Recipe of the Week: Ratatouille 

If you ever want to impress anyone in any friends or family gatherings, this is a go to dish and it’s suitable for vegans. It is a very light dish with many vegetables (so you will definitely get your fibre in), but I normally like to pair it with grilled chicken and bread as it has a strong tomato flavour profile. It’s a comfort meal that requires a bit of effort, but the outcome is so worth it. Every person who has tried has enjoyed it, so I hope you enjoy it too!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small white onion

1 bell pepper (usually I use yellow or red or orange)

3 (big) roma tomatoes

2 courgettes

2 aubergines

500ml tomato passata

1 tbsp mixed italian herbs

1 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)

1 handful of fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp of dried thyme 

1tbsp of rosemary (optional)

3 garlic cloves (or garlic powder if you do not have any garlic)

Salt and pepper (adjust to your taste)

Instructions:

1. Thinly slice the aubergines, courgettes, and roma tomatoes. (I try to slice them at a similar thickness so that the oven can cook them evenly.)
2. Heat your cast iron skillet (or a normal pan if you use an oven dish instead) over medium heat and put some olive oil in.
3. Cook the diced onion and two minced garlic cloves in the pan. Once browned, add the diced bell pepper into the pan as well.
4. As it cooks, measure 500ml of tomato passata and add it into the pan.
5. Add the mixed herbs, and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
6. Once the tomato sauce base has simmered and the bell pepper is cooked, add half of a handful of basil leaves into the base. Turn off the heat once it has been mixed thoroughly. (If you used a normal pan, pour the base sauce in an oven dish.)
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
8. Place the thinly sliced vegetables, in alternating order (e.g. courgette, aubergine, tomato), on top of the base sauce. (Place them from the outer edges of the pan, and work your way in. If they do not all fit, I usually do two layers of vegetables or squish them in between the vegetables.)
9. Separately, mix the olive oil, the rest of the basil, the dry thyme, one clove of minced garlic, and the rosemary together.
10. Pour the oil mixture over the vegetables on the pan.
11. Place foil over the pan.
12. Bake for 50 minutes in the oven, and eat when warm!
13. Serve into plates and serve with bread and grilled chicken if you would like a filling meal. Enjoy!

Image provided by Kiri Hart for The Student.