Ratatouille

I was going to put a recipe for Ratatouille on the blog, but Ratatouille is more flexible than a recipe. So here is an outline for what I consider the ultimate in summer eating.What you are aiming for: A vegetable stew of sorts united by tomato and basil but with other summer fruits such as eggplant and summer squash.Basic Ingredients: Tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash, sweet pepper, onion, garlic, fresh basil.Cooking strategy: You will want to cook the onion and garlic first (onion for longer) to flavor the olive oil. Then add tomatoes and once they start to release their juice add the eggplant and summer squash in order to let them cook in that tomato juice. Basil can be added very last.Other good flavors to consider adding: Oregano, thyme, rosemary, pepper, salt.Serve with: Good crusty bread, pasta, rice, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese or whatever else you please.