Ratatouille

Serves: 4 (as a main dish)

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion, diced

• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 2 aubergines, sliced 1cm thick

• 3 courgettes, sliced 1cm thick

• 3 red pepper, cut into strips

• 200g fresh tomatoes, diced

• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

• A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme

• Olive oil

• 400g tin of tomatoes

• 1tbsp balsamic vinegar

• ½ a lemon

• Salt and pepper

Method:

This recipe is great as a main on its own but is very versatile and can be enjoyed with lots of other foods too. If you don’t have 4 people to feed, store leftovers in the fridge and reheat the next day to top a baked potato. It’s also great as a side dish with an omelette.

1. Fry the onions on a medium heat in some olive oil until they begin to soften, then add the garlic. Cook for another few minutes.

2. Meanwhile, use a large lidded pot to fry the aubergines and courgettes in olive oil on a medium-high heat. Cook for several minutes till they have some colour on them, then turn over and cook the other side in the same way. Do this in batches so each piece can lie flat on the pan.

3. Combine all your cooked ingredients into the large pot and add the peppers, fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt, pepper and the juice of half a lemon.

4. Simmer for 30 mins with the lid on. Season with fresh basil and the leaves of your thyme and cook for another couple of minutes before serving.