Frozen-vegetable ratatouille recipe

A batch of ratatouille is a great staple, good to eat hot or cold. Those frozen bags of grilled Mediterranean vegetables, though dull and undercooked eaten as they are, make a fantastic base. If you can get fresh basil, then stir some through, but it is still excellent without. Don’t substitute dried herbs: they have a dusty flavour that’s at odds with the bright vegetables.

Timings

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves

Two to four

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced, or 100g frozen sliced onions
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 x 500g bag frozen grilled Mediterranean vegetables, or 1 aubergine, 1 courgette and 1 deseeded red or yellow pepper, sliced
1 x 400g tin tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Method

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. With a slotted spoon, scoop the garlic and onion into a bowl.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add a third of the vegetables with a pinch of salt. Cook until tender and patched with brown (even the frozen “grilled” veg can do with a bit more colour). Scoop out into the onion bowl, and repeat twice with the rest of the oil and Mediterranean vegetables.

Put all the cooked vegetables into a large saucepan with the tinned tomatoes. Stir through then cook, covered, for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are bathed in sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve with some fresh basil if you have it.

How to use ratatouille

Fill a vegetarian lasagne.
Spread it in an ovenproof dish, make four hollows and break in four eggs. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 200C/180C fan/Gas 6 until the eggs are just set. Eat with bread.
Mix in one tablespoon of drained capers in vinegar and eat with grilled lamb chops or fish.