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The joy of
Summer Vegetables Jayni Carey Packs Flavor into this Classic French Dish by
Jayni Carey // photography
Spring showers, combined with sunshine and increasingly warm weather, pushes the season’s vegetables to their peak through the summer months. These fresh jewels from the garden display brilliant colors, signaling that their flavors are at their most intense. Summer vegetables make it easy for any cook to put a stunning meal on the table. For those of us who have a backyard or pot garden, fresh vegetables are just outside the backdoor. No green thumb? Don’t fret, the local farmers’ market is the place to be on Saturday morning to procure some of the season’s best. Your neighborhood co-op, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs and local vegetable delivery services also provide an easy way to enjoy what is fresh and local. Good cooks dream of summer vegetables. I dream of ratatouille – and I don’t mean the movie. Ratatouille is the famous vegetable dish of Provence and Southern France. I first learned how to prepare it from the French mother of
by
Trenton Bush
a close friend and, when traveling in France, I never pass up an opportunity to sample someone else’s version. Ratatouille is described as a Provençal stewed vegetable dish, but it is so much more than that. Certain vegetables must make up this classic fusion: tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, onion, garlic and herbs. The most important part of the preparation is to cook each vegetable separately to intensify their unique flavors. The vegetables are then combined or layered with fresh herbs in a Dutch oven or casserole and slowly simmered on the cooktop or baked in the oven. In my version of ratatouille, I brown the vegetables in a skillet or on the grill, then stack them in a baking dish with fresh herbs and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. Next, I cover the top with halved tomatoes and splash them with olive oil. Place this enticing mélange in a hot oven until the tomatoes are charred and all vegetables are tender and caramelized. Serve ratatouille warm or room temperature as a side to meat or fish, or pair it with a grain or pasta dish. If salad is your thing, ratatouille is delicious served chilled on a bed of fresh greens. I make extra and freeze it to enjoy a taste of summer during the winter months. Though the recipe is a bit long, it is easy to make. And I promise, it will be the best vegetable dish you have ever eaten.
