All round the Mediterranean, there’s a version of this dish, using some combination of old and new world vegetables like aubergine, capsicum, garlic, potato and tomato. The French call it ratatouille; the Italians peperonata; the Tunisians mechouis.  The Mallorquins add potato and call it tumbet.  To my mind, and in this version, it’s the pick of the bunch and ideal for autumn in the Hawkesbury, when all the ingredients are close to hand.

Ingredients

Equal quantities of…  red peppers, aubergines and potatoes for frying

Tomatoes for saucing, garlic (as much as a head of peeled cloves), onions, fresh thyme or dried oregano, a slurp of red wine and enough oliver oil for medium deep frying.

Method

First, make your tomato sauce by slicing onions and fry in oil until soft and transparent.  Skin and dice tomatoes and add to onions.  To about 12 tomatoes and two onions, add the peeled, whole cloves of garlic.  Slurp in the red wine and simmer slowly, grinding in black pepper to taste.  You want to reduce it to three quarters in volume, a thick dark sauce.

Next, cut the aubergines into 1cm thick rounds, salt and leave for 30 minutes.  Cut the capsicum into broad 8cm long strips.  Slice the potatoes into 1cm thick rounds.

Pour a good dollop of oliver oil into the bottom of a heavy wide pan, preferably earthenware or cast iron, and when hot enough, fry first the potato then the rinsed and dried aubergine slices, then the capsicums.

Drain each on kitchen paper and arrange in layers in another deeper earthenware dish for the oven: first the potato then aubergine and finally capsicums.

Just before taking the sauce off, stir in a herbs and pour over the vegetables.  Bake in medium oven for 20 minutes.

Variations – use sweet potato or turnip instead of potato or substitute torn fresh basil for other suggested herbs.

Eat with crusty bread and olive oil and a homely red or a cool light red in summer

Also delicious cold

Once a year, for about two weeks in October, the Mallorquins catch a fish called Ilampuga (here in Australia, mahi mahi would substitute) for this firm, sweet fleshed oily fish which is served baked with the tumbet.  Also try it with a slab of reef fish like red emperor or a tuna steak.