Ratatouille with sausage balls

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 piece(s) ginger, peeled (approx. 1 cm)
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 2 bell peppers, red, yellow, or green
• 2 small zucchini
• 150 g rice (risotto rice)
• 1 cup beef broth (large cup)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 100 ml tomato juice, hot
• 2 sausages, coarse, raw
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ jar red wine, dry
• 2 tbsp olive oil for frying
• salt and pepper
• chili flakes

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Don’t chop the vegetables too finely. Finely dice the shallots, garlic, and ginger. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or deep frying pan. Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger and fry. Continue frying the peppers and zucchini for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, and bay leaf, fry briefly, then deglaze with the red wine and let the wine evaporate. Add the stock and stir in the rice. Add all the spices and simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes. In the meantime, press the sausage meat out of the sausages and form them into small balls with your hands. Add them to the pot along with the tomato juice. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until the rice is al dente and the meatballs are cooked. Remove the bay leaf and serve with fresh baguette. If you prefer a vegetarian version, omit the sausage and replace the beef with vegetable stock.