Saturday, July 15, 2017

Instant Pot Ratatouille

I made this instant pot recipe for ratatouille last night. I didn't use the PIP method and didn't reduce the water, so the result was more liquid than I would have liked.  Also I added marjoram and basil. if I make this again I will not add any water. I served this with polenta. I liked the way it tasted but the rest of the family didn't.
Update: I made this recipe again (about a year later and still without the PIP), but I did not add any water. Even without the water, it was still a bit soupy and the vegetables were a little mushy. I turned on saute afer it was done to try to reduce the liquid a bit. I think if I were to make this again, I would try to sweat out the veggies (especially the squash and eggplant) with salt and drain/squeeze before hand.

  • 1 large zucchini, sliced into thin circles
  • 1 medium eggplant/aubergine, sliced into thin circles
  • 2 medium tomatoes, sliced into thin disks
  • 1 small red onion, sliced into thin circles or ½ large red onion, halved and sliced into half moons
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon of thyme leaves (dry or fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar (sweet balsamic or regular)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup water
Instructions
  1. Slice all the vegetables (see the picture) and sprinkle with half of the thyme, sea salt and pepper.
  2. Line a round springform tin with foil. This is to trap all the cooking juices inside. If using a solid metal dish, then no foil is needed as the juices won't leek through the bottom.
  3. Scatter some chopped garlic on the bottom. Going in circle, and alternating between eggplant, zucchini, onion and tomato slices, layer the vegetables into a tight snail. I like to start with the outer circle and make my way inwards into the middle. See image for reference. Keep the slices close together, overlapping slightly. Once in place, sprinkle with the remaining garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Drizzle over evenly with vinegar and olive oil.
  4. Alternative: If this arrangement proves to be tricky, feel free to layer the vegetables in no particular form on top of each other. Sprinkle some thyme, salt, and pepper in between. You can also simply dice the vegetables and combine them with garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil in the inner pot of the pressure cooker and set to cook for the same amount of time.
  5. Place a wire rack inside the pot and add a cup of water. Carefully, place the tin inside the pot on top of the rack (see image). Place and lock the lid, make sure the steam releasing handle is pointing to Sealing. Press MANUAL (High Pressure) and set to 6 minutes. After 3 beeps the pressure cooker will start going.
  6. Once the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 6 minutes, then use the quick release to let off the rest of the steam. Carefully remove the springform tin from the pot, using tongs if needed.
  7. Serve on a plate in foil or transfer to a platter.

No comments:

Post a Comment