Food, Nutrition, Recipes, Uncategorized

Ratatouille – European Veggies

Whether or not you love veggies, this dish is packed with so much flavour and so many nutrients that it’s sure to make both your tastebuds and your whole body do a little happy dance.

I grew up with my Italian mother cooking caponata and my Spanish paternal-grandmother cooking pisto. These two dishes are essentially the same thing, as is the French dish ratatouille. The main vegetables used, although there is some variation – and as always, creative freedom – are bell pepper, aubergine/eggplant, zucchini, and tomato.

FOUR main ingredients, only four, and the dish has so many vitamins and benefits to your health… and did I mention how tasty it is!? According to healthline.com (links for each vegetable at the bottom of the page):

Zucchini
- Rich in many vitamins and minerals (especially Vitamin A)
- High in antioxidants
- High in water and fiber, promoting healthy digestion
Aubergine/eggplant
- Rich in fiber and many vitamins and minerals
- High in antioxidants
Bell pepper
- Rich in many vitamins and minerals (especially Vitamin C)
- High in antioxidants
Tomato
- Rich in fiber and many vitamins and minerals (especially Vitamin C and potassium)
Garlic
- Contains compounds with medicinal properties
- Rich in many vitamins (especially Vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese)
- Can help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- High in antioxidants
Extra virgin olive oil
- Contains anti-inflammatory substances
- High in antioxidants
- Can improve cardiovascular health

So, as my research shows, this dish is really good for you physically because it has a lot of great nutrients, but it is also good for you on physiological level! It is a comfort food! The freshness and flavourful harmony of each vegetable shining individually and together is so good that it makes you happy. If eaten soon after being made or heated in the microwave, it is perfect to warm you up in a way that sends energy throughout your entire body. And if eaten cold, although perhaps less common, it is so refreshing and makes for a perfect little open-face sandwich snack!

You can eat it as a snack, as a side (perhaps prepared with some yummy fish!), or as a meal itself… enjoy however you’d like. It’s so good, I swear I do a little dance every time.

Now, how does one make this delicious treat? Well, the first time I tried to make it, it wasn’t nearly as satisfying until I realized the trick my mother uses – cook each vegetable separately first before combining. Game changer! Crave-worthy!

The first step is cutting up the aubergine/eggplant. You can cut it into cubes or thinner sliced pieces, but the important thing is to put it in a colander over a plate or in your sink and sprinkle it generously with salt. Salt helps the bitter basic juices release from the vegetable and enhance its flavour. The reason for this…

The next step is to prep and cut the rest of your vegetables. Even though you will be cooking them separately first, I try to cut them all in relatively similar sizes, so that it is easier to eat later on. You also want to peel the garlic cloves. You can mince the garlic if you want a more immersed garlic experience. I prefer the garlic to just add its essence by cooking with it but not eating it.

Once all of your vegetables are ready, use a pan with olive oil to cook each of them separately, and don’t forget to season as you go. I’ll let you decide what order inspires you. This last time I made it, I cooked zucchini, then pepper, then aubergine/eggplant. Aubergine/eggplant went last because it needed time to let the salt do its magic. The important thing to remember when cooking your vegetables separately is that you don’t want them to be overcooked since you will be cooking them all a bit more once combined, so make sure to remove them from the heat when they are al dente.

After you have cooked all of the vegetables separately, you want to combine them into a pot with crushed canned tomato, the garlic, and some sprigs of parsley. You could have also added onions, used a different herb or some spices, or gotten creative in another way. Because you have pre-cooked the vegetables, this part doesn’t have to take very long. You just want to wait long enough for the garlic and parsley to have marinated with the tomatoes and vegetables.

Once you are all done, just take it off the heat, plate, and enjoy! If you want to leave some for later, keep in the fridge for a snack or as leftovers… I can’t say they last very long in my fridge because I eat them up so quickly.

I hope you all make some pisto/caponata/ratatouille and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil
One aubergine/eggplant
Two zucchini
One bell pepper
Two cloves of garlic
A few springs of fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cut aubergine/eggplant in cubes, place in a colander on top of a plate or in the sink, and sprinkle generously with salt
Cut zucchini into cubes and place to the side
Cut bell peppers into long slices and then in half (reference photo in article above) and place to the side
Heat a pan with olive oil and cook zucchini until al dente; season with salt and pepper; remove the zucchini from the pan and place to the side
In the same pan, cook the bell peppers until al dente; remove the bell peppers from the pan and place to the side
Rinse the aubergine/eggplant, and in the same pan, cook until al dente; remove the aubergine/eggplant from the heat or the pan and place to the side
In a pot, add a little olive oil to help avoid sticking, add the garlic, then the three pre-cooked vegetables, then the springs of parsley, and then the tomatoes; stir to combine
Remove from heat, plate, and enjoy!

SHARE!

Try this at home and let me know how it turned out! Did you try it with other veggies or herbs and spices? Comment below and share on Instagram with #coleBhappy so I can see your yummy creations!