Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a traditional Provençal vegetable dish that can be served as a meal on its own, accompanied by rice, potatoes, French bread, or as a side dish.

Recipe serves 3-4. Increase quantities to serve more, and add different vegetables as desired for variation.

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 eggplant (aubergine)
1 green bell pepper
2 zucchinis (courgettes) (cucumber also works well)
6 medium tomatoes, ripe (juicy) and peeled
salt and pepper to taste
Herbes de Provence to taste


Preparation

Put a large casserole on the stove on medium heat.

Chop the onions and garlic. When the casserole is hot, add enough olive oil to just cover the bottom.

Add the onions and garlic and brown.
Chop the green pepper, zucchinis and egg plant. Add to the casserole. Stir from time to time.
Peel the tomatoes. Dice them or cut them into quarters, add to the casserole.

Five minutes later, check to see if the tomatoes have made enough juice to almost cover the vegetables - if so, perfect. If not, add water as needed (not too much).

Add salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence to taste. In general, 1 tbsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper and 1 tbsp of the herbs will suffice.

Cover the casserole and let simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.