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beppe · 06-05-2010, 12:19 PM

The season is the right season, in the Northern hemisphere at least. A great movie made this dish famous all over the world. It just happens that I am in possession of the secret recipe for this delicious treat. It takes a little work. It is not exactly low in calories, but it is vegetarian, and boy oh boy, it is just celestial. Quantities, as always with my turbo cooking are approximative, but the quality of the ingredients... Ah that's important.

If you make it, make it large, because is a lot of work. Luckily it freezes very well.
(for 6 people)
1/2/kg eggplants + salt to de-bitter them. Clean them, cut in 1 inch cubes, salt, and leave them in the colander to sweat.
2 large onions
1/4 kg sweet peppers
1 kg of ripe tomatoes
1/2 kg of zucchine
2 ts of sugar
1 cup of olive oil
fresh grounded black pepper
chopped parseley
black olives.

Clean and slice the onions. Clean the peppers and cut them in 1 inch pieces.
Peel the tomatoes. You know how? You sink them for 1 minute in hot water until the skin open. Fillet them. But keep the water and seeds that you will strain. I use a large steel strainer, conical. Technically a chinese.
Clean and cut the zucchine in 1 inch slices. Rinse the eggplants and dry them in a towel.

Now the cooking. Be patient, Maybe sip a little wine while you do this. If you like it you could put some Puccini on your stereo, or Brassens, or zirtaki, or whatever. Willie Nelson will do perfectly. Pancho and Lefty. Paolo Conte. Why not.

A big frying pan. I have a copper one. Heat the oil.
Put the onions in at low heat. 10 minutes stirring. Take them out.
Then in the same oil, low heat the peppers, 5 minutes. Take them out. Put together with the onions.
Rise the heat and fry the zucchine until golden. Put them with the other stuff.
Same thing with the eggplants.

To do this you need aspecial tool that collects the stuff leaving the oil behind.If not be ready to supplements of olive oil, but the result will be heavier than what it is already.

Put all the vegs in the pan with the tomatoes and the garlic. Add the liquid of the tomatoes. Stir. Cover. Cook slowly for 30 minutes. Turn, cover again and cook for 15 minutes more. Uncover and cook for 20 minutes more. Vegs should be tender but not limp. Eh, that's the cook in you. Wake him up. Let it cool a little before dishing it out.

It is good both warm and cold, with chopped parsley and black olives.

This is called in France Ratatuille.

I do it, respecting the formula, at least once a year. W shed tears of joy. It is not true, but she always asks for more, and her brother the musician, gulps it down. So usually I double the quantities.

I got it from, imagine, but it is not surprising because they really know how to cook, from an English book of Gardening.

06-05-2010, 12:19 PM	#374
beppe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,161 Karma: 81026524 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Italy Device: Kindle3, Ipod4, IPad2	The season is the right season, in the Northern hemisphere at least. A great movie made this dish famous all over the world. It just happens that I am in possession of the secret recipe for this delicious treat. It takes a little work. It is not exactly low in calories, but it is vegetarian, and boy oh boy, it is just celestial. Quantities, as always with my turbo cooking are approximative, but the quality of the ingredients... Ah that's important. If you make it, make it large, because is a lot of work. Luckily it freezes very well. (for 6 people) 1/2/kg eggplants + salt to de-bitter them. Clean them, cut in 1 inch cubes, salt, and leave them in the colander to sweat. 2 large onions 1/4 kg sweet peppers 1 kg of ripe tomatoes 1/2 kg of zucchine 2 ts of sugar 1 cup of olive oil fresh grounded black pepper chopped parseley black olives. Clean and slice the onions. Clean the peppers and cut them in 1 inch pieces. Peel the tomatoes. You know how? You sink them for 1 minute in hot water until the skin open. Fillet them. But keep the water and seeds that you will strain. I use a large steel strainer, conical. Technically a chinese. Clean and cut the zucchine in 1 inch slices. Rinse the eggplants and dry them in a towel. Now the cooking. Be patient, Maybe sip a little wine while you do this. If you like it you could put some Puccini on your stereo, or Brassens, or zirtaki, or whatever. Willie Nelson will do perfectly. Pancho and Lefty. Paolo Conte. Why not. A big frying pan. I have a copper one. Heat the oil. Put the onions in at low heat. 10 minutes stirring. Take them out. Then in the same oil, low heat the peppers, 5 minutes. Take them out. Put together with the onions. Rise the heat and fry the zucchine until golden. Put them with the other stuff. Same thing with the eggplants. To do this you need aspecial tool that collects the stuff leaving the oil behind.If not be ready to supplements of olive oil, but the result will be heavier than what it is already. Put all the vegs in the pan with the tomatoes and the garlic. Add the liquid of the tomatoes. Stir. Cover. Cook slowly for 30 minutes. Turn, cover again and cook for 15 minutes more. Uncover and cook for 20 minutes more. Vegs should be tender but not limp. Eh, that's the cook in you. Wake him up. Let it cool a little before dishing it out. It is good both warm and cold, with chopped parsley and black olives. This is called in France Ratatuille. I do it, respecting the formula, at least once a year. W shed tears of joy. It is not true, but she always asks for more, and her brother the musician, gulps it down. So usually I double the quantities. I got it from, imagine, but it is not surprising because they really know how to cook, from an English book of Gardening.