Easy Ratatouille

Easy peasy lemon squeezy, well easy peasy ratatouille.
We have all the eggplants & peppers coming in now along with the last of the tomatoes. I had to but zucchini from the market, as mine turned out to be just marrow! So what better to make for the winter. Ratatouille is a winter warmer & goes just as well as a pasta sauce, added to meat or as a vegetable side dish. This is an easy tasty recipe you can make it as a batch to freeze or as a single meal. I have given different measurements here.  Also add to your taste, so check for flavours as you go. For instance I do not add salt, I use liquid sweetener & sweetness is different for us all. I also can't eat onion so I use more garlic instead. This is a great recipe which can be melded to your own taste not mine.

Onion x 1 up to 3 peeled & sliced
Garlic x 2 cloves up to 2 heads peeled crushed & chopped
Eggplant x 1 up to 4
Zucchini x 3 med up to 8 sliced & cut into 1/4's
Peppers x 2 up to 8 deseeded & chopped large
Tomatoes large x 4 up to 7lb skinned & deseeded chopped or you can use cans/jars
Bunch fresh Basil or dried to taste
Oregano x 1/2 tsp up to 2 tsp
Thyme x 1/4 tsp up to 1 tsp
Parsley x 1/2 tsp up to 2 tsp
Blk Pepper
Salt to taste
Chop ends off eggplant, chop or slice put in a colander stand in bowl & sprinkle with salt. Make sure all the eggplant is covered & leave to stand for an hour or so. tip away the bitter liquid & rinse out the salt with cold water.
In a large fry pan heat either a spray oil like frylight or a little olive oil fry garlic, onion & pepper until softened. Add the tomatoes & stir through. Cook for a few mins then add liquid sweetener or sugar to taste. If you are batch cooking you can always add more later when you reheat it. Check for sweetness. Turn cooker to a low heat cover & simmer. Meanwhile in another pan heat spray or olive oil & fry Zucchini till softened & browned then add this to the tomato mixture, stir through. Fry eggplant in a little olive oil 1 to 2 tablespoons The less you use the healthier it will be, don't overpower the taste with oil!
Stir the eggplant so all sides are browned nicely & when it is cooked turn this into the tomato mixture & combine. Season to taste add herbs & lastly the basil. Cover & cook on low for 10 - 15 mins.
Freezes well.
Serve on its own with pasta, add to meat or serve as a vegetable side dish.
Enjoy