Most Loved Ratatouille

Ratatouille is the late-summer vegetable stew of Provence, France, designed to use up everything that ripens at the same time: tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, garlic, onion, and basil. There’s no meat, no broth, no thickener. The vegetables release their own juices and the dish reduces to a saucy, glossy braise.

The salting-and-draining step on the eggplant is one most modern cooks skip. Don’t. Eggplant absorbs olive oil like a sponge and goes mushy when wet. Thirty minutes of salted draining pulls out the bitter liquid and makes the flesh hold its cubed shape through the simmer.

The layering technique (instead of stirring everything together at the start) is the Provençal way. Each vegetable cooks in its own little zone and releases its juice without going to puree. That careful, gentle stirring during cooking is what keeps the cubes distinct.

Use fresh basil torn at the end, not dried basil cooked in. Dried basil tastes like dust against the vegetables; fresh basil’s licorice-pepper notes are what tie the dish together.

Serve hot the day you make it, or refrigerate overnight and serve cold as part of an antipasto spread. Many French cooks insist day-two ratatouille is better.

Pro Tips

• Use ripe summer tomatoes if at all possible. Out-of-season tomatoes turn the dish acidic and watery. A 28-oz can of San Marzanos is the winter substitute.
• A heavy-bottomed Dutch oven gives the most even, gentle simmer. Thin pans scorch the bottom.
• Finish with a glug of good extra-virgin olive oil right at the table for a fruity, peppery note.
• Serve with crusty bread for sopping up the juices, or over a soft polenta for a more substantial meal.

Variations

• Add a thinly sliced fennel bulb with the green pepper for an anise-leaning version.
• Top with a poached egg and shaved parmesan for a breakfast or light dinner.
• Layer instead of stew, in the style of Thomas Keller’s confit byaldi (the version popularized by the Pixar film). Same flavors, more dramatic presentation.