Ragu/Ratatouille

This sauce is just brilliant to make and then freeze. It’s great as a main course, or blitzed, as an artisan ragu to add to pasta.

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
1 medium - large courgette, sliced
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
25g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried Italian mixed herbs
half a teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
50ml red wine (optional)
Salt and ground black pepper

Heat half the oil and butter in a frying pan on a medium heat and add the chopped onion, cooking for 5-10 minutes until golden, then put aside on a plate.

Add the remaining oil and butter and lightly fry the courgette slices until lightly browned on both sides. Then tip the onion back into the pan, add the crushed garlic (if using), dried herbs and chilli flakes.

Cook for another few minutes, then turn up the heat a little and add in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine, add a little water to just cover all the ingredients, bring to a simmer and then turn down the heat, cover and leave to cook through for about the 20 minutes or so, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking.

Leave to cool and then divide into portions as required, this will make approximately 4 side portions of ratatouille or roughly blitzed and added to pasta, enough for 4 - 6 portions. Next eat or freeze. Enjoy!