Seasonal vegetables are all slow-cooked together in a dish that truly celebrates summer. Serve with bread, or for a more substantial meal, as a side with barbecued or roasted meat or fish
Prep:20 mins
Serves 6
3 red peppers, each quartered and deseededhandful basil, leaves and stalks separatedlarge thyme sprig2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying and drizzling2 courgettes (different colours are good), roughly chopped1 aubergine, chopped into large chunks1 red onion, roughly chopped4 garlic cloves, slicedpinch sugar1 tbsp red wine vinegar2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes1 tbsp extra virgin olive oilgriddled sourdough, to serve
STEP 1Heat the grill to high. Lay the pepper quarters skin-side up on a baking tray and grill until the skins are black and charred. Tip into a bowl, cover and leave to cool. Peel the charred skin off the peppers, then cut into strips, and toss back in the juices collected in the bowl. Tie the basil stalks and thyme sprig together using kitchen string and set aside.STEP 2Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 4. Heat the olive oil in a flameproof casserole dish and fry the courgettes and aubergine for 15 mins until nicely browned. You may need to do this in batches, adding more oil to the pan as needed so the pan is never dry.STEP 3Scoop the veg out of the pan and set aside. Add a drizzle more oil, tip in the onion and cook for another 15 mins until softened and starting to brown. Add the garlic and leave to sizzle for a moment. Scatter with sugar, then leave for a minute to caramelise and splash in the vinegar. Stir in the cooked vegetables along with the pepper juice, season generously, pour over the cans of tomatoes and bring everything to a simmer.STEP 4Nestle in the herbs, cover the dish and transfer to the oven for 1 hr. Remove the lid and give it another 30 mins until everything is cooked down and jammy. Leave the ratatouille to cool until just warm, then stir through most of the basil leaves and the extra virgin olive oil. Scatter with the rest of the basil and serve with griddled sourdough.
