http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/03/11/remys-soup/
Have you ever wondered what Remy puts in the soup that Linguini nearly ruins in Ratatouille? Of course you have! We all have. Well, here in the test kitchens of The Ordinary, we’ve done exhaustive research to arrive at the definitive version of the soup, with the precise ingredients that Remy used. Precisely definitive! We watched this scene dozens of times. We’ve listened to characters’ descriptions of the soup, and we’ve analyzed the inner workings of the kitchen to arrive at a soup that is a “spicy yet subtle taste experience.” Let us walk you through it. To begin with, when Linguini nearly knocks the pot off the stove, the soup looks like tomato sauce. We determined, decidedly, that it’s probably some sort of tomato soup. We kept that part simple, but we did add a spicy element, because nothing we saw Remy add could be described as “spicy.” Linguini adds tap water, an entire bunch of scallions, white wine, and salt, lots of salt. Noted. Remy adds broth, cream, garlic, thyme, black pepper, cubes of potato, leeks, parsley, chervil, more salt, bay leaves and, we believe, basil. He later states, when questioned by Linguini, that he DID NOT add oregano or rosemary, which they both identify as “spices,” although we, here at The Ordinary, would call them “herbs.” The soup turned out delicious! Spicy, yet subtle. My son, something of a Ratatouille scholar himself, ate three bowls, but declared that the color was too rosy. I’m not an imaginary french rat, for heaven’s sake! I’m not actually going to add an entirecontainer of cream!
Here’s Souped Up from the Ratatouille soundtrack to listen to as you leap over the pot, gleefully adding ingredients.
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 shallot – minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 t red pepper flakes
1 can roasted tomatoes – pureed
3 small potatoes – peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 leek – Trimmed, cleaned and sliced in half lengthwise, and then chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 plump cloves garlic – finely minced
1 t thyme
1 t basil
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup parsley – chopped
small handful of chervil
vegetable broth (Start with a few cups, and see how much you need!)
1 cup (+/-) light cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
I didn’t make this quite in the order that it’s shown in the film, because I think the potatoes, in reality, would need to cook for a longer time than they showed us. So here we go…
Warm the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the thyme, basil, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, shallot and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, until things start to brown, and then add the scallions, potatoes, leeks. Cook until the potatoes start to brown a bit on the edges, and until they seem a bit soft. Add the white wine, and cook until it’s reduced and syrupy. Add the tomatoes, thyme, veg broth and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes to half an hour, till the potatoes seem soft. Add the parsley and cream. Cook to warm everything through. Add the chervil right at the end – it’s very delicate. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve!
Have you ever wondered what Remy puts in the soup that Linguini nearly ruins in Ratatouille? Of course you have! We all have. Well, here in the test kitchens of The Ordinary, we’ve done exhaustive research to arrive at the definitive version of the soup, with the precise ingredients that Remy used. Precisely definitive! We watched this scene dozens of times. We’ve listened to characters’ descriptions of the soup, and we’ve analyzed the inner workings of the kitchen to arrive at a soup that is a “spicy yet subtle taste experience.” Let us walk you through it. To begin with, when Linguini nearly knocks the pot off the stove, the soup looks like tomato sauce. We determined, decidedly, that it’s probably some sort of tomato soup. We kept that part simple, but we did add a spicy element, because nothing we saw Remy add could be described as “spicy.” Linguini adds tap water, an entire bunch of scallions, white wine, and salt, lots of salt. Noted. Remy adds broth, cream, garlic, thyme, black pepper, cubes of potato, leeks, parsley, chervil, more salt, bay leaves and, we believe, basil. He later states, when questioned by Linguini, that he DID NOT add oregano or rosemary, which they both identify as “spices,” although we, here at The Ordinary, would call them “herbs.” The soup turned out delicious! Spicy, yet subtle. My son, something of a Ratatouille scholar himself, ate three bowls, but declared that the color was too rosy. I’m not an imaginary french rat, for heaven’s sake! I’m not actually going to add an entirecontainer of cream!
Here’s Souped Up from the Ratatouille soundtrack to listen to as you leap over the pot, gleefully adding ingredients.
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 shallot – minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 t red pepper flakes
1 can roasted tomatoes – pureed
3 small potatoes – peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 leek – Trimmed, cleaned and sliced in half lengthwise, and then chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 plump cloves garlic – finely minced
1 t thyme
1 t basil
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup parsley – chopped
small handful of chervil
vegetable broth (Start with a few cups, and see how much you need!)
1 cup (+/-) light cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
I didn’t make this quite in the order that it’s shown in the film, because I think the potatoes, in reality, would need to cook for a longer time than they showed us. So here we go…
Warm the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the thyme, basil, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, shallot and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, until things start to brown, and then add the scallions, potatoes, leeks. Cook until the potatoes start to brown a bit on the edges, and until they seem a bit soft. Add the white wine, and cook until it’s reduced and syrupy. Add the tomatoes, thyme, veg broth and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes to half an hour, till the potatoes seem soft. Add the parsley and cream. Cook to warm everything through. Add the chervil right at the end – it’s very delicate. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve!