Summer Vegetable Ratatouille



Summer Squash

My favorite Summer vegetable is actually a combination of lots of different vegetables. I really like a Mediterranean vegetable ratatouille, which is basically a mix of zucchini, eggplant, tomato and onion cooked in lots of good olive oil. I used a assortment of vegetables recently bought at my local farmer's market and they included green and yellow patty pan, crookneck and other types of zucchini squash. I added diced fennel bulb, red onion, garlic and tomato. The trick is to cook each ingredient separately so that color is retained and also different vegetables will take different times to cook; they should be just done while staying slightly firm. I use plenty of extra virgin olive oil and generous spoons of my freshly made basil pesto to finish. It's so good and it will even get better after a day or two of the flavors coming together. It's a great side or good simply tossed with fresh pasta.



Ratatouille with Roast Chicken