This is a staple in our house. It makes excellent use of the sort of vegetables we get in our organic bag from Farmaround. My mother used to serve this as a side dish but it makes a great vegan main course, too. I am so fond of it that it would definitely be one of the foods I would opt for on an hypothetical “desert island”.

Here’s my take on the traditional french vegetable stew. This recipe makes enough for four substantial portions.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon

Onions – three small or two large

Courgette – one medium

Bell Peppers – two, red or green or one of each

Aubergine – one medium to large

Tomatoes – 3-4 fresh medium sized

Garlic – one clove

Worcestershire Sauce – 1 Tablespoon (vegan alternatives are available, I switched to using mushroom ketchup here.)

Dried Herbs: Sage, Oregano, Basil – one teaspoon of each

Pepper – freshly ground to taste

Vegetable stock – one cup from a stock cube

Method:

Use a wide bottomed saucepan with a lid or preferably a cast iron pot or casserole.

1. Put the pan or pot on the hob on a moderate heat and add the olive oil to start heating it.

2. Begin to chop up the vegetables, adding them in the following order and stirring after each addition: Onions (cut in half and then vertically into half rings), Courgette (in semi circles), Peppers (in strips), Aubergine (in quartered or halved circles), Tomatoes (cut into segments), and finally the Garlic (finely chopped).

3. Stir in the Worcestershire Sauce/mushroom ketchup and the dried herbs thoroughly and add ground pepper to taste – just a few twists of the grinder will do. The vegetables should have started to soften.

4. Make up one cup of vegetable stock from a single cube and pour it over the vegetables.

5. Place the lid on the pot or pan and reduce the heat to a very low gentle simmer for about half an hour. Stir once or twice during the cooking period.

6. Serve with baked potatoes or chunks of crusty bread and butter.

Ratatouille improves considerably by being left to stand overnight when it can then be re-heated or eaten cold, which is absolutely delicious.

If you like this, there are more of my recipes here.

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