Ratatouille Recipe

Hello!
You may have noticed things have been a little quiet here at Vivid HQ, especially on our twitter feed. I've been stuck in bed with the worlds worst cold and I am starting to go a little out of my nut! Thank goodness for a wonderful friend and a LoveFilm discount code; where would we be without streamed movies?! So, to keep myself occupied as I try and get better, I've been watching every Pixar movie available. I thought I would dedicate a diy post to my favorite film, but while I don't quite have the energy to achieve the magic of Up! (I've posted before of my adoration of this film)  Though I do know of one film that has definitely come in handy for helping out with my ailments...   Ratatouille!

I love ratatouille as there are so many variations of it and it always tastes super good no matter how you rock it. My current favorite recipe is based on one I found in  Pippa Kendric's cookbook; it's very low effort (win!) and it it is full of all the good stuff. 

Want in? All you need is:

2 red peppers                              2 courgettes                                     

2 red onions                                2 cloves garlic                                    

1 aubergine                                 200g sun blushed tomatoes 

 2 tbsp olive oil                           2 tsp lemon juice

500ml passata                             large bunch of basil

1 tsp soft light brown sugar        small bunch of rosemary  

salt and pepper to taste               Optional: rice (for 2 people)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.

2. Chop up your aubergine, peppers and onions into little bite sized cubes. Add these to a deep roasting tin with the crushed garlic. Add in the courgettes chopped into little half moons. Then pour the oil over it all and give it a really good mix, making sure it is all covered.

3. Stick it in the oven for 40 minutes, turning half way through. You know it's ready when it is all caramelized and starting brown. Yum yum! Once done, take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.

4. In a big pan on the hob, add in the passata, sun-blushed tomatoes, sugar, lemon juice and the chopped up herbs. Let it cook for a couple of minutes before adding in the roasted vegetables, a dash of salt and pepper. Let this simmer gently for 15 minutes 

5. Whilst the ratatouille is cooking away, you can pop your rice on if you've decided you want to add it in. I love adding it for texture and it makes me think of jambalaya in New Orleans. So, in a seperate pan, start cooking your rice. Adding in a portion for 2 people makes enough for 4 people when it is all mixed up together. Cook it till light and fluffy and add into the big pot of ratatouille. 

6. Give it a real good stir and start dishing it up :D

Hooray!

It may not look as pretty as the one in the film, but goodness me it tastes good :D 

You know, I'm starting to feel a little better already...

I hope you enjoy this little recipe and for all you ill people out there - feel better soon!

xox