Ratatouille

A classic. I used to spend lots of time and make a mess salting the eggplant and zucchini, but I've now rebelled and discovered that it's fine not to go to the trouble. Excellent on pasta, in lasagne, on cous cous, with your favourite bread and (I'm told) as an accompaniment to red meat. Don't worry if the eggplant, zucchini and capsicum isn't exactly in the proportions below. Also, I've suggested you use three different capsicum because the variety of colours and flavours is nice, but don't worry if you've only got two. This recipe is adapted from Charmain Solomon's.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 small red capsicum
• 1 small green capsicum
• 1 small yellow capsicum
• 2 medium zucchinis
• 440g tin of chopped tomatoes (or four large red tomatoes peeled and chopped)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cook finely chopped onion and oil in a large saucepan on a low heat for 10 minutes or until soft. Add crushed or chopped garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cut eggplant, capsicum and zucchini into chunks. Add to saucepan and cook over a low heat, covered, for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes, coriander, herbs and salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 30-40 minutes.

If you're just having ratatouille with cous cous or bread, you might consider the taste sensation that is baking an egg in it. Put ratatouille in an oven-proof dish and make wells with a spoon. Crack eggs into the wells and cook in a 180 degree oven until the eggs are cooked as desired.

SERVES: 4-6