Ciambotta (or Giambotta) con Salsicce

Ciambotta is a vegetable stew popular in Southern Italy, particularly in Calabria. It is similar to ratatouille which is made with eggplant, summer squash, sweet peppers and tomatoes. My Ciambotta has a few additional items that are not traditional (mushrooms, sausage) plus the very traditional ones potatoes which I'm not especially fond of in a tomato dish) which also can vary depending on the season and what one has on hand.

 

In the photo below, clockwise from top left: 2 cubed eggplants, sliced portobello mushrooms, fresh peeled garden tomatoes, chopped onion and sweet peppers, chopped garlic and crushed hot red peppers, 3 medium cubed zucchini, center stage 2 diced potatoes.

 

 Whoops, almost forgot the parsley and sweet basil

 

Also added some sweet grape tomatoes and of course extra virgin olive oil, 1 can of tomato paste, one can of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, a splash of red wine

 

Simmer the  garlic and hot pepper in the olive oil 

Add the onion and sweet peppers and saute for several minutes

Add the potatoes and continue to cook on medium heat

Add the zucchini

The crushed fresh tomatoes and grape tomatoes went in next

Then parsley and plenty of basil

In a separate skillet saute the eggplant in olive oil. Note: eggplant will soak up oil like a sponge so it will be necessary to add a bit more olive oil, but just enough to get the bottom of the pan slick.

Saute on medium to low heat until the eggplant begins to brown slightly.

 

 Add the eggplant to the ciambotta

Add more olive oil to the skillet and saute the mushrooms. Mushrooms will soak up oil but not as much as the eggplant. 

 

When the mushrooms give up some juices, add a little black pepper and a splash of red wine

Add half the can of tomato paste and let it simmer on low for a few minutes.

 

Transfer the mushrooms to the ciambotta and add the rest of the tomato paste and a full paste can of water to the skillet. (Note: I only added half a can of paste at first because I thought a full can might be too much...but decided the whole can would work).

 

Saute some Italian sausages; I then sliced them and browned the slices a little before adding them to the ciambotta.

 

Here is the ciambotta simmering on low for the next hour or so. This dish will be even better tomorrow or portions can can be frozen for another day. A big loaf of Italian bread and a glass of wine. Buon appetito!

You can also serve it over pasta, but the crusty bread is quite enough for me.

 I use a heat diffuser under my big pot to keep it heating evenly without burning.

 

Homemade Italian Bread of course...gotta soak up all that good sauce.

A little parmegiano reggiano.