Ratatouille

 We're getting used to having the weekly veg delivery from Kelly's Vegies now, and it's been quite fun being inspired to make things by the content of the box.  This week brought lovely plum tomatoes and courgettes, among other things, so I just had to do ratatouille.

A quick pop to the shop for an onion, a pepper, a mushroom and some garlic, and we're away.  A classic ratatouille would also include aubergine, but I felt we had enough here for two people.

In short, everything needs a bit of frying, then transfer to the oven to roast.  So, chop the onion and a clove of garlic and get that sweating in oil.  

I used my griddle pan for the rest of the veg, just to get cheffy stripes on the veg, but if you've only got one frying pan that's fine - just do everything one at a time and transfer to an oven-proof dish or baking tray.

When all the veg has been browned and transferred over, quarter some plum tomatoes and lay them on top.  Drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper, rosemary and thyme, and add a splash of balsamic vinegar if you have any.

Pop it in the oven for 40 minutes at 180C.

For the vegetarians, that's it - with a nice chunk of crusty bread, that would be a meal in itself.

However, I'd passed the butcher today and I just couldn't leave these stuffed lamb noisettes in the shop.

Just fry them all over to get some colour on, then put them on top of the ratatouille for the last 20 minutes of cooking time - that left them perfectly pink in the middle.

It was gorgeous - top quality lamb with a really indulgent veggie dish alongside.

Financial verdict
The lamb was a treat, at £3 each, but the ratatouille doesn't contain anything expensive and it was a really tasty meal in itself.

The skinny
Chop an onion, a clove of garlic, a courgette, a red pepper and a couple of mushrooms.

Fry each of the vegetables to get them brown, then transfer to an oven proof dish.

Chop tomatoes into quarters and lay on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, add a sprinkle of rosemary and thyme, and a splash of balsamic vinegar if you have any.

Roast in the oven at 180C for 40 minutes.

Quickly fry the lamb all over, then add to the oven for the last 20 minutes of cooking time.