End-Of-Summer American Southwest 'Ratatouille'

• 5 ears fresh corn
• 3 large fresh tomatoes (preferably home grown, but heirlooms from the farmer's market worked great)
• 3 smallish fresh zucchini
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 pasilla peppers (the blockish but pointed very dark green Mexican peppers also called poblanos - very mild, but with a much more pronounced flavor than bells)
• 1 red or orange bell pepper
• olive oil
• 1 pound grated cheese - your choice, but I like a Mexican-style blend
• salt & pepper to taste
• fresh basil, herbs de Provence, Italian herb blend or other herbs of your choice, to taste (optional)
• 1 or 2 handfuls crushed tortilla chips

1. Using your preferred tool, remove the corn kernels from the cob. Use a table knife to scrape any remaining pulp and juices from the corn cobs into a bowl.
2. Peel the tomatoes if you like; I never bother. Cut the tomatoes in half across the 'waist', and squeeze and use your fingertips to remove all the gel and seeds from the interior. (This keeps them from making the dish too wet.) Chop the tomatoes into about 1/4-inch dice.
3. Trim the zucchini, cut them in half lengthwise, and then into about 1/4-inch half-rounds. Chop the onion into about 1/4-inch dice. Mince the garlic. Cut all the peppers into about the same 1/4-inch dice.
4. Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pre-heated pan. Saute the onions until they start to get translucent. (You may add salt, pepper, and fresh basil if you have it, or any other herbs you fancy at any time in the following process. Put dried herbs in early, since they need to absorb some of the juices from the veggies to reconstitute.) Add the garlic and saute another couple of minutes. Add all the peppers, and sweat about 5 minutes. Throw in the zucchini and tomatoes, and stir until about half-cooked. Add the corn and all the juice, and stir until warm (but not really hot). Taste and season, remembering that all that cheese will likely be pretty salty.
5. Spray a big oven-safe pan or casserole with olive oil. Spread about 1/3 of the veggies in the bottom, then spread a little more than 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with the last a-little-less-than-1/3 of the cheese. Bake about 30 minutes at 375 degrees F. When everything is hot through, crunch up the tortilla chips and spread them over the casserole. Put back in the oven until the chips are lightly browned and crisp.

corn, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic, peppers, red, olive oil, choice, salt, fresh basil, tortilla chips

Taken from food52.com/recipes/28391-end-of-summer-american-southwest-ratatouille (may not work)