Tamara's ratatouille

🥘 Ingredients

• sunflower oil 7 tbsp
• onions 2
• garlic 4 cloves
• fresh green chile
• red peppers 2
• butternut squash ½
• parsnip 1
• French beans 1 cup
• zucchini 1
• eggplant ½
• potato 1
• tomatoes 2
• sugar ½ tbsp
• tomato paste 1 tbsp
• salt
• black pepper
• water 1 cup
• cilantro

1. 1

   Pour two-thirds of the sunflower oil into a large heavy casserole dish or a pot and place on a medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes , stirring occasionally. Next, stir in the garlic , fresh green chile and red peppers and fry for another 5 minutes . Add the butternut squash and parsnip and continue frying for 5 minutes .
2. 2

   Using a slotted spoon, lift the vegetables out of the pot and into a medium bowl , leaving as much of the oil in the pot as possible. Top this up with the remaining oil. Add the French beans , zucchini and eggplant to the hot oil and fry for 5 minutes , stirring occasionally.
3. 3

   Return the contents of the bowl to the pot. Add the potato , tomatoes , sugar , tomato paste and plenty of salt and black pepper . Stir well, then pour in the water , or just enough to half-cover the vegetables. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes . Taste the vegetables and add more salt and pepper, if you like.
4. 4

   Finally, preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a slotted spoon to gently lift the vegetables from the pot and into a large, deep roasting pan to make a layer about 1¼ inches thick. Pour the liquid over the vegetables and place in the oven to cook for 30 minutes . At this point all the vegetables should be very soft and most of the liquid evaporated. Garnish with cilantro , if you like, and serve.