Ratatouille (rat•a•too•ee) and Roasted Lamb

Among the things that I am quite disappointed with myself is the frequency of my dapur berasap. I cook perhaps trice in every summer solstice, or is it trice in every Hungry Ghost Festival?
I. Can’t. Remember.

However, I am very pleased to tell Miki that even though your mom sucks at cooking frequently, she is not sucks at cooking nicely. Besides, I believe that if I practice often enough I may be able to fully grasp the usage of those weird buttons on my microwave! I can do it! I will learn how to use my microwave! (bersemangat!)

After spending the weekend at Cameron Highlands, we came back home with loads of fresh vegetables and fruits like we always do. They are so cheap and fresh we couldn’t resist. From yellow squash to Japanese zucchini and from celery to (of course) strawberries, you name it! But the image of rotting greens in my fridge has motivated me to cook something before mushrooms starts growing on my mushrooms. A couple of weeks ago, on our anniversary dinner, Azman had Roasted Stuffed Lamb Loin with Ratatouille and it was marvelous. So with all this delicious vege around, I think I would cook some ratatouille.

After consulting my dear Uncle Google, I found out that ratatouille despite the fancy name is just “stew of chunky vegetables”. I dug up some recipes and discovered that ratatouille like other dishes, is open for interpretations though most of the time it is fully vegan. The conventional way of making it is by stirring the vegetables in tomato gravy with spices but I thought lets give it a little Teluk Kumbaq twist.

ratatouille and roasted lamb

Grilled Ratatouille with Roasted Lamb Shoulder

Here is my version of grilled ratatouille. If you ever try it, do let me know of the outcome:-
Ingredients – Yellow squash, Eggplant, Paprika, Japanese zucchini sliced. Onions and garlic diced. Tomatoes pureed. Salt, sugar and chicken stock. Italian herbs/ basil for seasoning.

Method – Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until tender, add tomato puree and some water, bring to simmer. I have always felt like masakan orang putih lack taste so I add some chicken stock. Add salt and sugar to taste. I add a little bit of Italian herbs and a whole lot of basil (my fave herb). Simmer accordingly and remove from fire.

All the sliced vegetables are grilled until the juice are released but not too limp. I sprinkle some basil, salt and a little olive oil too. And because I like the crispy taste, I let them brown a little on the edges. Instead of mixing everything up in the stew ( which would make the vege soggy), I cooked the gravy separately and only mix the grilled vegetables on the gravy when it is served. I must tell you that grilling is my favourite way of cooking vege after hmm… masak lomak cili padi. In fact I only eat tomatoes if grilled.

And this combination of tomato gravy with crisp yet juicy vegetables is HEAVENLY! It may not look as fine as the one Azman had in the restaurant during our special dinner, but for someone who doesn’t have a rat on her head while cooking, my ratatouille is freaking good! I served it with oven roasted lamb shoulder. Yum! Happy trying!

 

 

Author: Diyana

23 thoughts on “Ratatouille (rat•a•too•ee) and Roasted Lamb

  1. bani, Miki suka tengok Mickey Mouse Clubhouse kat TV… komen ni pun takde kena mengena dengan komen ko…
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    Den, selalu lamb tu letak atas charcoal fire la baru sedap. tapi sebab aku malas tu la campak dalam oven.. vegetables to ko boleh grill atas dapur je… alasan tau nak kena beli oven pulak… hehe

  2. kalu nak di compare antara Ratatouille at Palace Golden Horses Hotel…dgn Ratatouille diyana ni…

    yang diyana buat lagi sedap…sampai miki pun makan dgn lahap..tak sangka sayur bleh jadi sesedap itu..

    thanks bebeh! 5/5star!

  3. Lana, you are a good cook! try la, can introduce different types of vege to your son.. 🙂
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    Bani, are you trying to say that walaupon hidung aku kuncup tetapi air liur meleleh?? hmmph! whateverrr… *** angkat muka tinggi2, hayun handbag murah, kibas rambut dan berlalu pergi!***

  4. i believe you, this does look appetizing! i can’t resist grilled vege too, brinjal is my absolute favourite… haih, bila la diet nak abih ni, teringin lamb chop la pulak

  5. kalo lah ini dikatakan 5 star.., diyana..tolong masak kan utk saya ! saya mau rasa, adakah ini benar..hak hak hak =P bani mau join ka..?!

  6. oh diyanaku….apa kata ko buat grilled vegetable on the go untuk aku..hehehhehe
    leh jadik biz mcm mangkuktingkat.com …uwa uwa uwa

  7. haih..aku sampai ja the 3rd page of microwave oven punya manual aku dah terlena..cemana la aku nk buat oven roasted lamb ni ek? asyik pan grilled ja. aku mmg nk try vegan-vegan hang ni..wish me luck!

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