Luscious Ratatouille for the New Year

I think it's safe to say we are all looking at upping the anti on healthier food after this seasons over indulgence. This recipe was inspired by good friends of mine. This dish, ratatouille served with millet is a great way to kick off your healthy eating in 2015. The trick to this dish is to have cook the veggies in batches, so they have time to soften and become lusciously creamy in texture.

Millet is a grain, that can easily substitute for rice, couscous or even be used in place of oats in porridge. It's a great source of copper, heart healthy magnesium (studies show it helps asthma, lowers cholesterol and reduces the frequency of migraine attacks) and bone promoting and cell repair phosphorus (along with calcium phosphorus makes up the matrix of bones and is integral to building blocks of DNA, nervous cells and fat metabolism).

Another great attribute of millet is that it's gluten free!

If you want to add some protein to the dish you could add some beans, which is what I did.

Ingredients needed, 4 servings:
1 medium aubergine* roughly chopped
1 large courgette roughly chopped
2 medium or 3 small white onions roughly chopped
1 red paprika de-seeded and chopped
1 yellow paprika de-seeded and chopped
1 green paprika de-seeded and chopped
1  tinned cherry tomato or 6-8 fresh cherry tomatoes + 1 tinned tomato
optional - 1/2 dl white or red wine
approx. 2 tbsp cooking oil**
salt & pepper
2 minced garlic cloves
2 dl millet
3 dl water
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
optional - top the final dish with fresh chopped herbs; thyme, basil, dill, parsley, coriander
optional - 1/3 vegetable stock cube

* I have noticed that the thinner, longer aubergines have much more flavour than the bigger, rounder aubergines. So if you have a choice between the two go for the skinny long ones.

**I prefer rice oil as it can tolerate high temperatures but you can also use olive oil.

1. Begin by softening the half the chopped onions and aubergine in 1 tbsp oil, sauté on a low heat for about 8 minutes. You will notice the aubergine tends to soak up a lot of the oil, so add more if it looks dry, throughout the process. Then add the courgette and sauté for another 5-8 minutes. You want this batch of veggie to get soft and shiny, not browned and crisp rather melted, if that makes any sense. 
2. Place the aubergine, onion, courgette mix in a bowl to the side. 
3. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the rest of the onions and the chopped paprikas. Sauté on a low heat for about 8 minutes. Again you want the soft, shiny not crisp browned result. If you feel the pan gets dry add a little more oil. 
4. While the onion paprika mix sautés you can put the millet on the boil. Place the millet and water in a pan and bring to a boil, then lower to a slow simmer. You can add a 1/3 of a stock cube to the millet to enhance it's favour. The millet is usually done within 12 minutes. Allow it to cool slightly, then as with couscous, its best to get it clump free by adding a little drizzle of olive oil and carefully, using a fork, loose up the grain in the pan. 
5. Once the onion paprika mix has reached the soft, sing stage, add the aubergine, onion, courgette mix, salt and pepper and then the wine. Allow the wine to cook off (approx. 1 minute of cooking with the veggies).
6. Add the tinned tomatoes (and cherry tomatoes if you aren't using tinned cherry tomatoes). Also add the minced garlic. Allow to come to a slow boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for another 20-40 minutes. The longer you allow to cook the better the flavours will come together. If you have decided to add beans add pricked beans to the last 10minutes of cooking. 
7. Serve the ratatouille onto of the millet and add some fresh herbs if you like. A little end drizzle of olive oil never hurts either.