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Ratatouille
Difficulty level Easy
Well, I've saved the best food movie for last in my series of Oscar food-themed films. Yesterday I covered all the things that didn't quite fit in, my grasping-at-straws list, as it were. Ratatouille is sheer foodie heaven.
My son Hugh works in a wonderful cheese store, and he mentioned that he had to see this movie again because of the number of people who are coming in asking for the cheese that is featured and he can't remember what it was. The food consultant to the film was the famous Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, which gave the film a certain cooking gravitas that an animated film might not otherwise have.
This film is just delightful from beginning to end. The titular dish probably has as many recipes as there are people in Provence, but the one in the film is definitely on the high end of the scale. The recipe I made is more like the classic melange. My daughter Emma looked at my effort and said: "I was expecting the tower of vegetables like in the movie, MOM." Everyone is a restaurant critic.
The other film this year that included dancing vermin was Enchanted with the unbelievably charming Amy Adams. It has three nominations for Best Original Song.This is very easy to make, and I had lots of leftovers, so I think I will put it on pasta tomorrow with a hit of cheese on top.
INGREDIENTS
| 1 | medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes |
| 1 lb | zucchini , cut into 1-inch cubes |
| 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 1/2 cups | sliced onions |
| 1 | large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into cubes |
| 3 | cloves of garlic, chopped |
| 1 1/2 cups | canned tomatoes, chopped |
| 2 to 3 | sprigs of thyme |
| 1/4 cup | basil |
PREPARATION:
- In a large skillet sauté eggplant and zucchini in 1/4 cup olive oil until vegetables are golden and just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove vegetables from heat and set aside.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, sauté onions with the rest of the olive oil until just browned, about 8 minutes. Add peppers and garlic and sauté. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add tomatoes, and thyme. Reduce heat, cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Return eggplant and zucchini to pan and cook for another 20 minutes. Stir in basil.
This recipe is from The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker (1997, Scribner)
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