Gourmet Ratatouille Quenelles are full of rich Mediterranean flavor and sit prettily on a plate, too. We cook the components separately to maintain their vivid colors and then combine them with a roasted tomato and garlic puree to work as a delicious binder. It's a bit more work, but well worth the effort for an elegant, elevated side dish.
When I am working as a private chef, I often think of how to serve ratatouille in a more refined and elegant way so that it looks good on the plate. And this is how I do it! If I am serving a meal in the family style, a more rustic oven roasted ratatouille Niçoise is totally fine. But when an occasion calls for a fancier presentation, try these gourmet ratatouille quenelles.
Jump to:
🛒 Ingredients
For the ratatouille
- Red pepper - You can use other bell peppers, but I prefer to use red for the best gourmet ratatouille flavor.
- Courgette (zucchini) - I like to use baby courgettes (often called Italian zucchini) as they contain far less water, and will maintain their shape.
- Onion - white onion is preferable, but you can use red or purple if you prefer.
- Aubergine (eggplant) - Get the large, deep purple/black varieties (known as globe/American).
For the roasted tomato puree
- Cherry tomatoes - small, and bursting with flavor! You can use baby plum tomatoes, too.
- Garlic - You can use as much or as little as you like, it's your rodeo.
- Basil - Fresh basil is one of the key ingredients, please don't use dried.
- Extra virgin olive oil - use the best olive oil you can get your hands on for this fancy ratatouille recipe; it really does make a difference.
- Salt and cracked black pepper - we need lots of seasoning in this recipe for gourmet ratatouille, it has to pack a punch.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make gourmet ratatouille quenelles.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
How to make roasted tomato puree
- Preheat the oven to 180C/355F.
- Place the cherry tomatoes and roughly chopped garlic on an oven tray. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), add a few basil leaves, and season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Roast the tomatoes and garlic for around 30 minutes until they are lightly caramelized.
- Scrape the roasted tomatoes and garlic into a mixing bowl and use a stick blender to blend them into a puree. Sieve the puree into a saucepan to remove the skins and seeds, and reduce the mixture on the stovetop over medium heat for 15 minutes until it has thickened slightly.
How to make gourmet ratatouille
- Finely dice all of the vegetables into small cubes of a similar size. I keep mine around a quarter of an inch/half a centimeter. Keep them all separate.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat some olive oil over medium.
- Sautee the vegetables in batches. Fry the aubergine and onion together, then remove to a plate/bowl and move onto the courgettes (on their own). Finally, sautee the red pepper. Do this last to avoid staining the pan and other vegetables red.
- In a bowl, combine the sauteed ratatouille vegetables. Add spoonfuls of the roasted tomato and garlic puree until the mixture holds together on a spoon but isn't sloppy. Add the chopped fresh basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
How to quenelle ratatouille
Use two dessert spoons to serve ratatouille quenelles. Spoons with a tapered, slightly pointed tip are better than those with a rounded tip.
Scoop ratatouille onto one of the spoons. Use the other spoon to form a three-sided oval shape and then gently slide it onto the plate.
🍽 How to serve
Serve gourmet ratatouille quenelles with slices of crispy roasted lamb leg or lamb rump roast and garlic potato roses.
🍷Wine Pairing
A fruity red wine like a Syrah/Rhone Valley blend always works well with the rich flavors.
🥣 Equipment
You will need an oven tray, a couple of saucepans, a sieve, and dessert spoons to quenelle with.
❄️ Storage and Freezing
Store gourmet ratatouille in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 4-5 days. Reheat and then quenelle. I have tried to quenelle them when cold and then reheat them in the microwave for ease of service, but sadly, have not had much success.
📝 Related side dish recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Have you tried this recipe?
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
Gourmet Ratatouille Quenelles
Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted tomato puree
- 500 grams (18 oz) cherry tomatoes /baby grape
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Ratatouille
- 1 white onion
- 1 aubergine /eggplant
- 6 baby courgettes /baby zucchini
- 2 red bell pepper
- 15 grams (½ oz) basil
- 3 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt and cracked black pepper
Instructions
For the roasted tomato and garlic puree
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/355℉
- Drizzle an oven tray with extra virgin olive oil, and add the cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped garlic, a few basil leaves, and season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Roast the tomatoes and garlic for around 30 minutes until they are lightly caramelized.
- Blend the tomatoes and garlic to a puree (I use a stick blender/immersion blender) and then push it through a sieve to remove the seeds and skins. Transfer to a saucepan and reduce over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
For the ratatouille
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium.
- Finely dice all the other vegetables into small cubes approximately ¼ inch or half a cm. Keep them all separate.
- Sautee the vegetables in batches. Fry the onion and aubergine together first. Then remove to a bowl, add slightly more oil, and sautee the courgettes, then remove to a bowl. Lastly, sautee the red pepper.
- Combine the vegetables in a bowl and add the roasted tomato puree 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve the right consistency. It needs enough puree to bind it together, but too much will become sloppy. Add finely chopped basil at the end and season with salt and pepper.
- Use 2 dessert spoons with tapered ends to quenelle ratatouille. Scoop ratatouille with one spoon, and use the other to form 3-sided oval shapes. Transfer them to plates and serve.
Comments
No Comments