Ratatouille Niçoise

Nice tourism’s selected ratatouille niçoise combines eggplant, zucchini, green peppers and onions with a concentrated tomato sauce. Its regional recipe cooks the vegetables separately before bringing them together.

Eggplant and zucchini are cut into thick rounds and lightly dusted with flour in separate bowls. Green peppers become thin strips, onions are sliced, and tomatoes are peeled, seeded and drained.

Four separate pans fry the eggplant, zucchini, peppers and onions in olive oil. A further pan slowly cooks crushed tomatoes with chopped garlic, basil and aromatics.

The cooked vegetables enter a large casserole over very low heat. Salt seasons them, then the concentrated tomato sauce is stirred through the combined mixture.

Excess oil drains away before service. The tourism guide names the dish “la ratatouïa nissarda” and describes both cold and hot serving, keeping its separately cooked vegetables central to the preparation.