How long does ratatouille last in the fridge

Buy the book. Videos by Alexandra Eaton and Shaw Lash. Vegetables are the bedrock of French cuisine, the foundation upon which all is built. But there are a handful of dishes where vegetables are the stars. Ratatouille is beloved for its silky, olive oil-imbued vegetables, which are saturated with the summery scents of garlic and herbs.

By mastering it, you will gain not only deeper insights into how to cook the vegetables in the recipe, but you will also be able to apply that knowledge to other vegetables, making you a better cook all around. Unlike much of French cuisine, ratatouille does not have a set recipe or precise technique.

There are as many versions as there are cooks, each slightly different in method and ingredients. The most traditional recipes call for cooking each vegetable separately in a pot on the stove until well browned, layering everything back into the pot with a generous amount of olive oil and some tomatoes, and then letting it all slowly stew.

Most cooks agree that this is the best way to ensure that the vegetables are cooked to perfection before all are combined, and the flavors left to meld. However, all that standing at the stove stirring vegetables can become tedious. But there is another, better way around the tedium: using your oven. All the vegetables are bathed in olive oil and roasted separately on baking pans until well browned.

That time spent steeping in good oil makes ratatouille one of the rare vegetable dishes that improves as it sits. It is best made in advance, and you can be flexible with the way you cook it, roasting the vegetables in stages as time allows, then combining them all even days later. It is also wonderfully versatile at the table, making a fine starter, side dish or main course, one that can be eaten warm, at room temperature or cold.

A slowly cooked stew of eggplant, onions, peppers, summer squash and tomatoes has been simmering on hearths around the Mediterranean since the 16th century, when tomatoes, peppers and squash from the Americas met the eggplant, onion and olive oil already in residence.

This basic combination of summer vegetables takes different forms throughout the region. In Catalonia, it is simmered until it is almost jamlike and called samfaina.

In Turkey, it is known as turlu and may also contain potatoes, okra and green beans. Lebanon, Egypt and Greece all have versions. The term, which came into use in the 19th century, is derived from the French verbs ratouiller and tatouiller, both meaning to stir up.

And the pleasing, percussive-sounding word captures the essence of this dish: a stirring of several vegetables that have been cooked separately before being combined.

Originally, a ratatouille could be any kind of simple or coarse stew. It could include meat, or it could do without it. And a well-sharpened knife will make all that chopping go noticeably faster than a dull knife.

Baking sheets The vegetables in this ratatouille are roasted individually before they are all combined. Ideally, you will have at least four large rimmed metal baking sheets for doing so. You can get away with fewer, but you will need to cook the vegetables in batches. Large baking dish You could heap all of the vegetables onto a baking sheet when it is time to cook them together.

For years, I never really bothered to make ratatouille until I learned an untraditional method from a colleague at cooking school. And they also brown and caramelize, which deepens and rounds out the flavor of the dish.

Another benefit is that I can season each vegetable properly and cook it to just the right texture. Reduce the juices for extra flavor. After each vegetable is done, I toss it in a colander set over a bowl. As the vegetables sit, lots of savory juices accumulate in the bowl. These last additions lift the whole dish and cut the sweetness of the vegetables. The finished ratatouille is intensely flavored and works equally well as a side dish and as a condiment to use in other dishes. I like to make a pretty big batch, even just for my small family, because I can transform the leftovers into so many other dishes.

It keeps well in the refrigerator for a week, and is the basis for a simple vegetable tart , a savory gratin , and many more delicious quick meals see the box below.

Roasting is a good option too. The method—oven roasting—is different, but the principle is the same: cook the vegetables with high heat to evaporate water and concentrate flavors. It yields a bit less, though, so you might not have the delicious leftovers. You can keep it in the refrigerator for a week, which is a boon for making delicious quick meals. Toss ratatouille with hot penne pasta, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a few spoonfuls of pasta cooking water to loosen.

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If you're wondering, here is a unique vegetable stew recipe that you can consume with meat dishes or as a main course! Enjoy your meal. Ratatouille is a French dish. Eggplant and tomato are the basic vegetables in the traditional Ratatouille recipe.

It can also be called a vegetable stew. Potatoes can be consumed with meat dishes or as a side dish. Ratatouille, a vegetable dish, is healthy and nutritious. It is a meal rich in vitamins B and C, folic acid, fiber and potassium. Is Ratatouille eaten hot or cold? This flavor, which you can consume hot or cold, is a low-calorie meal.

In fact, you can cook eggplant with or without the shell, according to your preference. However, it is recommended that you peel off the lid to let the water out. You can slice the peeled eggplants and salt them. Zucchini should also be sliced and salted. Photo By Canva. You can serve this delicious dish in different ways. You can consume it as a main course or side dish, as an appetizer. As a garnish with toasted bread slices; Or you can prepare a great meal with the pasta with minced meat.

You can prefer it with rice or potatoes. You can serve it for breakfast, lunch, along with cooked or boiled eggs. You can also use it as an appetizer for dinner. You can make a very tasty and protein-rich meal with chicken or meat. How long will Ratatouille keep in the fridge? You can store Ratatouille left over in an airtight container. This way, it will stay fresh in the fridge for days. How long does Ratatouille last in the freezer? After cooling at room temperature, store in an airtight container or refrigerator bag.