Summer’s bounty of produce comes together in a classic French stew.

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. Continue reading →