La Ratatouille à la "Ratatouille"

Rats are cute. Ok ok, not always - like the nutria running around the docks or the rats that peer with little red beady eyes from the dumpster in the alley - but for those who doubt, please see here. Or watch the movie Ratatouille - a fabulous movie for a bunch of reasons: silly, heartwarming, contains cute rats, and is almost wholly and entirely devoted to the subject of food. I'll stay away from the philosophical discussions engendered by the movies many characters and events for the time being, if only becasue such things are best discussed over a hearty meal and then a full belly.
As the title would foreshadow, the denoument of the movie centers on the preparation of Ratatouille, for which I found myriad different recipies online. That should surprise nobody, as it seems that, for many common French dishes or foods, ownership or origin is hotly debated by those who wish to claim ownership of the true dish (or drink, in the case of pastis, absinthe, etc.) Like in any traditional food, typically everyone's grandmother was the originator of the best version, which, of course, was only made possible by the decscent of both the recipe and the grandmother from the original creator of the dish in the first place. I'm sure the same is true for many recipes for ratatouille, though at least Wikipedia seems quite clear about the origins of the dish in the area of France now known as Provence.
Interestingly, both the version used in the movie (developed by Chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry restaurant) and most of the recipes I could find which were attributed to other chefs are based on a version of the dish that branched off from tradition in the 1970s with the creation of "cuisine minceur" by French chef Michel Guérard. Cuisine minceur is basically a more delicate, and generally lower-calorie, approach to the recreation of many dishes and the invention of new ones. Where it applies to ratatouille is in the fact that the more delicate preparation of ingredients gives both a more delicate texture and also a more richly interwoven flavour. Guérard published a minceur adaptation of ratatouille in his book (linked above) and gave the dish the name "confit bayaldi."

For the movie, Chef Keller adapted confit bayaldi back towards the more traditional ratatouille ingredients (Guérard had added mushrooms in place of peppers) and made some additions to the finishing and presentation. He also tweaked the name to "confit byaldi." And so was born the most recent, movie-star version of the old-school, peasant-farmer stew. There's just one problem when you try to make it in your own kitchen: it takes forever to prepare and cook! Here's the recipe (via the New York Times - seemed like the most reliable source.) So, all deference due to Chef Keller, I wanted to make the recipe a little quicker but with an equivalent result - a bit more accessible for the everyday. I think I succeeded, though the only way to know for sure would be if he consented to come to dinner for a taste...
The recipe, namely the ingredients and basic preparation, I did not change. I minced the required minceables and sliced the required slicees. However, I peeled none of the vegetables, nor did I pre-roast the peppers. I discovered, too, that tomatoes and Japanese eggplant do not mandoline well, so those were a little time-consuming to slice so thinly. (Actually, the most time was taken in the slicing of all the vegetables while the cooking effort involved is quite quick.)

The recipe calls for preparation of a baking dish in which the sliced vegetables are slowly steamed as the "piperade" is heated by the dish in the oven. This steaming can take several hours, which I did not have. I wanted a one-pot, one-hour version. I used an enameled dutch oven as my one pot. And instead of cooking the piperade until it was super-thick and then adding it to the baking dish, I cooked it stovetop in the dutch oven and took it off the heat while a little liquid still remained. I layered the sliced vegetables in the requisite spiral, packing them tightly, and then put the pot (covered) back on the stove. By cooking stovetop, I accomplished both the further stewing and reduction of the piperade and also the start of steaming the vegetables at the same time.

I preheated the oven to 350 and transferred the pot in after 15 minutes or so (the vegetables were starting to glisten.) I roasted for a further 30 minutes covered, and then uncovered to evaporate the excess liquid, as is also instructed in the recipe, and to slightly brown the top, which is not. And then since it was a potluck among friends, I served it in the pot with a big spoon - so much for plating and presentation, though everyone did get to see the big beautiful spiral!
Frankly, it was delicious. I did not expect a dish made from such simple ingredients in such a straightforward manner to taste so deeply and richly satisfying, with both a little spiciness and also a depth of flavour that did not translate into a weight on neither the palate nor the stomach. I'm sure the things I did differently had an impact on both flavour and texture. For instance, I think unpeeled, unroasted peppers would be brighter and grassier, and perhaps a little tart in comparison to ones prepared as instructed and by steaming for a long time at low heat the texture of each vegetable slice likely stays firmer and gets smoother as the cellular structure disintegrates more evenly and gently. But it was still great. I look forward to trying other variations on the theme, though for moment let this recipe hold you over:

RATATOUILLE à la RATATOUILLE
Confit Byaldi à la Chef Thomas Keller, via the New York Times
Variations à la Lavender Moose (in italics)

FOR PIPERADE:
1/2 red pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 orange pepper, seeds and ribs removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
3 tomatoes (about 12 ounces total weight), peeled, seeded, and finely diced, juices reserved
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
1/2 a bay leaf
Kosher salt

FOR VEGETABLES
1 zucchini (4 to 5 ounces) sliced in 1/16-inch rounds
1 Japanese eggplant, (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 yellow squash (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR VINAIGRETTE
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oi
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Assorted fresh herbs (thyme flowers, chervil, thyme)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

1. For piperade, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined sheet, cut side down. Roast until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely.
I didn't bother with the roasting because I was trying to be speedy. I might try it next time to see what a difference it makes.

2. Combine oil, garlic, and onion in medium skillet over low heat until very soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes, do not brown; add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season to taste with salt, and discard herbs. Reserve tablespoon of mixture and spread remainder in bottom of an 8-inch skillet.
I did this as advertised, with the exception of retaining a little more liquid in the mixture by not heating it as long.

3. For vegetables, heat oven to 275 degrees. Down center of pan, arrange a strip of 8 alternating slices of vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Around the center strip, overlap vegetables in a close spiral that lets slices mound slightly toward center. Repeat until pan is filled; all vegetables may not be needed.
Yes! This is the fun part :-) I wound the slices a little tighter to pack more in until they were almost standing up. I had a bunch of leftovers that went into a really good pasta/pizza/couscous sauce later in the week.

4. Mix garlic, oil, and thyme leaves in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over vegetables. Cover pan with foil and crimp edges to seal well. Bake until vegetables are tender when tested with a paring knife, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. (Lightly cover with foil if it starts to brown.) If there is excess liquid in pan, place over medium heat on stove until reduced. (At this point it may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat in 350-degree oven until warm.)
Significant cooking variations: put the dutch oven back on the stovetop and cover and cook on low (simmering only!) for about 15 minutes. Then transfer into 350-degree oven for 30+ minutes (check after 30 minutes to see if vegetables are cooked but "al dente". If so, uncover and cook for 10 minutes or until most liquid is evaporated and top is slightly brown (short-cut to step 6 below.)

5. For vinaigrette, combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

6. To serve, heat broiler and place byaldi underneath until lightly browned. Slice in quarters and very carefully lift onto plate with offset spatula. Turn spatula 90 degrees, guiding byaldi into fan shape. Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot.
Serve in cooking pot with a big spoon and vinaigrette on the side.


Note: Facts, names, dates, etc. in this post sourced from Wikipedia, the New York Times, and michelguerard.com.