This recipe was prepared by Chef Tammy Brawley on Real Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau’s weekly television program.

Brawley, who holds a degree in culinary arts and owns The Green Kitchen in Richmond, Va., shares delicious seasonal recipes in a Real Virginia segment sponsored by Virginia Grown, a program of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Ratatouille

2 medium eggplants
3 bell peppers
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
olive oil, enough to coat bottom of skillet
kosher salt
coarsely ground pepper
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 onions
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 handful fresh basil, roughly chopped

Dice all vegetables roughly the same size. *Remember you are building layers of flavor, so sautéing each vegetable separately is crucial.

Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet. Turn heat to medium-high and once hot, add diced eggplant and sauté until lightly browned. Season with a little salt and pepper. Remove eggplant, and set aside. Repeat with remaining vegetables, cooking the garlic and onions together. (If you add garlic by itself, it will burn too easily. The onions cushion the garlic.)

Once all vegetables have been sautéed separately, mix them together in the same pan, and add the tomatoes. Mix thoroughly, and stir in the basil. Taste for seasoning, but if you’ve seasoned properly while cooking the vegetables, you should not need additional salt and pepper.