Chef’s Flavour-Rich Ratatouille

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 large (or 2 medium) onions
• 1 aubergine
• 1 of each red, yellow, green peppers
• 6 very ripe tomatoes
• OR tomato short-cut: 1 tin of Mutti or a rich, Italian-style peeled, crushed tomato puree
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 tbsp sugar
• herbes de provence
• 1 bay leaf

Chop all veg. Chop small, even slices for a more refined-looking stew, or chunkier and random bits for a hearty family-style stew. On separate oven trays (or in sections on a very large tray), spread the veggies onto grease-proof paper, give a lug of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast at 175deg. until all veg are soft and slightly browned.

Crush and chop garlic with a pinch of seasalt, chopped onions finely and sautee in a large pot with a couple of lugs of olive oil. Add a few pinches of herbes de provence. Cook until onions are translucent (don’t burn the garlic!!). Take off heat if necessary while preparing tomatoes:

Boil a pan of water and put 6 tomatoes to sit in it for approximately 2 minutes – retrieve them with a slotted spoon and plop them into a bowl of cool water. The skins should slide off easily at this point. Add the peeled tomatoes to the onion/garlic mixture. Then add a half cup of red wine, a tablespoon of sugar, and the bay leaf. Add all of the roasted veg to the tomato sauce along, pop the lid on the pot and allow it to cook until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has reduced into a thick stew.

Hint: Ratatouille flavour develops as it sits – even in your fridge or freezer! Double the recipe and freeze half for a winter ready-meal that reminds you of warm days on the Midi and Chef’s delectable dinners!!

Ratatouille