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This recipe is infinitely variable. Use whatever vegetables you have in the quantities you like, and it will be delicious. I like the technique of cooking the vegetables separately to bring out their individual flavors, but if you're in a hurry, you can cook them together.
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
salt
2 medium eggplants, skin still on, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 fresh medium-sized tomatoes, diced
pinch of saffron
1/3 cup torn basil
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
cooked quinoa or couscous for serving (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a large pan (I used my Creuset stock pot). Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes and then add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Remove from the pan. If the pan is dry, add another splash of olive oil. Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt and cook until the eggplant has softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan. Again, if the pan is dry, add more olive oil. Add the zucchini and a pinch of salt and cook until it is tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the onions, garlic, and eggplant back to the pan, along with the tomatoes and the saffron. Cook until the vegetables are meltingly soft, about an hour. Just before serving, add the basil and parsley and stir.
Serve hot or cold, over couscous or quinoa, if you like.