Recipe Instructions:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, the garlic, and the salt, and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are just translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove three-quarters of the onions to a bowl. Add the zucchini to the pan with the remaining quarter of the onions, season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and cook for a few minutes, until the zucchini begin to brown. Transfer the zucchini-and-onion mixture to an 8-inch square or circular baking pan.
Step 3
Sauté the red and green peppers separately just until they begin to brown, with a third of the remaining onions, then the eggplant with another third of the onions, and then the tomatoes with the remaining onions. Transfer each vegetable to its own baking pan.
Step 4
Cover the four pans with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Uncover the pans, sprinkle each with a teaspoon of the sugar and a bit of hot pepper, and stir. Cook for an additional hour, uncovered. If there is any liquid in the pans after the second hour, drain the vegetables and reserve that liquid. Gently toss the vegetables together.
Step 5
Place the reserved liquid in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce until it is thick and can coat the back of a wooden spoon. Stir this reduction into the ratatouille. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve at room temperature.
1/4 cup olive oil
5 medium yellow onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons salt
4 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 pounds)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 pounds eggplants, preferably small ones, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 pounds tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon piment d’Espelette, hot paprika, or New Mexican ground red chili
