Niçoise Ratatouille

A simple vegetable dish, easy to make and always delicious. As with most vegetables stews, it’s better the following day.
Ingredients
- 2 cups eggplant, in 1-inch cubes
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 2 medium onions
- 2 zucchini
- 2 green peppers
- Black pepper, ground, to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
- ½ cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
Method
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1
Place cubed eggplant in a bowl. Sprinkle the salt and massage it into the eggplant for about 2 minutes. Let excess water drain for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
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2
Peel tomatoes if desired. Chop tomatoes, onions, zucchini and peppers into 1-inch cubes.
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3
Squeeze eggplant cubes with your hands to remove the bitter juice. Rinse in running water, drain well and squeeze out juice one more time.
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4
Place eggplant, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, green peppers, herbs and spices in a pot and pour the oil over them; add bay leaves and stir. Put the pot on medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until vegetables are softened, about 45 minutes. Cover if liquid is evaporating too quickly.
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5
Turn off heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Incorporate chopped parsley when serving.
A variation of the Georgian Ratatouille from The Spice Trekkers Cook at Home