Ratatouille Tart

Post date: Apr 20, 2012 2:46:38 AM

(Adapted from Bon Appetit, October 1994.)

Making the Ratatouille:

6 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 pound Japanese, Chinese, or Italian eggplant, cut into uniform 1-inch tri-cubes

1 large onion, chopped into 1-inch triangular wedges

2 poblano peppers, chopped into 1-inch triangles

1 T. dried French thyme

kosher salt or sea salt

black pepper, freshly ground on coarse setting

10-12 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C. tomato paste

Building the Tart:

20+ fresh phyllo pastry sheets or frozen sheets, thawed

3/4 C. extra virgin olive oil

10 t. Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

2 t. Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

6 Roma plum tomatoes (approximately 12 oz.), cut into 1/4-inch slices

2-3 small-medium zucchini (about 11 oz.), cut crosswise into 1/8 - 3/16-inch slices

Equipment:

wok or skillet

9-or-10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom

pastry brush, preferably with bristles made of silicone

baking sheet

Over medium heat, heat 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large wok or skillet. Add eggplant, onion, bell pepper, and thyme. Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add garlic, making sure heat is low enough that garlic does not burn. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until eggplant is very tender, about another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to check consistency, being careful not to let eggplant lose its shaper and become mushy. Uncover and stir in tomato paste. Cook about 3 minutes to allow any accumulated liquid to evaporate. If there is excess moisture, place cooked vegetables in a strainer set over a bowl to remove any liquid that will make the crust mushy. Cool vegetables completely. (May be prepared up to this point a full day ahead. Cover and refrigerate and drain any additional accumulated liquid before proceeding to building tart.)

Preheat oven to 325 - 350°F. Unfold phyllo sheets on work surface and cover with a kitchen towel. Brush tart pan with oil. Peel away one sheet of phyllo and transfer to oiled pan, pressing the sheet into the pan and allowing corners of sheets to extend above the rim of the pan. (Keep remaining phyllo sheets under kitchen towel to prevent drying out.) Brush phyloo with olive oil. Treating grated Parmigiano Reggiano like salt, sprinkle 1/2 t. "parmesan salt" on oiled phyllo. Top with another phyllo sheet, brush with oil, sprinkle with 1/2 t. "parmesan salt". Repeat until 20 sheets are used up.

Spoon cooled eggplant mixture into phyllo shell. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano over. Starting on the outer edge of the tart, overlap alternating tomato and zucchini slices in concentric circles atop eggplant. Brush generously with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until zucchini is just tender and crust is golden, about 1 hour. You may need to cover edges of tart with foil to prevent premature browning and burning. Cool tart and let stand at room temperature. May be prepared 4 hours ahead if weather is not humid.

Take a picture! Remove sides of pan, slice tart into wedges and serve.

Serves 8.