Blue Plate’s Winter Ratatouille for Vegans and Meat Eaters Alike

Not sure about you, but winter makes us want to fire up the burners and make something hot and savory to stay warm. But the cold weather doesn’t mean we’re any less busy, so we also covet simple recipes with good versatility that appeal to the tastes and dietary needs of friends and family. If you or someone that you’ll be cooking for follows a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or dairy-free diet, this one’s especially for you! For the meat lovers, never fear, there are alternate preparations below for this dish that will make your taste buds happy, too.

Executive Sous Chef, Randal Jacobs, shares his ratatouille recipe and a number of suggestions on how to serve it. Chef notes that ratatouille has French origins and is traditionally served during the warm, summer months when fresh produce is plentiful. With fruits and vegetables now readily available all year round, we bring you our “winter” take on this classic dish.

Chef Randal’s winter vegetable ratatouille pairs well with red wine and features butternut squash as a nod to the season. One of the reigning qualities of this dish is its versatility. Here are just a few ideas:

• Maintain its vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free characteristics by serving it alongside brown rice or potatoes or fried or sautéed tofu.

• Dress it up with sautéed pancetta and serve over your favorite pasta.

• Ladle over roasted chicken, pork, beef or lamb.

• Pour over salmon and bake in the oven.

• Use it as a pizza sauce and add some ricotta salata, arugula and Italian sausage.

• Lightly pulse the ratatouille and it serves as a great base for minestrone soup.

Get creative and share your favorite winter vegetable ratatouille interpretation with us.

Facebook: @BluePlateCateringChicago｜Instagram: @BluePlateChicago｜#WinterVegRatatouille

Winter Vegetable Ratatouille

Yields 10, 11-oz servings 

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

1 tsp olive oil

1.25 oz butternut squash, diced

1.25 oz sweet potato, diced

1.25 oz parsnip, diced

4 cherry tomatoes, diced

1 oz white pearl onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1.25 oz pizza sauce

1 tsp parsley, chopped

4 oz crushed tomato

1 tsp tomato paste

1 oz red wine

2 sprigs thyme

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

2 oz water

Instructions:

In a rondeau or brazier (shallow pan similar to a stock pot or Dutch oven, but not as deep), place oil and sweat the garlic and onion. Next add tomato paste and lightly caramelize. Add wine and thyme and reduce. In a boiling pot of water, separately blanch squash, parsnip and sweet potato until slightly al dente. Add cherry tomatoes, pizza sauce, crushed tomatoes and water and all your blanched items. Cook for about 30 min on low heat or until flavors come together. Add chopped parsley, salt and black pepper.

Enjoy!