Ratatouille Stew w/ Perilla Pistou
Chunky tender vegetables in a mildly spicy flavorful tomato-based broth finished with ricotta and a pistou made of perilla.
Ratatouille Stew w/ Perilla Pistou
Serves 4 - 5
I made this stew because I wanted to put my own spin on ratatouille. Traditionally ratatouille was a stew made from tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers. For my take, I wanted to go back to its roots instead of the roasted and plated vegetables we think of as ratatouille today. I start by individually browning the vegetables well and removing them to a bowl. Many modern versions of ratatouille use balsamic as a finishing ingredient and I bring the idea of the same thing in by creating a caramel and adding vinegar. A simple mildly spicy tomato broth simmers with the chunky vegetables to create the stew. A scoop of ricotta and a pistou made of perilla leaves add a creamy element and freshness to the final dish.
“Recipe Tips:
1. Instead of fresh tomatoes, you can also use 1- 28oz and 1- 15oz can of crushed tomatoes.”
Ingredients
Filling
350g (0.75 lb) shiitake mushrooms, cut into 0.50 in pieces
570g (1.25 lbs) Japanese eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 in rounds
684g (1.5 lbs) zucchini, cut into 1 in pieces
454g (1 lb) yellow or orange bell peppers, cut into 1 in pieces
Vegetable oil as needed
Broth
3 T rice vinegar
50ml (0.25 c) water
2 T vegetable oil
2 T sugar
454g (2 medium) onions, diced
114g (1 stalk) celery, minced
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 cheongyang or serrano chilis, sliced
2 roasted red bell peppers, diced
1.5 t ground turmeric
1.5 t dried thyme
1 t kosher salt
0.50 t ground pepper
1200g (a little more than 2.5 lbs) tomatoes, cut into 0.50 in pieces
3 T yondu
1.5 T maesil
Perilla Pistou
150ml (0.75 c) extra virgin olive oil
20 (medium) perilla leaves, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, zested
1 scallion, sliced
2 t yondu
0.50 t ground coriander
0.25 t kosher salt
0.25 t ground black pepper
1/8 - 0.25 t ground Sichuan or sancho pepper – optional
Finishing
Ricotta
Recipe Know-how
1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 T vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
Add the mushrooms and cook 5 – 7 minutes or until well browned. Remove to a bowl.
Reduce heat to medium adding more oil as necessary.
Add the eggplant and brown well, 2 – 3 minutes per side. Remove to a separate bowl.
Brown in batches if necessary so the pot is not overcrowded.
Working in batches, brown the zucchini well, about 2 – 3 minutes per side. Remove to the bowl with the mushrooms.
Add the bell peppers to the bowl with the mushrooms and zucchini.
No need to brown the peppers.
Deglaze the pot with the vinegar and water, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Pour into the bowl with the mushrooms, zucchini and peppers.
Place the pot back over medium-high heat.
Add the 2 T vegetable oil and heat for 1 minute.
Add the sugar and cook stirring constantly until the sugar caramelizes and turns a rich brown color.
Stir carefully as the oil and sugar will become very hot.
The oil and sugar will start to smoke while caramelizing.
Add the onions, celery, garlic and chili. Cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Add the roasted pepper and cook 1 minute longer.
Add the turmeric, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute more.
Add the tomatoes, yondu and maesil.
Cover partially and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
Move on to Step 2 while the sauce simmers.
2. In a medium bowl, add the pistou ingredients.
Stir well.
Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Refrigerate until needed.
3. Add the eggplant and a pinch of kosher salt to the pot and cook for 20 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, zucchini, peppers and 0.50 t kosher salt along with all of the liquid collected in the bowl.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cook covered stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
Uncover and cook 15 minutes longer or until the vegetables are tender and the broth begins to thicken slightly.
Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
4. Spoon into bowls and top with ricotta and pistou.
5. Serve with bread for dipping.
