Instructions: In her introduction, Claudia Roden points out the similarity between this name and the word "caponata." She goes on to explain that variants of ratatouille are cooked by Sephardi communities around the Mediterranean.

Sprinkle the eggplants with salt and leave for 1 hour to draw out the juices. Rinse and dry eggplant. Very briefly shallow-fry the eggplant cubes in hot oil until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Repeat procedure with zucchini slices. Fry the onion and pepper over gentle heat in 3 tablespoons oil until the onion is golden and the pepper is soft.

Make the tomato sauce: Fry the garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil until golden.

Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar and simmer about 20 minutes until reduced to a thick sauce. Add the fried vegetables and the chopped parsley or coriander to the saucepan with the tomato sauce. Mix well. Remove from heat.

Can be eaten hot or cold.

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