Ratatouille
Chef knife
Cutting board
Colander
Large skillet
Large bowl
1.
Place a colander over a metal bowl to catch juices. Add the eggplant to the colander, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt, toss to combine, and let rest for 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
2.
Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook the eggplant until tender, about 10 minutes, adding more oil if needed to prevent sticking. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggplant to a large bowl.
3.
In the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent and lightly amber, about 12 minutes. To build flavor, onions like to cook low and slow. The goal here is to develop the sugars from the inside out and not to brown the onions’ exterior. Add ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and the bell peppers, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer everything to the bowl with the eggplant using a slotted spoon.
4.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and cook the zucchini over medium heat. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the other vegetables.
5.
In the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, tomatoes, basil sprigs, and pepper flakes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomato juices have evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add the rosé and cook for another 3 minutes to reduce. Return the cooked vegetables to the skillet and stir everything together. Cook for 5 more minutes to meld the flavors, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
6.
Serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil.
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- About ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more if needed
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 4 tomatoes, about 1 pound, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 5 large full basil sprigs, stems and leaves
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup rosé
- Olive oil for garnish
Cook's Notes
Ratatouille is the sunset of summer dishes made with a kaleidoscope of end-of-season vegetables, held together with a fair amount of that bottled sunshine, olive oil. Eggplants, zucchini, onions, and red peppers are abundant during this time and early fall. I have been in the throes of ratatouille making for the past couple of weeks, testing different approaches and sipping a fair amount of rosé while doing so.
It is just as delicious served warm, room temperature, or even cold. It can elevate your buffet game and is great to bring for a summer potluck. It can be a vegetarian main, a side dish, or a spread for crackers. The point is, the dish is so versatile it can cover a lot of ground, is super tasty, and worth adding to your kitchen repertoire.
Ratatouille takes a little time if you want to build the flavors, but the rewards are big. Taking a cue from Rebekah Peppler’s book À Table, my recipe uses a bit of that other summer sunshine, our Napa Valley Rosé. This ratatouille pairs well with our 2021 Gentleman Farmer Napa Valley Rosé; however, this also works well with a white or red wine. Ratatouille doesn’t judge, but I’m drinking rosé, so I’ll lean into that.