Sintra has had a tough year for tomatoes. The slug population was particularly high due to a warm winter that didn’t limit their numbers, and the cool, cloudy summer didn’t help either. Finally, almost two months later, we’re starting to see more and more beautiful, ripe, red tomatoes.

I prepare this dish every couple of weeks in the summer and serve it with freshly baked bread. If time allows, I brush thick slices of bread with oil and grill them until golden. I serve the dish with a rocket salad and guacamole. It’s so satisfying!

ratatouille (sweet and sour aubergine stew)

serves 2 – 3

ingredients

1 medium/270g eggplant

3 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp olive oil – divided

2 sticks/120g celery, finely chopped

2 fresh bay leaf

½ medium/100g red capsicum, coarsely chopped

3 medium/205g ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 large/40g green olives, stoned and chopped

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

to serve

feta/ricotta cheese/ a bowl of guacamole

chopped toasted almonds

flat-leaf parsley

few slices of sourdough bread

preparation

  1. Slice the aubergine into 1 cm slices, salt them, and let them sit for 20 minutes. Wipe off the remaining salt and cut into 1 cm cubes.
  2. Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in a medium pan, add eggplant and fry until soft and golden. Make sure you cook them well because undercooked eggplant is unpleasant. Alternatively, toss the eggplant in 2 Tbsp oil and spread out onto a roasting tray in a preheated 200C/400F oven for 20 minutes until brown and tender. Set aside.
  3. On medium-high heat, add 2 Tbsp oil to the same skillet used for cooking the aubergine. Add the celery and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the capsicum, cook for 2 more minutes, add the tomatoes, lower the heat, and cook for 15 minutes until pulpy. (If the tomatoes are dry, cover with a lid.) Add the eggplant, olives, vinegar, and sugar to the sauce and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  4. Taste and adjust the seasoning (adding more sweet, sour or salt to balance the flavours). Set aside to develop. Stir in the parsley, leaving a little for garnish when serving.

prepare the toast

  1. Heat a grill pan or frying pan. Brush bread slices with olive oil, and add them when the pan is hot. Keep an eye on the bread so it does not burn. Turn over when one side is golden.

serve

Place the toasted bread on the dish and top with ratatouille, ricotta or guacamole, almonds, and parsley.