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A delicious and beautiful way to use summer produce, this Ratatouille can also made ahead so it's perfect for entertaining.
It's been an exciting, busy week here at The Café - with three little girlies and their "mum" visiting grammy and papa - all the way from London. I've been doing a lot of cooking and have had some wonderful sous chefs,  but setting up and taking pictures of the food, well, that's another story.
Knowing I would want to enjoy every minute possible with my girls was exactly why I saved a fabulous recipe that my sister, Annie sent me several weeks ago; a delicious Ratatouille, combining fabulous seasonal produce into a mouthwatering summer meal.
Annie wrote and said -Â This has become a favorite of ours, really delicious and I love that you can make it a day ahead and bake it just before your guests come. When you put it in the metal ring molds and then unmold it onto the plate it looks so professional. Really pretty and so good for you too!
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Annie's Ratatouille
Ingredients
Ingredients for the sauce:
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 yellow and 1 red bell pepper, charred, peeled, seeded and ribs removed
- 1 poblano pepper and 2 chili peppers, charred, peeled and seeds and ribs removed
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the vegetable layers:
- 2 yellow squash, sliced in 1/16 inch rounds
- 2 zucchini, sliced in 1/16 inch rounds
- 2 Japanese eggplant, sliced in 1/16 inch rounds
- 6 roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16 inch rounds
Ingredients for the seasoning oil:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the toppings:
- grated Parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh basil
- aged balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Directions:
- Heat oil and butter in a medium size saucepan. Sauté onion, carrots and celery for 10 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Add minced garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in peppers, crushed tomatoes, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking for 20 minutes.
- Pour sauce in to baking dish. Arrange vegetables around in circular pattern (see photo). Sprinkle top with seasoning oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 280 for 3 hours. Cool and refrigerate overnight.
- Bake for 45 minutes at 350ËšF before serving. Sprinkle with the fresh basil, grated Parmesan and a drizzle of the aged balsamic.
Nutrition
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Oh my! Your granddaughters are so adorable!!! They will be great cooks just like you! The ratatouille looks beautiful!!
Chris they are so adorable. I'm glad they like cooking as much as their grandma.
I saw something like this a little while ago and though it looked just stunning. What a beautiful way to enjoy veges.
What a gorgeous presentation! I don't think I would have the patience to layer everything one by one so prettily haha!
I love ratatouille, what a perfect summer dish! Add some crusty bread and that's all I need (except for dessert, of course!).
this is one of the best looking ratatouille i hv seen!! beautiful and good idea of using the metal ring!love seeing the pics of your grandchildren, they all look so sweet, i'm so envious of their hair that they have these natural curls..i wish i have some of that curls too! happy weekend!
Your granddaughters are gorgeous. I love the charm necklace on the oldest one. How lovely to have them come all the way from London. What a special time you must be having. I love how they're all helping you cook. And your dish is colourful and beautifully presented xx
What adorable young ladies...oh, how I remember my girls crowding around the mixer and waiting to "lick the utensils"! Great memories you are making for them.
And the Ratatouille recipe, delicious!
What adorable little sous chefs you have, thanks for sharing the pictures. That dish looks so colorful and tasty. Have a wonderful weekend!
It's not right to include food with pictures of adorable little girls because no one notices the food and it deserves to be noticed!
Your grand daughters are amazing young ladies. Wow. I'm so glad they get to visit. You must be ear-to-ear smile 24x7. Of course, I think you probably are that way all the time anyhow. 🙂
The ratatouille does look fantastic. I love the thought of stacking it. Very cool.
Looks like you're surrounded by talent in the kitchen! Beautiful recipe.
That ratatouille looks amazing! I have to try it for my next dinner with guests!
Many thanks to Annie for sending this recipe. The girls look like they're having so much fun. Happy that you get to see them as often as you do.
What a beautiful presentation. Lucky you, more time with your grand kids they are precious!
These girls are sooooo cute!!!! Plus they look like they enjoy baking with their grandma... This ratatouille looks really good, I gotta give it a try next week!
I want to come to your Cafe! 🙂 Having your family there, the adorable girls and cooking and baking, what fun!! The dish looks amazing!!!