I love ratatouille! My cooked version is perfectly vegan, contains red wine, and can be eaten hot or cold. My raw version contains all the ingredients used in the original recipe form Provence, minus the wine, and is just as delicious.
Planning is essential. Since we want to keep this dish as raw as possible, it has to be made in two stages. Egg plant is the "culprit." This nightshade vegetable can be eaten raw, but since it contains solamine - a compound known to cause gastrointestinal distress. If you are sensitive to solamine or not certain if you can tolerate eggplants, skip this ingredient. In this recipe I used the Japanese eggplant which is not as bitter as the better known Mediterranean variety and it is better tolerated raw. You can get in Asian grocery stores or some farmers' markets.If you decide that eggplant is safe for you, marinade it and leave it in fridge overnight and continue with the recipe the next day.
Ingredients:
for the ratatouille
- 1 Japanese eggplant
- 3 medium large ripe tomatoes
- 1 zucchini
- 2 medium large peppers
- 1/2 small purple onion
- 1/3 cup black olives (marinated or dehydrated)
for the eggplant marinade
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
- 1 Tbsp virgin olive oil
for the sauce
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, re-hydrated
- 1/2 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
- 3 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 Tbsp virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence spice mix (dried marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme)
- pinch Celtic sea salt
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
for the garnish
- fresh sage and thyme
- chopped black olives
- chopped ripe tomatoes
- freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Wash and slice the eggplant. The slices should be about 1/2 inch thick. Cut each slice into quarters. In a medium large bowl mix the marinade. Toss in the chopped eggplant and mix well. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. If time allows, leave the bowl in the fridge overnight. The longer it marinades the more palatable the eggplant becomes. The eggplant will slightly change the color and suck the marinade like a sponge.
- If you are using dried not marinated olives and dried not marinated tomatoes, now is the time to re-hydrate both. Use purified water and two separate bowls.
- Toss all the sauce ingredients into a blender and whiz until smooth. You should get a consistency of a smoothie. If the sauce is too thick, add another tomato and blend again.
- Transfer the sauce into a bowl with chopped eggplant and mix well. Cover the bowl and place it back in the fridge.
- Chop all the ratatouille ingredients into small cubes. Toss everything into a large bowl, add the sauce with the marinated eggplant. Gently mix everything with a spoon making sure that all the ingredients are well coated with the sauce. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Allow flavors to mingle. The longer the better.
- Remove the bowl from the fridge and gently mix again. Check if it needs anything and adjust the taste if necessary.
- Portion out the ratatouille, garnish, and serve right away. Enjoy in good company!
The amount should satisfy two, if served as a main course, or at least four, if served as a side dish or an appetizer. Leftovers can be blended into a delicious raw soup or used as a sauce on spiralized zucchini. If you prefer your ratatouille warm, remember to keep the temperature below 115°F or 46°C.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon@2018