La Ratatouille

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Welcome to Remy's Vegetarian Dish Tuesday

I cannot believe it has taken me so long to post this!  When I first started the blog on March 5, 2010, this was one of the first dishes I wanted to make.  Better late than never.

Ratatouille is a French provencal vegetable dish.  Traditionally made with eggplant, zucchini, garlic, onions, bell peppers, carrots, and fresh herbs.

In 2007, Pixar released the animated feature film, Ratatouille, one of my all time favorite movies.  Pixar hired Thomas Keller, America's finest chef, to consult on creating the ratatouille which is the central dish in the film.  Keller used his refined culinary skills to elevate this humble dish.  SPOILER ALERT!  In the climax of the film, Remy the rat chef, serves this course to Anton Ego the most respected food critic in Paris.

Here's my homage to Remy's dish.  This course look simple enough, but what makes it interesting is the shape.  However, the real winners are the tomato sauce infused with cinnamon and vanilla bean, along with toasted brioche breadcrumbs with grated Comte cheese.  Enjoy!

La Ratatouille

For the tomato sauce:
Vine ripened tomatoes
Olive oil
Onions
Celery
Leeks
Carrots
Garlic
Shallots
Tomato paste
Riesling Wine
Cinnamon stick
Vanilla Bean - split in half

Herb Bundle
Thyme
Marjoram
Bay leaf

Note: Quantities are left up to the discretion of the cook's palate.  I would suggest only 1 cinnamon stick and vanilla bean.  Their imprint on the sauce should be subtle.

In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, celery, carrots cook for 10 minutes.  Add the leeks, garlic, shallots.  Cook for 7 minutes.  Make a well in the center, add the tomato paste.  Brown the tomato paste to reduce raw acidity.  Deglaze with the Riesling wine.  Reduce the wine until almost dry.  Add the tomatoes, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, and herb bundle.  Simmer for 5 hours.  Adding water as needed, if too reduced.  Check for seasoning.  Add sea salt & black pepper.

Remove the herb bundle, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean.  Puree the sauce with an Cuisinart CSB-76BC SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chrome .  Strain through a  CIA Masters Collection 5-Inch Very Fine Mesh Strainer.

For the Vegetables:
Zucchini
Squash
Eggplant
Leeks
Roma Tomatoes

Slice all vegetables thin on a Kyocera Adjustable Mandolin Slicer, Black.  In a baking dish, spoon some of the tomato sauce.  Then layer the sliced vegetable in an alternating sequence.  Cover with a parchment paper lid with a small hole in the center to allow steam to release.  Bake at 325 F for 25 minutes.

For the Brioche Breadcrumbs:
Brioche Bread
Comte Cheese
Thyme
Smoked pimenton
Fleur de Sel

In a food processor blitz the brioche.  In a saute pan, with no oil, toasted the breadcrumbs.  Season with smoked pimenton, fleur de sel, thyme, and finely grated Comte cheese.

To Plate:
Center the ratatouille.  Drizzle the tomato sauce on the plate.  Add a tiny dice of zucchini and carrot.  Spinkle the brioche breadcrumbs.  Garnish with a sprig of chive.

I am sending this dish over to Ann from Momgateway.  She is hosting a light recipes contest and this dish is light! I just recently found her blog and would enthusiastically recommend it.  If you have a good light recipe and would like to take on me, there is still time.  The deadline is July 25, 2010.

That's it for now...till we exchange a few words again...Peace!