ratatouille or provencal tian? that is the question...whatever you call it this recipe is a keeper!

ratatouille or provencal tian? that is the question on the table today...

basically the two dishes are pretty much the same thing. technically the version I have here is a provencal tian but because ratatouille is a much more known name I have veered more towards calling it ratatouille. plus I just love saying ratatouille, the r and ouilleeeee just roll off the tongue in a pretty fun way! maybe that is just me?

a traditional ratatouille is more of a stew like dish. the veggies are roughly chopped and then smimmered in a tomato base which you can then eat as is or serve over rice, quinoa or even pasta. a provencal tian is made in a ceramic or oven safe dish, (the beauty I made mine in is by Copper Mill Kitchen, if you are looking for gorgeous copper they are your spot!) you thinly slice and systemically layer the vegetables ever so beautifully over the tomato sauce, as I have done here. the end results is show like piece dish, sure to wow your guests, yet quite effortless to prepare. 

I like a lot of flavour in my tomato sauces, like a lot of it. fresh herbs go a long way in my house. if you have been following me for a while now you will now that I don't use any dried herbs, only fresh. it may be a bit more work to chop up but the flavour fresh herbs brings to your dishes is so so worth the touch of extra labour. 

for a little texture and added flavour I made an almond and sun dried tomato pesto to go into my tomato base as well as to brush over the vegetables before putting them in the oven. it's magnificent and adds just the right touch of crunch. I also added some red wine (a must in my books for any tomato sauce) and a dash of balsamic vinegar for extra depth in the sauce. 

fresh farmers vegetables and homemade tomato sauce make the difference in this ratatouille {aka provencal tian, aka whatever you want to call it}....baked for just the right amount of time so that the vegetables are not completely soft, they still have loads of crunch and texture. topped with an ample amount of grana padano cheese this dish is worthy of any autumn table.

this recipe makes enough tomato sauce and pesto for two ratatouilles. either freeze half of each or save it in the fridge till later in the week for a half-prepped meal. trust me you won't be sad eating this ratatouille twice in one week.

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sun dried tomato & almond pesto ratatouille

tomato sauce ingredients

3 shallots

4 cloves of garlic

1 jar of organic strained tomatoes

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup red wine

3 tbsp of fresh thyme

4 tbsp of fresh chopped oregano

salt and pepper to taste

sun dried tomato & almond pesto

one large bunch of basil

1 cup of sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup almonds

2 cloves of garlic

juice of one lemon

3/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

ratatouille vegetables 

1 yellow zucchini

1 green zucchini

2 red peppers

4 - 5 vine ripened tomatoes

2-3 small white onions

1/2 cup grana padano (plus more for serving)

directions

preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

in a food processor add all of the pesto ingredients and pulse until blended (the pesto should still have some texture to it, so not completely smooth). place half of the pesto in a small glass jar and cover with olive oil for another date (this recipe makes double the amount needed, as does the tomato sauce so perfect to make this dish twice). it is a great pesto to serve with fresh bread, or over eggs in the morning, trust me it won't be wasted. 

finely chop the shallots and garlic. in a large sauce pan on medium heat add 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter. once heated sauté the shallot and garlic until lightly browned. de-glaze the pan with the red wine then add the jar of strained tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. add in the finely chopped oregano and thyme, season with salt and pepper and add in 3/4 of the pesto mixture. let this simmer on low while you slice the ratatouille vegetables. 

thinly slice the zucchini's, onion, tomatoes and red pepper (slicing the red pepper vertically). transfer half of the tomato sauce to an oven safe baking dish (you can either freeze the other half or save it to make another ratatouille later in the week, this recipes makes a large amount of sauce perfect for two recipes just like the pesto). 

start layering the vegetables and onion in a circular pattern over top of the tomato sauce. if the pepper pieces are too big just make a cut and then fold the pepper piece into a smaller round so it is more of the same size as the zucchini and tomato rounds (kinda like tucking the pepper piece around itself). once layered brush the top of the vegetables with olive oil and then some of the pesto.

bake for 40-45 minutes. 10 minutes before taking out of the oven sprinkle on 1/2 cup of the grana padano cheese and bake until golden. serve with another heaping amount of freshly grated grana padano cheese and enjoy!

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