Homemade Ratatouille!

Love ratatouille, and I feel so healthy afterwards.
It must be vegetarians favourite dish :-)
This is the homemade version. I will try to make Remy's later, you know, the one from the movie :-)
Start by going to the local farmers market, grocery store, or where they have lots of different good and fresh vegetables.

This is what I came home with.

Wash all of it thoroughly, and it is ready to be cut in to bite-size pieces. Around 2 x 2 cm.
You can choose to put more, less or nothing of each ingredient, after you own taste.

Saute onions and garlic in butter (or you can choose olive oil) a few minuts in a heavy bottomed casserole. I love garlic, so I used a lot. Add celery, and saute a few minutes more.

Add the rest of the vegetables.
I added 1/2 a large green zucchini,
2 small indian zucchini,
1 thin local aubergine,
1 small red pepper,
1 large green pepper,
1 medium pepper &
1 carrot

Let it saute about 15 minuts at good heat, and stir often so it doesn't brown.
I like the red pepper, but only added a small, because I didn't want it to be too sweet. And the carrot and yellow pepper gives sweetness as well.

I choose the 2 different kinds of zucchini because of the texture. The big one I slices and then quartered, and they get very soft. The small one I just sliced, it stays more firm.

Next time I think I will try to add mushrooms. But really, add the vegetables you like.

After 15 minutes, add 2 cans of peeled and chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Stir, and add fresh whole pricked chillies, (after taste, I don't like this to be too hot) 2 bay leaves, and fresh or dried rosemary.
Let it simmer until very soft, around 1 hour. Remember to stir once in a while so it doesn't burn.

Remove the lid at the end, so it reduces.
Add salt, pepper and dried chilli to taste. Mums.

Serve it with delicious bread. I used my carrot breads, my earlier recipe. 

Added the day after:
I had a small portion leftovers. The day after I made a steak with rice, sauted green beans and ratatouille. It was just as delicious as the evening before.
So if you have a something left, keep is as an accompaniment to what ever you are having tomorrow. :-)

Carrot Breads.

This recipe is from my 6th grade, when I was 12-13 years old, so it's...... old :-)
I have made them soo many times since, and they are light and healthy.

Normally I make a double portion, so I have lots to put in the freezer. And they always disappear fast.

50g margarine or butter, melted
4 dl milk
1 dl youghurt
1 packet of instant yeast (11g)
2 tsp coarse salt
2tsp sugar
2 carrots, grated (around 150g)
2 dl wheat bran
13-14 dl flour

1 egg and a little wheat bran to put on top.
20 min at 200C.

Mix all the wet ingredients, add salt, sugar, carrots, wheat bran and yeast. Add the yeast to the first 5 dl of flour you put in, and hold some of the flour back, sometimes I only uses 10-11 dl, it's different, because of the carrots.

Knead the dough well. (gives nice arms)

Cover and let it prove for 1 hour.

Give it a good kneading on a floured table until smooth and elastic (5-6 min minimum), maybe you need to add more flour.

Divide the dough. I make 20 breads, it's a good size, I think.
Shape them into breads, 10cm long. And then let them prove again for 20 min under a wet cloth.

Brush the breads with the egg, and cut 3-4 times on the top in each bread.
Sprinkle with Wheat bran, and bake for around 20 min at 200C.

 

 

If you are using fresh yeast:
Add the milk to the melted butter. Crumble the yeast in a bowl, and add a little of the milk/butter mixture, enough to dissolve the yeast, add the rest of the mixture, and add all the rest of the wet ingredients.
From now on it's the same as with the instant yeast.