Downright Hearty
Ciambotta (Vegetable Stew)
Ciambotta is part of the “minestre” category of Italian foods, somewhere between a thick soup and stew depending on how much liquid is used. A melange of summer garden vegetables are simmered in a tomato based, vegetable broth. Ciambotta can be eaten on its own with some crusty bread or served alongside some rice, polenta or pasta. It makes a lovely side dish to any grilled meat, poultry or fish.
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup Irini extra virgin olive oil
½ medium Ontario Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
2 large Ontario Garlic Cloves, finely minced
½ medium fennel bulb, cored, quartered, thinly sliced
3 medium Ontario Red Potatoes, cubed
1 medium Ontario Red Shepherd Pepper, cubed
1 cup each Ontario Green and Yellow Beans
2 medium Ontario Zucchini, cut into ½ inch thick half moons
1 medium Ontario Eggplant, cubed
1 (398 ml) can Pastene Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste
1 ½ tablespoon La Cosentina Dry Oregano leaves
1 cup Campbell’s No Salt Vegetable Broth
Soresina Grana Padano Cheese, grated, used as garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Add cubed eggplant to a colander and sprinkle with 1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt (to remove any bitterness). Allow to drain for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse quickly with water and pat dry.
Working in batches, add a little EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) to a large frypan on medium heat and cook onion, garlic and fennel for approximately 8-10 minutes until softened. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add more EVOO to frypan and cook potatoes, red pepper and beans for another 10 minutes until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add a little more EVOO to frypan, cook zucchini and eggplant until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add to frypan, diced tomatoes, vegetable stock and season with salt, pepper and oregano.
Return all vegetable to frypan, semi cover and continue cooking for about 20 minutes on medium heat until all vegetables are cooked. Add additional vegetable stock if needed.
Serve warm and garnish with grated Grana Padano cheese if you wish.
