Sole Meuniere with Ratatouille
Meunière is both a sauce and a method of preparing fish. It means, literally, "miller’s wife" in French which is a reference to the unelaborate and rustic nature of this dish. Typically sole meuniere is made with butter, parsley, lemon and fish that has been dredged in flour. It's a delicious recipe that continues to withstand the test of time.
Recipe
Sole Meuniere
Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes | Active Time: 25 Minutes | Serves Eight
Ingredients:
- 1/4 C salt-packed capers, rinsed
- Four 5-oz sole fillets
- 1 C all-purpose flour
- 1/3 C clarified butter
- 1/3 C dry white wine
- 2 T fresh lemon juice
- 6 T cold unsalted butter, thinly sliced
- 2 T minced parsley
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
Directions:
In a small bowl, soak the capers in cold water for 45 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Season the fish with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, whisk the flour with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Dredge the fillets in flour and shake off any excess; transfer to a platter.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the clarified butter over moderately high heat. Add 4 sole fillets to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining clarified butter and sole fillets.
Add the capers to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and lemon juice and cook over moderately high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until the butter is melted before adding more. Add half of the parsley and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour the warm sauce over the sole and garnish with the remaining parsley. Serve immediately over Ratatouille.
Hailing from the Provence region of France and an inspiration for a Disney/Pixar movie, this mix of colorful vegetables was originally referred to as “peasant stew.” What it lacks in royal history, it makes up for it its’ ease, affordability and deliciousness.
Recipe
Ratatouille
Cook Time: 3 Hours 15 Minutes | Active Time: 30 Minutes | Serves Eight
Ingredients:
- 1 red pepper sliced in half, seeds and ribs removed
- 1 orange pepper, seeds and ribs removed
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 diced tomatoes
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1/4 C flat-leaf parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt
- 2 zucchinis
- 2 summer squashes
- 2 baby eggplants
- 5 roma tomatoes
- 1/2 t minced garlic
- 2 t olive oil
- 1/8 t thyme leaves
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 t balsamic vinegar
- Assorted fresh herbs (thyme flowers, thyme)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined sheet, cut side down. Roast until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely. This makes the 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.
- Puree in a blender and spread on bottom of baking pan.
- Heat oven to 275 degrees. Using a mandoline, thinly slice the zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and tomatoes. Down center of the pan, arrange a strip of alternating slices of vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Repeat until pan is filled; all vegetables may not be needed.
- Mix garlic, oil, and thyme leaves in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over vegetables. Cover with parchment paper. Bake until vegetables are tender when tested with a paring knife, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more.
- For vinaigrette, combine 1 tbsp piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot.
