Rat-a-tat-ouille

A while ago, a friend told me I just *had* to see the movie, Ratatouille.  So I took her advice one night and, along with my parents (and Molly, who adores tv-watching), saw the film. The movie was adorable– just like my friend said it’d be. But I was left with a HUGE craving… for ratatouille, of course!

So the very next day, I bought all the ingredients to make my own ratatouille. It sure cured my craving; the only thing missing was Remy the Rat to help me cook.

Remy, if you’re out there, I’m in the market for a sous chef. (Although my mom might not be too receptive to the idea of a rat in the kitchen…)

As the following picture shows, I made an enormous batch of ratatouille. When I cook, I like to make extra servings and freeze the leftovers. These particular leftovers lasted quite a while!

Ratatouille, fluffy brown rice, and lime wedges (after I took this picture, I spritzed some lime on a little of the rice, decided the flavor was NOT complimentary to the ratatouille, and that was the end of the pretty lime wedges!) Other fun ways to enjoy ratatouille? Wrap some up in a tortilla, and you can call it either of these two snazzy names:
1. Ra-ta-tilla
2. Wrap-tatouille
Yeah, there are millions of ratatouille recipes floating around the internet. But– why not?– I’m going to add mine to the bunch.

Rat-a-tat-ouille

(This recipe freezes well)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3-5 tbsp minced garlic
½ lb eggplant, cubed
1 large can tomatoes (or sub fresh ones)
1 ½ lb zucchini, sliced
optional, 1 can chickpeas
3 tbsp dry basil, or much more if using fresh
salt to taste (I use 1 and 1/4 tsp. I like salt!)
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic in oil or oil spray until the onion begins to brown. Add all other ingredients, cover the pot, and cook until tender. Serve hot or cold.