Animated inspiration (aka Ratatouille!)

Ratatouille aka vegetable gratin aka dinner is something we look forward to every year.  There is just something magical about this combo of vegetables and I have to say the scene in the Pixar movie where the critic tastes the Ratatouille is one of my favorite food scenes of any movie.  There is something magical about food that can take us back in time!

This recipe borrows heavily from the vegetable gratin recipe in Ad Hoc cookbook.  In case you didn’t know Saint Thomas and The French Laundry consulted on Ratatouille and there is definitely more than a passing resemblance to what you see in the movie.

Ratatouille

2 C chopped shallots (book calls for onions but shallots rule!)
cloves of garlic chopped (however much you like)
olive oil
1/2 c bread crumbs (remember, this is from that stale bread like I told you to do!)
1/2 c parmigiano grated
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Squash (around three medium sized)
Tomatoes (several)

Sweat the shallots and the garlic in some olive oil.  The point is to get yummy translucent beautiful shallots that don’t really have color.  You know what I’m talking about right?  After it’s done mix it with most of the thyme.  Take the rest of the thyme and mix it with the bread crumbs and parmigiano.  Spread the shallots on the bottom of a gratin dish.  Slice the squash (you can add eggplant too) 1/4 inch thick.  Toss with a little olive oil and salt and place in the dish.  When a row is done (whichever kind of row you want to do) spread some of the breadcrumbs over and move on.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the squash is completely done.  The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the squash and how tightly you pack it.