Celebrate the colors and textures of late Summer.

Learn about La ratatouille, the famous vegetable mix of Southern France.

At the market you will find all the ingredients for this recipe:

Eggplant, zucchini, sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic.

You should grow several varieties of sweet peppers in your garden to obtain a rainbow of colors.

In the background you can admire the white eggplant, as well as yellow, orange, red, and brown sweet peppers.

Ratatouille is French [rah-tah-too-ee].

A side or main dish. To serve warm or cold. Cold taste best the next day.

There are dozens of recipes, ways of preparing this dish. The best results are obtained if you cook each ingredient separately and mix them all together at the end.

The list of ingredients is not set in stone: eggplant, sweet peppers, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, garlic, French spices (or Italian - no big difference).

Roasted Ratatouille

Perhaps the fastest recipe was suggested by one of our clients last week while he was shopping at the market.

Cut all ingredients (except the tomatoes) in bite size pieces and place in the oven at 350 - 400 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes to glaze (roast).

In the meantime start a large pan with olive oil and garlic, add the French spices (Herbes de Provence) and cook the diced tomatoes.

Add the roasted ingredients and spice with salt and pepper to taste. For a grown-up taste you might want to serve the dish without further cooking and enjoy the flavors and textures of each ingredient.

Giving up the raw textures you can continue to cook the mixture and simmer it for 15 - 20 minutes to obtain a blend of flavors.

It will taste fantastic reheated or cold the next day.

You can extend the delight for several days by adding more ingredients to the left-overs, maybe potatoes. Try to add a few tomatillo for a different, tangy flavor.

PS. An other way ... has become my favorite: Cook each ingredient that takes longer to cook separately in a skillet, starting with eggplant, then zucchini. Next you cook the onions, add the peppers, add the tomatoes, and add the eggplant and zucchini previously cooked.

Monitor the mix for the texture that you like to obtain.