A Twist on Traditional Ratatouille

This is my favorite gardening time of year - all of my favorite veggies are producing and I’m constantly presented with new opportunities for finding recipes that I can make without going to the grocery store. 

These days our freezer is full of pesto, we’re using up the last few bags of frozen tomato sauce from last year and we are getting ready to start the 2021 batch. We tried a few new things this year - garlic, which was a great success (54 bulbs), Russian purple fingerling potatoes (so so successful), and 2 new heirloom tomatoes, which are both doing well. 

Did you know that zucchini literally grow overnight? It’s true and I have a counter full of zucchini to prove it. Our eggplant is finally producing and I have a pepperoncini plant that is loaded with peppers but still waiting for them to ripen. One disappointment this year is my poblano pepper plants. One has 2 peppers on it and the other one is loaded with flowers but alas no peppers. Not sure what’s up with that. My green peppers are plentiful and I planted a mini sweet red pepper plant that is producing cute bright red peppers - haven’t tried them yet but soon. 

I love dishes that can come together in a single pot and use as many veggies I have on hand as possible. I found this rift in traditional ratatouille from probably 10 years ago when we belonged to a CSA. I had totally forgotten about it but it fits all the criteria for “using up the harvest”. 

Summer Vegetable Gratin

Ingredients:

1 / 2 lb. new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 / 4 -in. slices

1 small zucchini, sliced in 1 / 4 -in.-thick rounds

1 summer squash, sliced in 1 / 4 -in.-thick rounds

2 large tomatoes, sliced 1 / 4 -in. thick

2 large sweet onions, sliced 1 / 4 -in. thick

1 small eggplant, cut into 1 / 2 -in. slices

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 / 4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

10 to 15 kalamata olives, pitted

1 / 4 c. good quality shredded Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

 Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the bottom of an ovenproof glass baking pan.

Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little oil.

Toss the remaining vegetables and garlic with oil to generously coat.

Spread them over the potato layer.

Scatter the olives and cheese (if using) over the vegetables, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the vegetables begin to soften about 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue baking another 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the vegetables are cooked through, brushing with additional oil as needed.