Sunday, February 5, 2012

veggie delight

 Slowly but surely I am teaching myself to cook... mostly with vegetables because they are forgiving and if somehow you do something truly atrocious, balsamic vinegar can fix it. During a recent baking experience, my sister explained to me that the order in which you add things actually does matter... news to me! Thankfully, I've found that most other cooking seems to allow more room for spontaneity, creativity and, well, mistakes. For Christmas, I gave my mom a voucher for a "vegetable feast" because I'm on a mission to cram as many antioxidants, vitamins, and generally healthful things into our bodies as possible. Tonight, as the fulfillment of my Christmas promise and in celebration of my mama's birthday, I made ratatouille -- a dish I honestly didn't know existed until Remy whipped it up in the delightful 2007 Disney/Pixar animated film.

Though originally a French recipe, ratatouille is anything but ostentatious or stuck-up. Although the process is about 1.5 hours long, this vegetarian meal can last for days and is well worth the time and energy. You should start by simmering the tomato base with some garlic and basil, while chopping the assortment of veggies as haphazardly as you desire. In my stewy version I included eggplant, zucchini, onions, and bell peppers. In order to showcase their unique flavors, it is advisable to cook each vegetable separately and then add them to the simmering tomato mixture for the final few minutes. And then we spread the deliciousness over a bed of jasmine rice.

In one of the many entertaining scenes in Ratatouille, Linguini remarks, "Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like 'rat' and 'patootie.' Rat-patootie, which does not sound delicious." However unappetizing its name might be, your tastebuds will not be misled -- try it and believe! I don't know if I would have passed Anton Ego's test, but I think my family enjoyed it... am I right or am I right?

As I lie in bed, the scent of a successful Sunday and scrumptious meal hits me... yes, fresh garlic on my fingertips.

1 comment:

  1. Ever since I watched "Ratatouille" and an episode of "Gilmore Girls" where Sookie makes it with vegetables she got from a supplier other than her husband Jackson, I've always wanted to try it. Mmmmm. Sounds lovely.

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