Winter Ratatouille

French summer classic gets a seasonal makeover. Here I have wintertime staples such as squashes, purple sweet potatoes, beetroot, carrots and apples - all thinly sliced and fanned out on a luxurious sauce that can be easily veganized. And the finishing touch of maple butter glaze with crispy herb is an absolute must. Whether it’s a special occasion or a dinner party this one will definitely get you all the “oohs” and “aahs” and the bonus is kids will love it too (as long as you don’t reveal the list of veggies).

I love to serve it with lightly toasted tortillas, so that everyone can dig in and make their own wrap with the ratatouille. And this Citrus Salad goes really well with this one.

 
 

Ingredients (serves 4-6 as side)

2 tbsp Salted butter (substitute with Olive Oil to keep it Vegan)
170g Leek Whites or the edible portion, thinly sliced
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1” Ginger Piece, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp Ground Allspice Berries (substitute with Ground Cinnamon)
1/2-3/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg (adjust to your taste / preference)
1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
2-3 Sprigs of Thyme
2 sprigs of Tarragon (substitute with Sage), discard stems and separate the leaves. Chop up the leaves coarsely
150ml Vegetable Stock (substitute with Water)
85g Crème Fraîche (substitute with Sour Cream or Vegan Cream Cheese)
25g Grated Gruyere or Cheddar Cheese (substitute with Vegan Cheddar)
1 tsp crushed White Pepper (black or pink pepper will work too)

Veggie Prep (everything should be thinly sliced into 3mm half moons)
2-3 Apples (preferably Pink Lady or Golden Delicious / Gala Varities)
2-3 Small Sweet Potatoes (Orange or Purple variety)
2 Medium Beets
1/2 of a Small Butternut Squash
1/2 of a Small Delicata Squash
1 + 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
2 sprigs of Thyme

Glaze
1.5 tbsp Unsalted Butter (substitute with Vegan Butter)
1 tsp Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Crushed White Pepper (black or pink pepper)
10-12 Fresh Tarragon or Sage Leaves

 

Directions

  1. Finish the Veggie Prep: Combine 1 tbsp Olive Oil (reserving 1/2 tbsp) with all veggie prep ingredients in a large bowl. Toss really well until everything is coated in oil, salt and thyme

  2. Make the sauce: In a 10” oven proof skillet (if you don’t have one then use a regular skillet and use a 10” Round baking tin later) add butter, leeks, ginger and garlic. On medium flame continue frying until they start sweating and smelling aromatic (about 4 mins or so). Then add dry spices and cook for 2 minutes; now add chopped tarragon leaves and stock. Give it a good mix and increase the heat to bring to vigorous simmer - once simmering cook it for 5 mins and turn off the heat. Pre-heat oven to 375F. Once cool enough, transfer into blender, add crème fraîche and cheese. Whiz until it’s a smooth sauce like consistency

  3. Arrange and bake: Transfer 3/4 sauce back to the oven-proof skillet or a round cake tin. Swirl the skillet/tin so that a layer is formed in the base then start arranging the seasoned slices of vegetables from the large bowl. I prefer to create a set of different colored slices (example: 1 slice of Apple, 1 slice of carrot, 1 slice of Delicata, 1 slice of Beet, 1 slice of Purple Sweet Potato and 1 slice of Butternut Squash), then repeat the pattern. Even if it’s haphazard it will still look fabulous due to the stunning natural colors of all vegetables. I try to stuff in a lot more vegetables as they shrink a lot while baking so don’t be afraid to squish and overlap. If there are leftover vegetables, then lay them over on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake them on a separate rack until golden and cooked. Those will be amazing for another dinner. Now, pour the remaining sauce on top of arranged vegetables finish with 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil and crushed white pepper. Cover with an aluminum foil and bake for 30 mins and uncover, increase the temperature to 400F and bake for another 20-25 mins or until the veggies look caramelized and when poked with a fork, they are tender

  4. Serve: When ready to serve, heat up butter in a small pan. Once sizzling, add tarragon or sage leaves. Fry until crisp, fish out the leaves and let the butter cool a bit. Now whisk, maple syrup and the aromatic butter into a glaze. Brush the ratatouille with the glaze and decorate with crispy tarragon or sage leaves. Enjoy!

*Note: if you have a cast iron Dutch oven or braiser with a lid then it will be perfect to use here

Favorite Quick Slaw

Whether to accompany burgers, wraps or just sides - I feel Slaws are underrated and quite abused by fast food chains! They can be so much more… the incredible combo of crunch with creaminess and tang needs more love. So here I have a super quick slaw idea that will not only take your everyday meal to the next level but also convince you to just eat it by itself.

Some basics about getting a slaw right - cutting into thin batons or shreds is very important; limit the vegetable/fruit element to three; restrict the allium (onion or garlic) component to one and for the dressing, make sure to taste before mixing with vegetables. Also never mix the dressing beforehand as it will make the whole thing soggy!

 
 

Ingredients (as a side for 6)

1 Small Purple Cabbage, core removed and head shredded or thinly sliced (roughly 650g) - substitute with green cabbage

1 Apple (I like Honeycrisp or Gala but feel free to use any sweet & tart variety), thinly sliced into batons

150g Peeled and Shredded Kohlrabi (feel free to substitute with Radish or Carrot)

2 Scallions, thinly sliced

15g Cilantro or Parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp Lime Zest (substitute with Lemon or Orange)

1 tbsp any Neutral Oil

1 tsp Salt

Handful Pomegranate Seeds (optional)

Dressing

35g Kewpie Mayonnaise (substitute with Vegan Mayo)

15g Greek Yoghurt (substitute with Vegan Yoghurt)

2tsp Harissa paste (substitute with Sriracha, Cholula or your favorite Hot Sauce)

1 tsp Neutral Oil

1.5 tsp Mirin

1 tbsp Lime Juice (substitute with Lemon or Orange)

Pinch of Salt

 

Directions

🥣 In a small bowl, combine and whisk all dressing ingredientsuntil nice and smooth. Keep it aside until ready to serve.

🥣 In a large bowl, toss rest of the ingredients (except pomegranate seeds, if using) until well combined. Once ready to serve, transfer the dressing into the large bowl. Mix really well and adjust seasoning if needed. Top with pomegranate seeds and serve right away