Reprinted with permission from Wine Food, by Andrea Slonecker and Dana Frank (Lorena Jones Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018)
The classic French dish that inspired this recipe is notoriously fussy. In Wine Food, authors Andrea Slonecker, who’s written six other cookbooks, and Dana Frank, owner of Bar Norman in Portland, Oregon, simplify the dish and add a cheesy crust on top. This way, you can spend less time fiddling in the kitchen and more time eating and drinking.
Published: April 10, 2019
Ingredients
Directions
Position rack in upper third of the oven and heat to 400˚F.
In large bowl, combine eggplant, squash, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil and thyme. Drizzle with oil, and add salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Mound in 2-quart baking dish, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place on large rimmed baking sheet, and bake until vegetables give up some juices, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and heat broiler. Salt, to taste. Sprinkle cheese on top in thick layer. Broil until cheese is deep golden brown and crusty, 5–7 minutes. Cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.
Pair It
“Vegetable dishes are often thought best served with white wine,” writes Frank. “But ratatouille turns that notion upside down. An unctuous, meltingly tender gratin…should be eaten with nothing other than a red wine that started life as grapes baking along the Mediterranean coast.”
Her pick is Carignan, particularly bottles from Domaine Matassa, Domaine Maxime Magnon and Domaine Olivier Pithon in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.
