Rustic Ratatouille

Perfect for the cold wintery days approaching us in Melbourne, this simple version of making the French favourite, ratatouille, can be served as a warm side dish or even as a meal on its own with bread, pasta or rice. I have adapted the recipe from Gordon Ramsay's "Makes it Easy" and have added an egg for a delicious protein twist. Grating over Parmesan cheese and grilling the ratatouille until it is crispy and golden on top also works well!

Serves 6 (as a side):
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 small red capsicum, deseeded
- 1 small yellow capsicum, deseeded
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 large zucchinis, chopped
- 1 eggplant, chopped
- Handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
- Dash of balsamic vinegar
- 4 eggs (optional)

Halve and de-seed the tomatoes, then finely chop the flesh. Cut each of the capsicums into a 1 cm dice. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the garlic and onion gently for 2 minutes to soften. Add the zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and capsicum, stir and cook for about 5 minutes to soften. Add the basil and balsamic vinegar, and season to taste. If using eggs, spoon the ratatouille into 6 individual serving ramekins, leaving a 1 cm space from the top. Crack an egg over each filled ramekin and grill until the egg is cooked to your liking. Serve immediately!