Giambotta

Giambotta is an Italian vegetable stew that makes use of seasonal vegetables.It is full of vegetables and can be served as a soup or a stew with crusty bread or pasta.I came across this when I was searching for quick menu ideas for summer and I adapted the recipe from Racheal Ray's version.The vegetables are added as per the cooking time starting with the longest and so you sort of work near the stove and drop veggies into the pan as you chop.

Ingredients:
Onion: 1 medium size
Garlic: 1-2 cloves

Potato: 1 big
Eggplant: 1(Chinese long purple)
Zucchini: 1 small
Green BellPepper: 1 medium

Tomato Paste: 2 tbsps

Veg Broth: 1/2 cup +
Fresh Basil: 4-5 leaves
BayLeaf: 2-3 small dried

Preparation:

Chop the onions finely and peel and chop the garlic.Chop the potatoes and other veggies into bite size cubes or quick cooking sizes.Heat olive oil in a thick bottomed pan and add bayleaf,onion and garlic.Saute for a few minutes till the onions turn transparent.Add the chopped veggies starting with the one with the longest cooking time in this case potatoes.Add salt and pepper and one by one other veggies -eggplant,zucchini and bell pepper.Saute an cook for around 5- 10 minutes till they start to become tender.Add the tomato paste,veg stock and cover and cook until tender.During the last 1or 2 minutes add in chopped basil.Serve warm with crusty bread or rice or pasta garnished with more basil and adjusting salt and pepper.

The dish is not highly spicy as it has only the pepper and bayleaf giving spice and taste.But it is definitely healthy and comforting and a versatile dish as you can use it as a soup topped with cheese and croutons or a stew with bread/rice.You can even add in pasta while adding the stock and turn it into a main course.

The stew is simple,easy and you can add whatever veggies are in season and can be served cold in summer and also warm in winter.It tastes even better the next day.A nourishing bowl is off to the Simple and Nourishing Carnival by Kim,the NourishingGourmet