Traditional Spanish Pisto – Ratatouille with Vegetables & Olive Oil

Thinly slice 5 cloves of garlic, cut 1 large onion into large chunks, cut 1 red bell pepper and 1 green bell pepper into 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch pieces and cut 1 zucchini into 1/4 inch thick pieces

Heat a large frying pan with a low-medium heat and add a generous 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, after 2 minutes add the sliced garlics and start mixing them around with the oil, after 2 minutes add the chunks of onion and continue to mix, after 5 minutes and the onions are translucent add the pieces of red and green bell pepper and continue to mix, 10 minutes later add the zucchini pieces and continue to mix, the secret here is to poach the vegetables not fry them, you want all the vegetables to be soft but not falling apart, by mixing continuously you will ensure they are poaching

About 8 minutes after adding the zucchini into the pan, season everything with a generous pinch of fine sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper, mix until well combined, then add two 15 ounce cans of diced tomatoes and season again with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of white sugar to cut the acid from the tomatoes, mix together and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and serve on shallow bowls

Optionally you can serve this pisto with a fried egg on top, heat a small fry pan with a medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, cooking the eggs in batches crack 1 egg into the oil after 2 minutes and using a spatula flick the hot olive oil on top of the egg to cook the top part, after 2 minutes and the egg whites are cooked but the egg yolk is creamy, remove from the pan and add on top of the pisto, season the eggs with sea salt and black pepper, serve at once with a crusty baguette, enjoy!