Stufato di Verdure

But what is it, you ask?

Well, it’s typically vegetables that have been stewed in little more than olive oil and a tiny bit of water, along with one or two flavorings such as herbs, garlic, anchovies, olives, pancetta or wine vinegar over low heat for over an hour. In the process, they lose their crispness and become luscious and silken, and their flavors concentrate until each spoonful is literally the essence of summer.

Stufato di verdure, or “vegetable stew”, can be made year-round and its ingredients can vary depending on whatever you have in your pantry. While it’s delicious at other times of the year however, the best versions are made with summer produce, in my opinion: peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans and summer squash.

Serve with a glass of white wine and a piece of bread, and you’re set.

Click here for a more “liquid-y” stufato, with summer vegetables, and here for a winter version, with turnips, parsnips, fennel, carrots and escarole.

The version you see pictured above contains green beans, red bell pepper, Italian frying peppers, garlic, onion, zucchini, celery, oregano, heirloom tomatoes, Italian parsley, anchovies, sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes and red wine vinegar. It also differs from the other two stufati in that it doesn’t contain as much gravy. I opted for fresh tomatoes in lieu of canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes, and reduced the liquid in the last 15 minutes of cooking.