Rad-atouille

For the last few months I have been nearly sick with anticipation over the release of Pixar's newest flick, "Ratatouille". I started seeing the ads when I was visiting California back in April-- a giant billboard featuring a rat, a chef's toque, and a Parisian landscape dwarfing the Powell Street overpass in Emeryville.

Food. Paris. Pixar. Score!

But I still had to wait for the release date, June 29th, three painfully long months away. Mind you, I don't normally get terribly excited about the release of movies, but this time the ants in my pants were plentiful and very active.

Tempted as I was to see the movie on its opening day, I decided to agonize a few extra days and wait until July 4th to go. It was the best way I could think of to spend my birthday, and I would have the company of James and Naomi to make it that much more fun.

The cinemas at Battery Park were completely overrun with moviegoers avoiding bad weather, but luckily James got there good and early to get our tickets (good thing we didn't want to see "Transformers" because it was sold out). We managed to get decent seats and groaned through the previews (why would you not animate the film version of "Underdog"? Honestly!).

"Ratatouille" was worth the wait and lived up to all the hype. It was very funny, with an engaging story, fun characters, and predictably amazing animation. I snuck in some cookies I'd made-- peanut butter bars and raspberry almond squares. Sort of an appetite whetter for the dinner we were going to have at my place post-movie: ratatouille, of course.

James's boyfriend Robert joined us back at my apartment where we ate fresh, soft, raw cow's milk cheese doused in honey with organic whole wheat sourdough from the Greenmarket. The ratatouille was thick and vaguely spicy and went great with the Sardinian couscous and garbanzos I had made as accompaniments. I had a hard time deciding what to make for dessert-- summer seems the optimal time to make a peach pie, but cake is my favorite food. I almost made both, but I decided to take the middle ground and make strawberry shortcake. Just for kicks, I prepared some peaches to make peach shortcake as well. Topped with mounds of freshly whippped cream, the shortcakes just about put all of us in a collective food coma.

So my year of being thirty seven got off to a great start with food, film, and friends. Plus I made it through the entire day without hearing a single firecracker or having to see any fireworks, which is always a great relief to me. Next year, maybe I'll aim to eat my birthday ratatouille in Provence. Who wants to join me?




Rad-atouille
Most traditional ratatouille recipes call for fresh or dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, marjoram, or herbes de Provence. This recipe strays a bit by omitting the herbs and adding in a little spice and balsamic vinegar, both of which add a nice twist to the classic. I like to cook my stew until it's nearly mush, but you can certainly leave it chunkier.

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chile flakes (optional, but you'd be nuts to leave it out)
  
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 medium eggplant, dense and heavy for its size, cut into chunks*
  
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed, and cut into chunks*
• 1 large zucchini, cut into chunks*
  
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2-3 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• fresh basil leaves

*I usually cut my veggies into cubes that are about 1 1/2" square, but you can cut them to any size as long as the size is consistent.

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil, chile flakes, and bay leaf over medium-high heat until oil is hot. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft. Add eggplant and continue to saute until eggplant is mostly tender and browns slightly, 8-10 minutes. Remove the eggplant to a bowl and set it aside; saute the zucchini and peppers for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini starts to turn soft and brown slightly, adding a couple more tablespoons of olive oil if necessary. Add the eggplant back in. Add in the balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring everything to a gentle boil, stirring often to keep pan from scorching. As soon as the boil starts, set the flame to low, cover the pot, and let the ratatouille simmer for at least 45 minutes, but the longer the better, up to 2 or 3 hours. Check on it occasionally and give it a stir so it doesn't feel neglected. It's ready when it reaches the consistency you like-- it can be quite chunky or sort of melty or somewhere in between.

Serve with the carbohydrate of your choice; I opt for crusty bread or couscous, especially if it's the big-style Israeli or Sardinian couscous. Garnish with torn fresh basil leaves. A sprinkle of Parmigiano or a dollop of ricotta wouldn't hurt either. Or maybe even a drizzle of nice extra virgin olive oil.

For the garbanzos, I simmered cooked beans with a little fresh, chopped tomato and turmeric, stirring in a healthy handful of minced parsley at the end. And some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for sure.

Here's a shot of the strawberry shortcake. I didn't particularly love the biscuit recipe, but that only means I have to keep trying to make them till I get it right.