Rabbit Food Ratatouille

My friend (and work colleague) Harry Weir is an amazing gardener. Each time I go to his studio I love to sit on the window sill and look down on his ever changing urban garden. It's gorgeous and if our garden ends up anything like his I would be very happy. Besides this though he also manages to head home to Monaghan every weekend to tend to his other (massive) garden where he grows fruit, veg, herbs and keeps hens (all for his stall at the farmers market in Castleleslie on sundays). Anyhow, this week he brought me back an amazing box of organic veg - all knobbly and mishappen, just like they should be.

Here is a recipe for the first thing we made from the box of delights - there is no way it will taste the same with offerings from tescos though! We had it with a yummy char-grilled fillet steak and some of Harry's spuds, simply boiled.

RATATOUILLE TO RELISH

Serves 2 of us but maybe 4 of you!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 large knobbly courgette, diced
300g mix of funny shaped yellow and red cherry tomatoes
1 large red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 mishappen green pepper, sliced
good glug of red wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and soften the onion and garlic for a few minutes before adding the courgette. Saute for a further 3-4 minutes and then toss the cherry tomatoes in, allowing them to soften for a few minutes, crushing them a little.

2. Next, add the red chilli, green pepper and red wine and leave to simmer down gently for 6-8 minutes. Season to taste and get in there quick before it's all gone!

Now just the small task of working our way through a huge bunch of carrots, beetroots and a prize pumpkin!