Ratatouille with Mild Goat’s Cheese & Basil Pesto Crumble

Prepare Ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash the fresh produce. Medium dice the onion. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Cut the eggplant and zucchini in half lengthwise and then into 2 cm dice. Cut the capsicum in half, remove and discard the seeds, then cut into bite-sized chunks. Pick the basil leaves off the stems, roughly chop ¾ of the basil leaves, and reserve the remainder for garnish.

Cook Zucchini & Eggplant:

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a large pan. Add the eggplant and zucchini, season well with salt. Fry for 5 minutes until softened. Set aside.

Start Ratatouille:

Wipe out the pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the onion, garlic and capsicum. Gently fry for 3-4 minutes. Tip in ¾ of the chopped tomatoes you will have remainder, the zucchini and eggplant. Season well, cover and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in half the chopped basil and leave aside to cool.

Prepare Crumble:

While ratatouille simmers, in a bowl, add the remaining half of the chopped basil, pesto, the panko bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well until combined.

Finish Ratatouille:

Cut the goat’s cheese into large bite sized pieces and gently fold through the ratatouille. Spoon into an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the herby crumb mixture over the top of the ratatouille.

You Plate It:

Bake the ratatouille for 15 minutes until golden. Once slightly cooled, divide between plates. Garnish with remaining basil. Enjoy!