Ratatouille is a great recipe to have in your box of great recipes. It’s super simple to make. Versatile, you can eat it for dinner and then breakfast the following day with a delicious omelette, and you can keep a stock in the freezer for those times you need something quick to eat without compromising on quality. It’s really nutritious and a easy tasty way to get your veggies in to your life.
Serves: 8
– 1 medium aubergine (roughly 350g), cut into ¾ inch cubes
– ¾ tsp sea salt
– 4 tbsp extra
– virgin olive oil
– 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
– 2 medium cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
– 2 medium red bell peppers (roughly 170g each), cored, seeded and cut into ¾ inch pieces
– 2 small courgettes (roughly 350g), cut into ¾ inch pieces
– 1½ cups of coarsely chopped tomato
– 1 large sprig of thyme
– ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
– ¼ cup shredded basil
– ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
>> Sprinkle the aubergine cubes with ¼ tsp of the salt and place in a colander set over a bowl.
Cover the aubergine with a clean tea towel and place a plate over the towel. Weigh the plate down with a heavy can to press down on the aubergine. Let the aubergine drain for about 30
minutes to extract any bitter juice. After the aubergine has drained, rinse and pat dry with paper towel.
>> Heat 2 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and ¼ tsp of the salt. Cook the onion for about 3 minutes, until translucent and beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 -2 minutes, until the garlic and onion are lightly browned. Remove the garlic and onion with a slotted spoon and place them in a medium lidded casserole dish or heavy based lidded pan.
>> Add 1 more tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil to the flying pan. Stir in the peppers and ¼ tsp of the salt and cook for about 7 minutes, until the peppers are just beginning to brown.
>> Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peppers from the frying pan to the casserole dish or heavy based pan. Add the courgettes to the frying pan and cook for about 4 minutes. Transfer the courgettes with the slotted spoon to the casserole dish or heavy pan.
>> Add the remaining 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to the frying pan and cook the aubergine, stirring occasionally. When lightly browned, add it to the casserole dish or heavy pan.
>> Add the tomatoes to the frying pan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes to the casserole dish or heavy based pan, along with the thyme and black pepper. Bring the vegetables to a simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
>> Remove the lid and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. When done, the vegetables should
be soft and the sauce thick. Stir in the basil and parsley.
Great served hot or at room temperature, drizzled with a touch of olive oil. Ratatouille also travels
well and tastes even better the day after it has been made, having let the wonderful tastes infuse!
A great recipe for making a big batch, portion out and pop in the fridge or freezer for future use.