Ratatouille (not just a lovable rat from the Disney movie) is a delicious dish that literally means, "to toss" in French, "touiller." – essentially tossing food – as in together. Like most great dishes this one started with pheasant farmers in old country Nice looking for a way to stay fed. The vegetables are stewed and traditionally encompassed tomatoes, and zucchini – eggplant made its way to the dish as well as red peppers as they impart a deeper texture and additional layer of flavor. Great for the summer time because it's what to do with all that summer produce! If you live anywhere near soil chances are you have summer squash and green zucchini abundantly from the summer time and into fall. Ratatouille is wonderful way to cook all of these vegetables in a one pot dish - It's a very forgiving dish in that it doesn't get totally messed up by adding too much of anything or changing around ingredients to that which you have on hand. I've often made many terrific Ratatouilles' without ever taking a trip to the store with a shopping list. It goes nicely atop anything from pasta to fish to a Ritz Cracker.

Makes 6 appetizer portions
2 ripe tomatoes
1/4-cup olive oil
1 red med red onion cut into medium dice
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups V-8 juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/8-teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (8 ounces)

Prep the tomatoes. Bring a medium-size pot of water to boiling over high heat. Drop the tomatoes into the water and cook for 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Use a paring knife to peel the tomatoes; then core each one and squeeze out the seeds. Chop the tomatoes.

Cook the ratatouille. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic, cook until shiny—2 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, and tomatoes; cook until vegetables are lightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the juice and thyme; bring the mixture to simmering. Lower the heat to low; cover the pan and simmer until the mixture has thickened and the vegetables are cooked through—30 minutes.

Add the topping. Preheat the oven to broil. Stir the salt and pepper into the ratatouille; taste the mixture and add more seasoning if you wish. Sprinkle the cheese over the ratatouille and place the pan under the broiler until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown - for 2 minutes. Serve immediately, family style.