Nice Ratatouille: The Real Recipe
Ratatouille is a Niçois specialty made from vegetables simmered slowly in olive oil. We invite you to discover the authentic recipe for Niçoise ratatouille, a blend of summer vegetables that deliciously accompanies meats, fish, and even rice or pasta.
Ingredients
Here are the necessary ingredients to make the recipe for ratatouille for 8 people:
1 white onion
2 peppers (1 red and 1 green)
2 or 3 eggplants (depending on their size)
5 trombone squash
5 ripe tomatoes (or 1 large can of peeled tomatoes)
2 cloves of garlic
a small bunch of basil
a small bunch of parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper
Vegetable preparation
The longest step to make the authentic recipe of ratatouille niçoise is the preparation of the vegetables.
1- Start by washing and drying all the vegetables.
2- Remove the seeds from the bell peppers and cut them into thin strips.
If you have trouble digesting this vegetable, I recommend peeling it with a vegetable peeler as it is the skin of the bell peppers that is indigestible.
3- Cut the zucchini and eggplants without peeling them.
For faster and more even cooking, I recommend cutting the eggplants into small cubes (maximum 2 cm in size) and the zucchini into slices.
Cooking vegetables
The secret to successful Niçoise ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately.
1- Get a frying pan and a casserole dish.
2- In the frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the minced white onion without browning.
3- Add the slices of bell pepper and cook them until tender.
4- On another burner, heat the casserole dish on low heat so that you can transfer the vegetables to it as you go.
5- Pour the bell peppers and onions into the casserole dish and use the same frying pan to sauté the diced eggplant. Add a tablespoon of olive oil if needed.
6- Repeat the same process with the zucchini slices.
Preparation of ratatouille
1- Once all your vegetables are in the pot, blend fresh tomatoes or canned peeled tomatoes to make a sauce.
2- Pour the tomato sauce into the pot with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
3- Prepare a persillade by chopping together garlic, parsley, and basil. Add it to your mixture and adjust the seasoning with salt if necessary.
4- Simmer this mixture over low heat for at least 45 minutes.
The recipe for Niçoise ratatouille requires a long cooking time so that the vegetables are well cooked but not completely mushy.
Tasting tips
The Niçoise ratatouille can be tasted immediately but it is much better after being refrigerated overnight and reheated.
Do not hesitate to prepare this recipe in large quantities, as this specialty from the city of Nice can be served hot as a side dish with many dishes (eggs, meat, fish, rice) or cold as an appetizer.
