Ever since I watched that adorable movie Ratatouille, I knew I had to try the classic dish that's both healthy and delicious. Ratatouille originates from France and is a scrumptious blend of savory vegetables and herbs that tastes delicious over a bed of rice, or even on its own.
For all the chopping, we used a gorgeous Chestnut Cutting Board from Zwilling that can also be used for serving food on the non-chopping side. To cook this amazing meal, we used a show-stopping Vegetable Cocotte from Staub that can go from the stovetop to the oven in a flash. You'll love this hearty dish for dinnertime!
Ingredients:
- 2 red onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 aubergine
- 3 courgette
- 3 red or yellow peppers
- 6 ripe tomatoes
- ½ a bunch of fresh basil
- olive oil
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 14 ounces canned plum tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ a lemon
Directions:
Prep your ingredients before you start "“ peel and cut the onions into chunks, then peel and finely slice the garlic. Trim the aubergine and courgette, deseed the peppers and chop into 1-inch chunks. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Pick the basil leaves and set aside, then finely slice the stalks.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large casserole pan or saucepan over a medium heat, add the chopped aubergines, courgettes and peppers (you may need to do this in batches) and fry for around 5 minutes, or until golden and softened, but not cooked through. Spoon the cooked vegetables into a large bowl.
To the pan, add the onion, garlic, basil stalks and thyme leaves with another drizzle of oil, if needed. Fry for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened and golden.
Return the cooked vegetables to the pan and stir in the fresh and canned tomatoes, the balsamic and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
Mix well, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Cover the pan and simmer over a low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, or until reduced, sticky and sweet.
Tear in the basil leaves, finely grate in the lemon zest and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Serve with a hunk of bread or steamed rice.
