I pulled the produce drawer of my fridge open, and realized with delight that I had everything I needed to make ratatouille.
I can’t think of this iconic dish from Provence without thinking of my grandmother, who lived in the South of France for much of her adult life. She spoke with exquisite fondness of the summer vegetables that she would buy at the greenmarket there, and how she cooked each separately and with loving care until they glistened with her good olive oil, and reunited in the pot like long-lost friends.
But my grandmother was not a snob, and I know she didn’t think less of me when I laughed, and admitted that when I make ratatouille, I just arrange all the vegetables on a baking sheet, and let the oven do the work for me.
While unconventional, this method yields excellent results, and requires very little effort beyond prepping the vegetables.
Assuming you’re not going to do things my grandmother’s way (let’s be real here), you could decide to cook your ratatouille in a pot with all the vegetables together. But it can be hard then to get all the vegetables to cook properly, so that the eggplant ends up a little bitter and spongy, and the whole thing is somewhat waterlogged. And if you try to compensate by stirring frequently, you risk of making the vegetables mushy.
I am delighted to introduce you to our guides to Nantes, locals Stef and Cha. They love Nantes and share their enthusiasm on their blog, 
