And all I can say is that the camera was the last thing on my mind when it came out . . .
According to Mr. Slater, the trick is to handle each vegetable separately, rather than throwing them all together like a stew. So each one has to be cooked lightly in olive and then transferred to the baking dish.
Which brings me to the problem of eggplants. If anybody out there (and yeah, I'm looking at you Ed Ward) knows a trick for preparing sliced eggplants so that they don't immediately suck up all the oil the minute they hit the pan, I'd like to hear it . . . or read it. I tried the "drenching in salt and letting stand for an hour and then rinsing them off and patting dry" method, but I wasn't too terribly impressed with the results.
What say you, cooks out there??
Oh, and I served the ratatouille with this. Delicious!!
Yum!
ReplyDeleteMy Claudia Roden book of Middle Eastern cookery contains a folktale from the region all about the propensity of aubergines to suck up oil. I should dig it out for you. In short, there may be no solution. Just love the olive oil.
Hahahahaha!!! Thanks! That's not a bad idea either.
ReplyDeleteReally, the salt treatment is what works. But...are you doing it right? My way is to cube the eggplant up and stick it in a colander, then salt liberally and toss it so that the salt is evenly distributed. Then leave it for an hour. Seriously: an hour or maybe a little more. You know you're doing it right if you come back after a while and there's some brownish water underneath your colander.
ReplyDeleteAfter it's been well drained, wash it thoroughly: you want the salt in the recipe to be what you add, not oozing out of the eggplant while it cooks. Okay, now you've got wet eggplant cubes, not ideal for frying (which is how I make my rat: never heard of baking it around here). Dump them into a dishtowel and wring the hell out of them. You'll be surprised how they spring back, but this gets the last of the brown water, the salt, the water you've just rinsed them with -- all if it, gone. Give them a few minutes to recuperate and proceed with your cooking.
Thanks Ed!! Yes, that's what I did. But perhaps the difference here is that the recipe calls for sliced rather than cubed eggplant. The cubes probably allow for more surface exposure to the salt, which then works more effectively.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first time making ratatouille, and I was never a big fan. I did like that the flavors were more distinct since the veggies were all fried separately (just until soft) and then baked slowly. But perhaps I should try a more traditional recipe for comparison.
Yeah, the recipe I've been using is fry everything separately, mix later, hit it with a little red wine vinegar when you serve it -- which can be at room temp in the heat of the summer.
ReplyDeleteI'm still looking for other versions, though; lord knows there's no lack of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and eggplant around here in the next few months.
Ooooh . . . red wine vinegar. That's a great idea. My BF thought I could have used a bit more salt, but perhaps a splash of vinegar is the answer. In any case, if you find an especially good version, please let me know. Thanks!
ReplyDelete