Thermomix Ratatouille

Soft, yielding aubergines/eggplants. Firm and fragrant courgettes/zucchini. Juicy tomatoes, zesty herbs and the crunch of just-cooked onion. Oh, and a hint of garlic to bind it all together. To me, ratatouille is the symbol of summer, the epitome of freshness and flavour. In her tome “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” legendary French Chef Julia Child advises cooking each vegetable separately before combining at the last minute. There’s got to be an easier way to make this iconic dish.

As a hard-core, intensive Thermomix user and demonstrator, I am the first to tell anyone who wants to listen that my Best Friend in the Kitchen can do virtually anything. But even I was sceptical about ratatouille. Even at the gentle 40 rpm of Speed Spoon on Reverse Blade Function, how could you possibly keep from creating mush? Ratatouille is a standard offering for Thermomix Recipe Dates in France, where we demonstrators make a follow-up visit to a demo host or guest to make just one recipe of their choice. It’s in the basic cookbook that’s delivered with every Thermomix purchased from Vorwerk Thermomix France. My Consultant Demonstrator raves about it. How could they possibly be wrong? I had to try it to see for myself.

And I’m so glad I did. Thermomix ratatouille is great! It really works! The secret is to cut your vegetables in very large pieces and not to cook it too long. Less is more in this case, and you can always cook a bit more if you really think it needs it. And Thermomix’s clever Reverse Blade Function ensures that even the tenderest veg retain their shape. So now that summer is here in the Northern Hemisphere, go ahead, use some of those fabulous seasonal vegetables and make some glorious ratatouille.

Thermomix Ratatouille
Translated from A Table avec Thermomix, this recipe uses just the right amounts of veg to fill your TM bowl to the top and leave room for everything to turn and cook properly. Don’t be tempted to use much more or you won’t close the lid 😉 Weigh the veg, cut off the extra and save it for the next batch. Don’t forget the Reverse Blade Function! This smells so gorgeous while it’s cooking – and it’s so darn easy to make – that you’ll be having Thermomix Ratatouille very often! Serves 6.

Ingredients
120 g onion, peeled and quartered (that’s one large or maybe 2 medium)
1 shallot, peeled
1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled
20 g olive oil

200 g courgettes/zucchini (about 1 smallish)
300 g aubergine/eggplant (1 medium)
300 g ripe tomatoes (I used 2 ½ toms)
100 g red pepper/capsicum (1 medium)
A handful of fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano and rosemary, or about 1 tsp. dried Herbes de Provence or mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Add onion, shallot, garlic and oil to TM bowl and chop 5 seconds/Speed 5. Scrape sides of bowl with TM spatula.
2. Sauté 5 minutes/100° C/Speed Spoon. Use this time when you don’t have to stir to cut the courgettes into 1-inch slices and the other vegetables into 2-inch chunks.
3. Add the vegetable chunks to the bowl, add the herbs and seasoning and cook 25 minutes/100° C/Speed Spoon/Reverse Blade Function.

Madame Thermomix’s Top Tips:

• Use the quantities indicated so you can close the lid.
• Remember the Reverse Blade Function!
• I wasn’t sure that with a really full bowl full of large chunks of vegetables the blade would be able to turn properly but I worried in vain. After one little hesitant gulp my Thermomix began chugging away ever so gently, with the chunks rotating and mixing around in a very homogeneous fashion if I have to say so myself. I was delighted!
• The smell from this particular mixture of seasonal vegetables is heavenly. I can’t say why but it is much nicer than the smell of a stove-top ratatouille.
• The original recipe in A Table avec Thermomix indicates a 30-minute cooking time. My vegetables remained whole and discernable after 30 minutes but I would have preferred them a tad firmer so I am recommending only 25 minutes cooking. As I said above, less is more and you can always cook your ratatouille a bit more if you really think it needs it.
• Leftovers? Chances are there won’t be any but if there are, your ratatouille will make a super sauce for pasta, rice or other grains. I love ratatouille with polenta, made in the Thermomix of course!

Bon appétit !

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