Ratatouille

Serves: to serve 4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins

3 tablespoons - olive oil

2 cloves - garlic

2 - onions

1 - green pepper

1 - aubergine (eggplant)

8 oz - courgettes (zucchini)

8 oz - tomatoes

- salt and pepper

2 medium-sized - potatoes (optional)

Slice the onion and peel and crush (mince) the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a flameproof casserole dish and add the onions and garlic. Fry these gently for about ten minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Cut the aubergine (eggplant) into slices about ½" (1cm) thick and then cut each slice into about six pieces. Add these to the casserole and 'fry' for about 5 minutes, turning frequently.
Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients... Cut the pepper in half, remove the stem, core and seeds then cut into pieces about ½" - ¾" (1cm - 2cm) square (don't measure them - that's only a guide!!). Remove the ends of the courgettes then slice them about ¾" (2cm) thick. Peel the tomatoes and slice them about ¼" (0.5cm) thick.
Optionally, you can add potatoes to your ratatouille. Some people can find ratatouille a little acidic and potatoes help to remove this. Just peel them, dice them into cubes of about ½" (1cm), rinse them in water to remove excess starch and add them to your other vegetables
Add all these ingredients to the casserole, season liberally with salt and freshly-ground pepper and stir well. Cover the casserole and place in a preheated moderate oven Mk 4 - 350ºF - 180ºC for one hour, stirring occasionally. Serve hot with main course or cold as a starter.