Provençal pan

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 50 ml olive oil
• 1 eggplant(s), diced
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 5 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 tbsp, heaped tomato paste
• Water
• 1 tsp, heaped herbs de Provence or fresh rosemary
• 300 g feta cheese
• 1 salt and pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Dice the eggplant and fry in some of the oil in a non-stick pan. With modern varieties, you no longer need to salt the eggplant beforehand to draw out the bitter flavor. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside. Finely chop the garlic and let it simmer in the remaining oil (very briefly). Then sauté the chopped tomatoes (you can also use chopped tomatoes from a can or tetra pack, but then you don’t need tomato paste). Then add the diced zucchini and bell pepper and sauté. Now add the tomato paste and enough water to achieve a creamy consistency. Now add the pre-fried eggplant and cook everything for a few more minutes. During this time, season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Just before the end of the cooking time, add the diced feta cheese (made from cow’s milk and sometimes called something else; real sheep’s milk cheese tastes more aromatic, but melts too easily in this recipe) and let it simmer in the remaining heat without melting. A quick everyday dish with fresh vegetables. Without the cheese, it would even be vegan. We simply serve it with ciabatta or flatbread, but it also goes well with rice or baked potatoes.