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Fast & Easy Dinner: Grilled Ratatouille With Ricotta

partysugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:50:36 -0700

Traditionally, ratatouille is a slow-cooked vegetable dish that can simmer on the stove for hours. However, this recipe takes the basic elements and makes them accessible to the busy home cook. Instead of combining the zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers in a large pot, the vegetables are individually charred on the grill. A generous shaving of salty cheese and a chunk of toasted bread slathered with chopped olives makes this a hearty, yet healthy vegetarian meal. For the recipe, keep reading.

Go French With Savory Crepe Ratatouille

YumSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:00:59 -0700

After making a scrumptious ratatouille sandwich, I couldn't get the tasty French dish out of my mind. This time, I opted to serve the cooked vegetables in a more traditional way: in a classic French crepe. Considering the prep work, ratatouille is a time-consuming dish, but once the veggies are cooking it's pretty fast and effortless. For the ratatouille, it's important to use your largest pan - I actually used a wok as it holds a larger volume. Each bite of the final dish is a complex and delicious combination of eggplant, onions, bell peppers, squash, tangy goat cheese, and crisp crepe. If you don't have time to make ratatouille, be sure to give the crepe recipe a chance. Crepes are simple to make and easy to customize - try adding herbs and cheese for a different take on the savory version. Or do what I did with the extra crepes and create a sweet crepe with strawberries and a thin layer of Nutella. To get started on your own French dinner, read more.

Ratatouille
From Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
1 1/2 cups small diced yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups medium diced eggplant, skin on
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 cup diced zucchini squash
1 cup diced yellow squash
1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Set a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the eggplant and thyme to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the green and red peppers, zucchini, and squash and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for a final 5 minutes. Stir well to blend and serve either hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4-6 generously.

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Basic Crepes
From Alton Brown

Ingredients

2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan
Ratatouille, for serving

Directions

In a blender, combine first five ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.
Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone.
After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.
Place ratatouille on a quarter of the crepe, crumble goat cheese. Fold into a triangle and serve.

Makes 8-10 crepes.

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'Wich of the Week: Open-Face Ratatouille Sandwich

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:00:13 -0700

Sometimes even a sandwich lover needs a serious serving of vegetables, so the other night, I turned my nutrition attention to these yummy open-face ratatouille sandwiches, made with roasted eggplant and red pepper, among other hearty things.Initially, I made the sandwiches according to the recipe, and they were perfectly delicious with just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a dusting of herbs. But I thought they needed something to close up their open-facedness, so I also made a version with melted provolone, which I preferred. For more details and to get the recipe, read more.

Roasting makes the veggies very moist, and the balsamic vinegar helps hold them all together. I definitely endorse the fresh thyme garnish, which makes it more interesting. Since the veggies are somewhat mild, I recommend using a high-quality artisan bread with a strong flavor, such as olive bread; I found a delicious chili bread at Trader Joe's, and the spiciness was a nice touch. I didn't have zucchini, so I left it out, but that doesn't mean you should. Check out the recipe below.

Open-Face Ratatouille Sandwich
Modified From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small zucchini or yellow summer squash, cut into 3/4-inch slices
1 medium red pepper, cut in strips
1/2 of a small red onion, cut in 1/2-inch wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence, crushed
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 large 1/2-inch slices artisan bread, such as chili bread or olive bread
1 clove roasted garlic, halved
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 slices of provolone cheese
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large shallow roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, and onion to prepared pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbes de Provence, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat.

Roast vegetables 30 minutes, tossing once. Add tomatoes to roasting pan. Roast 15 to 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender and some surface areas are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, rub bread with cut sides of the garlic clove. Place one slice of the bread on each of four serving plates. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar over vegetables; toss gently to coat.

Spoon warm vegetables on bread. If desired, garnish with fresh thyme sprigs. Cover each sandwich with a slice of cheese and return to oven until bread is toasted and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Nutrition Facts (without cheese): Calories 250, Total Fat (g) 7, Saturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 0, Sodium (mg) 328, Carbohydrate (g) 43, Fiber (g) 8, Protein (g) 7, Vitamin C (DV%) 90, Calcium (DV%) 5, Iron (DV%) 14

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2007's Favorite Foodie Film Is . . .

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:01:31 -0800

Ask anyone and they'll tell you I'm really just a big kid at heart. Turns out a good portion of you are too. In fact 62 percent of you voted Ratatouille your favorite food film of 2007. While we've had a few disagreements in our Best of 2007 recaps, this is one case where I completely agree with you. Ratatouille is such a fabulously cute film and completely droolworthy. It's hard to believe that the food is not real. Also, I love that an entire generation of children is going to grow up knowing what a sous chef is.

To check out a clip where Remi explains the working of a gourmet chicken, read more.

Source

What Is Your Favorite Foodie Film of 2007?

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:59:39 -0800

Now that we've covered all the little screen options - fave foodie reality shows, fave foodie shows, and fave cooking show - we thought we'd turn our Best of 2007 coverage to the big screen. Which of these foodie films is your favorite of 2007?

Source

Disney Backs Down On Ratatouille Themed Wine

partysugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:27:31 -0700

Ratatouille, one of the summer's most entertaining movies (I checked with BuzzSugar), has been so successful in the theaters that Disney jumped at the chance to sell foodie related products. Among them, a California brand of Ratatouille wine with Remy, the cute little rat, on the label. However Disney's plans to introduce the wine at Costco have run into so many road blocks, that they have decided to drop the wine. According to spokesman Gary Foster,

We've decided to just not go through with it. We've been getting a trickle of inquiries and complaints.

Turns out the California Wine Institute was upset about having a California wine represent a movie that encourages and promotes all things French. Also the idea of having a wine based around a children's cartoon outraged the opponents of underage drinking.

I thought the idea of a wine based on the movie was clever and cute, but maybe that's because I always select wines based on their labels... what do you guys think? Are you glad Disney has put a stop to the plans?

Source: LA Times

Yummy Link: Pixar Peeps Give Great Food Photography Advice

YumSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:38:39 -0700

The folks behind Ratatouille spill the beans on how to create beautiful food photography. I couldn't tell you what they were though, I couldn't get past the actual gorgeous food photography... - Becks & Posh

Yummy Link: Deconstructed Ratatouille

YumSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:28:39 -0700

If you've seen Ratatouille, you may have fallen in love with the deconstructed version of ratatouille. It's absolutely beautiful. - Smitten Kitchen

Yummy Links: From Ratatouille Wine to Travel Chopsticks

YumSugar — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 11:28:39 -0700

Looks like Disney's cashing in on Ratatouille by launching their own branded wines and cheese platters. - Serious Eats

Cooking hot dogs just got a little bit cuter thanks to the barking hot dog cooker. - Baking Bites
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has given the title of "sexiest vegetarian" to Carrie Underwood and Kevin Eubanks. - Slashfood
I love sushi, but even I might think twice about horse meat sushi. - Chow
If you're interested, here's a list of restaurants where this season's Top Chef contestants worked. - Zagat
Harold McGee's amazing On Food and Cooking is now fully indexed online. - Apartment Therapy Kitchen
Three new Chinese cookbooks will let you bring authentic recipes home. - Culinate
If you're planning a trip and want to take your own chopsticks, here are six sets of travel chopsticks to choose from. - NotCot

TV Dinners: Ratatouille - Traditional Ratatouille

partysugar — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:01:38 -0700

Last week both YumSugar and I had the pleasure of attending early screenings of the new Disney/Pixar movie Ratatouille . After watching the fabulously fun tale about a rat in a Parisian kitchen, I left the theater craving the show's namesake dish. Ratatouille is a Provençal dish consisting of fresh summer vegetables slowly simmered with fragrant olive oil to form a stew-like meal. It's versatile and can be served warm or cold, or as a side dish, appetizer, or main course. For a little taste of France, and the dish that inspired last weekend's best selling movie, read more

Ratatouille
From Julia Child

1/2 pound eggplant
1/2 pound zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
2 (about 1 cup) sliced green bell peppers
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, if necessary
2 cloves mashed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound firm, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced (makes 1 1/2 cups pulp)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper

Peel the eggplant and cut into lengthwise slices 3/8 inch thick, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.
Scrub the zucchini, slice off the two ends and cut the zucchini into slices about the same size as the eggplant slices. Place the vegetables in a bowl and toss with the salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain. Dry each slice in a towel.
One layer at a time, saute the eggplant and then the zucchini in hot olive oil in the skillet for about a minute on each side to brown very lightly. Remove to a side dish.
In the same skillet, cook the onions and peppers slowly in olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Stir in the garlic and season to taste.
Slice the tomato pulp into 3/8-inch strips. Lay them over the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes have begun to render their juice. Uncover, baste the tomatoes with the juices, raise heat and boil for several minutes, until juice has almost entirely evaporated.
Place a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of the casserole and sprinkle over it 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Arrange half of the eggplant and zucchini on top, then half the remaining tomatoes and parsley. Put in the rest of the eggplant and zucchini and finish with the remaining tomatoes and parsley.
Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover, tip casserole and baste with the rendered juices.
Correct seasoning, if necessary. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes more, basting several times, until juices have evaporated leaving a spoonful or two of flavored olive oil. Be careful of your heat; do not let the vegetables scorch in the bottom of the casserole.
Set aside uncovered. Reheat slowly at serving time or serve cold.

Serves 6 to 8.

Per serving (based on 6): 116 calories, 2 gm protein, 13 gm carbohydrates, 7 gm fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 gm saturated fat, 135 mg sodium, 4 gm dietary fiber

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