Moroccan Ratatouille

Recipe by: Claudia Roden | from The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York

Cookstr

Course: Vegetable

Total Time: Under 2 Hours

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Moderate

Photo by:

Notice the name's similarity to “caponata.” Variants of the famous ratatouille of Nice are cooked by Sephardi communities around the Mediterranean. This version from Morocco, in which the vegetables are fried separately and then put together in a fresh tomato sauce, is delightful.

Yield: Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 eggplants, cut in ½-inch (1-cm) cubes
2 zucchini, cut in ½-inch (1-cm) slices
Olive oil
2 bell peppers, cut in half, seeded, and cut into thin slices
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1½ lbs (750 g) tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
A good bunch of flat-leafed parsley or coriander, chopped (½ cup)

Directions

Sprinkle the eggplants with salt and leave for I hour to draw out their juices, then rinse and dry them. Very briefly shallow-fry the eggplants and zucchini separately in hot oil until lightly browned, then drain on paper towels. Fry the onion and pepper over gentle heat in 3 tablespoons of oil till the onion is golden and the pepper is soft.

Make a tomato sauce: fry the garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil till golden. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar and simmer about 20 minutes, until reduced to a thick sauce. Stir in the fried vegetables and the flat-leafed parsley and take off the heat. This can be eaten hot or cold.

Variation:

When it is to be eaten cold, it is sometimes made with a few sprigs of fresh mint (chopped) or I tablespoon dried mint, and some black olives may be added.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Nutritional information is based on 1/8 teaspoon added salt and 1 teaspoon added oil per serving.

Calories 145kcal (7%)

Calcium 60mg (6%)

Vitamin C 72mg (120%)

Vitamin A 89mcg RAE (3%)

Potassium 1031mg

Magnesium 60mg

Protein 5g

Sugar 12g

Fiber 10g