one-thousand and one nights ratatouille

Over a restorative cup of mint tea, a friend and I were discussing how much more difficult it is dealing with our daughters than it is with our sons.    The repeated defiance, manipulation, the need for attention were some of the traits that distinguished them from their less complicated brothers.   We considered that perhaps in this age where the females of the human species are treated more equally than ever before (at least in democratic societies), the capacity to be persuasive and obtain what that they needed to survive was an evolutionary personality trait.  Not possessing the brute strength of men, they resorted to using their feminine wiles.

For me, this theory is ever so poignantly characterised in the Arabian  tale of Sheherazade who bewitched her husband, the caliph, with stories which included magic lamps, stolen purses, cloud mountains and serpent princesses, told over 1001 nights.  Her cleverness enabled her to survive a beheading, a fate that befell his previous 3 wives.   I imagine her telling these stories in a starlit garden fragrant with jasmine, serving a dish very much like this one.....    
               
                      Serves 6 generously

 
2 aubergines, chopped coarsely
3 large zucchinis, chopped roughly
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, sliced finely
2 carrots, chopped
1 large sweet potato, chopped
300g small mushrooms left whole
2 red capsicums, chopped
1/2 cauliflower, separated into florets
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 heaped teaspoons Ras el Hanout
1 400g tin of tomatoes
a handful of parsley, chopped
S & P

Pepita mix crumble
100g pepita seeds
100g sunflower kernels
50g chopped almonds
50g breadcrumbs
2tbs olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt flakes

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Mix all ingredients (except pepita mix crumble) and place in a large roasting dish.  Cover dish with foil and put in the oven.  Cook for 1.5 hours till softened, then uncover and increase heat to 200 degrees and cook for another 30 mins by which time the vegetables will be golden, charcoal tinged around the edges. 

In the meantime, place all ingredients for the mix crumble in a fry pan and sauté lightly (only 5 mins or so) on medium heat.

Serve ratatouille with pepita mix scattered over the top and perhaps some bulghur pilaf on the side.