Last Saturday, a dinner guest presented us with a basket of farm-stand vegetables and herbs. It would have made a perfect subject for a still life; however, lacking any talent in that area, I thought it would provide the ideal makings for a ratatouille.

I’ve prepared several versions of this dish and written about some of them here: a classic stewed one based on a recipe by Martha Stewart and a baked one from a Mark Bittman cookbook. As neither of them was exceptional so, I decided to look for an alternative. When I suggested a more traditionally French version to my husband, he thought it would be too heavy—especially given the current heat wave. I therefore continued my search and eventually chanced upon a roasted ratatouille from Ina Garten.

Aside from all the chopping and dicing, it was a relatively easy dish to prepare. Place all the chopped vegetables, except for the tomatoes, into a bowl, toss with a good amount of olive oil, season, and roast on two sheet pans for approximately 30 minutes, tossing once or twice; lower the heat, add the sliced tomatoes and cook for another 15 minutes or so. To use Ina’s catchphrase, “How easy is that?”

My only difficulty was dealing with two sheet pans, which necessitated switching their positions in the oven a few times to avoid sticking. I also had to substitute a yellow onion for a red that, after peeling, looked rather sad.

The recipe yielded a mélange of perfectly roasted vegetables that allowed the individual flavors of each to shine through while still, as a string quartet, complementing one another. The roasting gave them a scrumptious texture.

Ina suggests serving the dish with a cheesy polenta and gives a classic recipe for it; however, I took an easier route and made a similar dish using instant polenta, chicken stock, butter, sour cream, and Parmigiano. Requiring little effort, it was the perfect pairing for the ratatouille.

Roasted Ratatouille (adapted from a recipe in Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten)

Ingredients:

1½ pounds zucchini (6 to 8 inches long), ends trimmed and 1-inch-diced
1 pound eggplant, unpeeled and 1-inch-diced
1 Holland red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and 1-inch-diced
1 Holland yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and 1-inch-diced
1 red onion, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1½ teaspoons dried Italian oregano
½ cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
15 to 20 cherry, grape, or small pear tomatoes, halved
¼ cup julienned fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.

2. Place the zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1½ teaspoons black pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine.

3. Pour the vegetables onto two sheet pans (if on one pan, they will steam instead of roast.). Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and begin to brown. (I went for 30 minutes.)

3. Lower the oven to 425° F, add the tomatoes to the pans, and roast for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender. Add the basil and toss. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot over polenta or rice or accompanied by crusty bread. (I went for 15 minutes until the tomatoes started to burst.)

Wine Pairing: Provencal Rose, Vermentino