• Slice the eggplant into 0.5 cm slices, salt, and place under a press for at least 30 minutes. To do this, put the sliced eggplants in a colander, cover with a plate, and place a bottle of water on top as a weight. This helps them release excess water along with bitterness and prevents them from absorbing too much oil during frying.

  Then cut into cubes and fry in a small amount of olive oil. Transfer the eggplants onto a plate lined with paper towels (photo 3).
  
• Wash zucchini, cut into cubes, and stew in a separate pan with a little olive oil. Place on a paper towel afterward.
• Wash the bell pepper, remove the seeds, and cut into cubes (the same size as the eggplant). Fry the bell pepper in a clean pan, separately from the other vegetables (photo 1), then transfer onto a plate lined with paper towels (photo 2).

  Prepare the zucchini in the same way: wash, cut into cubes, stew in a separate pan with a little olive oil, and transfer onto a paper towel.
  
• In a clean pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil with garlic and thyme (photo 4). Add the peeled, diced onion (photo 5). Sauté the onion until half-cooked (photo 6).

  Add the tomato pulp to the onion, stir (photo 7), and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often.
  

Combining the vegetables

• Add the previously cooked zucchini, eggplants, and bell peppers to the pan with onions and tomato pulp (photo 8). Mix the contents of the pan (photo 9).

  Season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid, and simmer over low heat for 5–7 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.
  
• Taste for salt and serve the finished ratatouille hot or cold (photo 10).