Pisto brings back so many memories from my Summer holidays in Spain. My mum used to cook it for dinner and, even now, I just can’t get enough of it. This is one of my all-time favourite dinners: it’s delicious, healthy and so easy to cook.
Most people might be hearing now about this dish for the first time, but they’ll probably be familiar with its French cousin, ratatouille. Pisto is a traditional Spanish dish, typical from Andalusia, that consists of stewed vegetables. If eaten by itself, we can consider it vegan and gluten-free. So, what are you waiting for to try it!?
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 green pepper and 2 red peppers
- 1 courgette
- 1 aubergine
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (make sure the tomato % is very high)
- Salt
- Sugar
- Cumin
- Olive oil
You can adjust the quantities as you want, depending on what you like more. For instance, I’m not a big fan of green pepper, so I’m only using 1 (vs. 2 red peppers, which I love!).
First things first: we start cutting all the veggies. Any size you want will work, but I prefer having bite-size pieces. Once you’re done with this step, let’s start cooking!
Take a big bowl and fill it with cold water. Add in the aubergine and let it sit until we’re ready to use it. By doing this, we’re getting rid of the bitterness and bringing out its sweetness.
In a large pan drizzle some olive oil and, over medium heat, gently fry the diced onion and garlic. When the onion becomes translucent start adding the veggies in the following order: peppers, courgette and aubergine. Add the veggies one by one, giving them the time they need to cook properly.
Finally, open the can of diced tomatoes and add them to the pan, alongisde with some salt and a pinch of sugar (to reduce the acidity). If needed, add in some water as well. Let it cook for 10 minutes over medium-low heat. 2 minutes before serving, add in a pinch of cumin. This gives an extra layer of flavour, but it isn’t absolutely necessary (my mum doesn’t add it, for example).
At my home, we normally eat it by itself. And although the traditional way is with a fried egg on top, you can even serve it with pasta or rice.
Hope you like it!
Passion meets Fruit 