Visualize two legendary gourmands, the Roman Emperor Caligula and the French King Henri IV, having a heated argument across the span of sixteen centuries. Now imagine a little rat called Remy who loves cooking up a storm and inventing new dishes. Finally, picture a winged Greek goddess Nike (that’s a name, not Michael Jordan’s sneakers!) hovering over all three declaring in a booming voice of a boxing referee, “And the winner is… Remy”
“No way! – screams Caligula, – it’s my favorite dish! Even the Greeks knew how to make it, and we conquered the Greeks, so there!”
Oops, sorry, this is not Caligula; it’s his horse Incitatus, but since he did make Incitatus a member of the Senate, perhaps we’ll get some truth out of the horse’s mouth. No? Oh, well, it won’t be the first case of a senator remaining silent.
Ooops, this is also not the real Caligula, but only a photo from a 1979 film (NOT family-oriented, by far!), where a great British actor Malcolm McDowell brilliantly portrayed a depraved, insane young emperor who eventually declared himself god. No wonder the Victory Goddess Nike considers him a loser! Forget him.
“Nonsense, mon ami, – smiles King Henry into his moustache, – I used to have a whole grand pot of it with my three of four dozens of Belon oysters and a couple of bottles of wine, as an appetizer, you know… Navarre, you know, is right next door to Nice… My kingdom, you know, it was definitely worth a Mass!”
“Getting warmer, Your Majesty – concedes Nike, – but did you have tomatoes? What about zucchini? And this funny purple Indian thing called eggplant? No? Of course not! They were brought to Europe after your time, so you are close, but no cigar!”
“Me, me, me! – squeaks Remy the rat, – I invented ratatouille! It’s named after me, and this is how it happened!”
Remy the rat is definitely the winner here but, contrary to many movie fans’ belief, Ratatouille most probably originated in Nice and the Provence region of France (close to Navarre, Your Majesty, you’re right about that!). It even has a last name, Niçoise. There is a definite Mediterranean flavor to this simple, hearty, and healthy dish of vegetables stewed in olive oil with herbs de provence.
The word Ratatouille itself means to toss, or to stir, from French touiller. The classic recipe starts with minced onions and garlic (lots of garlic!), sautéed in olive oil to soft golden perfection. Meanwhile, you need to slice or cube zucchini, eggplant, and sweet bell pepper, dice a nice soft juicy tomato, and grate a carrot. While Remy the rat prefers a sliced version, I like my veggies disintegrated to the point of blending. For my rosettes presentation, it serves the purpose. Combine your sautéed onions and garlic with all the cubed veggies in a pot, add some more olive oil, and start cooking and stirring, cooking and tossing, and stirring again. Add all your herbs: parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. I also add cilantro and my secret ingredient, light sweet red wine. Season it with salt and pepper, and perhaps a dash of cinnamon. This is going to cook for quite a while, about 40 – 45 minutes, so meanwhile you can get your rosettes ready.
I use these vegan spring roll wrappers. I am sure you can find a similar product or substitute any flaky dough cut into squares.
You have to press them into a misted with oil muffin pan making sure that the edges don’t fold inside. Bake them for about 12 – 15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pan. They are pretty fragile, so you have to be careful not to break them! Now you can arrange them on a serving platter and wait until your guests arrive and you are ready to serve. Fill them with hot Ratatouille right before serving. You don’t want these crispy beauties to get soggy!
You have made an elegant and tasty appetizer or side dish, and you don’t have to be a goddess, a king, or an emperor to enjoy it!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 large or 2 medium zucchini
- 2 sweet bell peppers, preferably different colors
- 1 large soft tomato
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium onion
- 5 – 6 garlic cloves
- A mix of fresh chopped parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cilantro
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup light sweet red wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: a dash of cinnamon
- 16 spring roll wrappers
PROCEDURE
- Mince onion and garlic, sauté in olive oil in a large pot until soft and golden brown.
- Peel and cube eggplant and zucchini. Roughly chop peppers. Dice tomato. Peel and grate carrot. Add to the pot.
- Add olive oil, wine, herbs, seasoning. Toss well, cook on medium heat until vegetables start softening and liquid appears, about 15 – 20 minutes. Reduce heat, simmer for 20 – 25 minutes until vegetables blend. Stir frequently.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Mist muffin pan with oil. Press each individual spring roll wrapper into a muffin slot to form a cup. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove and let cool in pan.
- Fill rosettes with hot ratatouille when ready to serve. Garnish with remaining herbs.
Enjoy!
Great post! Love the recipe and the history too! 🙂 x
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Thank you so much – glad you like it!
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Nice post
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Thank you, dear!
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Welcome 🙂
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So elegant and the ingredients sound delicious! I am sure they are fragile an if we make them with the kids while we watch the movie, we will probably have some broken ones!!! I love how you wrote this whole story and your pictures of your Ratatouille Rosettes are so pretty! 🙂 Jen
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Thank you so much – I am glad you like them! There is no such thing as broken baked goods or failed sushi rolls, etc. Those are chef’s bonuses, and they are part of the fun of cooking!
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Very true! Sometimes something broken turns in to an idea for a new recipe! Or we just push it back together and eat it! 🙂 Jen
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Such a tasty dish, and such nice presentation. 🙂
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Thank you, Ronit! Your comments are so valuable to me.
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Looks yummy. Love it! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much – glad you like it!
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Gorgeous presentation, could be used for many other dishes! I have a question about your wrappers: can you tell me the ingredients? No wheat in them, right ?
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Thank you so much – I am glad you like it! No wheat, gluten free, rice flour-based. They are just thicker than rice paper so you can bake them, as I discovered when I experimented with them.
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Love these awesome looking wrappers you made. WOW, funky cat!!
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Thank you – it was a hit, and so easily done!
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😉
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Here, here!
yes, bring those delish morsels my way! Excellent story, will you be available for more, makes the food so good! *love it!* can you hear myvoice rise 2 octaves?
😉
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Thank you so much, sweetheart! Yes, I can hear you hitting the high “C”!
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hehehe!!!
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It looks lovely (not really my thing but it does look lovely). Love the introduction (as always), Mr Little Boot (Caligula) reminds me of my school – we had a housemistress we called Agrippina…
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Oh, which Agrippina did you have in mind, mom or sister? It’s interesting that I could find no images of Mr Gaius the Little Boot, other than the one questionable bust, so I had to use a photo of Malcolm McDowell whom I consider one of the greatest actors ever. I also had quite a problem finding a family-oriented photo to use!
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We meant ‘the elder’ but then, I don’t think we really cared…we probably messed up our Agrippinas and even an occasional Messalina 😉
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Same crowd, same Claudius…
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I love your history lessons intertwined with humor and food; nice combos!
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Thank you for your kind words; I really appreciate the compliment!
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Not only did I love this article because it’s one of my favorite dishes, you reference a film I truly enjoyed after multiple viewings. Thank you very much again. Excellent work.
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I hope you mean Ratatouille film, not Caligula! Thank you for your kind comment, Bobby!
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Lol. You are correct, I have yet to see Caligula. My apologies. And thank you for your writing and knowledge.
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I was only kidding! Believe me, it is not mandatory to see Caligula, even though Malcolm McDowell is a great actor. When it first came out, there was a great big controversy in the U.S. about the rating of it. There are parts in this film that are simply hard porn.
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Lol. I know you were joking. I apologize for sending the same message twice. I wasn’t sure the first went through.
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I realized that, and no apologies necessary.
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Lol. You are correct. I have yet to see Caligula. My apologies. Thank you again for your writing.
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Guess what I’m having for a late lunch/early dinner? The smell is driving me crazy already. I never remember to fix ratatouille for some reason, so your super post set me to craving something I haven’t tasted in quite a while.
No wrappers – alas – so my presentation will suffer, but I’m hoping the basmati rice that is soaking while the veggies are cooking themselves into a nice blend of flavors will make it tasty and filling none-the-less. It’s just for me, but I’m making enough to have leftovers tomorrow (I hope 🙂 )
Another beautiful post and wonderfully fun history lesson, Dolly. Loved the clip from that adorable film, btw – one of my favs among the few cartoons I have loved since the early Disney days. As always, enjoyed the interaction in the comments.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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I am so glad that my post inspired you to enjoy yourself! It doesn’t have to wrappers; anything carby will work,and rice is perfect. Toasted pita is also very good with it. Have fun!
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Haven’t found a GF pita I like – but I do love rice and it was great with my basmati.
QUESTION:
~~~~~~~~~
Do you know why they say to soak that particular type of rice [only] for a half-hour before adding water to cook? Do you believe it is necessary? Is this something passed along for other reasons — like cutting off the ends of the ham?
It seems to me that starting with the rice covered with water, then adding the boiling cooking water would work out the same?
It’s my fav but I rarely make it because it takes so darned long – even without the prep soak. (I always make tons and did this time as well – so I’ll be eating rice dishes through the weekend. lol)
xx,
mgh
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I use a rice cooker which does not require soaking as prep, but otherwise basmati rice does need pre-soaking. Making tons is a great idea because you can portion it out and freeze.
I am glad you enjoyed your ratatouille!
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It was yummie – and more filling than expected. Must be the olive oil in both cases. I never used that much, but now always will.
xx,
mgh
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I only use extra virgin olive oil because it’s the only kosher olive oil,and it’s kosher because it’s the purest; it doesn’t even need a kosher certification.
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No kidding? I only use first press EVO because it’s supposed to be the healthiest. I also think it tastes the best.
xx,
mgh
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I agree. The first press was considered so pure as to be used in the Temple. In fact, that’s what the miracle of Chanukkah is about.
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I didn’t realize the oil that burned for so long was olive oil. So much I learn from you!
xx,
mgh
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It’s in the Torah, so those who don’t learn it are not expected to know. I do appreciate your interest and your thirst for knowledge!
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As I appreciate yours. Like minds with different backgrounds have much to share.
xx,
mgh
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Absolutely, and a desire to learn.
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Reblogged this on koolkosherkitchen and commented:
I have just learned from a marvelous blogger Derrick Knight at https://derrickjknight.com and the lovely Mrs Knight known as the Culinary Queen that ratatouille with tomatoes and red peppers is called “red ratatouille.” That’s how we have made it in Odessa for the last 200 years, only we called it “sauté.” Here is the proof! Enjoy, Beautiful People.
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Great idea! I love the movie Ratatouille too. How do you keep the cups from getting soggy though?
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Dear Jeanne, you keep them from getting soggy by eating them real fast! But seriously, you load them at the last possible moment, when guests are already seated and wine glasses are filled. Then they disappear before you can say “Cheers!”
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That’s what I thought, but I was just wondering if you had a “secret trick”. But I definitely love your idea of just eating them as fast as you can. 🙂
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Secret trick? A nice bottle of Pinot Grigio, chilled just right.
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I love ratatouille! The rosettes for serving make this dish more decadent I love them! I have promised some friends dinner, this may well be my starter! Thank you so much for the recipe and, as ever, your fun style of presenting in a blog…always makes me smile 🙂 x
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Thank you so much, dear Rachael; I truly appreciate your kind comment. If you make them, please let me know how they turn out!
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I will! X
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Enjoy, dear friend!
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Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
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Thank you so much for reblogging, dear Edward.
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Like Remy, you are a genius in the kitchen, Dolly! Caligula can keep his horse (LOL). Love and blessings, A. ❤ ❤ ❤
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Far from that, dear Anna, but thank you so much for your kind words!
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
DELICIOSO!
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Thank you so much for reblogging, dear friend.
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AYE-YUP!
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I can only imagine you telling stories to your children when they were young. I just love the stories you share with your recipes!!
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When my son was little, we made up stories together. He grew up to be as much a storyteller, as I am, if not more. Our adopted son came into our lives at the age of 13, and I had to teach him to read and write. He couldn’t read himself until he learned, so yes, I was reading to him and telling him stories.
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Oh how wonderful. Children have such imaginative minds, it’s so wonderful watching their faces as you turn the pages ❤️️
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Thank you, darling; I knew you would understand.
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🤗
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I enjoyed this first time round, but don’t seem to have commented then
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Than you very much, Derrick.
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