Thursday, 07 April 2011

• RECIPE: Giambotta (Vegetable Stew)

  My earliest childhood memories of cooking involve three generations of women.  I would stand (on my tippy toes) on a kitchen chair and watch them while they prepared the weekly Sunday dinner.  I can vividly remember my great-grandmother making Southern Italian dishes and slicing the ingredients directly over the pot.  She handled every ingredient with care, but never thought twice about what she would add.  There was never a recipe in site. She often would hand me a spoon and ask me to stir the pot......I would light up with excitement. The results were always amazing tastes out of extremely affordable ingredients. 

  Giambotta is a family favorite in the spring and summer, utilizing fresh vegetables.  This recipe may remind you of minestrone, but it does not include kidney beans, pasta, or as much stock as a soup.  It is a great dish to make when you have left over vegetables or the garden is abundantly overflowing! 

  
  Giambotta:
  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  1 bay leaf
  Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
  3 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
  2 onions, chopped (I used spring onion green tops too)
  2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped (I left the skin on)
  1/2 lb fresh string beans, stemmed and cut in bite size pieces 
  1 large zucchini, chopped
  1 sweet bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used orange)
  Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
  1 (28-ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes (broken up or chopped)**
  **I added a can of crushed tomatoes too based on the amount of vegetables.  
  1 cup stock, chicken, beef or vegetable (You can substitute tomato juice or even water)
  1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  Crusty bread and grated pecorino to finish.
  
  Procedure:
  1. Heat a sauce pot over medium heat while you prepare the veggies. 
  2. Add extra-virgin olive oil, bay, crushed red pepper flakes,chopped garlic, and onions. Let them sweat out to extract flavors then add zucchini and bell pepper.  Season with salt and pepper, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   4. Uncover and add potatoes, green beans, tomatoes and stock. Cook until vegetables are tender (about 20 min) and liquid has reduced. Turn heat off and stir in chopped parsley. Check seasoning before serving.
  I served my Giambotta with sauteed sweet italian chicken sausage, pecorino cheese, and crusty ciabatta bread. This dish is even better the next day!

   
  What is your favorite family recipe to make at home?  What is your favorite vegetable dish? 

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