Ratatouille Recipe
Monday November 12, 2007
This traditional Ratatouille Recipe originated in Nice, France. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant, and zucchini are simmered together with herbs until they turn fork-tender. During the last few minutes of cooking, the stew is accented with white wine and a touch of salt. The result is a flavorful, hearty vegetarian entrée. Bon Appetit!
Eggplant Photo: ©Rebecca Franklin, Licensed to About.com
Comments
The traditional southern French eggplant stew, where all the vegetables are cooked together rather than separately, is called a bohemienne. When each vegetable is cooked separately and then combined, the result goes by your recipe name.
Actually the traditional Ratatouille Nicoise didn’t contain eggplants and was acceptable cooked separately or together. Cooking the vegetables separately gives a slight flavor variation and is favored by fans of the haute cuisine preparation. However, my interpretation is not at all inaccurate. This version was developed in keeping with traditional “peasant cooking” to deliver the authentic flavor and cooking experience of true French cuisine, while providing cooks with a reasonable timeframe to make a delicious, classic dish in their own kitchen.
As for the “bohemienne” you mentioned; it is actually a stew that is similar in nature to ratatouille, but with two very notable exceptions: it contains no peppers or zucchini. Even in the most fluid of culinary interpretations a bohemienne cannot be comparable to a ratatouille; it’s the French equivalent of comparing apples to oranges.
This was a yummmmmmyyyyyyyy food