Ratatouille

This Provençal vegetable stew has been a staple of the restaurant repertoire for ever, often with small variations and additions. The core of the dish is stewed aubergine with peppers, courgettes and tomato and, while I would be happy to add celery or fennel, even mushrooms, to the mix, I would be wary of leaving out any of the four principal players.

The dish can be re-worked in various ways. The principal ingredients can be deep-fried in batter and laid across a garlic and tomato