Ratatouille Bake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 large potatoes, for mashing
sea salt
6 -8 leaves fresh basil, very finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
fresh coarse ground black pepper
milk
1 aubergine, diced into 21/2cm pieces
2 medium courgettes, halved lengthwise & sliced into 21/2cm pieces
2 red peppers, each half divided into 4 pieces
2 medium red onions, each divided into 8 pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 (450 g) can organic plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
fresh parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation

. Put the oven on Gas 5, 190C, 375\u00b0F.
. Peel and cook the potatoes in salted water. Drain and mash.
. Stir the basil into the mashed potato along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in enough milk to make a creamy mash.
. Place the aubergine, courgettes, red peppers, red onions, and garlic in a deep oven-proof dish.
. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, Italian seasoning and a pinch of salt and toss well.
. Cook on the top shelf of a pre-heated oven, Gas 7,220C, 425F, for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from the oven and stir in the tomatoes.
. Season with salt and pepper.
. Reduce the oven temperature to Gas 5,190C, 375\u00b0F.
. Spread the mashed potato carefully on top.
. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
. Bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden.