Ratatouille

Vegetables brought to a plump, sweet ripeness by the hot, late-summer sun are some of the best partners for olive oil, and the Provençal dish of ratatouille demonstrates this perfectly. Most cooks agree that a ratatouille should include onions, garlic, aubergine and sweet peppers, but here the certainty ends. Some leave out tomatoes; others leave out courgettes. Paul Bocuse leaves out peppers, and inexplicably includes carrots. I prefer to use all the Mediterranean vegetables.

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