Stovetop Ratatouille

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine, topped & diced
• 2 courgettes, topped, sliced in 4 lengthwise & sliced in 1 cm pieces
• 2 large red & yellow bell peppers, stalk removed, deseeded & diced
• ~500g cherry tomatoes
• 1 large onion, sliced thinly
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• fresh herbs like basil & oregano, or rosemary & thyme, chopped
• ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

First fry quickly then let simmer
1. Heat the oil in a hot wok. Add in the onion. Fry on a high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, 2 - 3 minutes. Next, add in the courgette and aubergine, mix around well. Stir as needed to stop the veg burning or sticking to the pan. Fry until the courgette and aubergine have softened, about 5 minutes or so. Next, add in the diced peppers. Again stir frequently and fry for 2 - 3 minutes. Make space in the centre of the wok for the cherry tomatoes. Add and let them heat for a minute or so, before using a potato masher to gently smash the tomatoes. It’s important to do this gently to avoid the tomato juice skitting everywhere. Good idea to wear an apron anyhow. Once the tomatoes are mashed to a pulp, stir in the garlic, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir all the vegetables together well. If using thyme and rosemary, add in now. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to gentle-moderate. Leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.
2. When ready, remove the lid. The vegetables should all be nicely soft. There should not be too much liquid in the pan. If there is stir in the tomato puree and/or leave to cook with the lid off for a further 5 minutes. If using basil and oregano, stir in now. Taste and add in more salt and pepper if necessary.