Ratatouille "style" Zucchini - Styles in the Kitchen

Growing up my parents would cut up an onion, saute it in a little oil, add a tin of tomatoes and that was a side dish, I hated it. Well, years later we had a glut of zucchinis in the garden and anyone who has grown zucchini will tell you they multiply in front of your eyes. We were all sick of zucchini slice so I came up with this recipe. It is fantastic as a side dish to sausages, a roast chicken or BBQ’d chops but also great for vegetarians with a few eggs poached in the sauce with bread to dip.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
500gm zucchini
1 400gm tin tomatoes
Chilli flakes (optional)

Slice the onion and finely chop the garlic clove.

Heat the oil in a frypan on a low to medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute slowly, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent but not coloured.

Meanwhile slice the zucchini into coins about 1/2 cm thick.

Add the tin of tomatoes to the frypan, either breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or crushing through your hands. Fill the now empty tin with water about a third of the way up, swirl to get all the tomato out and add to the frypan.

Add in the zucchini and stir to coat, trying to push the zucchini under the tomato liquid. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of red chilli flakes if you like it hot.

Cover with a lid and cook 15 minutes or until the zucchini is cooked and soft. Take the lid off the pan and let the excess juices boil away and the sauce thicken.

I hope you remember this dish when you too have a glut of zucchini or want some inspiration for meatless Monday! Simply make little indentations in the sauce and crack in a few eggs cover with a lid and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny and serve with crusty bread.