Doing it 'old school' with ratatouille

The other day a friend suggested that our garden had all the ingredients needed to make a good old fashioned French dish ... Ratatouille. I've seen the kids movie but I've never tried the recipe. After a little research on the web I learned that ratatouille was originally a peasant dish that dates back to 18th century France although I would guess that it's been around a lot longer than that. It makes use of the fresh vegetables that you would have in abundance during the summer. This sounds like my kind of dish ... I'm sold.

The ingredients we used were:

1 yellow zucchini
1 green zucchini
4 small yellow onions
3 large tomatoes
2 green peppers
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons oil
20 basil leaves

Cut the zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and onions in to 1/2 inch pieces while dicing the garlic. Lightly fry the onions in the oil until lightly
golden and then add the green peppers and garlic and continue to cook until the peppers are just beginning to get soft. Add the zucchini and continue to cook until the zucchini is just getting soft. Then add the tomatoes and the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few more minutes until the tomatoes liquify and the desired 'softness' is achieved. Serve hot or cold.

I can see why ratatouille was so popular in the 18th century. Simple, easy to make and delicious. You can mix it up and add whatever spices you like ... it's very flexible.

Please give it a try ... I think you'll enjoy it.