Ratatouille

We caught a midnight show of Ratatouille, the new Pixar animation about a French rat who has a knack for gourmet cooking. I loved the film, but instead of giving my personal thoughts, I’ll let you read a wonderfully written review here, by my friend Justin Chang at Variety.

Ratatouille, a traditional French Provençal vegetable stew, is one of my favorite dishes to make. It is a fantastic medley of fresh vegetables and herbs, and can be served all sorts of ways – warm or cold, as a side dish or main dish, with bread or pasta or alone.

Ratatouille

2 onions, sliced into thin rings
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, cubed
2 zucchini, cubed
2 medium yellow squash, cubed
6 mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to garnish

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and saute the zucchini in batches until slightly browned on all sides. Remove the zucchini and place in the pot with the onions and garlic. Saute all the remaining vegetables one batch at a time, adding 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet each time you add a new set of vegetables. Once each batch has been sauteed add them to the large pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf, thyme, oregano and basil and cover the pot. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and parsley to the large pot, cook another 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves 8.