Ratatouille Arabesque with Hummus and Marinated Buffalo Mozzarella

So, you think you know ratatouille.  This is your wake-up call.

Be it a mama-style stew or the fanciness created under a mandoline, ratatouille has a pretty set way it's expected to taste.  Until you kick it in the booty with some cinnamon, sizzle it with hot-pepper harissa paste, then drape it with fennel-laced mozzarella.  Loosen your preconceptions, because you are about to shed them.

I took another very cool cooking class at Goldhahn & Sampson last month.  Called Middle East Meets Mittelmeer, it fused Mediterranean recipes with the Middle Eastern - and everything was vegetarian.  Along with an exotic ratatouille, we prepared three variations on tzatziki and I learned how to make orecchiette pasta!  The secret of ratatouille, Chef Mani told us, is to cook all the component vegetables separately first.  That way, each gets its proper cooking time and keeps its own flavor.  He also showed us how to cook eggplant, and let me tell you what he said!  First the eggplant takes in the oil; when it's done, it lets the oil back out.  I've been undercooking my eggplants all along.

All on my own, I found a brilliant way to dice zucchini and carrots.  Make all the cuts into the vegetables longways, and then with one horizontal slice, it will fall into four or six pieces.  Am I brilliant, or what?

Autumn's here.  The leaves are turning and falling, and the local markets have replaced berries with pumpkins.  We live near Kastanienallee, which translates to Chestnut Alley, and we picked up a few specimens last weekend on a stroll.

Combining late-summer and autumn vegetables with warming spices, this is a perfect dish for the season.

Ratatouille "Arabesque" with Hummus and Marinated Buffalo Mozzarella

recipe adapted from Mani Bakhshpour and Goldhahn & Sampson

serves 4

prep time: 40 minutes total, plus 1-2 hours waiting

cook time: 15 minutes (hummus); 10 minutes (mozzarella); 40 minutes (ratatouille)

for the hummus

ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 tsp tahini
2 tsp cumin
Juice from 1 lemon
2 ice cubes
5 tbsp olive oil

directions:

In a blender or food processor, puree the chickpeas as much as you can without adding any liquid.  Stop the machine now and then to scrape the sides with a spatula and re-blend.  When you're as close as possible to the texture of a paste, add the chickpea liquid 1 tbsp at a time, along with the garlic, tahini, cumin, and lemon juice, and 2 tbsp of the olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust the other ingredients to taste.  Add the ice cubes to give the hummus more creaminess.

Drizzle more olive oil on top before serving.  Best if allowed to sit for at least 2 hours before serving, as the flavors don't open up right away.

for the marinated buffalo mozzarella

ingredients:

125g fresh mozzarella
1 tsp fennel seeds
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

directions:

Mix the lemon juice, zest and fennel.  Slice or tear the mozzarella into small pieces and stir into the juice.  Cover and set aside in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

for the ratatouille arabesque

ingredients:

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 yellow bell pepper
1 eggplant
1 zucchini
2 carrots
olive oil, for frying
1 tbsp harissa paste
1 tbsp tomato paste
splash of white wine
200g cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper
1 bunch fresh basil

directions:

Peel the carrots.  Chop the carrots, pepper, eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes into 1-inch cubes.  Keep them separate from each other.

Chop the onion and garlic.  In a large pan over medium heat, cook the onion until golden brown, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Then remove them from the pan into a bowl and set aside.

Heat a bit more oil and add the eggplant cubes.  Let them cook until they absorb the oil then give it back.  When they are cooked, remove them to the bowl with the onions and garlic.

Make sure you still have enough oil, and cook the carrots.  After 3-5 minutes, add the bell pepper and zucchini cubes to the pan with the carrots.

Stir in the tomato paste and harissa; cook for 1 minute.  Stir in a splash of white wine and wait until it starts to bubble.  Add the diced tomatoes and spices and stir.

Now add the onions, garlic and eggplant back to the mix and stir well.  Season with salt, pepper, more white wine or more spices - whatever you feel it needs.  Cook until everything is well heated.

To serve: Spread the hummus over the plate.  Spoon the ratatouille on top; garnish with marinated mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.