final dish, I will be showing you why this is the key to ensuring layers of delicious flavor and also demonstrate how simple this can be even if it takes a bit of time.
But back to Ratatouille the film, and the star Remy! If you too loved the film (I have linked it for you to watch in the Links below), watch today’s episode to discover the genesis for the recipe, who inspired each character and which famous American chef helped to ensure the accuracy when it came to the recipe and to the presentation of the refined and more sophisticated offering that they decided upon for the film.
And of course, I will walk you through the history of the dish, sharing where the word itself comes from and what it means, as well as how the dish evolved over the past couple of centuries to become well-known and loved around the globe.
The final dish before serving. All five vegetables cooked/roasted, combined and complete, now ready to enjoy in a multitude of ways. I will share with you six ideas you may want to try as we look ahead to autumn and continue to savor the bounty of the summer garden harvest.
Now to the episode! Step into the kitchen with me as we create a celebration of summer vegetables before autumn arrives.
~NOTE to readers who cannot see a video below: Be sure to turn off your ad-blocker if you use one as you will not be able to see a video at all if the ad-blocker is in use. Once you turn off your ad-blocker, you will need to restart your device to view the video.
If you are unable to watch the video above, click here to view: https://youtu.be/Xy8s_Xw7iRs .
Links shared during the episode:
- Watch the Oscar winning film Ratatouille !
- Shop the Best Overall Mandoline slicer recommended by Food & Wine here – Mueller Mandoline Slicer
- My favorite French butter – Isigny Sainte-Mère
~Cook & Share! I would love to share your Simply Luxurious Kitchen inspired experiences from your kitchen. Tag me on Instagram with @thesimplyluxuriouslife #tslkitchen (or directly tag @tsllcookingshow) and your post could appear on my Instagram feed as well as on a future Show Notes post (see readers’ pics below). Many readers have already shared their meals inspired by recipes from TSLKitchen. Check out TSLL’s IG Story Highlights – titled, Viewers’ Recipes. Below are a few readers that have shared recipes and pics that caught their eye (and tastebuds ?) since last season concluded. Thank you to everyone who has shared!
Digital Cookbooks for Each Season of the Show are available (and they are free to everyone!). If you are looking for all of the recipes for each previous season in one easy to find place without having to click through each episode for each season, I now have available a Digital Cookbook for Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6. Shop here. Season 7’s cookbook will be available at the end of this season (end of October).
Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 7 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb (450 g) large onions (sweet), sliced
- 1-2 red/orange bell peppers (roughly chopped)
- 1 lb (450 g) ripe tomatoes (or drained canned tomatoes)
- 1-2 lbs (650 g) courgettes/zucchini
- 1/2 lb (225 g) eggplant/aubergine
- 1 bouquet garni with celery stick and 2 bay leaves (tied with cooking twine)
- 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
- pinch sugar
- fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
- 1/3 cup water (or dry white wine)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- On the stove top, place a large skillet over medium heat. Drizzle olive oil, about 2-3 tablespoons. Once you have chopped your onions into generous ribbons (not fine or diced), place your onion slices into the skillet and cook until slightly golden brown. This will take about 30 minutes which is why we want to do this first.
- Prepare the tomatoes for blanching: Bring a large pot of water boil. Score (make an "X") at the bottom of each tomato. Salt the water. Once the water is boiling, using a strainer, place the tomatoes into the water. Boil for 1-2 minutes, until you begin to see the skin peel (it need not be peeling on all tomatoes). Remove from the pot, and let on a paper towel to drain and cool.
- While the tomatoes are cooling, prepare the bell peppers. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the top of each of the bell peppers off and remove the seeds. Now chop into one-inch squares each bell pepper. Place on the parchment sheet and drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to evenly distribute the oil and seasonings. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. When the 20 minutes are up, toss with a spatula, and cook for 15 more minutes until you see a slight char on the edges of the slices. Remove from the oven and set aside until you are ready to combine all of the vegetables.
- Once the bell peppers are in the oven, return to your tomatoes that should be cool to the touch. Now you are going to remove the skins of each of the tomatoes which should be super simple. Take the cornered edges and pull off. Then, quarter the tomatoes – removing the stem (and seeds if preferred). Then chop into approximately one-inch squares. All vegetables will be approximately this size – a bite-size. Set aside the tomatoes.
- Place two skillets on the stove top over medium heat. While the skillets are warming up, prepare the zucchini/courgettes and the eggplants/aubergines. Slice into one-inch pieces (removing the tops and bottoms). Once the skillets are warm, drizzle with olive oil, and add each vegetable to its respective skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes until slightly brown. Stir occasionally.
- Place a large Dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil. Once the pan is warm, add the finely chopped garlic, the bouquet garni and the chopped tomatoes. Ad a pinch of sugar as well. Season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally. Once the tomato juices have largely evaporated – about 5-7 minutes, begin to add all of the other cooked/roasted vegetables!
- The Dutch oven that has the tomatoes will now become the home to the finished dish. To the tomatoes (keep the bouquet garni in the dish for now – you will remove it when all is finished cooking), add all of the other vegetables – onions, bell peppers, courgettes and aubergines). Season with salt and pepper. Also add the 1/3 cup of water. This could be substituted for your favorite dry white wine (you might use 1/2 cup instead to ensure the dish doesn't become dry while you are simmering it). Now, cover the dish and cook over medium heat for a total of 20 minutes, but do check at 10 minutes. You will know it is done when the juices are thick and all of the vegetables are tender.)
- There are many ways to enjoy Ratatouille. (1) Serve immediately off the stove – warm as a side dish to any fish or meat dish or to pair over rice; (2) Enjoy as the main dish for a delicious satiating taste of summer, and garnish with a handful of fresh basil leaves; (3) Toast or broil a slice of a baguette making a tartine, and place a large spoonful of warm ratatouille on top of each slice, enjoying warm; (4) Make scrambled eggs and on top of the tartan and ratatouille, place a serving of warm, fresh off the stovetop eggs; (5) Enjoy cold as leftovers throughout the week; (6) freeze and enjoy during the winter – heating up over the stove top until just warm enough in a skillet.
- Don't forget to pair with a glass of your favorite drink and of course, why not watch the Pixar film Ratatouille!
~Explore more recipes and episodes from The Simply Luxurious Kitchen cooking show and follow @tsllcookingshow on Instagram.
Past Favorite Recipes from Previous Seasons
Let’s Make Croissants! Classic French Croissants and Pain au Chocolat!
Season 6, episode #6
Season 3, episode #4
Apple Tart Tatin, plus How to Polish Copper
season 2, episode #3
~Explore all of the seasons and recipes here.
What a wonderful start to the Cooking Show season! This looks like a fantastic recipe. I love ratatouille and like you, make batches and serve it all different ways for a few days. I love also the similar yet very different Caponata, and often alternate back and forth between the two, even long after fresh summer market season ends. Thank you for this tutorial, I love the wealth of knowledge you give as you go along! And look forward to trying your recipe.
Liz, Thank you for stopping by and watching the premiere of the new season! Oh my goodness, once I realized how highly functional and truly delicious along with simple this dish was, I had to share. I had it for leftovers after this taping and yum! It really does get better and better. 🙂 And you are right, Caponata (although I am not super well versed about it) is quite similar. It’s all about utilizing what we have in season and letting those ingredients do the talking so to speak. They have so much to say! 😉 Tickled you enjoyed the extra history. I cannot help myself as that is something I am always curious to learn about dishes and well just words in general. Have a delicious weekend and I do hope you enjoy this recipe!
Hi Shannon. What a wonderfully scrumptious start to the beginning of TSLL’s cooking season! I always delight in watching what’s being cooked in your kitchen 😊 Would you believe I never watched the film Ratatouille??! After watching this video, I plan on remedying that tout de suite! Bon Appétit!! 😋
Dani,
Thank you for stopping by to watch the premiere of the new season. 🙂 And you are in for a fun treat when you watch the film! Excited for you to watch it. I absolutely love the music as well, and it is just a delightful 90 minutes in Paris (carton Paris, yes, but Pixar Paris ;)). Have a delicious weekend! Or should I say, délicieux 😉
Oh, you must watch it. It is among my top three favorites next to Fox & Hound and Mulan.
Amazing start for my fall cooking season! Last evening, my friends and I enjoyed fresh crab, garden veggies in a salad, with ciabatta bread and white wine….sort of the end of summer. I am now inspired to start a large amount of your ratatouille recipe tomorrow, for Friday evening…thank you for this treat of a show. One season ebbed away, another begins!
Hello Joan! Thank you for tuning in for the premiere! Oh my goodness does your dinner with friends sound delicious. 🙂 Thank you for whetting my appetite. 😉 Tickled you enjoyed the show and you won’t be disappointed with Ratatouille as the fresh vegetables are the magic and all we have to do is cook them properly and on their own – let them shine! Enjoy!
Outstanding Premiere, Shannon.
After recently procuring a whole case of tomatoes, I made a batch because I wanted to do something a bit different along with my usual salsa and passata. The recipe I used was in the crock-pot and although very tasty, I can see that cooking/roasting the vegetables individually would add a delicious depth of flavor. I had enough to freeze so appreciate your added tips on ways to eat it. Similar to your eggs and baguette, I added some to a cocotte, made a “well”, added a whole egg, and baked. I toasted slices of baguette, dipped them in the runny egg, then topped with the Ratatouille. It made a delicious brunch. Sadly, due to the heat, our tomato season is over about mid-July. However, next year, I plan to get two cases so I can make two batches. Maybe I will take Liz’s advice and make Caponata as well.
Looking forward to watching the second episode next weekend.
Oh, and by the by, darling dress!
~Michelle
Thank you for tuning in Michelle and tickled you enjoyed this first episode ☺️ Your cocotte recipe sounds delicious! That egg placed in the middle – yum! Thank you for sharing this baking idea.
Dear Shannon, thank you for a wonderful premier to the season 7 show! I remember your first season and have a few favorites I make from that one! I have never made this, not sure why, my gardens explode with these vegetables. I think I just thought it was too much work but you make it look easy, and of course, timing to prep and cook is key to making it more manageable. Harvest here is still in progress and everything should be available, I will need to pick up the eggplant, then it is a go. Love the scrambled eggs and toast with it!
Hello to the pups as they trot in and out, love it!
Thank you Lucy ☺️ Sounds as though you are brimming with delicious fresh produce, I can only imagine how simple this recipe will be for you – directly from the garden to the stove top and done! You’ve got this. 🙂 Thank you for tuning for the premiered and tickled you enjoyed the first episode!
Hi Shannon, this recipe looks so delicious and I love the idea of serving the ratatouille on a baguette. So scrumptious! Thank you for a wonderful start to the new cooking season – I look forward to making this soon!
Merci!
The baguette idea is just so simple and when I learned of it, I had to share – such a comfort combination. This is how I enjoyed much of the remainder of this batch. ☺️ Thank you for stopping by to watch the premiere!