Ratatouille: how the famous French dish is prepared

If you hear the word ratatouille, it is likely that you will immediately associate it with the popular Pixar movie. But, as the tape shows us, it is a popular dish from Provencal cuisine, in the southeast of France, which is characterized by being healthy, easy to prepare and delicious.

This dish -which comes from the words “rat” (food) and “touille” (to stir)- is prepared with vegetables seasoned with aromatic herbs, which give it its good flavor. The most important principle is to fry each vegetable separately, before putting them together for simmering. It is served both hot and cold. Generally, it is served at the table as a garnish for a meat or fish dish, but it also goes alone. We teach you how to prepare it to be a chef like Remy and Gusteau.

• 3 onions (red or white).
• 500 gr. of tomatoes.
• 500 gr. of bell peppers (red, yellow and green).
• 500 gr of zucchini.
• 500 gr of aubergines.
• 10cl. Of olive oil.
• 2 cloves of garlic.
• 1 sprig of thyme.
• 1 bay leaf.
• 1 pinch of saffron pistils.
• Salt and pepper.

1. Wash all the vegetables and dry them. Peel and chop the onions. Remove the stems from the tomatoes and cut them into cubes. In turn, cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and the white parts, then cut them into strips. Next, cut the ends of the zucchini and aubergines and chop them, without peeling them. If possible, try to cut the vegetables into 1 cm slices.

2. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Also heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot.

3. Sauté the vegetables separately and add them to the pan as you go. First, brown the onions in the steaming oil for 5 minutes and then put them in a pot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and fry the peppers for 5 minutes, then add them to the pot.

4. Proceed in the same way with the aubergines, zucchini and, finally, the tomatoes.

5. Once all the vegetables are combined in the pot, add the garlic cloves crushed with the palm of your hand (without peeling them), the thyme, the bay leaf and the saffron. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer in the oven at 210°C for approximately 20 minutes.

• Get fresh vegetables: the zucchini and eggplant should be firm in texture, the peppers should be shiny and smooth, and the tomatoes should be ripe.
• Make sure that the vegetables are cut in the right proportions so that they cook at the same time.
• If the oven gets very hot on top, lower the temperature to 160°C or cover the vegetables with parchment paper for the first 15 minutes.
• If you make a lot of it, it will keep well for 2 days in the fridge.
• Extra tip: you can use it as a filling for your sandwiches.