Ratatouille

Ah, lovely Paris with an animated street view fresh from “les égouts” (the sewers) with our hero “Remy” the French rat with taste and talent. Ratatouille, PIXAR’s newest creation that zooms in on our lives from the unlikeliest cast of characters, is the best feel good movie out there. Timed perfectly for the resurgence of “Now, We Love France” movement that is sweeping America. It is about a rat that wants to be a French chef in Paris and about following your passions in life and achieving your dreams even if you are a rodent.

But it is also a wonderful look at Paris: old Citroen cars and delivery trucks, gushing fountains in Le Concorde, the distant sparkling Eiffel tower seen from rooftop and a tiny cruddy garret studio, revving scooters (and kissing) on busy streets and bicycles with baskets overloaded with baguettes. There is a certain element about Paris that seeps into all of our artistic souls. You can be anything that you want in the City of Light. There is a spirit that guides all of us. Remy’s spirit is a starred chef that guides him to a struggling chef with all the odds against him. They bond, they create and they succeed against evil restaurant critics, marketers of industrialized food (corn dogs!), and family nay-sayers.

A movie for children and for the kid in all of us. Remy is the rat that we all love. He enters Hell’s Kitchen and makes it his own. He has that je ne sais quoi about him that embraces a challenge, questions his code of ethics, and reminds us before cooking to “wash our paws.”

Riana’s Ratatouille recipe:

Ratatouille is a peasant dish from the south near where I live. You can use ratatouille as a soup, a vegetable stuffing, as a cold side dish or a hot serving over veal chops. It is drenched in flavors of the south: olive oil and garlic and plentiful vegetables.

2 small Zucchini

4 medium Tomatoes, peeled

2 small Eggplant

2 Onions

1 Bell Pepper

6 garlic cloves

Herbs de Provence (thyme, basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, summer savory, etc)

Olive oil

Dash of flour

Salt and pepper

Tablespoon of tomato paste

Peal and cut zucchini, eggplant and onions into little rounds. I like to use a mandolin to get fine equal sized pieces. Cut the bell peppers into thin slices. Sauté zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers and onions in olive oil and a dash of flour until they are cooked through. About 20 minutes or less if you were able to slice them really thin. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile make tomato sauce. Sauté garlic and herbs de Provence in olive oil for one minute and then add tomatoes, crushing them into the pan. Stir in tomato paste and cook over medium heat until thick and rich.

Add the two pots together and you have Ratatouille!

In the movie, Remy bakes the vegetable rounds and then puts the sauce decoratively on the side.