By Bridget Davis
The secret to a good ratatouille is to cook all the vegetables separately and combine before serving, which allows the vegetables to taste individually of themselves. Combined with Grove avocado oil, this is great dish for health conscious eaters being low in calories, high in flavour and stacked full of nutrients.
Ingredients (serves 8-10 as a side dish)
2 large red onion – peeled and cut in half through the root which will hold the onion layers intact
4 medium sized zucchini
1 medium eggplant
5 medium sized sweet and ripe summer tomatoes
2 red capsicums
4 banana chilli
1 small bunch of fresh basil – leaves picked
Small handful of Italian parsley – leaves picked and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bottle of Grove avocado oil
Natural sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Prepare the vegetables as follows keeping each one separate as you do so:
Onions – slice into quarters, then 8ths keeping the root firmly intact to hold the onion layers firmly together.
Zucchini – slice off the tops and ends of the zucchini and discard. Slice the zucchini in half length ways and then slice thickly on an angle.
Eggplant – remove the top of the eggplant with a small knife by peeling back the leaves of the eggplant to expose the very top. Carefully slice off the stem and discard. Slice the eggplant in half lengthways then into large half rounds.
Tomato – using a small knife, carefully slice out the eye of the tomato. Cut each tomato into 8 wedges.
Red capsicum – remove the top of the capsicum and slice down its length into 8 large slices. Using a sharp knife carefully remove the white membrane layer in the capsicum and discard.
Banana chillies – remove the tops of the banana chillies and slice into thick chunks cut on the angle.
Keeping the vegetables separate, marinate the pieces in a good slosh of Grove avocado oil, sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, mixing each vegetable well to ensure the pieces are evenly coated. Pour a 1/4 cup of extra Grove avocado oil into a small bowl with a pastry brush to use for basting while barbecuing.
Heat the barbecue on medium to high using both the flat plate and grill bars if your barbecue is equipped with both.
Once the barbecue is hot and a light haze can be seen coming from the flat plate, cook each vegetable in its group, allowing time and space for each vegetable to cook evenly. Use the grill bars and flat plate evenly, allowing some vegetables to cook with bar marks and others via a flat plate sizzle. The vegetables should be just cooked through and not left to go soggy and burn. As the vegetables are cooking, baste regularly with avocado oil.
When the eggplant is almost cooked through, sprinkle over the garlic and allow to cook for a few extra minutes more without burning the small pieces of garlic.
Once all the vegetables are cooked, combine gently in a large serving bowl along with the torn up basil leaves and finish with a generous sprinkling of chopped parsley.