Ratatouille

We eat so much of this stuff at this time of year - pasta with ratatouille, baked chicken with ratatouille, salmon with ratatouille, ratatouille fritatta..... I make large quantities and it matures in the fridge and freezes well too. Tonight, we used some to stuff a gorgeous yellow marrow that a neighbour gave us from their allotment. I halved it and scooped out the seeds, then filled the cavities with ratatouille, put in a roasting tin with some veg stock, covered with foil and baked for a good hour and a half until the marrow was meltingly tender. Then, I topped the lot with sliced cheddar and browned under the grill. Delicious with lots of fresh peas and crusty bread.

I make the ratatouille unconventionally - I slowly roast chunks of aubergine, courgette, onion and peppers. In the meantime, I make a sauce with lots of garlic, olive oil and a mix of tinned and fresh skinned tomatoes. When the roasted veg are ready - well cooked but not charred - I gently combine with the sauce. This way, the vegetables stay discrete and identifiable, rather than turning into a mush. It cuts down on the amount of oil you need to use, with no laborious frying at the start - the oven does all the work.