Ratatouille

To prepare the sauce, heat a little olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and thyme, cooking for another minute until fragrant. Add the baby tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes. Pour in the tomato purée, season lightly, and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the flavours have combined. Remove the thyme sprigs.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Slice the aubergine, zucchini, and Roma tomatoes into even, thin rounds, about 3-5mm. Place each vegetable in separate bowls and drizzle lightly with olive oil, season with the dried oregano, salt and black pepper, and set aside.

Spread the sauce evenly over the base of your Le Creuset 30cm Shallow Casserole. Arrange the sliced aubergine, zucchini and tomatoes by alternating each vegetable one after the other, making sure they are standing up on their sides and packing them tightly. For the zucchini, you will use 3-4 pieces in between each one piece of aubergine and tomato. Work in a circle until the dish is filled. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season again with salt and black pepper.

Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for a further 15–20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelised on the edges.

Serve warm, finished with a drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of fresh oregano.