Recipe for ratatouille

A FRENCHWOMAN once responded with suspicion to the idea that an Englishman might make ratatouille. She asked how I cooked it.

This is the way to do it. The trick lies in frying the vegetables in batches rather than altogether. This recipe was basically from the one in Big Flavours & Rough Edges, Recipes From The Eagle, although I have included a couple of optional additions.

The sceptical French woman, by the way, approved of the method.

Ingredients:
Four to five tablespoons of olive oil
Two courgettes, roughly chopped
Two onions, roughly chopped
Two cloves of garlic, sliced
Two green or red peppers, roughly chopped
Two aubergines, roughly chopped
Two 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
Teaspoon of dried thyme
One bay leaf
Optional extras: Small red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped Small piece of preserved lemon, chopped

Method: Heat a generous splash of oil in a thick-bottom pan, add the courgettes, season with salt and pepper and fry until lightly coloured. Remove from pan and set aside. Splash in a bit more oil.

Add the onions and garlic and cook gently for ten minutes, along with the chilli if using. Splash in a bit more oil, then stir in the aubergines, season and cook for ten minutes or so. Add the browned courgettes, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf and preserved lemon (if using) and stew gently for about 45 minutes. Best cooked the day before and left overnight.

We have this with Potatoes Romanoff:

Peel and chop six large potatoes, boil until just tender to the point of a knife. Drain and set aside for a moment. Heat oven to 180C. Butter oven dish.

Mix pot of cottage cheese with pot of soured cream and add the potatoes, along with two crushed cloves of garlic. Add salt and pepper, stir and then place mixture in buttered dish. Grate over a decent chunk of cheddar cheese, sprinkle with paprika and bake for 30 minutes. Cool slightly before serving as this will let the sauce set.

@JulianCole5