From Ramen to Ratatouille

When I think of family gatherings, I think of food. Whether it’s a table full of fresh vegetables that just came from my aunt’s garden (or my grandparent’s and great-grandparent’s when I was younger), or picturing my dad hovering over a giant pot of homemade spaghetti sauce, when my family gets together, it usually involves massive amounts of food.

This isn’t that unusual – particularly for someone who grew up in the (relative) South. But for my college years through the first…oh… six years of my marriage, I feel solidly in the “I don’t cook, but I do like to bake occasionally,” camp. If I was expected to bring a dish, I volunteered for the bread or dessert category. That was easy, and sweet, and I had been baking with my grandparents and mother since I was probably an infant.

Then in 2005 I went to Arkansas with my mother-in-law for a week to visit her family. They spend alot of time in the kitchen, and alot of time watching television, which was where I was introduced to Food Network. I watched Paula Deen because I thought she was hilarious and cooked like my grandmother. I watched Giada deLaurentis because she came on after Paula Deen, and I like the cinematography of the show. True story. I brought my interest in these two shows home and continued to watch them nearly every day. This was before I had children and had the time to do something frivolous like watch television regularly.

Then in 2007 I had my son. Anyone who has had a child might remember the first few weeks as a blur of exhaustion and overwhelmed emotional mush. My husband and I adjusted by watching copious amounts of Food Network. For the most part, it stayed on. all.`1 day. We decided our new favorite show was Good Eats, as Alton Brown might possibly be the smartest and funniest person in the food universe.  (This fact holds true, even after we’ve cancelled cable. I readily admit the only thing I miss is Food Network and The Closer. But that’s another post.)

All of the sudden, I was learning stuff about food. What ingredients play well with others. Techniques for chopping, roasting, stuffing, slicing. It looked…fun! Not to mention delicious.

I should also mention around this time we started, with a small group of friends, the church that meets in our living room. We had decided that an important part of our getting together would be sharing a meal. So that meant every Sunday afternoon, we had to plan, prepare, and serve something real for dinner. It started as a bit of a chore, and slowly became the thing I looked forward to every weekend. Spending an entire afternoon in the kitchen, preparing something (hopefully) delicious for the people I care about.

This past Sunday I tackled Ratatouille’s Ratatouille, compliments of Smitten Kitchen. Not the most technically difficult dish ever, but certainly a huge amount of effort for what is essentially a side dish. But gosh, isn’t it beautiful! (And delicious, by the way).

I brought over the dish to show The Husband before I put it in the oven. He simply said, “Well…. look at you!” and lamented that he’s a bit disappointed that he’s no longer The Cook of the family. I’m not disappointed at all – in fact, a bit pleased that I’ve been able to take something necessary (food) and turn it into something sublime.