Nothing says summer like ratatouille, the Provençal stew that puts everything wonderful about warm-weather cooking into one pot: eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs.
Experiment with new varieties that add new flavor notes or visual appeal to this traditional French country dish. We looked for fast-maturing varieties that won’t make you wait until August for your ratatouille, chiles rellenos or baba ghanoush.
Chef Mark Bittman recommends choosing Asian eggplant varieties that produce long, lavender fruit that needs neither peeling nor salting. Botanical Interests sells seeds for Long Purple Eggplant (Ai Gwa or Ai Qua), a milder and more prolific variety than the traditional ovoid Black Beauty. Ichiban is another variety that doesn’t object to cool Colorado nights.
Instead of standard bells, try the Jimmy Nardello sweet chile pepper, a heirloom variety with a smoky flavor and a little kick. The Nardellos brought the seeds from Italy to Naugatuck, Conn., in 1887. Order your own from TerritorialSeed.com.
Or experiment with Big Jim, a New Mexico-style green pepper, or Mariachi, an early cone-shaped pepper that ripens from pale yellow to orange to red and is excellent roasted. Both make up for their late Colorado start by maturing in about 70 days and kicking out tons of fruit until frost.
Echter’s sells both, along with a smorgasbord of tomato possibilities. Want a different color in your ratatouille? Go for the Lemon Boy, Cherokee Purple or Russian Black. Can’t wait? Two good early varieties are Fourth of July and Early Girl.
Another Italian heirloom is Cocozella di Napoli zucchini, a striped green squash sold by Botanical Interests as Cocozelle. The Broomfield seed purveyor calls Cocozelle “the racecar of the vegetable garden” — fast-growing, compact in habit and prolific. Harvest baby zucchini when they’re just an inch long for delicate flavor.
Seeds of Change recommends Aroma 2 F-1 basil for bolt resistance or Lettuce Leaf basil for large, tender leaves and good flavor.
Summer Garden Ratatouille
From the Mennonite Central Committee cookbook “Simply in Season,” edited by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert (Herald Press, $24.99). Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 medium eggplant, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1  teaspoon fresh marjoram, chopped (or 1/2teaspoon dried)
2 zucchini, sliced
2 green, orange or red sweet peppers (cut in strips)
2 cups chopped tomatoes
Directions
Saute onions, garlic and bay leaf in 3 tablespoons olive oil about 5 minutes. Add eggplant, herbs and salt. Cover and cook over medium, stirring until eggplant is soft. Add zucchini, peppers and tomatoes. Simmer until peppers and squash are tender. Remove bay leaf. Serve over pasta or polenta with chopped fresh parsley, black olives or freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
