Romanian Ratatouille

2. Meanwhile, plunge the tomatoes into boiling water, then rapidly into cold. Skin and chop them.

3. Roughly chop the fresh herbs, onion, garlic, white of leek, spring onions and green pepper.

4. Soften the chopped onion and garlic in half the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the aubergines, leeks, green pepper, dill and half the parsley, and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, lemon or orange zest, tomato puree and sugar and stir again. Pour over the remaining oil and transfer, if necessary, to an ovenproof casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid.

6. Cook in the oven, tightly covered, for 1? hours or until perfectly tender. This magnificent vegetable mixture can be served hot, garnished with the remaining herbs, but it shows off its flavours best when cold. Try it with cold chicken or turkey, or warm cornbread.