Ratatouille

RATATOUILLE WITH ROASTED STRAWBERRY AND TOMATO TUMERIC RED SAUCE

If you haven’t heard of a ratatouille, that’s understandable. But if you have seen the movie Ratatouille, then you know what this is. It’s as they say, “a peasant’s dish.” Well, I’m pretty sure this movie made this popular again because I’ve made it quite a few times.

Except this time is different because I have a mandolin to save me hours of slicing and chopping. And this time I roasted strawberries for that red sauce that the vegetables cook in.

I decided to do personal pan ratatouilles - and they did not disappoint!

You can sprinkle some grated parmesan on top also!

Ingredients

Roasted Strawberry and Tomato Turmeric Sauce

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1, 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 3 mint leaves chopped

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon ground fresh black pepper

• 1 heaping teaspoon turmeric

• 1 cup roasted strawberries (roasted at 400°F for 15 minutes)

Ratatouille Ingredients

• 1 handful of radishes, 1/8” thick on mandolin

• 4 roma tomatoes, sliced 1/8” thick on mandolin

• 2 medium squash, sliced 1/8” thick on mandolin

• 2 medium zucchinis, sliced 1/8” thick on mandolin

• salt and pepper for topping the vegetables before placing in oven

• Herb seasoning: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, from 8-10 leaves, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, 2 teaspoons chopped oregano, 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt/pepper/red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

For the sauce, you will need an immersion blender, or some sort of blender to mix in the strawberries.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Bake strawberries minus the stems with olive oil drizzled on them for 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a deep sauce pan, saute the onions for 10 minutes on medium heat, then add the garlic for 2-3 more.

Add in all herbs, seasoning and butter, and cook for 5 more minutes.

Pour in the whole peeled tomatoes.

Let simmer for 20 minutes, then use hand blender to blend all.

Add in the strawberries, and blend well. Set aside for the ratatouille pans (2). You won’t use all of the sauce, you can store for a later use. It holds for about a week!

Preheat the oven for 375˚F.

While the oven is heating, spray the pans for the ratatouille.

Ladle in sauce at the bottom of each pan until about 1/2” thick. As it cooks it does rise, and bubble, so you will need to account for that.

Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating pattern on top of the sauce. There’s no particular order, but try to buy the same size vegetables for easy layering. The eggplant is always a problem for me because they’re so much bigger, but I do cut them in quarters, vertically, then slice.

Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle very generously with olive oil to bake.

Cover the pan with foil, bake for 40 minutes.

Uncover, bake for another 20.

Mix herb drizzle ingredients and pour over the cooked ratatouille.

Serve with parmesan grated on top if desired! Caution IT IS VERY HOT.