From the c’est si bon! kitchen
www.cestsibon.net
Phone: 919-942-6550

Well, this story begins in provence. and then paris. how could it not? There are so many ways to make ratatouille. in France, everyone has an opinion. and a recipe. The vegetables should be cooked together. They should be cooked separately. Thomas keller made a stylized Turkish version for the movie, ratatouille. Blanching tomatoes is super squeezey easy. Cut a small x in the bottom and place in a pot of boiling water. Remove with a bamboo skimmer after 1 minute. Plunge in ice water. Wait till they cool, slip off the peels, cut in half (horizontally) squeeze slightly and the seeds should slip out and away. You can always poke your fingers in the seed pockets, and the gel and seeds will oust pretty quickly. Chop and you’re on your way to ratatouille heaven.

Vegetables:
1 cup beautifully fragrant olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
entire bulb of garlic, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
3 peppers (green or other), chopped
1 eggplant, chopped
2 beautiful fresh tomatoes; peeled, seeded, and chopped
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, snipped

Elixir:
½ cup red wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
fresh basil, marjoram, lavender, thyme, and oregano pinch smoked salt or smoked paprika
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a wide heavy pot on medium high. pour in half the olive oil and
when hot begin with onions and sauté a few minutes, till translucent.
Then add remaining vegetables, one by one, into the pot. Sauté after each addition about five minutes. Mix the elixir and deglaze with it. Stir well to combine. Add smoked salt, taste, and season correctly. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Great served hot or cold. alone as is, or with some crusty garlic bread, slabs of polenta or over sautéed crisp-tender greens.