Ratatouille's- Ratatouille

Ever since I saw the movie, Ratatouille, I have wanted to make the version shown in the movie. Thomas Keller of French Laundry is the inspiration behind the Chef Rat -Remy. In the movie, the Ratatouille shown is a Thomas Keller version of the French Stew. This is my version.


INGREDIENTS:                Serves 4; Prep time - 20 minutes; Cook time - 40 minutes

• Eggplant, long slender ones or the small oblong ones - 8 or (200gms or 8 oz)
• Red Bell Pepper- 1 to 2
• Green Zucchini - 2 to 4
• Summer squash( yellow zucchini) - 2 to 4
• Onion, sliced thin - 1 medium
• Tomatoes, peeled and cubed - 400g or 16 oz
• Garlic Cloves, crushed - 5 to 6
• Olive oil- 1 tbsp
• Herbs de Provence - 2 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 to 3/4 tsp
• Crushed fennel seeds -1/2 to 3/4 tsp
• Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Vegetable or chicken stock - 1 cup
• Parchment paper

METHOD:

• Heat Olive oil. 
• Add in the onions and garlic. 
• Saute for a minute. 
• Add in the tomatoes. 
• Cook for about 5 minutes, stir once in a while. 
• Add in the herbs De  Provence and other spices, salt and pepper. Mix well. 
• Add in the broth/stock and mix well. 
• Cover and cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste the sauce to ensure the taste is balanced. Sometimes, the tomatoes are sour, adding a pinch of sugar rounds out the flavour profile.
• The sauce should become a little thick.
• Turn off the heat and keep aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Slice the eggplant, summer squash, zucchini and bell pepper to about 1/8th to 1/16th of an inch.It is better to use a mandoline if you have one - makes the job easier and quicker.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• In a nice oven proof dish, spoon out the tomato sauce so that it is about 1/2 to 1/4" thick.
• Starting from the out to the in, arrange the slices of eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini and bell pepper so that they are slightly overlapping almost resembling a spiral.
• Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper( as per taste).
• Cut out a piece of parchment paper to match that of the dish and lightly place on the vegetables.
• Place in a preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or till the vegetables are just done.
• Remove from the oven, remove the parchment and discard.
• Serve with French bread.

NOTE: Herbs de Provence is a herb blend of 3tbsp each of oregano, thyme and savory, 2tbsp lavendar, 1tsp each of basil, sage and rosemary.

Corn on the Cob Curry

The Farmer's Market is full of corn and I thought of making something other than the usual grilled corn, corn salsa, corn relish and all the other corny stuff. Here's something very different. It is great fun to dip the corn in the gravy and suck on the cob - enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:                                                                   Serves 4-6;  Prep time 25 mins; Cook time 30 mins

      The Spice Paste - 

1. Fresh grated coconut - 75g
2. Chopped onion        - 75g
3. Roasted, skin removed, peanuts - 75g
4. Dried red chillies - 2
5. Garlic cloves - 3
6. Roasted coriander powder - 2 tsp
7. Roasted cumin powder - 2 tsp
8. Sesame seeds, roasted -3 tsp
9. Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
10. Salt - 1.5 tsp or to taste
11. Sugar or jaggery - 1.5 tsp

• Shucked corn on the cob, cut in 1"- 1.25" rounds - 4
• Oil- 1 tbsp
• Bayleaf - 1
• Cloves - 6
• Cinnamon - 1"
• Green cardamom - 4
• Cilantro to garnish

PROCEDURE:

•  In a blender, add all the ingredients for the spice paste( from 1 to 11) and grind to a fine paste with a little water. Keep aside.
•  In a large skillet or deep pan, heat oil. Add the whole spices - bayleaf, cloves, cinnamon and green cardamon.
• Add the above ground paste to the oil and fry the paste till fragrant and till oil leaves and separates from the spice paste.( See the photo)

• If the paste starts sticking to the bottom of the pan add a tsp of water. The sauteing of the spice paste takes about 3-5 minutes.
• Thin out with a cup of water.
• Add the corn rounds in a single layer to the above. (See photo)

• If need be, add in about 1/2 to 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes or till the gravy is reduced, but coats the corn and the corn is ready to eat.
• Check the seasonings and add any if needed.
• Garnish in with cilantro and serve with flat  bread or rice.

NOTE- the same spice paste could be used to make different curries. Try stuffing small green or purple eggplants( make cross wise slits till 3/4th way down on the eggplant, keeping the stalks intact) and follow the above 5 steps. You could even omit the whole spices. This is would be a variation of a very famous eggplant preparation called ' Bahgare Baingan'.

Chicken Curry

Chicken curry always brings memories of a lazy Sunday with family and friends, of evenings with unexpected guests staying for dinner, of the very first 'thing' that I cooked with my Mother looking on....

This chicken curry is great one-pot meal, as a part of a larger fancy dinner or just as it is...

This recipe has a delicate flavour and is probably one of the most popular chicken curries from India.

Ingredients:

• Young chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces- 1- 1.5kg / 2-3 lbs 

OR

• Boneless, cubed (1-1.5") chicken - 675g/ 1.5 lbs.

• Oil 2- 3 tbsp
• Onions, sliced 3 medium
• Tomatoes, sliced 3 medium
• Ginger pulp 1 tsp
• Garlic pulp 1 tsp
• Cinnamon stick 2.5 cm / 1"
• Large black cardamom pods 2
• Green cardamom pods 4
• Cloves 4
• Black peppercorns 4
• Bay leaves 2
• Black cummin seeds OR cummin seeds 1/2 tsp OR 1 tsp resp.
• Garam Masala 1 tsp
• Chilli powder 1 tsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Yoghurt , plain 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice 4 tbsp
• Fresh chopped cilantro 2 tbsp
• Tumeric 1 tsp

Method:

• Mix together, 1/2 tsp of salt, turmeric, chilli powder and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Keep aside.
• Mix in trimmed pieces of chicken in above and leave for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in thick bottomed frying pan or skillet or wok.
• Add in the spices- cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, black pepper, bay leaves and cummin. As it starts sizzling add in the onions.
• Saute till the onions start changing colour.
• Add the tomatoes. Saute for about 1 minute.
• Add in the ginger and garlic, turmeric and remaining chilli powder. Saute for a further minute.
• If the food starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a tbsp of water. Saute till the water evaporates. This process is called Bhunao ( bhoo- no).
• By this time, there should be a nice aroma wafting thru.
• Add in the chicken and saute till it is well coated by the spices and onion mix for about 7-8 minutes.
• Add in yogurt to the above party.
• Lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook till the chicken is cooked thru. Should take about 15-20 minutes. If you think the chicken is drying out, add about 1/2-1/4 cup of water or chicken stock.
• Once it is cooked thru, add in the remaining lemon juice. Stir it in.
• Taste the curry before serving for salt, spicy hot and sour flavours. Balance them out if something more is needed.
• Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve either with Naan, Roti , steamed rice or crusty bread.

I have noticed that this always tastes better the next day. This freezes well, so making more and freezing the extra is great.

Sometimes, I make this as a dry preparation and use boneless chicken. I then use this as a filling for making Subs.