Confit Byaldi (Ratatuille)

Serves 4
Piperade:

• 1/2 Yellow pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 Red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 orange pepper, finely chopped
• 2 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 3 Mature tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Glove of garlic, crushed
• Bay Leaf
• Thyme leaves
• Parsley, chopped

Vegetables:

• 1 Long eggplant, thinly sliced
• 1 Green zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 Yellow zucchini, thinly sliced (I have used 2 potatoes instead)
• 3 Long tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
• Thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Piperade

Combine oil, garlic, and onion in medium skillet over low heat until very soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes, do not brown; add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season to taste with salt, and discard herbs.

Vegetables

Reserve tablespoon of Piperade and spread remainder in bottom of a 20 cm skillet. Heat oven to 275 degrees. Down center of pan, arrange a strip of 8 alternating slices of vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that 1/2 cm of each slice is exposed. Around the center strip, overlap vegetables in a close spiral that lets slices mound slightly toward center. Repeat until pan is filled.
Cover and bake until vegetables are tender when tested with a paring knife, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. (Lightly cover with foil if it starts to brown.) If there is excess liquid in pan, place over medium heat on stove until reduced. (At this point it may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat in 350-degree oven until warm.)

Vinaigrette

For vinaigrette, combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

To serve

Heat broiler and place byaldi underneath until lightly browned. Slice in quarters and very carefully lift onto plate with offset spatula. Turn spatula 90 degrees, guiding byaldi into fan shape. Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot.