Capotouille (Mediterranean Style Vegetable Stir-fry)

This dish came to be when as usual I was hungry and raided the fridge and pantry and came up with this dish. It is so tasty and delicious that I will certainly be doing it again. Basically it is a melange of two classic Mediterranean dishes, the French Ratatouille and the Sicilian Caponata, hence the name Capotouille. It is a totally vegetarian dish and ever so healthy and also very filling. It might seem complicated because of all the ingredients but believe me it is not. The colours and different textures make this dish also a visual feast and a delicious treat for your palate. You can serve it as a main dish with crusty bread  and a couple of morsels of smoked sausage like Maltese sausage or Spanish chorizo or also as accompaniment to grilled meat or fish. Can also be served hot or cold. So give it a go, you will need...

• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 large courgettes, thinly sliced
• 6 small spring onions, tops removed and sliced in 4 pieces
• 2 tomatoes, cut in 8 pieces
• 10 baby plum tomatoes
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• Handful green olives
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons tomato purée
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Few mint leaves
• Few basil leaves
• Bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp Olive oil

Note: If the peppers and courgettes are grilled beforehand they will give this dish a delicious char-grilled taste.

How to...

1. Start by finely chopping the basil, mint and parsley together. Set aside.
2. Put the olive oil in a shallow frying pan and turn on the heat.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pain and stir slowly to combine all the vegetables and spices. 
4. Now add the fresh herbs and stir them in.
5. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently for about 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are soft but not soggy.
6. Turn off the heat and serve with some nice crusty bread or as a side dish.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Conchigliette con legumi, pancetta e pomodoro - Small shell shaped pasta with pulses, bacon and tomatoes

End of the month, everyone is on a tight budget, so I just opened our kitchen cupboards and roved around the kitchen shelves and scanned all the available ingredients and made up something in my head. This is the result. It is a cross between a thick soup and a pasta dish. With cold weather around us it turned out to be a real heart warmer for us. The quantities here are for 4-5 persons as it  is very hearty, so you can make it for your holiday dinners maybe, if not adapt the quantities as you like. So here it goes,

• 200g concighliette [shell shaped pasta]
• 100g bacon steak, diced
• 100g mixed dried pulses [lentils, split peas, barley etc], soaked in water for about 12 hours or overnight
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small dried chilli, chopped or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• Vegetable oil
• 1 mozzarella ball [125g], diced
• Fresh basil leaves

How to...

1. Cook the soaked pulses in water first by boiling them for about 15 minutes and then simmering them for about 45-50 minutes or until soft. Set aside when done.
2. Fry the onion, garlic and pepper on a medium heat until soft, stirring constantly.
3. Add the bacon, herbs [not the basil leaves], black pepper, chilli and sit well.
4. Cook until bacon is cooked well.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes. Stirring frequently. In the meantime cook the pasta.
6. Add the pulses and cook for 5 minutes. Mix well.
7. Add the pasta to the pulse/tomato mixture and incorporate well. 
8. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with the diced mozzarella and hand torn fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!!!!!
R &A