Ratatouille
This recipe is part of my food-in-film series, inspired by the movie Ratatouille. Having made various versions before, I wasn’t expecting much. Previous attempts cut too many corners, but this dish proves that simplicity requires effort. The most time-consuming part is the slicing and chopping, but it’s oddly therapeutic. The result? A simple yet incredibly tasty dish.
Serves 4
Hands-on Time 30 minutes
Cooking Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Ingredients
1 onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 garlic cloves
60–80ml olive oil (plus extra for cooking)
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 aubergine
2 courgettes
4 large tomatoes
Fine salt
1/2 bunch basil
1/2 bunch parsley
12 sprigs thyme
Equipment
Knife
Chopping board
Frying pan
Spatula
Serrated knife
Bowl
Spoon
Baking parchment
Scissors
Deep-sided oven-proof dish (approx. 30cm wide)
Method
1. Prepare the base sauce
Peel and dice the onion. Deseed and dice the peppers. Finely dice the garlic.
Heat a glug of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft.
Add the diced peppers and cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the tinned tomatoes. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Prepare the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C (fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Slice the aubergine, courgettes, and fresh tomatoes into 5mm-thick discs. Sprinkle with fine salt.
3. Make the herby oil
Finely chop the basil, parsley, and thyme leaves.
Mix the herbs with 60ml olive oil in a bowl. Add more oil if needed—it should be wet but not floating in oil.
4. Assemble the ratatouille
Spread the tomato and pepper mixture evenly over the bottom of the oven-proof dish.
Arrange the sliced aubergine, courgettes, and tomatoes vertically around the dish, alternating between vegetables.
Drizzle half of the herby oil over the top.
Cover the dish with a piece of baking parchment.
5. Bake the ratatouille
Bake on the middle shelf for 60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. Discard the parchment.
6. Serve
Drizzle the remaining herby oil over the ratatouille before serving.
Tips
For a twist, add a pinch of chilli flakes to the herby oil.
Serve with crusty bread or as a side to grilled meat or fish.
Enjoy!
