Ratatouille

After cooking Ratatouille at the college lab/kitchen, it was impossible not letting the memories from the classic animation take over.  Both the movie and the dish are classics that even after watching and eating multiple times, continue to bring so much joy. A unique, simple dish. A fun and heartwarming movie. 

The story I believe everybody already knows: little Remy, in love with French cooking, was scolded by his family, that believe they were only rats and should not cook, just eat the trash they found instead. Remy was different, and he knew, so when chef Auguste Gusteau appears to him on the television, with his famous phrase (and his cookbook title) "Anyone Can Cook", it fills Remy with hope. 

I have to say, I am not sure if I completely believe in this phrase myself, but if there is one dish I think anyone can cook, it is Ratatouille. So, here is the recipe: 

Ingredients: 
600ml olive oil (yes, it is a lot, see tips bellow)
200g zucchini 
300g eggplant 
200g tomato
10g garlic
80g onion
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt
Black Pepper

Preparation: 

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) 

Dice the onion and garlic in small cubes.

Slice the vegetables, trying to have all slices in similar sizes. 

Pan fry the garlic and onion on the olive oil.

In a tray of your preference, arrange the vegetables interlaying zucchini, eggplant and tomato. Once arranged, add the olive oil with garlic and onion from the pan, season with salt, black pepper, the thyme and rosemary. 

Bake it for 20 minutes or until the vegetables show slightly golden color. 

Tips:
After slicing the eggplant, add salt to it and leave it for about 15 minutes until it starts sweating - it will remove its bitter flavor. Rinse the salt before placing the eggplant in the dish. 

Try to dice the onion and garlic in very small cubes - think the smallest you can do - it will help on the presentation. 

The olive oil will make you doubt yourself because it is a lot of oil. But don't be afraid, this is a recipe from the south of France, they use a lot of olive oil, it is a characteristic of the dish.