RATATOUILLE ( Rumanian “ghiveci”)

END OF SUMMER! The farmer’s market is magnificent! TOMATOES, EGGPLANT, PEPPERS, ZUCCHINI, …. rainbows of colors, variety of fruits and vegetable!!!!!!!!!!!




This time is bringing me to my childhood time, not yet schools day, but close, and my mother and grandmother cooking and cooking for one pot dish, that is going to be around for few days…. It looked so big in my mind and I was waiting and waiting to be ready: Romanian “ GHIVECI” or ratatouille in some American’s cookbooks.


 
Ingredients (Serves 8)

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 2 medium onions, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 large eggplants, (2 pounds), peeled in strips and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

• 4 to 5 medium zucchini, (2 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes

• Half cauliflower, chopped

• Half chopped cabbage

• 1lb carrot, coarse chopped

• 3 yellow or red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

• 5 Tomatoes fresh (or 1 /28 oz/ can)

• Thyme (fresh or dry)

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

• Coarse salt and ground pepper

 First of all, you start add all the vegetables you have together to start, cleaning, chopping and adding yo the pot:


Onion and garlic, clean and chopped

 onion, garlic,  caramelized in a frying pot, to bring all the flavor and sweet of sun and summer:

 Start by cleaning  and chopping vegetables, as many as you have:










For the eggplant, slice  and add some salt to be drain all of bitterness.



After a while you should squeeze the eggplant slices, before you add to the pot.

Add tomatoe sliced or tomatoe pasta.


Cut few bunches of dill and parsley, chopped coarse and add to the pot:






Directions

1. In a Dutch oven (or other heavy 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Arrange layers of chopped vegetable: eggplant, cauliflower, carrot, bell pepper, zucchini; season generously with salt and pepper.

3. Cover generously with sliced tomatoes

4. Stir in basil and thyme.

5. Cover and bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes, until the vegetable are cooked.



6. OPTIONAL: you can add some pork chops or chicken cutlets, in between layers.


Cover and bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes, the vegetables are cooked and there is a little sauce.....



Bonne apetit!

Comments

  1. Sunt convinsa ca ghiveciul a fost fantastic ! Reteta mea de ghiveci ardelenesc mostenita de la mama e diferita ,dar foarte buna si ea! Sincer,imi pare rau ca n-am fost acolo sa am si eu o portie,desi tocmai am gatit un ghiveci pt Ana !Congratulation! Amia.

    ReplyDelete
  2. draga Amia cind am fost copil nu prea mi-a placut ghiveci, dar de curind am fost la mama mea la masa si am fost surprinsa ce bun a fost, ghiveci calugaresc, de post!!!!
    Tare as vrea sa stiu cun il faci tu, mai ales ca Dragos si Ana, mi-au cerut sa le fac ghiveci, pe vremea cind tu nu erai pe aceste meleaguri...Am vazut ca le lipseste ghiveciul tau ardelenesc.... cu si fara carne....

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  3. This is a great dish!! My mom makes it exactly the same with all kinds of vegetables and uses a covered clay oven dish. She insists that the clay gives it a completely different taste. In Romania the original dish they probably use that too. I'll be making it this week. Thank you for reminding me of this fabulous dish!!

    All my love!

    Sakina

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  4. I came with that clay pot from Romania, I still have it. This dish, as well as rolled cabbage dish, taste better in a crockpot, than anything else! You are right! Lately I discover electric crockpot and I love to start a dish in the morning,having hot and ready for dinner! It is so tasty! Love, ILI

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  5. I came across your recipe while looking for ghiveci that my mother used to make when I was a child. Hers was very different, only using colorful peppers, onions, garlic and rice, and usually served with mititei. But I love zucchini and eggplant, and will try and make a combination of your recipe and hers and see how it turns out. Thanks for sharing - multumesc cu drag!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Draga...nu mi-ati spus numele)
    Thank you very much for your comment about "ghiveci" I am so happy when somebody is interested into ny recipes, I start this blog for my daughter first, and then I found many other people who are interested into Romanian food.
    I try to leave a message to your blog, but last page is from 2008....
    this is the way that my mother make "ghiveci" I never heard using rice with this dish,,,, and I LOVE "MICI" I CAN EAT ANYWHERE, ANYHOW,,,,MULTUMESC MULT
    i AM WAITINGTO LOOK HE OTHER DISH,ILE4ANA

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