Ratatouille

We have good weather in sight, and with it a bunch of seasonal vegetables that will fill our kitchen with color and our table with healthy, tasty food without much fuss.

Carmen, author ofYerbabuena en la Cocina, suggests a traditional and healthy recipe that I am sure you will love. She proposes serving it with romesco sauce, an ideal accompaniment for this dish. Enjoy!

When I think of Ratatouille, the first thing that comes to mind is the famous movie: I remember when my children were younger and every Disney release was a big event at home. Who would have thought, while watching that movie and eating popcorn with my kids, that years later the story would be so connected to my current life and my children's, and that our world would revolve so much around the kitchen?

But back to the recipe, Ratatouille is a dish from traditional French cuisine made with eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini and other vegetables; it's essentially the equivalent of our pisto manchego and is widespread across much of the world.

It is a nutritious, healthy and delicious dish that on its own makes an excellent first course or starter, a wonderful dinner, or the best side for meat or fish.

There are different variations, but this time I chose the simplest, using only vegetables and aromatic herbs; that said, I couldn't resist adding a personal touch and served it with a sauce as rich and local as romesco.

Do you want to surprise your guests with a tasty, healthy and colorful dish? You will only need some very fresh vegetables, a good extra virgin olive oil, some aromatic herbs and a little flair when arranging the ingredients… If you're also lucky enough to cook it in abaking dishas beautiful and versatile as this one from Emile Henry, even better, since you'll enjoy slow, even cooking, an excellent presentation and the food will stay warm longer. For me Emile Henry is synonymous with quality and good taste! Let's get the recipe!

Ingredients

2 Eggplants

2 Zucchinis

2 Tomatoes

2 Spring onions

1 Red pepper

1 Green pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh thyme

Salt

Black pepper

Romesco sauce

In the photo, the Kitchen Craft fruit basket and the Bérard olivewood cutting board.

Preparation

We wash the vegetables very well to avoid any risk since we will use them with their skins on.

We cut the eggplants into slices, add a little salt and place them in a colander to prevent bitterness while we continue with the rest of the vegetables. To slice, we can use a mandoline to achieve uniform cuts.

We cut the zucchinis, tomatoes and peppers into slices, trying to make everything the same thickness as the eggplants.

Remove the outer layer of the spring onions and slice them in the same way as above. Wash the eggplant and dry with kitchen paper.

Preheat the oven to 180º. Grease the baking tray with olive oil, and arrange the vegetables in alternating layers so they are slightly raised and visually harmonious in color.

Once arranged, season with salt and pepper, add fresh thyme and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over the entire surface. Bake at 180º for 25 minutes.

Serve on the same tray, assemble the dish by stacking the vegetables like mille-feuille and accompany with a little romesco sauce.

Our Ratatouille is now ready to enjoy!

This is a completely healthy recipe; if we omit the romesco sauce and don't overuse oil and salt, this ratatouille becomes an ideal ally for people with certain dietary restrictions, for example hypertension, without having to give up enjoyment.