“Giambotta”

Harvest Vegetable Stew

 

In our family, September means we harvest the gardens.

And this recipe was always something that we made

with our harvested vegetables.

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INGREDIENTS

¼ cup good Olive Oil

1 large Eggplant- peeled and cubed

1 Large Onion- diced

2- 3 Peppers- green, red, cubanelle, any sweet peppers to your liking. Seeded and diced.

2-3 Zucchini- diced

2-3 Summer squash- diced

5-6 Tomatoes- peeled and chopped * canned crushed can be substituted 

4-5 cloves Garlic

½ lb. Green beans- snipped and tipped

4-5 larger Potatoes red or white, Yukon or russet. Peeled diced and parboiled

 

Salt and Pepper

Fresh basil

Pecorino Romano

 

Let’s begin with a good size pan, you’ll need a heavy bottomed Dutch oven. We always used a cast iron Dutch oven. Over the years, I've adapted the larger sized saucepan. Make sure there is a lid that fits. 

 

Begin with heating your olive oil in the pan. Start with sautéing the peppers and onion. Lightly season your vegetables at every addition. 

 

Next, add the diced eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Sautee for about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, summer squash and garlic. Season with a little more salt and pepper. I like adding the garlic at this stage because it stays in nice rough chunks and doesn’t melt into the stew.

 

Once the eggplant begins to soften and the squashes are sautéing, you'll add the tomatoes. You can use fresh or canned tomatoes. Making sure that they are peeled and chopped. 

 

Once the stew comes to a simmer, add the parboiled potatoes and green beans. At this point, you’ll want to check to see if the stew is well seasoned. Continue simmering until the potatoes are fork tender. 

 

This hearty stew is best finished with torn fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, grated Pecorino Romano and of course, an absolute MUST, fresh Italian bread.

 

Enjoy with family, good friends and a glass of red wine. Cheers!!