Ratatouille

Cut the aubergine into 2 cm cubes, salt them and leave them in a colander for 20 minutes, then pat dry. This draws out water so they fry rather than steam.

While the aubergine drains, cut the courgettes and peppers into 2 cm pieces and thinly slice the onions and garlic. Score a cross in the base of each tomato, cover them with boiling water for 1 minute, then peel and chop them.

Fry the aubergine in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden on all sides, and set aside. Do the same with the courgettes, then the peppers, each on their own.

Lower the heat, add a little more oil and cook the sliced onions slowly for 10 minutes until soft. Add the sliced garlic for 1 minute.

Add the peeled chopped tomatoes, the bay leaf and the thyme and simmer for 20 minutes until the mixture thickens and loses its wateriness.

Fold the fried aubergine, courgettes and peppers back in and cook for 5 minutes more — just long enough to marry them. Longer and you undo the separate frying.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme stalks, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, tear in the basil, and serve warm or at room temperature.