Ratatouille

Twenty-nine years ago, when I first became vegetarian, ratatouille was my staple dish. I don't recall following a recipe but just threw a bunch of ingredients into a pan and stirred. Jokes abounded amongst my meat eating friends; "is that one rat or two?" My husband used to peer into the pan and say "having mush again?"

Well he was probably right. My version of this French Provençal stew consisted of soggy courgettes and tinned tomatoes with a few 'erbs thrown in.

Since those days I have tried cooking Delia's method (no need to salt, weight and drain the courgettes and aubergines these days) as well as Jaimie's, both successfully. Ratatouille can be served on its own, as a side dish, stirred through pasta or as a filling for lasagne. This week I did the Green Roasting Tin version which meant roasting all the ingredients before topping with breadcrumbs and vegan Parmesan. Easy, delicious and a complete meal with not a trace of rodent.

If you want your kids to eat more veggies, get them to watch the Disney film Ratatouille and then YouTube the recipe and cook it together.