Ratatouille (Confit Byaldi) From the Ratatouille Movie

Ratatouille is one of the most classic French dishes. This one-pot meal was invented by the French peasants in the Provencal region of Nice, in the 18th century as a quick and affordable meal to help deplete the abundance of summer vegetables that would otherwise have gone bad.

In 2007, Ratatouille became well known to the world with the Disney Pixar's animated movie about a rat with very well-developed senses of taste and smell. At the end of the movie, the protagonist prepares a more contemporary version of ratatouille: the Confit Byaldi. Instead of mixing all the chopped-up vegetables in a pot, this version presents all the ingredients in a nice and organized fashion, while also replacing the peppers with mushrooms.

In this Instructable, we are going to make a Confit Byaldi using the ingredients from a classic Ratatouille.

Let's get cooking!

Supplies

3 tbsp of olive oil

4 tomatoes

3 lobes of garlic

1 or 2 eggplants (depending on the size)

1 or 2 zucchinis (depending on the size)

1 bell pepper

1 onion

1 cup of tomato sauce

Some basil leaves (optional)

Salt and pepper

Note: try to find tomatoes, eggplants, and zucchinis that have all about the same diameter.

Step 1: Chop

Chop the onion and garlic into small pieces. Also now is a good time to turn on the oven and preheat it to 375˚F (190˚C).

Step 2: Make the Tomato Sauce

In a pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the chopped-up onion and garlic and stir for around 7 minutes until the onion has turned golden.

Add the tomato sauce, the basil, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly, then remove from heat and let the sauce cool down.

Step 3: Slice

Slice the zucchini, the eggplant, the bell pepper, and the tomatoes into thin slices - the bell pepper can be cut in two before slicing.

Step 4: Arrange

Pour the tomato sauce in a 12-inch (30 cm) ceramic baking tray or a cast-iron oven dish. Spread it evenly.

Now, place the sliced-up vegetables on the tray, forming concentric circles, while alternating the different ingredients. For example: Zucchhini / tomato / eggplant / bell pepper / Zucchini / tomato /.... The slices should be submerged halfway into the tomato sauce.

Start from the outer edge and make your way towards the center. The last slices can be arranged in a line to cover up the empty spot in the middle.

Grind some salt and pepper on top.

Step 5: Bake

Wrap the tray in aluminum foil and place it in the oven for 50 minutes. Then, remove the foil and place it back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.