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NYCgrrl's avatar
NYCgrrl
Explorer
Jun 05, 2016

Ratatouille

Decades back in a different life and long before Mel Brooks and Disney found amusement in the word, I learned how to make this dish from the ex's great aunt, and added it to my culinary repertoire.

Tante Matilde was an interesting, physically and spiritually, strong woman who reminded me of others I knew back home in the Americas. She didn't "trumpet" her strengths..merely lived nominally at her societal norms and yet outside of them. Loved her.

The ex's family was mostly from the Belgian/ French border and in this, Tante Matilde, was decidedly from a different place. She hailed from the south of France and brought her cooking style north when she married and adapted it to a new locale.

Today is the anniversary of her 118th birthday and although I'm not comfortable giving the complete ratatouille recipe she passed on to me I've no problem giving anyone else the basics.

So here it is and hope it's eating joy helps you:

http://blogs.kqed.org/essentialpepin/2011/09/18/classic-ratatouille/

I can say that for years I made it without eggplant because one of my sons despised the stuff; poor dear;).

This dish works nicely as a side dish; a main dish; served hot or cold. Do with it what you will.

6 Replies

  • Texas_Roadrunn1's avatar
    Texas_Roadrunn1
    Explorer
    Jun 14, 2016
    Love this stuff, so yummy! Thank you for sharing. I have been using Melissa D'Arabian's (Food Network) recipe which she got from her Provençal MIL. The one thing I remember without referencing the recipe is EZ POT. She began with the eggplant, then zucchini, peppers, onions, and lastly, added the tomatoes. She made up this acronym as this was the order in which her MIL told her to sauté the vegetables. Looking forward to trying your recipe!
  • NYCgrrl's avatar
    NYCgrrl
    Explorer
    Jun 07, 2016
    TexasShadow wrote:
    I omit the eggplant too. and sometimes, I use yellow crook neck squash instead of zucchini.


    I make my version with both yellow and green squash as long as one variety doesn't cost more than the other which is a market game I don't feel like playing:c.
  • NYCgrrl's avatar
    NYCgrrl
    Explorer
    Jun 07, 2016
    magnusfide wrote:
    Thank you! This looks like a great DO recipe too:w

    She always made it in the biggest CI skillet I evah saw (wood stove in her house)so I say yes to DOing :D.

    And she added herbes de provence whilst sauteeing but but that's ALL I'm saying in a sworn to secrecy kind of way....oops and LOL.
  • fchammer1's avatar
    fchammer1
    Explorer
    Jun 05, 2016
    I'm not comfortable passing on the complete ratatouille recipe she passed on to me


    I wish you didn't feel that way. In only one or two generations, that specific and special recipe might be gone forever, never to be enjoyed again. One might as well hide a family heirloom in a closet out of sight.

    Almost 70 years later, I still have pleasant thoughts of the mother of one of my third grade friends who unselfishly shared several of her mother's depression-era recipes. Likewise, I share them too, and cherish the smile on my friend's face when I tell her how much someone else has enjoyed something that her mother gave. It sort of makes it all worthwhile.
  • TexasShadow's avatar
    TexasShadow
    Explorer II
    Jun 05, 2016
    I omit the eggplant too. and sometimes, I use yellow crook neck squash instead of zucchini.

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