Athéna Besançon, Bachelor’s student Nutrition and Health You encounter all the flavours of the world in Wageningen. Athéna Besançon (18), a Nutrition and Health Bachelor’s student, shares a recipe from France.
‘When I told my flatmate that I’m French, she wanted us to eat ratatouille, probably because of the Disney film of that name. I asked my family in southern France how I should make this Provencal dish. They said there isn’t an “official” recipe but the crucial thing is to cook the vegetables one by one. And to add thyme. And make sure I don’t use ginger. And if I was to leave out any one of the vegetables — légumes du soleil – it would turn into tatouille instead of ratatouille.’
Time: 1.5 hours (half an hour for preparation, 1 hour for cooking)
Side dish for 4 to 6 people
Ingredients:
- 1 aubergine
- 2 courgettes
- 1 bell pepper
- 400g tinned tomatoes
- 1 onion or shallot
- 2 to 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 thyme sprig, some rosemary and a bay leaf
- salt, pepper
- olive oil
- (optional) olives, fresh basil, cumin
- Cut aubergine into small pieces (because it cooks more slowly) and courgette in larger pieces or slices. Chop the pepper, garlic and onion.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the aubergine and stir until it is more or less cooked.
- Put the aubergine, onion and garlic in a casserole dish (preferably earthenware) and sprinkle the thyme on top.
- Fry the courgette and pepper in the frying pan (add some olive oil if needed), then add the tomatoes. Put these vegetables into the casserole dish. Let the vegetables simmer for 40 to 60 minutes on a low heat (or put them in the oven at a low temperature). Stir every now and then to make sure the ratatouille doesn’t burn.
- Add herbs, salt, pepper and/or olives to taste. Bon appétit!
