Cold comforts

My trip to London didn't quite go according to plan ( of course ), not as much cooking, photographing and baking taking place as i had hoped. I felt so short of time and had so many friends and family i wanted to catch up with, birthdays were celebrated which meant a whole lot of cake! And then i caught a cold, that cold that you get once a year, usually in this time, the one that really knocks it out of you and lingers for days and days, i'm sure you all know that feeling.

Since arriving back in Marrakech it's just been me and my bed, i wanted to make soup for myself but i didn't have the equipment to make it which brings me to the recipe for this post. As i was flicking through my few books i remembered to bring from London i found the recipe for Ratatouille in 'French women don't get fat' by Mireille Guiliano. I've talked about this book here before, it really is very good and not really a diet book at all but more of a new way of eating and enjoying the pleasures of food. The book includes simple French recipes that are nutrionally balanced, low in calories and very easy to put together.

When i  made the Ratatouille from this book before it turned out just as the book said it would, more of a soup with the juices coming from the vegetables. To achieve this result it's all about slow cooking, having remembered this recipe and how easy it was to prepare i went about making it yesterday. The recipe can give you 3 meals, if you wish you can half it too but i think it's just as tasty the next day, all you need to complete your meal is warm crusty bread and a drizzling of olive oil. ( Sorry no pictures for this post :( )

Ratatouille

1.5kg tomatoes

1.5kg courgettes

1.5kg aubergines

12 garlic cloves

1 bunch of basil

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Use an equal amount of tomatoes,courgettes and aubergine. Wash and cut into thick slices.

2.Using a large pot, make layers starting with the aubergine, then the tomatoes and finally the courgettes, in between each layer and garlic cloves and the basil. Repeat until the pot is filled, season with salt and pepper. 

3. cover and cook over a very low heat for 2 hours.

4. Serve after 20 minutes ( at room temperature) at this stage the ratatouille is more of a soup with  the liquid coming from the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and olive oil.