Ratatouille - the food, not the movie

Fall is a great time at the Farmers' Markets in Southern California. There is abundant and amazing produce. The problem with that for me is that I have a tendency to buy more than 2 people could possibly eat in a month! Each stands' eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes look better than the ones I just bought. And this week was no exception - I came home with way too much. So I did what I always do each fall, I made ratatouille.
I am not a vegetarian, but I do eat mostly vegetables and use meat almost as a condiment. I believe that dishes should taste good, not just fit a philosophy of eating. So many of my vegetable dishes have some sort of meat product in the recipe, usually for flavour. This dish, however, is a pure vegetarian dish that is delicious, uses the too many vegetables that I bought, is a hit with most people, including children, and freezes well. It is easy to make, and does not require precision. All the amounts of the ingredients are approximations. If you like one vegetable more than another, then change the proportions. I have NEVER followed the amounts nor the vegetables exactly that I am giving you; consider these guidelines only. If you forget to buy one of the vegetables listed in the recipe - no big deal. You do need onions, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes, but after that, do what you want. The fresher and better quality the ingredients, the better it tastes.

RATATOUILLE
Ingredients

1-2 onions, sliced thin
2-3 sliced (about 1/2 inch) bell peppers (In the fall, when I can get red, yellow and green, I use one of each)
1-2 lbs eggplant (I prefer to use Japanese, Chinese, or Italian ones. The big, purple ones that are available at grocery stores require the salting described in the recipe. The other ones, if fresh, will be okay if you don't have time to salt them.)
1-2 lbs fresh tomatoes (I use Romas because they don't have to be peeled.)
1-2 lbs zucchini (I like the light green or yellow ones because they are a little sweeter than the dark ones. You can also substitute any summer squash that you like.)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 cup cured olives (I use Greek ones, but if I have a different kind in my refrigerator, I use them)
2-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 c. pine nuts
olive oil
salt

Cut the eggplant in 1" slices. Put salt on both sides, and then put in a colander until needed.

As you slowly cook each vegetable, start cutting the next one you need. When you are done cutting, add it to the pot.

Take the onions, pepper and garlic and cook slowly in 2-4 tbs of olive oil for about 10 minutes. Stir intermittently, and do not let brown.

Dice the celery and add it to the pot.

Cube the zucchini, and add it to the pot.

Rinse off the extra salt on the eggplant, squeeze it flat, and then cube it. Add it to the pot. Eggplant absorbs oil, so you will probably need to add extra olive oil at this time to keep the vegetables from sticking.

Remove the seeds from the tomatoes, chop them and add to the pot.

Chop the olives and add them and the pine nuts to the pot.

Cook on simmer for 1-2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve this hot or room temperature as a side dish or over pasta as a main dish. This tastes even better the next day.