Ratatouille
So this post is about two meanings of the title: 1. The Pixar movie, and 2. The Food.
I grew up on Ratatouille, a staple of meals that we ate almost once a week. For those of you who do not know what it is, it's a sort of veggie stew. Summer squash, zuccici (my favourite), eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, you name it! I can't remember ever disliking this concoction, despite being a kid and what that implied about vegetables. So imagine my surprise when the Pixar movie came out, and people apparently knew what this was. I was taken by surprise: I hadn't imagined that anyone knew about this dish.
I finally watched it the other night, and it inspired me to finally give my mom's recipe a try. What you saw in the movie was not how I knew it. My mom, despite how I felt at the time, was a fantastic cook. Her major flaw was one I now suffer: She would become distracted, and often find her food burnt or overlooked. However, when she got it right, it sang. She never did seem to try for visuals, but the food spoke for itself. So when I saw the unique way the movie presented this "peasant dish," you can bet I was inspired to try myself.
Cooking for me is a place to be both creative and to unwind. I love experimenting with new things, and seeing where it leads me. As someone who works with computers so much, nothing feels more distant from that than working with my hands. This has lead me to gardening, cooking and all things physical. (As a kid I always took a fancy to carpentry)
So tonight I had my first go at Ratatouille, and it wasn't so bad. Unlike my mom's approach, I sliced my vegetables thin and whole. (My mom would slice them into wedges.) When I was finished, I lined them up in the dish in alternating patterns: Squash, Zuccini, Eggplant, Tomato; The onions and peppers served as a bed. It didn't come out so badly, although after some research, I've found a better method for the next time. However, it felt good to reinvent my childhood for the first time. I'm expanding my horizons, and I'm excited to see where they shall lead.
I grew up on Ratatouille, a staple of meals that we ate almost once a week. For those of you who do not know what it is, it's a sort of veggie stew. Summer squash, zuccici (my favourite), eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, you name it! I can't remember ever disliking this concoction, despite being a kid and what that implied about vegetables. So imagine my surprise when the Pixar movie came out, and people apparently knew what this was. I was taken by surprise: I hadn't imagined that anyone knew about this dish.
I finally watched it the other night, and it inspired me to finally give my mom's recipe a try. What you saw in the movie was not how I knew it. My mom, despite how I felt at the time, was a fantastic cook. Her major flaw was one I now suffer: She would become distracted, and often find her food burnt or overlooked. However, when she got it right, it sang. She never did seem to try for visuals, but the food spoke for itself. So when I saw the unique way the movie presented this "peasant dish," you can bet I was inspired to try myself.
Cooking for me is a place to be both creative and to unwind. I love experimenting with new things, and seeing where it leads me. As someone who works with computers so much, nothing feels more distant from that than working with my hands. This has lead me to gardening, cooking and all things physical. (As a kid I always took a fancy to carpentry)
So tonight I had my first go at Ratatouille, and it wasn't so bad. Unlike my mom's approach, I sliced my vegetables thin and whole. (My mom would slice them into wedges.) When I was finished, I lined them up in the dish in alternating patterns: Squash, Zuccini, Eggplant, Tomato; The onions and peppers served as a bed. It didn't come out so badly, although after some research, I've found a better method for the next time. However, it felt good to reinvent my childhood for the first time. I'm expanding my horizons, and I'm excited to see where they shall lead.