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July 12, 2007
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Reintroducing ratatouille In the movie Ratatouille, Remy is an animated Parisian rat with big culinary dreams.Unfortunately for him, he lives in a society that shuns rodents in the kitchen. Now a household word because of all the movie hype, ratatouille is also a tasty French vegetable stew. Pronounced ra-ta-TOO-ee, the name is derived from the French words “rata,” French Army slang meaning “chunky stew,” and “touiller,” meaning “to stir.” When Disney set out to make the animated movie Ratatouille, the creators from Pixar turned to California chef Thomas Keller for guidance, according to press reports. In the fickle chef world, Keller is nothing less than a god. He’s the genius behind French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., often referred to as the best restaurant in the United States, and Per Se in New York City. Being immortalized in animation might just have cemented that reputation. For the movie, Keller whipped up a ratatouille recipe that takes the traditional peasant stew of tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and onions with garlic, olive oil and sometimes Herbs de Provence and made it less of a stew and more of a casserole by layering it. Local chefs like to keep it simple when it comes to ratatouille, sticking with the tried, true and speedy recipe that satisfies. “We were just talking about Ratatouille, it is so funny that you asked,” said Jeff Paige, chef and co-owner of Cotton in Manchester. Paige said that one of his cooks, a recent graduate of Cordon Bleu in Dover, is moving to Paris for three months, and that he wants Cotton’s kitchen crew to go see the movie before he leaves. “The movie sounds great and ratatouille, what a great dish,” Paige said. Paige has been making ratatouille for so long, he said, that he can’t remember where or when he learned the recipe. “It is one of those things, something you learn to make early on in your career. It is a dish that tends to resonate with summer because it is so easy to put together, especially when zucchini is in season,” Paige said. Cotton runs ratatouille as a special side dish throughout the summer. At Michael Timothy’s in Nashua, chef Steve Narducci also makes ratatouille the traditional French way, and in addition to serving it as a side dish he sometimes tops filets of fish, chicken or beef with it and occasionally features it as a vegetarian option, served roasted with melted cheese. “I first learned to cook ratatouille as a new cook. It is the kind of dish that gets delegated to new cooks because there is so much chopping,” Narducci said. Ratatouille should be prepared with little fuss. Overcook it and it will turn to mush. Undercook it and the vegetables will be tough. Not like risotto which has to be babysat, a simple peasant-style ratatouille requires less than 10 minutes of your time once it is in the pan. Fortunately eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes have the same consistency, so they cook at the same pace. Peppers and onions require a few more minutes in the hot pan to soften, so add them first. Some cooks use just garlic, olive oil and oregano. Some add Herbs de Provence, that cute clay pot of blended herbs adds an aromatic flavor to the ragout. Equally good hot or cold, ratatouille also makes a fine accompaniment to cold meats, or may be served as a cold hors d’oeuvre with hearty crackers and a slice of good cheese. It is good reheated, because it seems to pick up flavors. Julia Child can be credited with first bringing ratatouille into our homes. Looking for ways to bring French food to American tables, with this dish she brought the labor-intensive version. Child cooked each ingredient separately and then combined them. This recipe, along with Keller’s, takes ratatouille away from its peasant roots. Ratatouille is best using one good pot, one spoon and the freshest vegetables you can find. Ratatouille recipes For vegetables: For vinaigrette: Easy Ratatouille
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