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Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille

Ratatouille is the quintessential dish of late summer. It combines tomatoes, squash and eggplant that arrive earlier in the summer with the sweet peppers which take a little longer to show up. This version of ratatouille uses a tomato sauce made on the stovetop while the other three vegetables are prepared in the oven to their own individual perfection.
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Main Course

Equipment

  • sauce pot
  • 3 baking trays

Ingredients
  

For the Tomato Sauce

  • 2 lbs tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion (about 6 oz by weight) diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme

For the Roasted Vegetables

  • 1 lb sweet peppers
  • 1 lb summer squash
  • 1 lb eggplant

For the Dish

  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp drained capers (optional)
  • Several leaves of fresh basil for a generous garnish

Instructions
 

Prepare for the recipe

  • Arrange three shelves in the oven with one shelf immediately below the broiler and the other two in the lower half of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F
  • Note, much of this recipe can be done in parallel. For example, while the eggplant is brining and the summer squash is resting with salt, you can start the tomato sauce and prepare the peppers. Just keep the big picture in mind as you go through the process. You are making a tomato sauce, and simultaneously preparing and oven cooking the other three vegetables.
  • Prepare the eggplant. Chop the eggplant into ¾ to 1 inch chunks and place in a bowl. Combine 1 ounce of water, 1 ounce of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl or jar. Whisk or shake the contents until the salt has dissolved in the water and the water and oil have temporarily combined. Pour this over the eggplant chunks. Toss the eggplant to completely coat in the brine and oil mixture. Set aside for at least 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to redistribute any liquids settling in the bottom of the bowl.
  • Prepare the summer squash. Cut the summer squash into pieces that are ¾ to 1 inch, and place in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the squash and toss to distribute the sauce. Set aside for at least 15 minutes. The salt will draw water out of the summer squash, allowing it to be more ready for caramelization under the broiler.

Prepare the Tomato Sauce

  • Sauté the diced onions in olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of salt over medium-high heat. Use enough olive oil to make the onions glisten without any oil pooling in the bottom of the pan.
  • While the onions are cooking, core the tomatoes and cut into chunks that are ¾ to 1 inch in size.
  • After the onions have softened, turned translucent and just beginning to color, add the minced garlic. Continue to sauté for another minute or two.
  • Add the tomatoes and allow to simmer. The tomatoes will soften, release their juices and slowly break down. Stir occasionally to judge how the cooking is coming along. Allow them to simmer at least 15 minutes before adding any other ingredients. More time is generally better.
  • Add the oregano and thyme and simmer another 10 minutes.
  • Use an immersion blender to puree the tomatoes, aromatics and herbs. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roast the Eggplant

  • The eggplant takes the longest to cook, about 30 minutes, so you want to get it in first. Spread the eggplant evenly over a baking sheet. Make sure each piece of eggplant has a cut side in full contact with the sheet, where it will generate some caramelization.
  • Continue to work on other aspects of this recipe while the eggplant roasts.
  • After 30 minutes, remove the tray with the eggplant and check for softness. If you push with your fingertip, you should find the eggplant to be nice and soft. If some of the pieces still seem to be firm, put the tray back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Roast the Peppers

  • The peppers will need 15-20 minutes of roasting, and then a few minutes under the broiler to finish. They go in second.
  • Core and deseed the peppers and chop them into pieces that are ¾ to 1 inch in size. Toss them with a tablespoon of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of salt. Spread evenly on a baking tray and move to a lower shelf in the oven along with the eggplant.

Broil the Summer Squash

  • You should find that water has pooled in the bottom of the bowl where the squash was sitting with the salt. Drain that liquid. Place the squash over a clean dish towel and towel dry the pieces. This water would prevent caramelization under the broiler. That's why we are going through this trouble.
  • Change the oven from 400°F to a high broil. It's OK to leave the eggplant and peppers roasting on the lower shelf while the broiler heats up.
  • Toss the squash with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Spread them evenly over a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the shelf directly under the broiler.
  • Broil for a couple of minutes, watching the progress. You want to see some caramelization and a bit of char on the squash. But you don't want it to burn, and you don't want it to really cook. You want it to maintain it's firm texture while gaining flavor from the broiling.
  • After the squash is removed from the broiler, move the peppers to the shelf under the broiler. This should also just be a couple of minutes. Get some color on the squash, but don't burn them.

Finish Things Up

  • Once the vegetables are all finished in the oven, combine them with the tomato sauce.
  • Stir and simmer everything together for just a couple minutes. You don't want to cook the vegetables any further, but you do want everything to come to an even temperature and for the sauce to begin penetrating the vegetables.
  • Optionally add two tablespoons of drained capers, stirring them into the mix. Another alternative would be chopped olives as little flavor bombs mixed in with the vegetables.
  • Plate with polenta or warm crusty bread. Add a generous amount of julienned basil as a flavorful garnish.
Keyword eggplant, peppers, summer, summer squash, tomatoes
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