The very best thing to do to a summer vegetable is… nothing at all. If you’ve never pulled a carrot straight from the ground, given it a quick rinse with the garden hose, then bit into the crunchy, sweet, orange flesh, my friends… it’s time to plant yourselves some carrots.
My grandmother, Mema, has kept a garden for as long as I’ve been alive. She has a degree in horticulture, for goodness sake. Every morning of every summer since I can remember, she has spent a couple of hours weeding, watering, and planting in her garden. If I happened to get up early one morning when we were visiting, the most amazing treat was to sneak down to the garden with her and have a pre-breakfast snack.
Perhaps a carrot, still warm from the earth.
For dinner last night, I wanted zucchini – another favorite – minimally prepared. Think olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. I wanted to roast it slowly, over low heat, with other in-season vegetables. But for lack of time and patience, 350 degrees in the oven for 35 minutes had to do.
“Quick ratatouille” is an oxymoron, so perhaps this isn’t really ratatouille. However, except for eggplant, it has most of your typical ratatouille staples: zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, onion, herbs. If you have the time, I think you should slow roast the vegetables in a saucepan in their own juices. If not, do as I did; which really isn’t anything at all.
How do you like your summer vegetables?