Ratatouille - not the movie!

It was me in the kitchen, not Remy, the would-be chef in a favorite Disney movie, but the dish was Ratatouille. That's a french cruisine word for a recipe with humble beginnings. "Touiller", the french word that ratatouille comes from, means to toss food (do we call that a 'food fight' in America?). The ingredients are simple - late summer garden vegetables that are stirred together. It was sometimes called a poor farmer's dish.
This poor farmer happened to have most of the ingredients on hand, fresh from the not-too-plentiful garden and Ratatouille made a wonderful side dish for dinner. The amounts of the vegetables can be varied and substituted according to what you have. The recipe is adapted from Southern Living magazine, and I served it with beef rolls (a new technique I've adapted, that's another blog).

Ratatouille
1 small red onion (or the sweet Vidalia left from the earlier onion rings - blog of June 30)
1/2 (1-lb) eggplant, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 small summer squash, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Saute onion and eggplant in hot olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender and light brown around edges. Add squash, garlic, and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomato, basil, and 1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring constantly 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated.