Saturday, November 03, 2007

Martatouille

I've seen a few really nice posts on ratatouille, recently, in the foodblog-sphere. One is this, by Meeta, where she really explains the meaning and the basics of ratatouille.
I've always loved this dish. Recently I made a sort of ratatouille which I named 'Martatouille' :) - in fact, technically it couldn't be called 'ratatouille', I suppose, because it does not contain eggplants, which Meeta tells us are a basic ingredient for the real dish. But I'd say the technique and the idea is quite similar.. so here is the recipe!

Martatouille
Ingredients
One small onion
One clove garlic
Four small potatoes
2 bell peppers (red and yellow, if possible)
1 broccoli (crown+stem)
4 small zucchinis
1 small can (1/2 lb) whole tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, oregano

Cut all the vegetables in small pieces. Sautee the onion in olive oil (~2 tbsp), on medium-high heat, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic clove, sautee for 1 more minute. Add the potato pieces, sautee for 5 more minutes. Add salt (~1 tbsp). Add the pieces of peppers, zucchinis, and broccoli stems. Sautee for another 3 minutes or so. Add the canned tomatoes, squish them with a fork, and then cover the lid. Cook for another 5 minutes, then add the pieces of broccoli crown, and cook for another 5 minutes. Check the tenderness of the potatoes and peppers and adjust salt. If everything is ok, add some black pepper, oregano, stir everything and serve!

I think this is half way between a ratatouille and a peperonata. Basically, it can be made with whatever vegetable is leftover in your fridge. Perfect for each season!

5 comments:

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I love your Martatouille! The addition of potatoes make it similar to Briam in Greek cuisine. For every cook there will be a different recipe for both!

chemcookit said...

Hey Valli!
Thanks a lot! Now I'm super curious: what's Briam?

bee said...

what a great idea!!!

Laurie Constantino said...

Hi, I'm not Valli, but I do know what Briam is. It's a Greek roasted vegetable dish, made with whatever combination of vegetables happen to be in season. The vegetables are cut up, dressed with olive oil, herbs, garlic, and seasoning, and roasted in the oven until done.

I actually ended up on this comment section when I clicked on the comments for your lentil dish -- I tried it twice and each time ended up here. Oh well. I just wanted to say, even though you were posting for heart healthy folks, that I really want some of that cotechino. Mmm. It is so good! Thanks for reminding me. (And for your lentil recipe that look's delicious.)

chemcookit said...

Hey Laurie,
thanks a lot for the explanation! I actually found your blog looking at the click event! So funny how everything is interconnected. :)
About the link - strange, I tried it from their website, and it worked for me. In any case, if you want to read the lentil post and you couldn't find it, it's here.