preserving summer with a big batch of ratatouille

i wax poetic about summer produce + a vain attempt to preserve summer with a recipe for ratatouille

when it’s february and i’m on my third month of eating fall squash, onions, and overwintered greens, i long, from the deepest depths of my stomach (or taste buds rather), for that bright burst of a sungold tomato or the way the flesh of a perfectly ripe peach melts into a delicious puddle on my tongue. 

so, to save my future self from too many meals devoid of summer vegetables and fruits, i like to do as much preservation as possible. back in june, i had the foresight to make a large batch of strawberry freezer jam (which i wrote about here): imho freezer jam maintains that beautiful floral strawberry flavor way better than cooked jam. and last month i made a giant batch of pesto with a few pounds of basil and stored that in the freezer as well. and managed to do the simplest preservation of all, freezing blueberries (so i can make a few more batches of the  upside-down blueberry yogurt cakes, but also blueberry pancakes). 

i wanted to make peach jam with my favorite peaches from the market but found myself regularly eating two peaches a day (because they were just that good), foiling those weekly plans. then i also wanted to make raspberry jam, and still want to figure out some way to preserve sungolds (any ideas you have would be appreciated i probably have about a week left to figure it out), and make a pickled hot sauce, but i just didn’t get around to it.

i did get around, however, to making a giant batch of ratatouille last week. why ratatouille instead of all the other things i could preserve? well, i’m happy you asked because there are many reasons. first off, the quality of ratatouille really does depend on how great your produce is, so it is best made when the eggplants and summer squash are still firm and the tomatoes are bright and juicy. with that being said ratatouille is also a soul-warming hearty dish, best prepared and enjoyed in sweater weather - hence this week here in the new york area is my favorite time to make ratatouille.

i love preserving ratatouille, because unlike my other favorite cool weather, soul-warming dishes like meat pies and pastas with cheese and ragus, this dish is vegan and less heavy than the rest (just some vegetables, herbs and olive oil). as far as taste, yes it is warm and comforting, and yes it is robust, but it is also bright and tangy and summer-vegetable-y. so, while it is not as *exciting* as a juicy peach with coffee at dawn in the middle of the summer (top five favorite summer experiences), or a late afternoon sungold snack in august, preserving ratatouille allows for a brief moment of summer sunshine while also warming my cold soul in the deepest depths of winter.

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a big batch of ratatouille (about a gallon worth)

below is my recipe for a big batch of ratatouille. there are different schools of ratatouille, some creamy and unctuous and rich and silky, and ones that are a little more vegetable-forward, with more punch from the tomato and summer squash with a bite to it. this recipe is for the latter.

this method uses the oven, which is super helpful when making a big batch and it allows for browning with less oil (feel free to add as much oil as you would like, but i find that the former style of ratatouille, while oh so delicious, gets heavy quickly). 

since we do turn on the oven for this big batch recipe, i recommend making oven polenta to go with it at the same time (which i discussed back in my february newsletter). 

the ratatouille after being cooked must be stored in the freezer if you plan on keeping it for any longer than a few days, and i like to portion it into individual re-usable containers. whenever i want some, i remove the container from the freezer (i try to remember to do this in the morning so it’s defrosted by lunch), warm it up on the stove, and serve it in an omelet, over polenta, mixed into pasta, on a sandwich, as a vegetable side, etc. (i also like to freeze leftover oven polenta separately, and then when i want to eat ratatouille and polenta together - i just defrost both containers. And then re-warm the polenta on the stove with some boiling water for about 10 minutes and then eat the two together - like i am right now while editing this post.) 

i think ratatouille is best served with something to punch it up. i usually like to add pesto, a herby salsa verde (as you can see in the photo above), pickled chiles, colatura/anchovies, an olive tapenade, etc. however, i leave the big batch plain so that i can add this punchy element based on what i am serving the dish with. 

ps. ratatouille is a real labor of love, so plan to make this on a work-free afternoon.

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ingredients:

5lbs eggplant

5lbs zucchini (or summer squash)

4lbs paste/roma tomatoes blanched and peeled if you love your stomach + it makes for a nicer texture (you can also sub in your favorite canned tomatoes)

2-2.5lbs of bell peppers (or another not-spicy pepper, i used jimmy nardellos since i had a whole bunch left over from my wedding)

4 medium yellow onions

2 heads of garlic 

4.5oz of double concentrate tomato paste

7 bay leaves

1 bunch of thyme

1 bunch of oregano

1 bunch of basil 

1/2 cup of olive oil at minimum

salt and pepper to taste 

special tools:

cheesecloth or twine (for the herbs)

a really big oven-safe pot/dutch oven

2+ baking sheets

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start by prepping your eggplant. take the pot you plan on cooking your ratatouille in and add a few tablespoons of diamond crystal kosher salt (reduce the quantity if you are using another type of salt). fill the pot about halfway with cold water. cut your eggplants in quarters lengthwise and then dice them into 1/2” thick pieces. put your eggplant in the pot of water, it should reach to the top along with the water, if not add some more water. place the pot in the sink and put the lid on to submerge all the eggplant in the water (we do this in the sink as some water will spill out). remove the pot from the sink and set it aside for at least 30 minutes.

while the eggplant soaks, you can prepare the herb bundle. bunch the thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and basil stems. tie them together or wrap them in a cheesecloth and set them aside. you can also slice your onions now. i like to finely dice them, but do whatever you prefer! keep the cutting board out, we will use it again soon!

once the eggplant has soaked for 30 minutes, set your oven to 450f and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (you can prepare more sheets if you have more baking racks in your oven). if you have a baking steel, place it on one of the racks for better browning. drain the water off of the eggplant and dump the eggplant onto a towel to dry it. 

transfer the eggplant back to the pot and drizzle with at least 1/4 cup of olive oil and sprinkle on a whole bunch of salt and pepper. toss to combine. lay ~1/4 of the eggplants on each tray and transfer them to the oven. cook until the bottoms of the eggplant are browned. about 15-20 minutes. remove the cooked eggplant from the sheet trays (place in a bowl and set aside), divide any remaining eggplant between your trays, and transfer them to the oven. cook for about 15-20 minutes. keep the oven on even after all of the eggplant is done cooking.

while the first batch of eggplant roasts, core your peppers by removing the seeds and the top. dice or julienne the peppers and add them to your onion pile. by the time you are done dicing the peppers all of your eggplant should be in the oven. add 2 tablespoons of oil to your big pot and throw in the peppers and onions followed by a whole bunch of salt (about 2 teaspoons of diamond crystal kosher) and pepper. place the pot over low-medium heat and give everything a good stir.

while the onions and peppers cook, prepare your garlic. i like to slice my garlic into thin slivers, but you can also finely dice it. every minute or so turn back to your onions and peppers and stir them.

once your peppers and onions have reduced in volume by about 2/3rds (this will take about 10-15 minutes), add in your tomato paste, garlic, and herb bundle. stir to combine and then let cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often to let the tomato paste take on some color while ensuring that it doesn’t scorch the pot. 

while the onions, peppers, and garlic all cook together, roughly dice about 1/3rd of your tomatoes. once the 5 minutes have elapsed, add your diced tomatoes to the pot and stir. they will start releasing their juices. continue cutting the tomatoes and adding them to the pot and stirring until they’re all in. then add in your eggplant and reserve the parchment paper.

next slice your zucchini (or summer squash) in half lengthwise, and then cut them into 1/2” thick pieces. divide them equally between your two baking trays, toss with oil and salt (and if you happen to have any leftover thyme add a few springs on top to perfume the zucchini), and transfer to the oven until browned. about 15 minutes.

while the zucchini cooks, give the ratatouille a good stir every few minutes to prevent scorching. chiffonade half your basil leaves (you can use the rest of the basil leaves for something else, maybe a batch of freezer pesto?) and set aside.

once the zucchini is browned on one side, remove it from the oven. transfer the pot of ratatouille to the oven to finish cooking. let cook for 1 hour until everything is mushy and reduced. be sure to set a timer to remind yourself to stir every ~15 minutes. there should be very little (if any) liquid left at the top and the volume should have reduced by about 1/3rd when it’s done. 

after 1 hour, or when it’s done, remove the pot from the oven. remove your herb bundle, and stir in your zucchini followed by your chiffonade basil leaves, and it is ready to serve! you could also add the zucchini to the ratatouille earlier, but i prefer for it to retain some bite flavor so i add it last. 

ps. the flavors are even better the next day after everything gets to meld a little more, so i like to divide the ratatouille into individual storage containers, store in the fridge overnight, and then transfer to the freezer the following day.