French Ratatouille
This is a simple vegetable stew, served with rice, a dish from the Southern region of France - Provence. A French friend of mine, Karine, told me that in the South of France, where the weather is warmer, they eat light foods and mostly vegetables. In the Alps, where the weather is much colder, she said they eat a lot of cheese, meat and heavy warming foods.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 eggplant, cubed
- 2 zucchini, cubed
- 3 bell pepper, chopped
- 8 tomatoes, diced
- pinch sea salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 1/2 Tbsp mixed dried herbs, ideally use herbes de Provence (basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary)
Instructions
- Cook the rice by bringing 3 cups of water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt and the rice. Allow the rice to boil a couple of minutes, then turn down to simmer and let it cook, covered, 45 minutes.
- Heat a large pot to medium and saute the onion in olive oil. Add the garlic, then eggplant. Allow each vegetable to soften before adding the next. If you like, use 3 different colored peppers.
- Before adding the tomatoes, add some salt to the pot and cover for 10 minutes. Once you add the tomatoes, add a bit more salt, some pepper and the herbes de provence. If you don't have the exact mix, just use a mix of dried herbs.
- Cover again and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.
- Serve the rice and vegetables side by side on your plate, and spoon some of the sauce over the rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 1202mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 4600IU | Vitamin C: 266.5mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1.8mg
