Ratatouille Niçoise
Provence on a plate...
Having a French Mother, sort of means you are brought up with ratatouille. But it was not until a summer holiday in Nice with my best friend when it was served at a beach terraced restaurant with a couple of fried eggs that I realised how special this simple summer vegetable stew was.
The word Ratatouille is related to the French Occitan word ratouiller meaning to “stir up”, however, now it merely indicates a coarse stew.
Not just any stew though, but a vibrant summer vegetable casserole of aubergine, courgettes, red pepper, onions & garlic. We love this dish and it appears on our menu every summer and it’s Brilliant with lamb, chicken and fish, but we believe that it’s actually a dish to be enjoyed on its own accord. ( we serve ours with Camargue red rice, olive & parsley salad and a little aïoli ).
It’s also delicious cold.
Serves 6
125ml olive
2 large red onions ( diced )
1 large aubergine ( cubed )
2 small Green courgettes
2 small yellow courgettes
1 large red bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic
5 large Ripe tomatoes ( peeled, seeded & roughly chopped )
125ml Tomato purée
- Heat 1/2 the oil in a large frying pan.
- Sautée the onions until softened, then aubergine & courgettes until slightly browned.
- Stir in the red pepper, garlic and tomatoes.
- Add remaining oil.
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and simmer on a high heat for 2-3 minutes to remove excess water.
- Season with salt, pepper & mix through tomato paste.