When you base your cooking on our local seasonal harvest, certain dishes demand attention at specific times of year.

A few weeks ago, many of us were tucking into the first BLTs of the season. Spaghetti al pesto has graced many local tables this summer and insalata Caprese seems to be a topic for endless conversation.

Now it’s time to explore some of the dishes that incorporate a lot of the harvest: the ratatouilles, garden minestrones and similar dishes many of us can source from our gardens.

Ratatouille should not be a melange of nearly disintegrated vegetables, as some versions are. Instead, each vegetable was distinct and flavorful, but also well-integrated into the dish. It has been my touchstone ever since.

Ratatouille should not be a melange of nearly disintegrated vegetables, as some versions are. Each vegetable should be distinct and flavorful, but also well-integrated into the dish.

Most recipes I see for ratatouille cook all the vegetables together, in one pan, either in the oven or on top of the stove. Although I have had pretty good versions made this way, I prefer preparing the vegetables separately or in groups, so each one blossoms into its full self. If you’re cooking for just a couple of people, don’t worry about cutting this recipe in half. Once it’s cooked, you can freeze ratatouille for a few months. You also can use it to make a terrine (recipe follows).

Makes 6 to 8 servings, easily doubled

8 to 10 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

10 ounces maitake mushrooms, broken into chunks

2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 small yellow onions, trimmed, peeled and cut into quarters

Black pepper in a mill

6 to 8 ripe red beefsteak-style tomatoes

3 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, stemmed, cored and cut into medium julienne

3 zucchini, cut into medium julienne

1 tablespoon fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Toss together half the minced garlic, mushrooms, eggplant and onions and put them in a heavy roasting pan. Drizzle about half the olive oil over the vegetables, add ½ cup water and season with salt and pepper. Add the sprigs of thyme and oregano and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour, or until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a bamboo skewer.

While the vegetables roast, peel the tomatoes by holding each one over a flame and quickly blistering it, letting it cool and using your fingers to remove the blistered skin.

Cut the tomatoes in half through their equators. Hold each half tomato over a bowl and gently squeeze out the juice and gel. Pour about half the remaining olive oil into an ovenproof pan, add the tomatoes in a single layer, cut side down, and set in the oven. Cook until the tomatoes begin to darken and caramelize, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a heavy skillet set over medium-low heat, add the remaining minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds, stirring continuously; do not let the garlic brown or burn. Add the roasted peppers and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the peppers are completely tender but not mushy. Transfer to a large pot.

Saute the zucchini until it is limp and just begins to color, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the zucchini to the peppers.

Remove the vegetables from the oven, remove the aluminum foil and let cool slightly. Remove and discard the herb sprigs; add the vegetables to the peppers and zucchini. Use a fork to break up the tomatoes into smaller chunks and add them to the other vegetables. Toss together very gently, cover and let rest for an hour or so to let the flavors mingle.

Heat the ratatouille over medium-low heat, stirring now and then so it doesn’t burn. When it is heated through, add the parsley, taste, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a wide shallow bowl. Sprinkle with basil. Serve neat or use one of the variations listed below.

With capers, lemon and pasta: Cook 12 ounces medium-size dried pasta according to the package directions. I prefer a small hollow ring, torchetti or bucatini broken into 1-inch pieces. When it’s done, drain but do not rinse and add to the bowl with the ratatouille. Toss thoroughly, scatter 2 tablespoons drained capers over the top, garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

With whole garlic cloves: Peel 18 medium garlic cloves, toss with the mushrooms and eggplant and bake the mixture until the cloves are tender, possibly just a bit longer than without the garlic. Continue as directed in the recipe.

With sausages: Shortly before serving, pierce the skin of 6 sausages and set in a saute pan over medium heat. Cover with water and poach, turning several times, for about 8 minutes, during which time the sausages will give up much of their fat. Pour off the poaching liquid, return the pan to medium heat and cook, turning frequently, until the sausages are evenly browned and cooked through. Set the cooked sausages on a work surface, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the sausages into diagonal slices and arrange over the ratatouille.

With poached eggs and toast: To serve 8 people, fill two shallow 10-inch pans with 3 inches of water and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to each pan. Bring the water to a boil and turn off the heat. Immediately break 4 eggs directly into each pan, holding the shells close to the water’s surface so the eggs slip into the water in once piece. Cover the pans with tightfitting lids and do not disturb for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, spoon ratatouille into individual soup plates. Toast 8 diagonally cut slices of hearth bread. Use a slotted spoon to carefully lift each poached egg and shake gently to remove excess water. Set an egg on top of each serving of ratatouille, season with salt and pepper, set a slice of toast alongside and serve.

When you have leftover ratatouille, it’s easy to turn it into a pretty and delicious terrine, which is a meal in itself that needs only a few green olives to start and a big green salad alongside.

1 large eggplant, very thinly sliced

Black pepper in a mill

4 cups Garden Ratatouille (see preceding recipe)

½ cup medium-size dry Italian pasta (ring-shaped or tube-shaped), cooked in boiling water until just tender and rinsed in cool water

1 tablespoon brined green peppercorns, drained

Pinch of crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the stem end of the eggplant. Using a sharp knife, cut the eggplant into ¼-inch thick lengthwise slices.

Pour enough olive oil onto a baking sheet so there is a very thin but even layer. Arrange the eggplant on top of the oil, fitting the slices close together. Season with salt and pepper and bake until tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the ratatouille in a bowl. Add the cooked pasta, cheese, green peppercorns, crushed red pepper and parsley and toss thoroughly.

Remove the eggplant from the oven and let cool until it is easy to handle.

Brush a 2-quart souffle or similar baking dish with olive oil and layer the eggplant on the bottom and around the sides of the dish; overlap the eggplant slightly so there are no gaps and let eggplant hang over the edges of the dish.

Spoon the ratatouille mixture into the souffle dish and fold the eggplant over it. If any eggplant slices remain, use them to cover the ratatouille completely.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes; remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let rest 20 minutes.

Set a large flat serving plate on top of the baking dish and invert the plate and the dish, so the terrine drops onto the plate. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs and serve or chill overnight, covered, and remove from the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before serving at room temperature.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “The New Cook’s Tour of Sonoma.” Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.

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