If I went down to Beach North right now, and asked random Whyvillians what ratatouille is, they'd probably tell me something like this:
Ratatouille is a movie about a rat who becomes a chef!!
Well, that's partially true. But ratatouille is so much more than that. It's a food.
"Whoo! Food!", one might say sarcastically. But I like food. I like to cook and create and discover. Which is what I'm doing now. Discovering.
Ratatouille is a very versatile food. Made only with vegetables, it can be served as a side dish, a meal, or an appetizer. The main ingredients are tomatoes, onions, zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers.
The coolest thing about ratatouille is that it makes it's own sauce. After dicing all the veggies, and putting them in the pot, juices ooze out to form the stew. It's fun to see this big pot go from mixed up little cubes to a bubbling broth.
To a girl who hates tomatoes, that doesn't sound great. But when my dad made it, I tried it anyways. After all, how bad could it be? I hadn't even had eggplant before. Maybe I'd like it!
I hated it.
However, my tastebuds aren't the same as yours. Anxious to try ratatouille? Here's a recipe I got from Food Network:
1/3 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 onion, sliced
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried savory, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
3/4 pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 small zucchini, scrubbed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 pound cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bay leaf, oregano, tarragon, thyme, savory, fennel seeds and ground coriander and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant.
Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
There you go Whyville. Dazzle your family and friends.
Eat up!
katluvr11
