Ratatouille a la Remy

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Pepper-Tomato Sauce (Piperade)

• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 orange pepper

Cut peppers in half, wash out seeds and remove ribs.Place peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until skins have loosened, about 15 minutes.Remove from oven and let cool.

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ small yellow onion, finely diced

Heat oil in a skillet over low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until very soft, but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.

• 3 tomatoes (12 ounces total)

Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out pulp into a small bowl. Dice tomatoes and reserve in a small bowl.

Drain tomato juice from reserved pulp into small bowl with diced tomatoes. Discard pulp.

• 1 bay leaf

Add tomatoes, reserved juices, and bay leaf to skillet with onions. Simmer over low heat.

• reserved peppers

While tomatoes cook, peel and finely chop roasted peppers.Add peppers to skillet and simmer until soft and only a small amount of liquid remains, about 10 minutes. Tomatoes and onions should not brown.

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Season with salt and remove bay leaf.Reserve one tablespoon of the sauce and spread the remainder in bottom of a round casserole dish.

• Vegetables

Reduce oven temperature to 275°F.

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium yellow squash
• 1 Japanese eggplant
• 4 Roma tomatoes

Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice vegetables into 1/16-inch rounds, reserving each vegetable in a small bowl.Down center of pan, arrange a strip of 8 alternating slices of vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that ¼ inch of each slice is exposed. Around the center strip, overlap vegetables in a close spiral that lets slices mound slightly toward center. Repeat until pan is filled; not all vegetables may be needed.

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix garlic, oil, salt, thyme, and pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle evenly over vegetables.Cover pan with foil and crimp edges to seal well.Bake until vegetables are tender when tested with a paring knife, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. Lightly cover with foil if it starts to brown.If there is excess liquid in pan, place over medium heat on stove until reduced. At this point it may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat in 350-degree oven until warm.

Vinaigrette

• reserved piperade
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Serving

To serve, very carefully lift desired portion onto plate with an offset spatula and either align vegetables in a row or gently turn to fan them out onto plate. Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot.