Ratatuia (stewed mixed summer veggies)

Ratatuia is said to have been born in Provence as a poor dish (the “ratatouille”), prepared in peasant families where, without thinking too much, everything that the land offered in the summer was thrown into the pot. But it is a very popular dish also in the western part of Liguria, where cross-border contamination has always been spontaneous and rich, and for this reason it has always been a very common dish on our summer table. Ratatuia can be served as a side dish, for example with meat, or as a main dish, especially if accompanied by a simple, excellent, boiled rice. This last version is my favorite because the abundant sauce of the ratatuia – where actually the unique taste of the sun resides – impregnates and season marvelously the rice. Ratatuia and rice, then, are an excellent combination even cold, for example for a lunch break in office or – more happily – at the beach. So do as I do, always prepare a little more and enjoy it for a couple of days.