Savoy Cabbage Ratatouille Parcels Recipe

Serves

Preparation time:

30 minutes

Cooking time:

20 minutes

Ingredients

4 large leaves of savoy cabbage
1 aubergine, sliced into 1cm rounds
2 red onions, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely diced
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and finely diced
1 courgette, finely diced
Olive oil, for frying
Table salt, to season
A small bunch of fresh marjoram, to serve

For the tomato sauce

2 garlic cloves
1 tsp capers
400g canned, chopped tomatoes
1 tsp white sugar
Olive oil, for frying
Table salt, to season

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) Gas 3.

2. To make the tomato sauce, pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a small saucepan and add the garlic and capers. Set over a low heat to cook the garlic and capers until they are just starting to turn golden brown. Add the canned tomatoes and sugar, and leave to simmer on low for 10 minutes.

3. Using a handheld electric blender, purée the mixture to a smooth consistency and season with a pinch or two of table salt. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan and set aside.

4. Put the savoy cabbage leaves in a pan of boiling salted water and blanch for 2 minutes, then remove and pat dry with paper towels.

5. Preheat a frying pan over a high heat. Drizzle a little oil over the aubergine slices, then carefully place them into the very hot pan and cook until they’re just starting to blacken. Repeat on the other side, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Chop and dice the slices into about 5mm pieces.

6. Add a light covering of oil to a frying pan. Set over a low heat and add the onions and peppers. Cover with a generous pinch of salt and leave to cook gently until the onions are translucent – this may take about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the courgette and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring gently. Remove from the heat, add the aubergine pieces and gently stir to make the ratatouille.

7. Place the savoy cabbage leaves into large ramekins, allowing the edges of the leaves to hang over the sides. Fill with the ratatouille mixture and fold the edges over to seal. Cover the top with foil to hold everything together.

8. Bake the parcels in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Gently heat the saucepan of tomato sauce at the same time. Once cooked, carefully remove the foil and turn the parcels out onto large soup plates. Spoon the tomato sauce around the edge.

9. Decorate with fresh marjoram flowers and leaves and serve.

Recipe and image taken from Vegetable Perfection by Mat Follas, priced at £16.99 and published by Ryland Peters & Small. Photography by Steve Painter.

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