Around the World in 18 Fridays: Week 1- France

Each Thursday I cook dinner, so on Fridays I’ll aim to bring you a blog post about what I cooked. So far I’ve chosen an international theme, so each post will be from a different place in the world. Bon voyage! –Mia

Bonjour!

Today I'm cooking something French! Can you guess what?

Because we’re part of a fruit co-op, we always seem to have too much of one thing and not enough of something else.

This week’s excess was eggplant, zucchini and capsicum.

Ratatouille really seemed the perfect dish!

I loosely based mine on one on Taste.com.au and the one in Charmaine Solomon’s Complete Vegetarian Cookbook (a good book, I might add!).

But only some ideas for ingredients- I ignored the quantities and added/removed a couple of things.

And yes, it may be the ugliest coloured dish on earth, but trust me- the taste makes up for it!

Ratatouille

Serves 4, plus leftovers

3 Eggplants, cubed

4 Zucchinis, cubed

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

3 Brown Onions, diced

3 Cloves of Garlic, crushed

2-3 Capsicums, de-seeded and cut into strips

2 Cans of Tomato

1 tsp Ground Coriander

A couple of sprigs of Basil, finely sliced

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Place zucchini and eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Toss, so all of the cubes are in contact with the salt. Set aside for an hour. After the hour and passed, rinse and pat dry.

Heat oil, in a large, heavy based saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, but not brown.  Add eggplant, zucchini and capsicum, and cook over low heat for ½ an hour.

Add tinned tomatoes, coriander, basil, salt and pepper and cook for a further 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are soft and very tender.

Serve with pasta, or on it’s own for a light meal. Bon Appetit!

Mia