In most American homes, this would be served hot or at room temperature as a vegetable side dish; a baked chicken would be delicious with this ratatouille. Chop the vegetables into large chunks and although they should be cooked through, stop short of stewing them down until they turn to mush. Find the smaller eggplant varieties (even the slender Ichiban Japanese eggplant) that are tender with fewer seeds. Mirliton squash is easily found in Louisiana (Asian markets, too) but feel free to substitute zucchini or yellow squash. The okra pods are a tasty addition, but to avoid releasing their sticky mucus, don’t stir the okra into the vegetables but rather let them steam on top.