Ratatouille: A Movie to Get Kids to Eat Vegetables
by Kalyn Denny
Ratatouille is taking the movie world by storm. I recently saw it with my two young nephews, and like so many other food lovers, and Blogher entertainment editor Jenny Lauck, I loved the movie. I loved it even more when we were leaving the theater and my nephew asked "What did that rat cook for the mean guy?"
Ratatouille is one of those recipes like salsa or spaghetti sauce where everyone has their own version. Most recipes include tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant, and garlic and herbs are a must. Last summer I asked Blogher readers, Can You Pronounce Ratatouille? Now that every kid in the world can pronounce it, what an opportunity to introduce kids, and possibly some picky adult eaters as well, to this delightful vegetable (often vegan) stew.
Supposedly it was this version of Ratatouille created by famous chef Thomas Keller and reprinted in the New York Times, that the movie portrayal of the dish was based on.
I called Bea's version the ultimate ratatouille blog post at La Tartine Gourmand.
At Simply Recipes, Elise shares Dad's Ratatouille Recipe, as well as links to a lot of ratatouille recipes from other food bloggers.
Some claim ratatouille is an adaptation of a famous Turkish dish called Imam Biyaldi, which looks delicious at Food Vagabond.
If you're watching your fat intake, Alanna has a low-fat version of ratatouille at Kitchen Parade that's only one Weight Watcher's point.
At Rachel's Recipe Box, Rachel first assured her kids that there was no rat cooked in the dish, and then pleased the kids with Chicken Ratatouille, adapted from The Silver Spoon.
Finally, if your kids are really inspired by the movie, at A Readable Feast, Anne Marie gives us a simple version of ratatouille that kids can make.
The photo is Blogher Food Editor Kalyn Denny's version of Ratatouille Wanna-Be from Kalyn's Kitchen.
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Comments
My son made Rat tonight!
You can read about it here:
http://littleelephants.typepad.com/little_elephants/2007/07/bjrns-ratato...
It was perfect timing that I had your Rat post still handy when he announced that he wanted to make it himself :-)
Vero.
Little Elephants
You'll also find me on the Silicon Valley Moms Blog and at eHub
you were missing all the fun then
I thin ratatouille should have all the ingredients, i guess you were missing all the fun then but now you can eat whatever you want. I have some problems with garlic myself but i'm also taking acetyl-l carnitine and it does make my life a lot easier.
What memories!
I used to make ratatouille with my mom when I was a kid. Thanks so much for bringing back a wonderful memory :-)
I noticed you have a link to a low-fat version? Something must have changed with ratatouille since I was a kid because it's got to be the most low-cal, low-fat dish I can imagine! we did use a bit of butter to melt our onions in the begining, but other than that it's all delicious fresh veggies and herbs.
Vero.
Little Elephants
You'll also find me on the Silicon Valley Moms Blog and at eHub
Interesting
Veronique, if you haven't seen the movie you must see it because memories of mothers making Ratatouille are an important plot element! That's interesting that your mother didn't use much oil. Most of the recipes I've seen call for a pretty generous amount of olive oil, and even a vinaigrette over the finished dish. I seriously don't think there could be a bad version of this dish.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Nope. No olive oil at all.
Nope. No olive oil at all. Just a pat of butter to sweat (? not sure of the term since we cooked in French -- cooking in butter until the onions are translucent?) the onions. We cooked the whole thing in a large cast iron pot. The herbs were generally Herbes de Provence, plus thyme, some rosemary, and a bayleaf or two. I can taste it now :-)
Personally, I would think olive oil would make for a slightly bitter taste... ours was very mellow.
Vero.
Little Elephants
You'll also find me on the Silicon Valley Moms Blog and at eHub
More Recipes!
Aloha Kalyn!
I just left a comment at Jenny's movie review, but saw this and thought I'd chime in here as well.
Chef Mavro is probably the most popular French Chef in Hawaii, and he was quite taken with the movie.
In this article from the Honolulu Advertiser Newspaper, Chef Mavro shares his own recipe for Ratatouille.
His secret? Prepare the ingredients separately, in order to preserve the individual flavors!
Lisa N.
Owner and Founder
Aloha Hawaiian Shirts at Beanteacher Hawaiian Style
Great Tips
Veronique, sweat is the right term for slowly cooking the onions in butter. I'm fascinated that your mother used only butter. I think my own version is kind of an Italian export of the dish, since I used basil as the flavoring.
Beanteacher,I've heard of that idea of cooking all the ingredients separately, and I've seen it done both ways. As I said, I think this tastes great in just about any variation. I think the long, slow cooking time is essential, but a lot of other things can be varied.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Memories of mom
My French mother made a very interesting ratatouille. Since my father was allergic to onions and garlic she had to leave those out. And since she was fond of all the odd vegetables at the Asian market, she'd make an interesting veggie stew of whatever caught her eye there. She called it a "rat stew" just to make us kids laugh.