It's not just a movie. Ratatouille.

Ratatouille, while thrust into popular culture with the 2007 Disney movie, is still a mysterious food to most people, but nothing could be simpler, more versatile or delicious. The dish is a simple vegetable stew containing eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers, but the options are endless. The following recipe is simple is incredibly easy.

1 medium Italian eggplant cut into 1'' cubes
4 zucchini sliced into 1/2'' quarter circles
2 bell peppers (red or yellow) roughly chopped
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 large onion peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock or water
3 springs of thyme
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Here's a quick visual guide to how everything should be cut:




Coat the bottom of a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven with olive oil, place over medium-high heat. Saute the carrots, onions, and garlic and until translucent, 3-4 mins. Add the sprigs of thyme and eggplant, saute for 3-4 more minutes. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes and stock. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and simmer covered for 25 minutes. That's it. You can serve it with pasta or rice as a main course or as a side dish. It also makes a great substitute for meat sauce in a lasagna. Feel free to add mushrooms, squash or any other vegetable you like.