Ratatouille

Today J and I headed out to see Ratatouille, so we headed out to the theatre and took a detour at the restaurant supply store. We bought a tortilla warmer (we eat a lot of tortillas these days), a couple heat-resistant silicon spatulas, and a muddler.

Then we headed off to see Ratatouille. Like any Pixar film, it was a joy to watch. The premise, if you do not know, is a rat who is a chef -- he loves to cook! It's really very enjoyable, and you should go see it.

Thomas Keller consulted on this movie. He also created a recipe for it as he did for Spanglish. (To read about his consultation on Spanglish since Adam Sandler's character plays a superstar chef and see the recipe he created for a BLT, check this out: http://members.cox.net/jjschnebel/SpangSand.html. I only know about it because they featured the recipe in Food and Wine.)

Anyhow, Thomas Keller created a Ratatouille recipe for this film, which I'm featuring here. I hope this is not a copyright issue.

Thomas Keller's Ratatouille
Serves 4

For piperade:

1/2 red pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 orange pepper, seeds and ribs removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
3 tomatoes (about 12 ounces total weight), peeled, seeded and finely diced, juices reserved
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
1/2 bay leaf
Kosher salt

For vegetables:

1 zucchini (4 to 5 ounces) sliced in 1/16-inch rounds
1 Japanese eggplant, (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 yellow squash (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Assorted fresh herbs (thyme flowers, chervil, thyme)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make piperade:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined sheet, cut side down. Roast until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely.

Combine oil, garlic and onion in medium skillet and cook over low heat on stovetop until very soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes, do not brown; add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season to taste with salt and discard herbs. Reserve 1 tablespoon of mixture and spread remainder in bottom of an 8-inch ovenproof skillet.

To prepare vegetables:

Heat oven to 275 degrees. In center of skillet arrange 8 alternating slices of vegetables, 2 each of zucchini, eggplant, squash and tomatoes, over piperade, overlapping in a circle so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Continue alternating and overlapping vegetables in close spiral that lets slices mound slightly in center. Repeat until pan is filled; all vegetables may not be needed.

Mix garlic, oil and thyme leaves in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over vegetables. Cover skillet with foil and crimp edges to seal well. Bake until vegetables are tender when tested with a paring knife, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. (Lightly cover with foil if it starts to brown.) If there is excess liquid in pan, place over medium heat on stove until reduced. (At this point it may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. If desired, reheat in 350-degree oven until warm.)

To make vinaigrette:

Combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

To serve:

Heat broiler and place byaldi underneath until lightly browned. Cut in quarters and very carefully lift one quarter onto plate with offset spatula. Turn spatula 90 degrees, guiding byaldi into fan shape. Drizzle vinaigrette around plate.


**SPOILER**: Highlight to see.
You can certainly see Thomas Keller's mark on this movie. At that moment when the food critic tastes the ratatouille and is taken back to his childhood, not only was that my favorite scene but as obvious as a thumbprint of Thomas Keller.

There certainly are a lot of movies about chefs coming out. I saw a preview for a Catherine Zeta-Jones one in the theatre. It makes me reflect on what I wrote earlier today. I just like to cook; I don't fancy myself being a chef. I don't like to create new recipes. Instead I enjoy cooking for people who will enjoy it.