Ciambotta – autumn vegetable stew from Naples This is a gorgeously colourful and rich vegetable dish of aubergines, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. There are as many versions as there are cooks in Naples – this is based on Ursula Ferrigno’s recipe. It’s quick and easy to do; and it’s much nicer than the French equivalent, ratatouille. Serves 4. You will need a large shallow sauté pan or frying pan. small red onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 large aubergines, peeled and chunked (approx 3cm cubes) 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, de-seeded and chunked (approx 3cm cubes) 350g waxy potatoes (eg Desiree or Charlotte), peeled and chunked (approx 3cm cubes) 4 ripe medium tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped tsp dried oregano handful basil leaves, roughly torn Fry the onion gently in olive oil till soft (about 5 mins). Add garlic, aubergine, peppers and potatoes; turn the heat up to high and stir vegetables until they start to turn golden. Add tomatoes and oregano. Scatter basil leaves over vegetables and season well. Simmer for about 30 mins to an hour until everything is soft. Serve hot or at room temperature. This is surprisingly good, although all the ingredients are simple and cheap at this time of year. It reheats well too and is lovely as a pasta sauce. © Jane Chittenden for Future Radio September 2014
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 18:11:12 +0000