In this French dish, summer veggies are chopped or sliced, sautéed in oil, then simmered in a sauce to soften them and blend their flavours.

It’s served warm but is also delicious cold on a hot summer’s day with grilled chicken, lamb or beef.

Summer ratatouille  

Serves 4

Ingredients 

4 red peppers 
1 large brinjal, cut into thick rounds 
1 punnet (400g) yellow patty pans or baby marrows, halved 
2 onions, quartered 
1 punnet (250g) vine or cherry tomatoes 
½ cup olive or canola oil 
1 can (410g) chopped and peeled tomatoes 
2 cups vegetable stock 
1 Tbsp tomato paste 
Pinch sugar 
Sprig fresh thyme 
4 cloves garlic, peeled 
1 tsp chilli flakes 
Salt and milled black pepper  

To serve

Fresh basil 
Ricotta Crispy garlic bread   

Method 

1. Char peppers under the oven grill or over the flame of a gas stove. 
2. Place in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and set aside for 10 minutes
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
4. Toss brinjals, patty pans or baby marrows, onions and tomatoes in oil and char on a hot griddle pan. 
5. Remove blackened skins from peppers by rubbing and peeling off. 
6. Discard skins, deseed and cut into thick strips. 
7. Combine canned tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, garlic and chilli flakes in a large roasting dish. 
8. Mix in the charred vegetables and peppers. Season well. 
9. Roast for 45-50 minutes until sauce becomes sticky and the vegetables are soft.
10. Serve scattered with fresh basil and ricotta alongside garlic bread, if you like.

Words: Chad January

Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: 4 yummy recipes with tomatoes

The post Summer ratatouille: The ultimate French dish appeared first on MyKitchen.

Warm winter salads are something we are so grateful for. They allow us to inject a fresh and nutrient-dense meal in between carb-heavy, meaty options that are typical at this time of year. And since this is one of our favourite vegetarian dishes, why not transform it into a lovely deconstructed ratatouille salad.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 35 min

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil, to fry
2 brinjals, cubed
2 red onions, peeled and cut into petals
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into strips
4 large baby marrows, sliced
400g tin chopped tomatoes
½ cup basil
Salt and black pepper
Baby salad leaves, to serve

METHOD
1. Heat a little oil in a pan over high heat and fry the brinjals until golden brown, 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.
2. Add some more oil, decrease the heat to medium, and fry the onions until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the mixed herbs and cook for 1 minute. Remove.
3. Fry the peppers until slightly browned, about 5 minutes, and remove. Then fry the marrows until slightly browned, also about 5 minutes. Remove.
4. Place the tomatoes and the basil in the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Season all the vegetables and serve warm, with the baby salad leaves and the tomato sauce on the side.

The post Deconstructed ratatouille salad appeared first on MyKitchen.