Ratatouille: Remy Inspired Style

Ratatouille is a famous Provençal Vegetarian French dish that intrigued many of us when it was portrayed in a Disney movie with the same name. The movie is the story of Remy, an idealistic and ambitious young rat, gifted with highly developed senses of taste and smell. Inspired by his idol, the recently deceased chef Auguste Gusteau, Remy dreams of becoming a cook himself. One of the biggest challenges for the filmmakers was creating computer-generated images of food that would appear delicious. Gourmet chefs in both the U.S. and France were consulted and the animators attended cooking classes at San Francisco-area culinary schools to understand the workings of a commercial kitchen….

Ratatouille Ingredients

Prep time 35 mins/ Cook time 2 hours/ Total time 2 hours 35 mins

Roasted Pepper Sauce (Double the recipe if desired)

• 2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 yellow)

• 2 medium tomatoes

• 1 onion

• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil

• salt and pepper

Vegetables

• 2 medium zucchinis

• 2 small eggplants

• 3-4 medium tomatoes

Herbal Seasoning

• 2-3 tbsp grapeseed oil

• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

• ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped

• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

• salt and pepper

Directions

Roasted Pepper Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Place whole peppers on a baking tray and roast for 40-45 minutes until they become soft.

2. Place roasted peppers in a bowl. Cover and let cool for about an hour.

3. Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes and roughly chop them with the onion.

4. After an hour, peel and core the peppers with your hands. Cut into small pieces.

5. Heat oil in a large pot. Then, add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until it becomes translucent.

6. Add cut peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.

7. Add tomatoes to the pot and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens up.

8. Place the sauce in a blender and blend until smooth.

Vegetables

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the vegetables. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin slicer, cut zucchinis, eggplants and tomatoes into circles that are ½ inch thick.

Herbal Seasoning

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Assembling the Ratatouille

1. To assemble the Ratatouille, preheat the oven to 180C/350F and pour the sauce into the casserole. Place sliced vegetables along the outer edge of the dish alternating them to create a pattern. Add as many slices as needed to fill the gap in the middle.

2. Pour the herbal seasoning over the vegetables and cover the casserole dish with a lid or a piece of parchment paper. Bake for about an hour.

3. To serve, add roasted vegetables to each plate with a generous amount of the sauce. Sprinkle fresh herbs on top if desired.

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