Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a famous vegetable stew recipe from the district of Provence in southern France. The standard list of ingredients is: onion, red and green peppers, aubergine, tomato, garlic, black pepper, and courgette. I substituted green beans for the courgette (I had green beans, and no courgette in the fridge).

First, prepare the aubergine by cutting it in half, and rubbing in salt to the flesh. This removes a bitter taste from the flesh, if left for an hour or so before the salt is washed off. I believe this practice is not always followed these days, but I don't know what the consequences are for skipping this traditional step. 

I used a large Spanish onion, which I chopped up and stir-fried in a couple of dessert spoonfuls of olive oil. Then I added a whole chopped red pepper, chopped garlic, half a dozen chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped green beans, the sliced aubergine, and the black pepper. This mixture was cooked under glass at a low heat for fifteen minutes. 

I then added a tin of chopped tomatoes, with basil and oregano. I also shredded a spoonful of fresh basil leaves into the contents of the pan. Cooked at a low heat without stirring for another thirty minutes. Serve with a slatted spoon. Delicious! The dish was accompanied with an Italian chianti. 

The ratatouille in the saute pan