Episode 123 - Movies for Food Lovers : Ratatouille (2007)

It's pronounced as Rat-ta-to-uie. With a silent L. Hehe. Running at around an hour and 51 minutes, this is a movie about a rat named Remy who dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely - and certainly unwanted - visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy's passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down. (http://movies.yahoo.com/) It's an Action Adventure/Comedy/Kids and Family movie, suitable for anyone of different ages. Rating : G

To be honest, I'm not an Animated Movie fan but this was actually a very good watch since it has a storyline on how you can live your dream! I 'll give this an A. I like the part where the rat hides in the Chef's hat and controls him with his hair when he cooks!

But.. What is Ratatouille?

No, it's not French for Rat although I thought at first it was. Haha. Ratatouille is actually a classic stewed vegetable dish which originated in a French region called Provence. "Rata" is a slang meaning "chunky stew" while "touille" means "to stir". Over the years, the recipe to this stewed dish has changed with additional items but originally its a stew containing eggplants, tomatoes, zucchinis, bell peppers, onion and garlic with some herbs. However, to cook a very good Ratatouille, one must be patient and cook the vege thoroughly to not compromise the savoury flovour of the dish. Heres a basic recipe of Ratatouille:

Ratatouille

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 small eggplant, cubed
2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped

4 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
3 to 4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method:

In a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add eggplant; stir until coated with oil. Add peppers; stir to combine. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep vegetables from sticking.

Add tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs; mix well. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender but not too soft.

(Recipe from southernfood.about.com)

Serves: 2

Alright guys, thanks for dropping by. More movies for Food lovers coming soon! XOXO