French rainbow ratatouille recipe
This colourful ratatouille lasts for up to 12 months in sealed jars, and Alexis demonstrates in the video below just how easy it is to make.
Because of the nature of the recipe, and the fact that jars vary in size, it's impossible to give exact measurements of vegetables to use, so you'll have to use whatever you have to fill as many jars as necessary. So the 'handful' of vegetables suggested in the ingredients list will vary a lot. The dried herbs are also up to you; pick something that will go well with the veg you are using.
You will need a pot that is deep enough for your jars to sit in and be completely covered by water.
If you're in doubt about preserving food, watch this other video which gives top tips for making sure your preserves last. Your jars need to be in excellent condition, and brand new lids.
Ingredients
- 1 handful courgette, green white and yellow
- 1 handful tomatoes, red and yellow
- 1 handful bell peppers, red, yellow and green
- 1 handful eggplants, dark and light purple
- 1 drizzle olive oil
- 1 bunch dried herbs of your choosing
- 2 smashed garlic cloves
Details
- Cuisine: French
- Recipe Type: Side
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 90 mins
- Cooking Time: 60 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Wash your hands, the jars and lids thoroughly. Sterilise the lids or rubber seals by boiling them. Leave everything to air dry.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Wash all the vegetables and trim off the ends, then cut them into slices around 1cm thick. They need to fit in the jars but should not be paper thin.
- Place the vegetables into a deep oven tray(s) and season with salt and pepper then drizzle with olive oil.
- Cook for around 30 minutes. In the meantime, boil water in a pot and add salt, pepper, a bunch of dried herbs and the smashed garlic cloves.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven and stack them up inside the jars in colourful layers using a set of tongs. Pour the boiling water over everything, then another drizzle of olive oil in each jar. Leave a little room, don't fill it entirely to the brim.
- Make sure that the edges of the jar are perfectly clean, then close your lids, or screw on the caps.
- Place a towel at the bottom of a pot, then place the jars gently down on top of it. Cover them with hot water and cook for 90 minutes (starting when the water is boiling).
- Let the jars cool down completely and naturally. Don't try to speed things up.
- Test that the jars stay sealed by themselves. If they are loose or opening easily, you must redo the heat treatment. Store in a cool and clean dry place.
- The jars should last for up to 12 months. DO NOT EAT from the jars if the lid is open or loose, you can smell something strange or if there is mould. Throw it away right away.
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How to freeze your excess fruit and vegetables