Meatless Monday: Ratatouille ala Julia Child

I got it in my head recently that it would be fun to get my hands on a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and see how much of it I could veganize.  Honestly, I don't know that I'd have the patience, or the time, to go through the entire book, but I'm up for a challenge. Until I actually get the cook book in my possession, I thought I'd share an already accidentally vegan recipe of hers, in honor of Meatless Monday.

Ratatouille is a staple to the Provencal region of France (peasant food at its finest), and is most often used as an accompaniment to the main course; a condiment, if you will. There are different ways to make it using different fresh vegetables and herbs, but tomatoes are always a key ingredient, along with some variation of squash, eggplant, garlic, onion, bell peppers. The cooking method varies depending on who you ask, but the end result is always a beautiful aromatic stew type dish.

Seeing as we are full swing into summer right now, it's a perfect dish to prepare based on the availability of vegetables. It can be turned into a fantastic vegan main dish if you use it as a sauce for pasta or rice.

My mouth waters just thinking about the delicious stewed vegetables and looking at this photo of a ratatouille I recently prepared for my French born client.  I used Julia Child's method for cooking and it got my client's full seal of approval... she/I must be on to something!

Julia Child's Ratatouille
1 lb. eggplant
1 lb. zucchini
A 3‐quart, porcelain or stainless steel mixing bowl
1 tsp salt
Peel the eggplant and cut into lengthwise slices 3/8 inch thick, about 3
inches long, and 1 inch wide. Scrub the zucchini, slice off the two ends,
and cut the zucchini into slices about the same size as the eggplant
slices. Place the vegetables in a bowl and toss with the salt. Let stand for
30 minutes. Drain. Dry each slice in a towel.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
A 10‐ to 12‐inch enameled skillet
4 TB olive oil, more if needed
One layer at a time, sauté the eggplant, and then the zucchini in hot olive
oil for about a minute on each side to brown very lightly. Remove to a
side dish.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
½ lb. (about 1½ cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
2 (about 1 cup) sliced green bell peppers
2 to 3 TB olive oil, if necessary
2 cloves mashed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
In the same skillet, cook the onions and peppers slowly in olive oil for
about 10 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Stir in the garlic and
season to taste.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
1 lb. firm, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and juiced (makes 1½ cups
pulp)
Salt and pepper
Slice the tomato pulp into 3/8‐inch strips. Lay them over the onions and
peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook over
low heat for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes have begun to render their
juice. Uncover, baste the tomatoes with the juices, raise heat and boil for
several minutes, until juice has almost entirely evaporated.
A 2½ quart fireproof casserole about 2½ inches deep
3 TB minced parsley
Place a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of the casserole and
sprinkle over it 1 tablespoon of parsley. Arrange half the eggplant and
zucchini on top, then half the remaining tomatoes and parsley. Put in the
rest of the eggplant and zucchini, and finish with the remaining
tomatoes and parsley.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Salt and pepper
Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover,
tip casserole and baste with the rendered juices. Correct seasoning, if
necessary. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes
more, basting several times, until juices have evaporated leaving a
spoonful or two of flavored olive oil. Be careful of your heat; do not let
the vegetables scorch in the bottom of the casserole.
(*) Set aside uncovered. Reheat slowly at serving time, or serve cold.

Serves 8.