Ratatouille

Remy, Chef de Cuisine, from the movie Ratatouille

"Ratatouille" (rat-at-too-ee) is one of my favorite animated Pixar films. Released in 2007, it’s about a Parisian rat named Remy who has an unusually acute sense of taste and smell and dreams of becoming a chef, like his idol, the late Auguste Gusteau. Forming an alliance with the garbage boy at Gusteau’s restaurant in Paris, Remy realizes his dream.

Near the end of the movie the nasty food critic, Anton Ego (whose voice is provided by Peter O’Toole), comes into the restaurant prepared to rip it apart, as he does at nearly every other dining establishment in Paris. Instead, when he is served Ratatouille, he is transported back to his happy childhood when his mother cooked for him, and gives the restaurant rave reviews.

Anton Ego, Food Critic

According to What’s Cooking America, Ratatouille is a classic French vegetable stew. Originating in the 18th Century in the Provencal region of Nice (it is officially known as a Ratatouille Nicoise) this stew was created by poor farmers. The dish used up the harvest of the fresh summer vegetables that had ripened all at once and were ready to eat from the garden. While considered peasant food, ratatouille has risen to popularity in better French restaurants over the years.

The dish consists of a combination typically of spinach, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, onions, stewed in olive oil and served with fresh herbs. How much healthier can it get? It’s the epitome of the Mediterranean Diet. It’s commonly served alongside meat and fish entrees or it can be served as a main dish over rice or pasta.  This stew can also be enjoyed hot or at room temperature.  The flavor actually improves the next day.

You will find many different versions of ratatouille using these key ingredients and there is also different schools of thought for proper cooking of ratatouille:  

One method is to saute all the vegetables together at once until they are cooked down.

A second option is to cook the zucchini and eggplant separately then combine them together at the end with the onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers for the final stewing. Then finish by baking in a casserole dish.

Another method is to cook the vegetables in a layered method, starting with caramelizing the onions and garlic, then adding the eggplant to cook down and then finally adding the zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, and fresh herbs to stew everything together.

A more contemporary version is to slice the eggplant, squash and peppers thinly and layer in a casserole dish for baking - a very elegant presentation - which is actually how it was created in the film. (Fun Film Fact: Thomas Keller of The French Laundry was involved in designing the final product for the movie).

Ratatouille is versatile: it can be eaten as a side dish to meat or chicken, or as a main course along with crusty bread or over pasta. I prefer it with crusty sourdough and make it a light vegetarian meal. If I’m particularly hungry, I’ll start off with a mixed green salad.

This delicious and nutritious dish is a great way to hang on to summer. Eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini can still be found at the farmer's market, so it’s perfect to make right now before the weather turns chillier and we all long for warm days again.

Here’s the way I prepare it. You’ll need a 12” skillet.

Ratatouille

2 Tbsp. pine nuts
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. thyme leaves (if using fresh, use a little less)
1 small eggplant (about ¾ lb.), unpeeled, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped
2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
3 large tomatoes (about 1 lb. total), chopped
¼ cup minced parsley
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil leaves
Lemon wedges or grated lemon peel

Toast pine nuts 5 minutes in a pan over medium heat and without oil until slightly golden brown. Remove from pan to cool. (NOTE: I’ve tried Ratatouille without pine nuts and it is simply not the same. Pine nuts, if you aren’t familiar with them, lend a nutty creaminess to a dish that simply cannot be replaced, and if omitted, the dish really loses something, even if you don’t take the time to toast them. But I do recommend toasting them. The flavor really comes out when you do).

Heat ½ the oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add remaining oil, and thyme through pepper, cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini through parsley, reduce, simmer uncovered about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Season to taste. Serve hot or at room temp. sprinkle with pine nuts, torn basil leaves and lemon. Makes about 4 cups.

Warm some bread in the oven or cook some penne and serve it all with a hearty Zinfandel or Syrah.

Film Fact: Ratatouille won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 80th Academy Awards and was nominated for 4 others. With 5 Oscar nominations, the film broke the record for an animated feature film.

#ratatouille #chefremy #provence #frenchcooking