I love this dish because it tastes like Summer. Everything that goes into it comes straight out of the garden and it is colorful and healthy. It is a little time consuming, but you can do as I do and play some music and open a bottle of wine and have fun while you work!
Ingredients
5 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed
1 1/2 pounds eggplant, I use Italian eggplant diced into squares
Good quality sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound zucchini (3 medium zucchinis) – large dice
1/2 pound yellow squash (1-2 squash) – large dice
1 medium yellow sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 pound ripe Italian plum tomatoes (3 to 4 medium), large dice
1 large red bell pepper, large dice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped, plus more for serving
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the eggplant, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add 2 more tablespoons of the olive oil to the pot. Add the zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the eggplant.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers. Add the reserved eggplant and zucchini and gently stir to combine.
4. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour. If you like your vegetables to be more stew-like, opt for the longer cooking time.
5. Just before serving, stir in the chopped basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve, sprinkling each serving with more basil and drizzling with additional olive oil.
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