Ratatouille is a classic French dish with a warm and rustic flavor, with a lot of color and a very nice mix of textures. As for its origin, this recipe is traditional from the Provence region, located southeast of the country, and specifically, from the city of Nice, which is why it is also known as "Ratatouille niçoise".
This origin is also the reason why Provencal herbs are the protagonists of the flavor and aroma of this dish. The mixture of Provencal herbs impregnate the vegetables that make it up in a very delicate way, giving the recipe a delicious flavor. This, together with the juiciness provided by the soft aromatic oil with which the vegetables are sprayed just before entering the oven, make this simple stew one of the most exquisite preparations of gala cuisine.
This recipe is rich in antioxidants , flavonoids , fiber , allicin , alliin , amino acids , batacarotene , carbohydrates , essential oils , lycopene , Gamma Butyric Amino Acids (GABA), vitamins A , C , E , K and group B ( B1 , B2 , B3 , B6 and B9 or folic acid ); aluminum , sulfur , calcium , cobalt , phosphorus , iron , magnesium , manganese , potassium , selenium , sodium , iodine and, in smaller quantities, copper and zinc .
Below you can see what ingredients you need and the steps to follow to make one of the essentials of classic French cuisine.
| Difficulty level | Preparation time | Rations |
| Very easy | 1 h. y 30 m. | For 4 people |
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 2 zucchini
- 2 onions
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
- 2 garlic cloves
- 50 ml. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper (ground)
Instructions
- Chop the garlic, put it in a cup with the oil and let marinate. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
- Wash the eggplant, cut it into slices of about 0.5 cm. thick, add a little salt and let it sit for 30 minutes to release the bitterness.
- Meanwhile, wash the rest of the vegetables, dry them and cut them into thin slices as well (0.5 cm thick, approximately).
- When the eggplant has released the bitterness, rinse it with water to clean the salt, dry it well with a clean cotton cloth and season it with salt and pepper. Season the rest of the vegetables as well.
- Place the vegetables in an oven dish, alternating colors to make it more attractive. Place them longitudinally if the oven dish is rectangular, and spiral (from the outside to the inside) if the oven dish is round. Thus, place the eggplant first, then the tomato, followed by the green pepper, the onion, the red pepper and, finally, the zucchini. This process will be repeated until all the slices are finished and the entire oven dish is completely covered.
- Preheat the oven to 175º and, meanwhile, sprinkle the herbs de Provence over the vegetables, so that they are all well seasoned. Next, coat them with the mixture of oil and garlic, making sure that all the vegetables are well coated.
- When the oven is hot, introduce the oven dish with the vegetables and bake it for 40 minutes, ensuring that they do not burn. If the vegetables start to brown before the end of the baking time, cover them with a little baking paper until they finish cooking and are tender.
- After this time, check that the vegetables are well cooked, remove the oven dish from the oven and let the ratatouille temper a bit so that the flavors settle and intensify. Once it has tempered a bit, serve.
Notes
- If you do not have a prepared mixture of herbs de Provence, you can add some dried basil, thyme and oregano.
- For 4 ratatouille rations, we have used a 25 cm baking dish. by 15 cm Remember that depending on the amount you want to make ratatouille, you will need a larger or smaller font.
- At the time of baking, it is important that the vegetables are very tender. To prevent them from burning, we recommend that you cover them with baking paper if you see that they start to brown before the end of the baking time and they are not yet tender.
- This dish is ideal to consume both hot and cold. The longer it rests, the more intense its flavor will be.
If you have any questions, you can leave it to us in the comments. And if you dare and want to show your creations to the world, do not hesitate to label us, we will love to see them through the networks! 
Do you join us on social networks? You will find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!