When this Disney Pixar movie was released I was astounded at the very thought that was the centre of the entire movie – Remy`s burning passion for cooking inspired by his Chef Gusteau and his astounding sense of smell. He always cooked with his sense of smell and that was something very magical and endearing about it. The expression of the famous food critic Anton Ego when  has a bite of the Ratatouille whipped up by Remy is  one of extreme happiness as he is immediately reminded of his mom`s cooking.  The movie ends on a happy note with the food critic Anton Ego funding a new bistro run by Remy the rat and some more of his friends. The climax of the movie is by far my favourite, where Remy patiently slices all the vegetables in the mandoline, splatters sauce on the base of the dish and arranges all the sliced veggies in the baking dish. I had never noticed that she does cover the dish with parchment paper which is what the recipe calls for. The movie has been outlined with such tremendous detail and capture new details every time I watch the movie!

Since I day I watched the movie, I had been wanting to taste the original version of this dish and I must push that dream to a little later until I can visit my dream destination – the City of Love – Paris. This weekend I found myself with all the ingredients I wanted except of course the eggplants. I still decided to go with my heart and made it yesterday for my family and they loved it. Every bite was filled with the bite of the crunchy veggies baked in the aromatic tomato sauce and pillows of cheese ravioli! Bon Appetite!!!

INGREDIENTS:

FOR TOMATO SAUCE:

5  Medium Tomatoes.

1 Garlic Pod.

1 Medium Onion.

1 Small Carrot.

1 Tsp Salt.

1 Tsp Brown Sugar.

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar.

1 Tsp Dried/ Fresh Basil.

For the Ratatoiuille Base Sauce:

1 Onion.

1 Garlic.

1 Tsp Oregano.

2 Tsp Parsley.

1 Bay Leaf.

2-3 Cups of the Prepared Tomato Sauce.

For the Vegetable Layer:

1 Zucchini  sliced in to thin circles.

1 Yellow Squash sliced in to thin circles.

1 Japanese Eggplant sliced in to thin circles.

1 Carrot Sliced into thin circles.

1 Red/Yellow/Green Peppers for colour. ( I did not have them so my version was made without them.)

Salt & Pepper to season the veggies.

PREP WORK:

• Arrange all the sliced veggies on a large tray and season them with salt and pepper.

PREPARATION:

• Take the first six ingredients and make a slightly chunky basic tomato sauce. Add your favourite herbs – Basil / Oregano etc.
• Simmer the chunky tomato sauce over a medium flame for about 20 minutes until  some of the water evaporates and it becomes slightly “saucy”!!!
• In another wok, add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and then pop in the herbs listed under “Tomato Base” – bay leaf, parsley and some oregano. When they fry  in the oil, add t he garlic and the onions.  Allow to brown only slightly and then add your prepared “Ratatouille Base Sauce”. Give it a quick stir and let them all come together.
• Take a shallow baking dish and firstly add a layer of the prepared Ratatouille Sauce.Spread them around the base of the dish.
• Arrange the sliced veggies atop the sauce concentrically alternating each of them with the other . This does give it a dash of colour and symmetry! You might be left with a few more of the sliced veggies, but that’s fine.

• Make sure that the slices peek out from the sauce and they are not dunked in it completely.
• Season one last time with a twist of your pepper mill and sprinkle a few drops of balsamic vinegar over the top.
• Preheat the oven to 375F in the mean time.
• Before placing the Ratatouille inside the oven, many recipes call for  lining the inside of the dish with parchment paper  but I didnt have any.
• I went ahead and popped it in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until the veggies are well cooked but not limp. They should not be allowed to brown.
• I served my Ratatouille as a side for Cheese Ravioli in Tomato Sauce.