The Beauty of Everyday French Cooking

Many people think French cooking is complicated, full of precise steps, rare ingredients, and expert-level technique. It’s easy to see where that idea comes from. France is widely credited with shaping modern cooking and fine dining, and it’s home to more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other country in the world. But what most think of as “French cuisine” is really haute cuisine, or designer restaurant style food, that’s meant to impress. The kind you only find in fine dining. That kind of cooking exists, but it’s not what’s on the table in most French homes.Real French cooking is simple. It’s rooted in small family kitchens where meals are made from what’s in the garden or picked up fresh from the market that morning. It’s not the kind of cooking that follows strict rules or fancy steps. It’s rustic and full of heart. It’s not the cooking of students or purists, but the cooking of grandmothers, of gardeners, and everyday people. At its core, French home cooking is seasonal, resourceful, and deeply tied to the rhythms of the land. Meals are shaped by what’s ripe, what needs to be used, and what can stretch to feed everyone at the table. It’s resourceful and frugal by nature. A pot of lentils simmered with herbs or a roasted chicken with yesterday’s bread turned into crisp stuffing are all parts of real French cooking. The food changes with the weather and the region, always grounded in what’s fresh and close at hand.The ingredients are what matter most. That doesn't mean they have to be exotic or expensive, but when something is in season, it just tastes better. A tomato tastes more like a tomato when it's ripened on the vine. Cheese carries the richness of the farm where it was made. Meals like this feel honest, alive, and like they were made with intention.One of the best examples of this kind of cooking is ratatouille. It’s a simple vegetable stew from Provence, made with whatever is growing in the garden, usually tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, onions, and a handful of herbs. It started as a farmer’s dish, meant to feed a family with what was on hand. The name comes from the French word touiller, which means “to stir.” It speaks to the practical roots of the dish, which is something you throw together with what you have, stirred in a single pot.One of the reasons we love ratatouille is that it’s so versatile. You can serve it as a side dish alongside something like roast chicken, grilled fish. It also makes a satisfying main course, especially when spooned over rice or folded into fresh pasta.

If you’d like to try it for yourself, here’s a recipe we know and love:

Ratatouille

Total Time 1 hr 30 min 

Prep Time 30 min 

Cook Time 1 hr 

Ingredients for 8 servings 

Veggies

2 eggplants 

6 Roma tomatoes 

2 yellow squashes 

2 zucchinis 

Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 medium white onion, diced 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced 

kosher salt, to taste 

freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

28 oz crushed tomatoes 

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Herb Seasoning 

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil 

1 teaspoon minced garlic 

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley 

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 

kosher salt, to taste 

freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

4 tablespoons olive oil 

Preperation

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C). 

2. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into approximately ¹⁄₁₆-inch (1-mm)-thick rounds, then set aside. 

3. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove from heat, then add the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula. 

4. Arrange the veggies in alternating slices, (for example, eggplant, tomato, squash, zucchini) on top of the sauce, working from the outer edge to the center of the pan. Season with salt and pepper. 

5. Make the herb seasoning: In a small bowl, mix the basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables. 

6. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. 

7. Serve hot as a main dish or side. The ratatouille is also excellent the next day–cover with foil and reheat in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven for 15 minutes, or simply microwave to desired temperature.

8. Enjoy! 

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