Ratatouille from the Dutch Oven

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 2 onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4 tomatoes or peeled tomatoes from the can approx. 400 g
• 3 bell peppers, colored
• 1 pack of Italian herbs (frozen)
• Thyme
• 3 pinch(s) salt and pepper
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables (e.g. celeriac and leek)
• 1 large eggplant(s) (double the amount for small ones)
• 4 small zucchini (multicolored)
• 4 tomatoes
• 500 g feta cheese
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 dash of olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 55 minutes

First, heat up about 20 coals in a barbecue. For the thick sauce, finely chop the onions, garlic, celery, and leeks. Sauté them in a pan with olive oil without browning. Add the bell peppers and tomatoes (peeled if desired) and season with thyme, pepper, and salt. Let the sauce simmer gently while you complete the rest of the preparations. Now pour 70% of the finished sauce into a 6 ft Dutch oven. Cut the eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes into slices no more than 1 cm thick. Layer all the vegetable slices in the Dutch oven, using slices of the same size if possible. For the feta cream, puree the remaining 30% of the thick sauce with the feta cream, fresh parsley, and a dash of olive oil. Season with salt, pour the cream over the stacked vegetables in the Dutch oven, and put the lid on. Heat the Dutch oven with 6 coals below and about 14 above for about 1 hour, until the ratatouille is thoroughly cooked. Tip: If you prefer a vegan option, omit the feta cheese and use more herbs and olive oil to drizzle over the ratatouille instead.