Summer Vegetable Ragout is a tasty update on the eggplant and white bean recipe in my James Beard-nominated cookbook, Cook for Your Life. Since I wrote the book, I have been experimenting with all kinds of beans, and with different ways of using them. This recipe combines my new favorite way of eating plain beans with quick sauteed and with roasted summer veggies. The result was really delicious, both hot and cold. By the way, when I would make, say, ratatouille, I'd never cook the vegetables separately. With this dish, I have and I must say the result is totally worth it. Try it.
AuthorAnn Ogden GaffneyDrizzle 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over the parchment. Add the cherry tomatoes. Shake them around on the sheet until they are coated in oil. Add the shishitos and do the same thing. Roast in the oven on a medium/high shelf until softened and slightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
preheat the oven to 425 F while you prep the vegetables. Line a 1/2 baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
Drizzle 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over the parchment. Add the cherry tomatoes. Shake them around on the sheet until they are coated in oil. Add the shishitos and do the same thing. Roast in the oven on a medium/high shelf until softened and slightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 11/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wok or other frying pan over a medium high flame. The oil needs to be hot for this so when the surface ripples and you can smell its fruitiness, add one piece of the zucchini. If it immediately sizzles add the rest of the without crowding the pan. The goal is to get them nice and brown as quickly as possible so they stay a little crisp, so stir fry them, but between stirs spread he zucchini evenly about the pan to fry a minute so that they catch and brown. When they are nicely browned, remove the pan from the heat and using a slotted spoon, put the veggies on a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Return the pan to the flame adding a little more oil as needed. It will be very hot at this point so immediately add the eggplant. Cook in the same manner as the zucchini until they too are golden and softened but not mushy. Add to the zucchini to drain. Set aside. At this point the roasting tomatoes and peppers will be ready, so all that's left is the onion. See Ann's Tips
Wipe the pan out and add the remaining oil. Add the onion. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion until it is soft and jammy looking caramelized, but not burnt, about 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium high.Add the cumin seed and let it sizzle for a minute then add half the wine. This will finish cooking the onions. Add the pepper paste and the gochujang to the onions. Mix well and let cook 1 minute. Add the remaining wine and the drained beans. Stir to mix. Turn the heat down and let it all simmer for 5 minutes to heat the beans through. If it looks dry, add 1/4 cup water or bean broth if the beans are home made. Stir in the roasted tomatoes and peppers and the fried zucchini and the eggplant. Stir to mix. heat through for 2 minutes then add the chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cook 1 minute more. Serve immediately or leave to cool to eat at room temperature.
- Both the eggplant and the zucchini can be cooked ahead of time.
- Turkish red pepper paste is an amazing condiment that you can buy online, but you can sub tomato concentrate for it.
-Gochujang is another favorite. This Korean chili paste adds depth and heat to the flavor. Again, if you want to try it, it can be bought online, but a good substitite would be to slice and deseed a ripe jalapeno or other hot pepper and add it to the onions in step 5 to cook slowly.
Ingredients
Directions
preheat the oven to 425 F while you prep the vegetables. Line a 1/2 baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
Drizzle 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over the parchment. Add the cherry tomatoes. Shake them around on the sheet until they are coated in oil. Add the shishitos and do the same thing. Roast in the oven on a medium/high shelf until softened and slightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 11/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wok or other frying pan over a medium high flame. The oil needs to be hot for this so when the surface ripples and you can smell its fruitiness, add one piece of the zucchini. If it immediately sizzles add the rest of the without crowding the pan. The goal is to get them nice and brown as quickly as possible so they stay a little crisp, so stir fry them, but between stirs spread he zucchini evenly about the pan to fry a minute so that they catch and brown. When they are nicely browned, remove the pan from the heat and using a slotted spoon, put the veggies on a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Return the pan to the flame adding a little more oil as needed. It will be very hot at this point so immediately add the eggplant. Cook in the same manner as the zucchini until they too are golden and softened but not mushy. Add to the zucchini to drain. Set aside. At this point the roasting tomatoes and peppers will be ready, so all that's left is the onion. See Ann's Tips
Wipe the pan out and add the remaining oil. Add the onion. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion until it is soft and jammy looking caramelized, but not burnt, about 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium high.Add the cumin seed and let it sizzle for a minute then add half the wine. This will finish cooking the onions. Add the pepper paste and the gochujang to the onions. Mix well and let cook 1 minute. Add the remaining wine and the drained beans. Stir to mix. Turn the heat down and let it all simmer for 5 minutes to heat the beans through. If it looks dry, add 1/4 cup water or bean broth if the beans are home made. Stir in the roasted tomatoes and peppers and the fried zucchini and the eggplant. Stir to mix. heat through for 2 minutes then add the chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cook 1 minute more. Serve immediately or leave to cool to eat at room temperature.
- Both the eggplant and the zucchini can be cooked ahead of time.
- Turkish red pepper paste is an amazing condiment that you can buy online, but you can sub tomato concentrate for it.
-Gochujang is another favorite. This Korean chili paste adds depth and heat to the flavor. Again, if you want to try it, it can be bought online, but a good substitite would be to slice and deseed a ripe jalapeno or other hot pepper and add it to the onions in step 5 to cook slowly.
