The Rat Dish

“Ratatouille” is definitely one kids’ movie I am able to stomach watching with my son again and again. Not because it has some gloriously ethical outcome, but simply because I love to cook and found the story line unusually clever.  So after we first saw the movie I went to my recipe collection (ie; an assortment of hand-scribbled notes, passed on specialties, and torn-out magazine ideas) to dig out an old “ratatouille” recipe I remembered being given years ago at the Savannah Farmer’s Market but had never made.  I actually found 3 recipes for ratatouille and, in classic ‘Janice fashion’, I blended all three into my own creation.  It was heavenly.  I felt just like Ego, the antagonistic food critic, except I didn’t have a youth in the French countryside to be transported back to with each bite.  Anyway, also in classic ‘Janice fashion’, I never wrote down exactly what I changed in each recipe and to further exhaust the problem I lost 2 of the 3 recipes I had used as inspiration.  My second shot at ratatouille, I felt, was wonderful but not heavenly- although my brother liked it so much he ate it for breakfast 3 days in a row with a fried egg on top.  Weeks later and by accident, my husband unearths the number one missing ratatouille recipe and my memory comes rushing back!  It was butter instead of olive oil, definitely stewed tomatoes and a little added sugar.

Here I share with you the recipe (source unknown, as I think my mother-in-law pulled it out of some magazine) as written, with the adjustments I can remember making listed at the end.

RATATOUILLE
(or as my son says ‘rat’s patootey’)
Serves 4
1 eggplant
3/4 lb zucchini
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups canned, stewed tomatoes
1-2 teaspoons sugar
6 small white onions, sliced
2 green peppers, minced (I left these out and instead added a pint of sliced mushrooms!!)
11 tablespoons sweet butter or 7 tablespoons olive oil (I never measure this stuff, so use as much or little as you like)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (fresh does make a difference)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.    Peel the eggplant. Slice it 3/8 inch think and cut the slices into strips 1and 1/2 inches wide. (C’mon! who does this kind of measuring? I cut the eggplant into just the size cubes that made me happy- And I ALWAYS salt eggplant and let it sit, in order to draw the bitterness out before cooking.)
2.    Wash zucchini. Slice off both ends and slice the zucchini into 3/8 inch pieces. (see above slicing directions)
3.    Put the zucchini and eggplant in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and mix together. Let them stand until you are ready with the other ingredients.
4.    Simmer the stewed tomatoes in a saucepan until most of the liquid has cooked away and it becomes a puree. If the taste is too acidic, add a little sugar. (I added the sugar, and also never quite knew when it looked “pureed”)
5.    Saute’ the onions and green peppers in 3 tablespoons of butter (or 2T olive oil) until tender, but not browned. (again, this is where I traded green peppers for mushrooms! I highly recommend the mushrooms)
6.    In a large skillet, saute’ the eggplant and zucchini in 8T of butter (or 5T olive oil) and brown lightly. Take the vegetables out and set aside.
7.    In the same skillet, put the tomatoes, onion, peppers and/or mushrooms, garlic and parsley and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
8.    In a casserole, place a layer of the tomato mixture, then ½ of the eggplant and zucchini, another layer of tomatoes, the rest of the vegetables, and the rest of the tomatoes. Simmer the casserole in a preheated 300 degree oven for 45 minutes or until tender. Taste for additional seasoning. (if you’ve cut everything into beautiful proportions then you could actually try to recreate Remy’s beautiful dish from the movie using individual ramekins)

Serve with warm, crusty bread.

*My last piece of advice- let your kids help- and Enjoy!!