Ratatouille

Sauté the onions, then garlic together until the onions are softened. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf and cumin and finally the peppers. Keep the pipérade just under a simmer until the peppers are cooked well and incorporated into the sauce. An optional idea is to pulse the pipérade for a smooth sauce, but I liked the rustic appearance of this. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the bay leaf before layering the bottom of a baking dish with the pipérade.

Slice the vegetables and layer them above the sauce.

Mix together the olive oil topping ingredients. Drizzle the top of your ratatouille with the olive oil topping, and pop it into a 350°F oven until the tips of the eggplant are caramelized and curling, about 1 1/2 hours.