INSPIRING COOKERY

Quick, easy and delicious – more mouthwatering dishes from Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc’s new book for you to try

Ratatouille. Ah, just the sound of the word takes me straight to Provence and the Mediterranean, with its fabulous smells, sensations and extraordinary natural light. This dish is said to have originated in Nice, which once belonged to Italy, home of the tomato sauce. Traditionally, ratatouille is cooked slowly – this ratatouille may be quick, but I can assure you that it is also delicious.

Serves 4-6

● Prep 5 mins

● Cook 15 mins

● 1 white onion

● 6 garlic cloves

● 1 large courgette

● 1 aubergine

● 1 red pepper

● 4 big, fat, ripe tomatoes (as a true Frenchman, I like the Marmande variety for this dish)

● 8tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

● 4 thyme sprigs

● 1 rosemary sprig

● 4 pinches of sea salt

● 6-8 turns of ground black pepper

Prepare well before cooking begins. Dice the onion, finely slice the peeled garlic and put these to one side. Halve the courgette and aubergine lengthways and chop into 2-3cm pieces. Halve the pepper lengthways, remove the seeds and dice to about 2cm. Chop the tomatoes into larger chunks – the larger pieces add juice, colour, texture and huge flavour. Voilà! The preparation is done.

Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan or casserole dish on a low heat. Leave for a moment then add the onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Sweat the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes – stir, but don’t brown them.

Increase the heat to high and add the courgette, aubergine, pepper and tomato. Season and stir. Place a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 6-8 minutes, letting the vegetables steam in their juices. Stir once or twice. Finally, taste and correct the seasoning. Serve the ratatouille straight from the pan.