Ratatouille

Ingredients

• 2 red bullhorn peppers (or capsicums)
• 12 roma tomatoes
• 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, finely diced
• small bunch of thyme
• 3 tbsp (tablespoons) olive oil
• salt to taste
• 150ml (5 fl oz) red wine
• 6 yellow squash (or yellow courgettes), thinly sliced
• 4 courgettes (zucchinis), thinly sliced
• 4 long aubergines (eggplants), thinly sliced

Directions

1. Begin by roasting the peppers over an open flame until the skin turns black. Then, place them into a bowl and cover for 10 minutes. Afterwards, peel the burnt skin from the peppers.
2. Next, remove the cores from the tomatoes and score an X on the bottom of each one. Blanch them in boiling water for 45 seconds, then transfer them into ice-cold water, and peel.
3. To make the sauce, add the oil to a saucepan over medium heat, then add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Next, add the wine, roasted red peppers, and 4 of the peeled, diced tomatoes along with the thyme tied together (for easy removal later).
5. Add about 100ml (3.4 fl oz) of water and cook this for 40 minutes, then remove the thyme, blend, and check for salt.
6. Now it’s time to assemble. Slice the rest of your tomatoes and lay out all the vegetables on trays. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and thyme leaves.
7. To assemble, pour the sauce into the bottom of an oven-safe dish. Then, stack one slice of each vegetable and start placing them from the outside in.
8. Cover with a cartouche and place this into an oven (or smoker if available) preheated to 180°C (356°F) for one hour.
9. Enjoy!