I have made more than my fair share of ratatouille this year.  In fact, I’ve made the recipe that follows almost weekly as both my wife and I love it.  I also make a ton of it and the good news is that it freezes well so you can bring it out during winter when the weather has turned and you are pining for some of the great produce from the summer months.  I made this dish in culinary school as it is a classic French preparation.  As you can imagine, it can get a little finicky in school as you had to peel and seed all the vegetables.  I usually peel the tomatoes when I cook this at home but I don’t all of the time.  For home cooking purposes, I really think you can get as fancy or as ‘rustic’ as you prefer.  So, if you want to peel and seed everything, that’s great.  If you prefer to skip all of that entirely, go for it.  As I mentioned, I fall in the middle of that, preferring to peel the tomatoes and seed the squash.  Otherwise, I simply chop the veggies to decent bite sized pieces and sauté them until golden.  From there, you simply combine all of the ingredients and allow them to stew for at least 30 minutes up to several hours.  To finish add a mix of fresh herbs and a touch of olive oil and a splash of wine vinegar.  It’s really a quintessential way to use all the fresh tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, and onions we have here in New Jersey in one dish and celebrate the bounty of this season while it lasts…can you believe we are almost to September!?!  Recipe follows after the jump.

Ingredients:

2 Medium onions, chopped

4-6 Garlic cloves, sliced

1 Red bell pepper, chopped

4-6 Summer Squash, chopped and optionally seeded

6-8 Medium tomatoes, skins removed and chopped (seed them at your option)

2 Medium eggplants, chopped into bite sized pieces

11/2 Tablespoons dried tarragon

1 Bay leaf (fresh or dried)

Fresh basil to taste

Olive oil

Grapeseed oil (or a high temperature neutral tasting oil)

Splash of wine vinegar (red or white will work)

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) to finish

Instructions:

• Prepare all the vegetables as directed by chopping and placing them in individual bowls. Set aside.
• Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss to coat and allow to drain a bit in the sink for 20-30 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat a large skillet over high heat for a few minutes. Add the grapeseed oil to the pan to coat.  Once the oil begins to emit just a touch of smoke, add some of the squash to the pan (you will be working in batches).  Add a sprinkle of salt and cook over high heat until the squash is nicely browned (but not black).  If it begins to burn turn the heat down to medium high.
• Line a bowl with a paper towel.
• Remove the squash from the pan using a slotted spoon and place the cooked squash in the towel lined bowl. Continue cooking the squash until all is finished.
• Remove the eggplant from the colander and then add healthy coating of grapeseed oil to the hot pan. Dry the eggplant with a paper towel and then place in the pan.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and cook over high heat until nicely browned.  Again, prepare a bowl lined with a paper towel and using a slotted spoon place the cooked eggplant in the lined bowl.  Repeat until all the eggplant is cooked.  Set aside.
• Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and allow to heat for a couple of minutes. Coat the bottom of the pan with a bit of grapeseed oil and then add the chopped onions and bell peppers.  Cook until cooked through and slightly golden.   Add the sliced garlic and cook another minute or so.  Add the dried tarragon and the bay leaf.
• Add the skinned and chopped tomatoes to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes release their juices (about 5-10 minutes depending on the number and size of tomatoes used).
• Once the juices have released, add the cooked squash and eggplant to the pan. Stir to incorporate and cook over medium until it begins to boil  Reduce the heat and allow to cook on low/simmer for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.  Stir the vegetables occasionally to ensure they do not burn.  The longer they cook, the vegetables will go from distinct vegetables and transform into something that is more combined, resembling a stew.  I usually simmer mine for an hour to get the consistency somewhere between the two.
• Chop or tear the basil and then add it to the pot. Drizzle good quality extra virgin olive oil over the top and then add a very small splash of vinegar to finish.  Stir to combine.

Serve as you would any vegetable dish at mealtime.  Serve while hot or warm.  Sprinkle a touch of the flaky sea salt on each serving.  Do the same with just a tiny drizzle of the olive oil over the top to finish each serving.  Add freshly cracked black pepper to taste.