Your kids may think of a Disney movie when they hear the word ratatouille, but it's really a traditional French stewed vegetable dish. Usually ratatouille takes ages to cook and develop the flavour, but this quick recipe from Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals can get dinner on the table in no time. Serve with saffron rice and either grilled chicken, steak, or even prawns sauteed in garlic butter. For a vegetarian version, add a can of chick peas to the sauce in the last 5 minutes and omit the anchovies.
1 egg plant
1 zucchini
2 sweet peppers (1 yellow and 1 red), roughly chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 anchovy filets
1 tsp harissa (if you can’t find it, try a spicy/sweet chili sauce or just hot sauce and pare down the amount to taste)
700g bottle of passata (or 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup plain yogurt
Slice the ends off the zucchini and then cut it in half lengthwise, then the eggplant into 1 cm thick slices. If you have a griddle pan, grill the veggies until softened. If not, you can either fry them up in a pan with a little oil, or grill them under a broiler until slightly charred and softened.
While the zucchini and eggplant are cooking, drizzle about a tbsp of the oil from the anchovy jar in a large, deep, fry pan. Add the chopped peppers, onions, garlic, and anchovies, stirring and sautéing for a few minutes until softened. Add the passata, harissa, and balsamic vinegar and give it a good stir.
Bubble the mixture on the stove for a few minutes until heated through. Serve with saffron rice and dollops of plain yogurt.
Note: Passata is crushed and strained tomatoes. You can find it in glass jars in the canned tomato or pasta sauce aisle of many grocery stores. You can also substitute crushed tomatoes.
Serves 4
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals
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