La Ratatouille

• 2 medium eggplants- sliced into half-moons and salted (degorger les legumes- as the French say.) I don’t peel them.
• 2 medium courgettes/squash- sliced into half-moons
• 3 bell peppers- rough chop
• 6 mushrooms- rough chop
• 5 medium tomatoes-quartered
• 2 medium sized onions-medium chop
• 6 garlic cloves-finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tbsp dried herbes de Provence
• 1 tsp sugar
• olive oil
• 1 cup of white wine

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and sautee 1/2 the onions and 1/2 the garlic. Add the aubergines and courgettes and sautee for 5 minutes and set aside. Add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil to a deep, thick bottomed pot and sautee the remaining onions and garlic for a couple of minutes, then add the peppers and mushrooms and sautee for 5 minutes. Next add tomatoes, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Now add the aubergines and courgettes and cook uncovered for 45 minutes- 1 hour. When ready to serve top off with some fresh basil.

Don’t forget to stir the veggies often, given the name Ratatouille is derived from french verbs that mean “to stir”. Here’s some history on the Ratatouille.