1kg onions;
1kg each aubergines & red peppers;
2.5 kilos ripe tomatoes;
Quite a bit of olive oil;
A dash of balsamic vinegar;
Eight anchovy fillets,
Salt & pepper.
Chop the onions and dice the peppers. Fry them slowly in about half a centimetre of oil. The idea is to confit them, so take time and cook over a slow heat until the pepper is really melting.
Dice the aubergine and add this to the pan. The aubergine will soak up the oil as it cooks. Once softened, add the chopped tomatoes. I don't bother with the malarky of skinning and deseeding. I like fibre in my diet.
Add the vinegar, anchovy fillets and seasoning and cook slowly for about an hour until much reduced.
I bottle this, and because I am an irrational believer in the existence of botulism despite all the anecdotal evidence to the contrary
I add a little lemon juice to each litre jar to raise the acidity before sterilising in a water bath for 45 minutes. Very welcome in February.