Ratatouille

Ratatouille...otherwise known as "big tasty pot of late summer vegetables." I generally take the ratatouille concept fairly loosely, often adding some fairly unconventional ingredients. The only things it absolutely has to have are eggplant, tomatoes, and garlic. Last night I kept it more or less traditional, adding only summer squash, a bell pepper, onion, and basil to that foundation. But I have been known to throw in beans, sausage (browned first), mushrooms, greens--whatever is available and seems like it would be tasty. You can also take this in different directions with the seasonings, for example by skipping the basil and using sage (a smaller amount), or oregano and a pinch of cinnamon. Serve with crusty bread if at all possible. Optionally, you could also top with a little goat cheese.

Just about everything I threw into this last night came from our garden (tomatoes, eggplant, squash, basil), but the onions were from Crabapple Farm.

Olive oil to saute
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium or large onion, diced
6-8 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (seeded and cored, no need to peel)
3 medium eggplants, cubed (no need to peel)
1 medium or large summer squash or zucchini, diced
1-2 bell peppers, diced (green or ripe)
2 cubes coarsely chopped fresh basil (loosely packed)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggplant and tomatoes and cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mixture starts to get juicy. Lower the heat and simmer until veggies are nearly tender. Add the squash and pepper and cook until tender. Stir in the basil, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Serves about 6.