Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Ratatouille!

After I watched that cute Disney Pixar Ratatouille movie about the cute little chef rat, I promised myself I'd try the film's namesake dish very soon. And then I forgot all about that promise, until I ran across the recipe for Ratatouille with White Beans in The Vegan Table:

I love anything with white beans and with all the lovely produce in season, it seemed like a great time to whip up this veg-heavy entree. I'm reviewing The Vegan Table for the Memphis Flyer, the newspaper I write for, so I need to try as many dishes from it as possible before the review is due.

This dish — loaded with eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, tomato, and fresh herbs — satisfied my craving for veggies. I love the idea of a main course made with such a variety of fresh produce. And of course the white beans really stepped it up a notch.

I did have to add a crap ton of salt though. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's recipe only calls for salt to taste at the end of cooking, but next time, I'm adding it in earlier. I also halved this recipe because it was meant to feed 6 to 8 people. The Vegan Table is an entertaining cookbook, so many of the recipes make huge amounts. I'll definitely be turning to this volume for potlucks!

I served my ratatouille with a slice of fresh Whole Wheat French Bread with Vegetarian Herb Pate:

I made this loaf last weekend using Sarah Kramer's Easy French Bread recipe in La Dolce Vegan. And the pate is AMAZING! It's by Bonavita and it's imported from Germany. I found it on sale when World Market was going out of business and now I'm wishing I would have bought all they had on the shelf. I'm gonna have to find a way to order this stuff from somewhere! It has a cheezy, nooch-heavy taste that I love!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok, I must admit, that doesn't look anything like the Ratatouille we make here, but it looks DAMN GOOD! I really want to get Vegan Table - I love Colleen Patrick-Goudreau & like listening to her podcasts when I run. And TJOVB is one of my very favourite baking books ever!

ZippyZu said...

Your Ratatouille makes me hungry- it's something I've never eaten before!! And I absolutely loved that movie.. hehe. I have yet to check that book out- but I think I'm going to give it a look-see in the near future. Keep up the awesome food making- your food always looks amazing!

Lovlie said...

I love ratatouille but with a lot more sauce! But yours look really delicious! Would be great for a wrap filling, i'm thinking! That veggie pate sounds great too!

The Voracious Vegan said...

Yum! I've yet to make ratatouille, but yours looks just delicious! I love white beans also, great source of healthy plant protein. I am drooling over that bread topped with veggie pate, seriously amazing looking.

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

I remember my mum buying really gross tinned ratatouille when i was a kid and hating it but once i tried the proper stuff I realised it's awesome. the version with white beans sounds great.

nora said...

whole wheat french bread! that sounds so good! i guess your ratatouille looks okay too...
haha jk looks marvelous :) go vegan table!

A said...

You should look online:
http://www.worldmarket.com/home.jsp
Also, your ratatouille looks perfect! You always make the most simple dishes look amazing!
-A

Veganissexy said...

That pate looks so yum. I thought that movie was adorable. I have a weak spot for kiddo movies. Can't wait to see "UP." The white bean ratatoullie looks delish! Lots of good veggies and beans!

Gena (Choosing Raw) said...

Sorry I've been so behind on comments! The ratatouille is gorgeous :)

miss v said...

i've never seen the movie, but i love ratatouille! i got a great recipe from my cousin a while back, but haven't made it in a couple years.

thanks for reminding me!

ps - thanks for the tip on the black salt. there is a perfect indian grocery right near my office... perfect lunch break shopping!

Lisa said...

I have the Vegan Table too and really like how the recipes sound! I'd planned to pull it out tonight to plan something to make later in the week. Thanks for the review of the ratatouille!

jessy said...

oh wow! the ratatouille looks wonderful, Bianca! mmmmmmmm! i love white beans (we had them tonight with dinner, too!) - and i always find that dishes with white beans need a little more salt, fo 'sho! we added a bunch of garlic 'n sea salt to ours.

i need to keep an eye out for that pate - sounds like something i'd love - and your bread = perfect! what a tasty combination!

you're always cooking up the best food, Bianca - i love it all! :)

aTxVegn said...

Oh, I love the addition of beans! I make LDV french bread all the time. It's such an easy way to bake up homemade bread.

GF Gidget said...

Love Ratatouille! The first time I had it, my then fiance (now husband) surprised me by making homemade Ratatouille, then taking me to see the movie! So cute!

Cyn said...

That ratatouille looks delicious! I especially like the olives & beans. I think I've had one too many bland restaurant ratatouilles, because I associate them with being kind of boring in my head, but yours looks great.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

I love white beans too & that ratatouille looks SO good!

whitesocks said...

My husband and I adore Bonavita pate too...and were heartbroken when we couldn't find it at CostPlus but YAY you can buy it online on various sites. Just google "Bonavita pate"

Thanks for a great blog.