Simple French Ratatouille

• 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 aubergines, trimmed and cut into 2.5 cm chunks
• 3 courgettes, trimmed and cut into 2.5 cm chunks
• 3 bell peppers, deseeded and cut into 2.5 cm chunks
• 6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• tinned tomatoes (amount not given; about 1 × 400 g tin)
• ½ bunch fresh basil, leaves picked and stalks finely sliced
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 tbsp oil (olive oil)
• a dash of balsamic vinegar (about 1 tbsp)
• 1 lemon (finely grated zest only)
• Salt: a good pinch of sea salt, plus more to taste
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

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1. Prep everything first: cut the onions into wedges, slice the garlic, and chop the aubergines, courgettes and deseeded peppers into 2.5 cm chunks. Roughly chop the fresh tomatoes. Pick the basil leaves and finely slice the stalks. 0:40
2. Heat the oil in a large casserole over medium heat. Fry the aubergine, courgette and pepper for about 5 minutes until golden and starting to soften (in batches if the pan is small), then tip into a bowl. 1:31
3. In the same pan, cook the onion, garlic, basil stalks and thyme leaves for 10–15 minutes until soft and golden. 1:53
4. Return the fried vegetables to the pan and stir in the fresh and tinned tomatoes, the balsamic, a good pinch of salt and some pepper. Stir gently (less stirring keeps the pieces intact; more makes it silkier). 2:02
5. Simmer over low heat for 30–35 minutes until thick and reduced. Tear in the basil leaves, grate over the lemon zest and adjust the seasoning. 2:26

Tip. Serves 4–6. Eat with brown rice, crusty wholegrain bread or alongside grilled fish or chicken. Keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well; it is also good cold the next day.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.