Ratatouille

Method

1. season30 min
   in a colander, room temperature
   eggplant cubes + 0.5 tsp of the salt, tossed and left to drain — salt pulls water out of the spongy cells so they collapse before they hit the pan, which means the eggplant browns on the oil it has rather than drinking a quarter-cup of it. Pat dry or the surface water will steam it
2. saute10 min
   medium-high, single layer, 2 tbsp oil
   eggplant, turned only when each face has taken colour, until browned outside and creamy through = set aside. Crowd this and it greys
3. saute6 min
   medium-high, single layer, 1 tbsp oil
   zucchini, cut side down, until spotted brown but still firm at the centre = set aside. Zucchini is mostly water and goes from toothsome to slush in about two minutes; it is pulled out early and never returns to full heat
4. saute8 min
   medium, 1 tbsp oil
   bell pepper strips, until the edges blister and the flesh slackens = set aside. Pepper takes longer than zucchini and less time than onion, which is the third reason one pot cannot work
5. sweat12 min
   low, covered, 1 tbsp oil
   onion + garlic + a pinch of salt, stirred occasionally, until fully translucent and slumped with no colour at all — sweating without browning keeps the base sweet rather than caramel-toned, so the finished dish tastes of vegetables and not of fried onion
6. stew15 min
   medium-low, uncovered
   + tomato + thyme + bay leaf + remaining salt + black pepper, until the tomato has broken down and the liquid has thickened enough to hold a spoon's track = sauce base. This is the only element that is supposed to give up its water
7. fold5 min
   low, gentle
   + eggplant + zucchini + pepper, folded through the tomato just long enough to heat and marry — stirring hard here mashes the separately-cooked pieces back into the undifferentiated stew you spent an hour avoiding
8. rest10 min
   off heat, uncovered
   + basil + vinegar if using, then let it sit. Ratatouille tastes flat straight off the stove; ten minutes lets the oil and tomato juice re-emulsify around the vegetables, and it is better still at room temperature the next day