TransWikia.com

Can this ratatouille be saved?

Seasoned Advice Asked by piquet on June 20, 2021

I just made a batch of ratatouille using green bell peppers. There is a bitter metallic taste. Is there anything I can do to salvage this batch?

This is what I did. Olive oil was used throughout.

Peeled eggplant, sliced in chunks, salted, rinsed

Cut slender young zucchini in same size chunks; Did not salt

Cut an onion and green pepper in chunks

Defrosted frozen Roma tomatoes from last year’s garden. Rough chopped

Sauteed eggplant , added to casserole dish

Sauteed zucchini with an garlic clove, added to casserole

Sauteed green peppers, onion

Added last year’s frozen Roma tomatoes to the onion/pepper mix, reduced and added to casserole

(I tasted the tomatoes after they defrosted; no issues there)
Added some Herbs d’Provence, covered casserole and baked.

It is bitter and metallic.
What happened ?
Can it be rescued?

How to avoid this next time?

(I really like fresh made ratatouille in the summer)

Thank you

2 Answers

What you're tasting is likely the eggplant -- eggplants with more seeds can have a distinct metallic taste, and can definitely ruin a dish. There's probably nothing that can be done for this batch, but for next time:

Look at the bottom of the eggplant when you're picking it out -- if it has a small round indentation, then it's a "male" eggplant and will have less seeds; if it's a larger horizontal indentation, then it's a "female", and will have a higher seed content (and ruin your Ratatouille). Once you look at a couple, you'll see the difference -- they're distinctly different and easy to pick out once you know what you're looking for. Google "male vs female eggplants" and you'll find plenty of pictures of this.

One note: the "male/female" nomenclature isn't exactly correct: What they call a "male" is an eggplant that was less pollenated and therefore generated less seeds, though the eggplants don't technically have any gender -- but, this is the common terminology used to describe the difference.

Answered by Jeremy Nikolai on June 20, 2021

I just saved mine, just ad about a teaspoon of sugar, some basil tomato pasta sauce and spices like basil or Italian seasoning.Boil for a few minutes and cover. Let it rest for a few minutes.The bitterness will be gone

Answered by Nilda Abbott on June 20, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP