Ratatouille is a Provencal dish that originated in Nice, in the South of France. Needless to say that this dish became popular after the Disney movie of the same name and it is now not uncommon to see it on menus in New York. Comforting, this is the kind of dish where every family has its own recipe. Some cook the vegetables separately. others together. Even the way the vegetables are cut can differ, some preferring them grossly cut and others, like myself, small. Know that it has to cook for a long time and you will surely get a fantastic smell in your apartment.

You can eat it as a side with chicken for instance, the ratatouille being just warm, or with a nice bread, like you would it a paté.

Here is my recipe that was inspired from childhood memories:

Time: 30 minutes preparation and 3 hours cooking

Ingredients for 6 servings

4 zucchini
1 eggplant
3 peppers (I use yellow peppers for their sweetness)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 table spoon minced garlic or 3 garlic cloves minced
1 table spoon thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tea spoon of salt

Preparation of the vegetables:

Cut the peppers, eggplant and zucchini in small pieces. Note that I always remove the skin from the eggplant when making ratatouille.

Cooking:

In a large pan, put the olive oil, garlic and vegetables: do not worry if the vegetables overflow a bit the pan as they will reduce during the cooking process. Start cooking at medium heat and when you hear it sizzling, lower to low heat.