Ratatouille

Ratatouille is one of those classic dishes which are so versatile and it goes with so many things. A favourite in my family for many years, especially in summer and autumn.

Ratatouille is basically a French vegetable stew, cooked on a low heat until all the contents have broken down to a soft texture.

What you will need:

1 aubergine (eggplant)

2 small onions or 1 large onion

2 -4 cloves of garlic, (depending on their size or how much you like garlic) crushed or finely grated

2 capsicums (peppers) any colour

1 large courgette (zucchini) or 2 smaller ones

4 large fresh tomatoes or  one 450g of tinned tomatoes (I peel the tomatoes but you don’t need to, just roughly chop them into chunks)

50ml good olive oil

Salt to taste

Dice the vegetables into 2cm pieces and grate the garlic. Heat a medium saucepan on a low heat and add the olive oil.

Add the garlic, onions and peppers and sauté them until the soften a little then add the diced courgette and aubergine, stir gently to coat with oil and put a lid on the pot for 10 minutes.

Once the above ingredients have softened a little, add the chopped tomatoes, cover again with a lid and simmer for 30-45 minutes on a low heat.

I use ratatouille as a side dish, it is great with chicken and pork, crumbed schnitzel, mashed potatoes or any sort of pasta.