Ratatouille is a lovely sunny dish from the south of France which combines all those lovely Mediterranean vegetables.
Ingredients
- 4 tblsp olive oil
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 aubergine (cubed)
- 1 red pepper (cut into strips)
- 1 green pepper (cut into strips)
- 3 courgettes (peeled if you like and cut into chunks)
- 1 kg tomatoes (skinned and de-seeded or light tomato purée)
- fresh thyme and rosemary
- for the crumble topping:
- 100 g very cold salted butter (finely diced)
- 150 g plain flour
- 80 g parmesan cheese (grated)
- 50 g pine nuts, toasted
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic and add the aubergine and the red and green peppers.
- When they have softened, add the courgettes, tomatoes and herbs, some salt and pepper, and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until cooked. While the vegetables are cooking, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) and prepare le crumble.
- It’s a savoury crumble, so there’s no sugar in there, but we can add a bit of flavour with a little parmesan cheese.
- In a food-processor, or with your fingers, rub the butter into the flour and parmesan. When you have a mixture resembling breadcrumbs, mix in the toasted pine nuts and some pepper.
- When the ratatouille is really nice and soft and cooked, put the cooked vegetables into a gratin dish, cover them with the crumble mixture and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy.
- Serve hot or warm, with a crisp salad or as an accompaniment to roast lamb, chicken or fish.
