Rich and Creamy Ratatouille in a Roasted Pepper Sauce
Team: GMTCC Cooks
Host School: GMTCC
Age Group: High School
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
3 large Delicata Squash
1 large Butternut Squash
2 large Zucchini
2 large Summer Squash
1 large Japanese Eggplant
4 medium Purple Potatoes
Pepper Sauce Ingredients:
3 tbsp Olive Oil for the pan and ¼ cup for the pepper sauce
12oz. can of San Marzano Tomatoes
4 Multi-colored Peppers
2 Garlic Cloves
½ medium Onion
½ tsp. Oregano
½ tsp. Thyme
½ tsp. Red Pepper flakes
½ tsp. Black Pepper and salt
Bechamel Sauce Ingredients:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
8 tbsp all purpose flour
1 pint of 2% milk
½ of a medium onion
½ cup high quality parmesan cheese
Tools Needed:
Mandoline (or chopping knife)
Paring Knife
Peeler (optional)
13” x 9” casserole pan
Blender
Measuring spoons and cups
Saucepan
Spoon
Preparation Instructions
Red Pepper Sauce:
Cut a hole into the top part of each pepper and pull out the seeds
Turn on fire on stove, put peppers over flame and rotate it to each side
Take off the stove when peppers are mostly black
Then wrap in aluminum foil for about 1 minute
Take the peppers out of the tin foil and peel the skin off
Peel and Cut the onion and garlic into pieces
Open jar of tomatoes and strain juice, pour tomatoes into blender
Blend together the Tomatoes, peeled Peppers, Garlic, Onions, Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper flakes, Thyme, Oregano, and Olive Oil.
Blend until smooth and pour all the blended ingredients into a pot, put on stove, cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or until it’s a sauce like consistency
Bechamel Sauce:
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat
Put onion in milk on low heat in a separate pot
Add flour in melted butter while whisking vigorously and cook until it turns a light shade of brown.
Pour milk into butter slowly while whisking until it forms smooth texture
Take off the heat and add Salt, Pepper, and Cayenne
Stir in freshly grated parmesan cheese
Putting it all together:
Start by peeling the butternut squash, eggplant, and potatoes.
Cut off the bigger round end of the butternut squash and save for another recipe.
Blanch the potatoes in boiling water for three to five minutes then remove from the water and peel the skin..
Leave the skin on the delicata squash.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Lightly grease a 13” x 9” casserole pan
Set mandoline to cut ⅛” slices.
Slice all the vegetables into neat round slices.
Try to cut everything in similar sizes because you want everything to cook at the same speed.
Spread 1 cup of pepper sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.
Layer the vegetables in alternating pattern and arrange them in a line from the outside toward the middle baking dish.
Spread a layer of parmesan sauce over top of the vegetables.
Spread remaining pepper sauce onto and around the vegetable.
Bake uncovered on the center rack for 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife enters the vegetables without resistance.
Allow to cool on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes prior to serving.
Serve with remaining sauce and a sprinkle of basil for garnish.
Enjoy