April 21, 2020July 23, 2020

Ratatouille is chunky vegetable stew from the south of France. In Project CHEF, we like to promote eating all the colours of the rainbow and this recipe definitely accomplishes that! Our bodies need a whole variety of vitamins & minerals in order to grow and stay healthy. One way to accomplish that is by eating the colours of the rainbow. Pair this dish with our Whole Wheat Baguette to add some delicious whole grains to the meal.

Yield: 6 servings
Preparation Time: About one hour

You may recognize the name of this dish from the movie “Ratatouille.” Ratatouille conveys the message that ‘anyone can cook’. At Project CHEF, we believe this to be true. An important scene in the movie shows the link between eating certain food and memories.

Digging Around

Can you think of any memories you have linked to food? It may be a special birthday dish or your favourite meal at your grandparent’s house.
Describe how that dish makes you feel.

INGREDIENT LIST

2 small onions, cut into 1 cm thick half moons
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thinly or grated
1/3 cup (75mL) extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1 cm wide slices, then cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large red pepper, cut into cm wide strips
1 zucchini, cut into 1 cm wide slices
1 tsp (5mL) chopped fresh rosemary (tear the leaves or snip with kitchen scissors)
4 medium-sized tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 Tbsp (15mL) fresh lemon juice (about ½ small lemon)
¼ cup (50mL) thinly sliced fresh basil (or 1Tbsp/15mL. dried)
2 Tbsp (30mL) chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Dash hot sauce (optional)

EQUIPMENT LIST

Cutting board
Sharp knife
Micro-plane or garlic press
Small bowls
Large sauté pan
Tongs

METHOD

Cut the onions and grate the garlic.
Place a large sauté pan on the stove-top and turn on to medium-low heat.
Add the about a third of the olive oil, let heat up then add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook the onion until very soft, about 10 minutes, adding the garlic part way through. Watch that it does not burn.
Cut the eggplant, red pepper and zucchini and rosemary. Add to the onion mixture, turning up the heat to medium. Add another third of the olive oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 – 7 minutes, adding the rest of the olive oil if the pan dries out.
Cut the tomatoes then add to the pan. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and let the ratatouille cook slowly over a low heat for about 15 – 20 minutes, until the ratatouille is soft and juicy and the flavours come together.
Add the lemon juice, hot sauce (if using), chopped basil and parsley. Stir to combine.
Serve right away.

SKILLS

STEP-BY-STEP – RATATOUILLE!

STEP 1
Gather your ingredients. Make sure the veggies are thoroughly washed.

STEP 2
Claw & Saw the onion into pinky-wide strips.

STEP 3
Using a pastry scraper (we call it Fred), place the onions into a small bowl. Grate the garlic with a microplane and add it into the same bowl.

STEP 4
Next cut the eggplant, red pepper & zucchini into a big bite-sized pieces. Pick the rosemary leaves and gently tear them onto the same plate or bowl.

STEP 5
This is the rest of your Mise en Place. 1.Tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces. 2. Basil and parsley gently torn into a bowl using fingers. 3. Lemon juiced with seeds removed.

STEP 6
Measure 1/3 cup of olive oil in a measuring cup. This is not all going in at once. Heat up a large pan and pour about half of the cup into the pan. Start by cooking the onions until very soft. Be patient, this will take about 10 minutes and requires constant stirring so it doesn’t burn.