Makes as much as you want

When we had our pie shop, MOM, I was always trying to think of new pies to introduce – particularly vegetarian.  When I used the traditional French ratatouille for a filling a customer inquired “what makes a rat-a-way?” so, for us, ratatouille has forevermore been rataway.  I make it all summer long when the market is filled with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, red onions, basil (and other herbs that sing of the south of France) and bell peppers.  Sometimes I make a huge batch that will see us through cold meals for a week or so and sometimes just enough for dinner.  Sometimes I cook each component separately and sometimes I throw all of the ingredients into the pot at once.  Steve doesn’t love eggplant so sometimes I cook it down to almost a purée.  You really can do anything you want.  It is a wonderful dish as it can be eaten hot, warm, or cold as a side dish, incorporated into salads, frittatas, and pastas or packed into a pita for a great sandwich.

You can use equal amounts of each veggie or more or less of each one – make it to your own taste.

Here’s what you need:

Good olive oil – extra virgin, if you have it

Red or sweet onion, chopped

Garlic, as much as you like

Eggplant – large or small, large dice

Ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored, and cut into large dice

Zucchini, trimmed and cut into large dice

Red and/or green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into large dice

Fresh basil

A touch of fresh rosemary and thyme

Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil and either cook each component separately until just barely tender or first sauté the onion and garlic and then add all of the remaining ingredients and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until barely tender, cooked through, or almost mushy.  It is your choice!