The Space Between in the Florida Keys

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Shopping in Old Town, kayaking the mangroves, and leaving room for the day to unfold The first thing I loved about our week in the Keys was the space between the things we did. We had ideas. We knew there were shops to explore, places to eat, and water to get out on. But most mornings began with sitting around, enjoying the slow pace, and eventually asking what everyone felt like doing. Sometimes the answer depended on whether we were hungry. Sometimes it depended on what we were making for dinner. Did we need groceries? How long would dinner take to cook? Should we save room for something delicious later? These were perfectly satisfactory matters around which to arrange a day. We had exchanged our usual responsibilities for the question of whether lunch might interfere with dinner. An excellent trade. Our one fixed appointment was Tuesday’s anniversary sail. Around it, the week had room to breathe. A starfish clip on Petronia Street One shopping wander took us to Petronia Street in Ba...
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Rustic Provençal Ratatouille: A Late-Summer Meal Made With Friends

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There are some meals I make because they’re quick.

Ratatouille is not one of them.

This is the meal I make when there are people around the kitchen, vegetables covering the cutting boards, someone opening a bottle of wine, and plenty of hands willing to help.

By late summer and early fall, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and tomatoes seem to arrive all at once. They are colorful and abundant and just begging to become something beautiful.

For us, that something is often ratatouille.

Over the years, I’ve made it with friends in different kitchens and different places, and I think that is part of why I love it so much. It takes a little time. There is chopping and slicing, making the tomato-herb sauce, arranging all those colorful vegetables, seasoning, tasting and rearranging one more slice because someone inevitably decides it would look better somewhere else.

It’s not fussy cooking.

It’s country cooking.

The kind of meal where everyone participates.

Once the vegetables are tucked into the pan and the ratatouille goes into the oven, the work is done. That is when everyone can wander back out to the deck, pour a glass of wine and enjoy one of those cooling evenings that tells you summer is beginning to give way to fall.

And slowly, the kitchen begins to smell wonderful.

Tomatoes, garlic, basil, herbs and roasted vegetables mingle together until the individual ingredients become something richer than they were on their own.

Maybe that is why ratatouille feels like such a fitting meal to make with friends.

Many hands.

Many ingredients.

One table.

When it comes out of the oven, I finish ours with fresh basil and, although it is certainly not required, a little Parmesan because that is how we love it.

Colorful as the changing season, nourishing without trying too hard, and full of the kind of memories that happen when people cook together.

Bring it to the table.

A seasonal meal begins with a little chopping. A good kitchen knife and wooden cutting board are useful companions for preparing the vegetables for this ratatouille—and countless other garden-inspired dinners.

Explore my In the Kitchen collection for these everyday essentials.

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Rustic Provençal Ratatouille

Serves: 6 as a main dish, 8 as a side
Prep: about 35–45 minutes with several helpers
Cook: about 50–60 minutes

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, or about 3 cups crushed fresh tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

For the vegetables:

  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 2 medium yellow squash
  • 4–5 Roma or similarly sized tomatoes
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

For finishing:

  • Fresh basil, sliced
  • Fresh thyme if you have it
  • Grated Parmesan, optional but very À la Table
  • Good olive oil for a final drizzle

Method

Heat the oven to 375°F.

Begin with the sauce. Warm the olive oil in a large oven-safe braiser, Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes, thyme, herbes de Provence, oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if using. Let the sauce simmer gently for about 10 minutes, then spread it evenly across the bottom of the pan.

While the sauce cooks, slice the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes into rounds roughly ¼-inch thick. Try to keep the slices fairly similar in size, but don’t make yourself crazy over it. Rustic is part of the charm.

Arrange alternating slices of eggplant, zucchini, squash and tomato over the sauce, working in circles around the pan. This is the part where extra hands are especially welcome.

Drizzle the vegetables lightly with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and another sprinkle of herbes de Provence.

Cover and roast for about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue roasting for another 20–30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Let the ratatouille rest for about 10 minutes.

Scatter generously with fresh basil. Add a drizzle of olive oil and, if you like, freshly grated Parmesan just before serving.

Serve warm with crusty bread, over polenta or rice, or simply in shallow bowls with a glass of wine nearby.

À la Table note

If your vegetables are especially watery, particularly eggplant or zucchini, lightly salt the slices and let them rest for 15–20 minutes before assembling. Pat dry before placing them in the pan. It helps the finished dish stay rich rather than watery.


A Few Things I Use for Ratatouille

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Ratatouille doesn’t require fancy equipment, but a few good kitchen workhorses make all of that slicing, arranging and slow roasting much easier. These are the kinds of pieces I reach for again and again in my own kitchen.

Choose the pan that fits your kitchen
You absolutely do not need heirloom cookware to make a beautiful ratatouille. A good enameled cast-iron braiser at a starter price point will do the job wonderfully. If you cook often and want a piece you’ll use for years — and happily bring straight to the table — Le Creuset is the investment version I use and love.

Starter Pick — around $60–$75
A wide enameled cast-iron braiser that gives you the look and function without the investment price.

Investment Pick — around $400
The Le Creuset braiser: beautiful enough for the table and the kind of cookware you keep for years. 

Starter Pick — A dependable chef’s knife
You don’t need an expensive knife to make ratatouille. A comfortable, sharp chef’s knife is what matters most when you have a cutting board full of zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.

Investment Pick  — Wüsthof Classic 8-inch Chef’s Knife
If you cook often and want a knife you’ll reach for for years, this is the investment-level choice: balanced, substantial and built for a lot of everyday chopping.






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