Anecdote: Ratatouille

Extract found in the Contra Costa Times, by Nicholas Boer:
‘From Ragouts to Riches’

Hubert Keller, no relation to Thomas, appreciates the evocative power of simple foods such as ratatouille. A French chef whose vegetarian creations at Fleur de Lys in Vegas and San Francisco are legendary, Keller first discovered ratatouille growing up in Alsace." The look was not incredible," Keller says. "But the flavour was great." He loved ratatouille with fried eggs, letting the rich yolk mingle with juices from the savoury stew.
Later, while working as a chef in the South of France, Keller refined Grandma's ratatouille. In the summer, he prepped each ingredient with precision, sautéing minced onions, garlic and thyme together in one pan and cooking each remaining vegetable in just the right amount of olive oil (aubergine is a sponge) in its own pan. Once each element's colour and texture was locked in, Keller married them, finishing the mixture with a chiffonade of basil.
"It's an accident of nature," says Keller of the summer confluence of aubergine, zucchini, sweet peppers and tomatoes in the garden. While the seasonality of the ingredients is likely to have inspired ratatouille, Keller says produce that is picked together doesn't always work together. He compares humble ratatouille to Tournedos Rossini, beef filet with foie gras, truffles and red wine. You can assemble the ingredients in infinite ways, but the basic components remain the same over centuries for good reason.
In the East Bay, Jean-Paul Peluffo declares "too much of a good thing" doesn't apply to ratatouille. He serves it as a side dish with almost every entree at Le Bistro, the Walnut Creek restaurant he runs with his wife, Kathleen.