Making ratatouille

Here's the post I was going to do yesterday, until I got sidetracked by the rather lovely house LOL
I've made ratatouille for years, when the first of the courgettes and tomatoes ripen. Up until a few years ago, however, I was never completely happy with it - frying the chosen vegetables in a bit of good oil, adding herbs and garlic. The result tasted OK, but never got the "Ooooohhhh, that's good!" result I was after with such fresh vegetables straight from the plot. The tomatoes oozed liquid and made the whole a slightly wet and insipid dish. I then hit on the idea of cooking each vegetable separately; heat the oil well - use good olive oil, or flavoured oil such as basil for a bit of extra zing; add in sliced onions and cook until translucent and softened;trnasfer to an oven dish with a slotted spoon. Add another small slug of oil to the pan and add in halved or quartered tomatoes (depending on the size) and chopped garlic to taste, and fresh herbs if used. Cook until just softening, then transfer to the oven dish. Lastly, fry the sliced or diced courgettes until just done, but retaining a bit of "bite", then add them to the dish too. Season to taste - I use sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sugar. Mix gently to combine the vegetables and into the oven for a thorough heat through and serve either as a side dish or a main course. This way, the vegetables stay separate and firm, retaining their individual flavours and textures.