For whatever reason, ratatouille just sounds so fancy and elegant. Do I give partial credit to the Disney classic by the same name? I think I have to.
What may seem daunting given its street credibility, turns out to be pretty simple to make! The biggest task is chopping all of the vegetables, which I find to be quite relaxing and almost meditative. I recommend pouring yourself a glass of wine - or perhaps
some seltzer with some chilled grapes - and dive right into it!
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and ensure your vegetables are all chopped before you start cooking. On your last veggie, you can go ahead and preheat a large cast iron pot and then add avocado oil to heat until simmering. When you’re ready, pan sear your chicken thighs, skin side down, for a couple minutes until you develop nice browning. Then remove the chicken and set aside.
Add in your onions and garlic, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to encorporate all of the beautiful fond that developed during the browning process. Sauté until translucent and softened, then add your eggplant. Cook until the eggplant begins to soften and push it aside to clear a spot in the pan to add your tomato paste to. You want to cook our the tomato paste a bit to take the edge off and develop a bit of sweetness. Then you can go ahead and add the rest of your vegetables and then add your partially cooked chicken thighs back on top. Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven for around 20 minutes until fully cooked through and you’re done!
If you try this recipe, make sure to tag @spicythyme so I can see it! The ratatouille component of this dish tastes so light and refreshing, you have to give it a go.
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