Classic Stovetop Ratatouille

Steps

1. Toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon of the salt in a colander set in the sink and let it drain while you cut the other vegetables.
   ⏱ Salt eggplant: 20 min
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the zucchini, stirring now and then, until

   browned (how to brown)

   Brown Cook food in a hot pan until its surface turns brown, which adds rich, roasted flavor. 1. Pat the food dry; for ground meat, let the pan get hot first.2. Add a little oil and spread the food in one layer.3. Leave it alone for a few minutes so the bottom browns, then turn or break it up.4. Work in batches if it won't fit in one layer.5. Pour off extra fat if the recipe says to. Done when: Most surfaces are brown, not gray, and the bottom of the pan has browned bits (they are flavor, not burn). Safety: Hot oil spatters: dry the food first, lay it in the pan moving away from you, and keep a lid nearby. Never put water on an oil fire; slide the lid over it and turn off the heat. Browned outside doesn't mean cooked inside: ground beef needs 160°F, poultry 165°F.How to brown meat and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

   in spots, then move it to a bowl.
   ⏱ Brown zucchini: 6 min
3. Pat the eggplant dry with a towel. Add 2 tablespoons more oil to the pot and cook the eggplant until golden and soft at the edges, then add it to the bowl.
   ⏱ Brown eggplant: 8 min
4. Lower the heat to medium, add the rest of the oil, the onion and the peppers, and cook until soft.
   ⏱ Soften onion: 8 min
5. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant.
   ⏱ Garlic: 1 min
6. Add the tomatoes with their juice, crushing them with the spoon, then the thyme, bay leaf, remaining salt and pepper.

   Simmer (how to simmer)

   Simmer Cook liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. 1. Bring the liquid up over medium-high heat.2. As soon as bubbles rise steadily, turn the heat down.3. Adjust until only a few small bubbles break the surface every second or two.4. Stir now and then and check that it hasn't crept back to a boil. Done when: You see lazy, small bubbles, not a rolling boil. A "bare" simmer has just a bubble here and there. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to simmer: mistakes to avoid

   until slightly thickened.
   ⏱ Simmer sauce: 10 min
7. Return the zucchini and eggplant to the pot, cover and simmer, stirring gently once or twice, until everything is tender but still holds its shape.
   ⏱ Simmer together: 15 min
8. Pick out the thyme stems and bay leaf, stir in the basil and taste for salt.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

• Browning the vegetables in batches keeps them from steaming into mush.
• Top leftovers with a fried egg, or spoon it over pasta with Parmesan.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Make ahead

It tastes even better the next day. Reheat gently or serve it at room temperature.

Cook once, eat twice: Double it (12 servings instead of 6), eat half and freeze the other half. It keeps 3 months frozen, by the storage note above. Print a freezer label · More freezer meals

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: zucchini (June to September), bell peppers (July to October).