I think careful cooking is love, don’t you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give.- Julia Child
This is such a simple dish to make and the brilliant part is that the more you cook it the better it becomes! No need to improvise with this classic dish!
Serves 5
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I love California Organic)
2 small sweet onions, cut 1 inch dice
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, sliced or 2 teaspoons of oil marinated diced garlic
1 small butternut squash, diced 1 inch
1 cup French green beans (fresh), cut in half
1 small parsnip, peeled and diced
1 med green zucchini, cut into 1 inch dice
1 small potato, peeled and cut into 2 inch dice
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped (marinate for a few minutes in a teaspoon of honey)
2 small Holland (yellow) peppers. Can sub for red but never green. Ewwwww! Cut into 1 inch dice.
1 medium eggplant, peeled and in 2 inch dice
1 tbsp of tomato paste
Pinches of salt and black pepper
1 cup of water
1 dash of turmeric
1 spray of Bragg liquid amino acid spray (soy sauce alternative)
1 large, deep pan for frying with lid
1 med bowl
1 large, deep casserole dish or large roasting pan.
Pour half of the oil into a deep large pan and place on medium-high heat. Add onions and fry for approx 6 minutes, stirring. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and peppers. Put on med heat for another 8 minutes.
Take a slotted spoon, and lift cooked vegetables out of the pan and into a medium bowl. Top this up with the remains of oil. Add zucchini, squash, green beans, parsnips, and eggplant to remaining oil in pan. Leave on med- high heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Take the contents of bowl and add to the pan. Add potatoes, tomato-honey mixture, tomato paste, turmeric, and salt and pepper. Stir over heat. Pour in water and half cover. Simmer with occasional stir for 35 minutes. Add salt and pepper to preference.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Remove the vegetables from pot and spoon into a large casserole dish or roasting pan, leaving the liquid in pan. Make a layer of veggies that are a little over an inch thick.
Pour the liquid over the vegetables, spray Bragg amino acid spray on top, and place in the oven for 35 minutes. The vegetables should be soft and liquid gone. Take out of oven and serve.
This dish pairs nicely with cooked polenta or couscous. Tastes even better the next day! Enjoy! ❤️
