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Spain’s answer to ratatouille is a perfect balance of vegetables and cheese
Spanish Ratatouille (Pisto Manchego)
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Pisto manchego, Spain's colorful combination of sautéed summer vegetables, is similar to France's ratatouille. As-is, it makes a wonderful side. When topped with a poached or fried egg, it's a delicious main course. The flavorful tomato juices make crusty bread almost obligatory, but the dish would also pair wonderfully with rice or a baked potato. We liked the effect of using one each of red and yellow bell peppers, but you could use just one color. If you can't find Japanese or Chinese eggplant, a pound of globe eggplant will do, but you may need to increase the covered cooking time by a few minutes.
1 12-ounce zucchini
2 8-ounce Chinese or Japanese eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 medium bell peppers (see note), stemmed, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces
8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 ounces Manchego cheese, shaved
Ingredients
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1
12-ounce zucchini
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2
8-ounce Chinese or Japanese eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
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Kosher salt and ground black pepper
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8
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
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1
large yellow onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
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2
medium bell peppers (see note), stemmed, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces
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8
large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
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¾
teaspoon ground cumin
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1½
teaspoons dried oregano
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1
14½-ounce can diced tomatoes
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¼
cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
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2
ounces Manchego cheese, shaved
Milk Street Recipes
Learning the Art of Pisto with Joaquín Felipe in Madrid
Directions
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01Trim off the ends of the zucchini, then slice lengthwise into planks, leaving behind and discarding the seedy core. Cut the zucchini planks into ½-inch cubes and set aside. In a medium bowl, toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.See Demo
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02In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat 6 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the eggplant in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir, cover and reduce to medium. Cook, stirring, until tender when pierced with a fork but not falling apart, another 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel–lined medium bowl and set aside.See Demo
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03To the same pot, add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Add the zucchini in an even layer and cook undisturbed until well-browned, about 4 minutes. Stir and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides and tender when pierced with a fork, another 1 to 2 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, transfer to the bowl with the eggplant.See Demo
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04To the same pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook, stirring, until the peppers soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin and oregano, then cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, then cover and simmer over medium until the flavors have melded, 5 to 7 minutes.See Demo
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05Reduce to low and stir in the eggplant-zucchini mixture. Cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter and top with the Manchego.See Demo
Tip: Don’t use the seedy core of the zucchini, as it turns soft and mushy with cooking. Don’t skip the manchego cheese; its buttery, grassy flavor is a key component.
In the store
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Buy now
Benriner Mandoline Slicer
This Japanese produced mandoline sports point-and-shoot simplicity. There’s a reason you’ll find one of these in most line knife rolls.
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Merula Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Produced from a blend of Spanish olives, Merula extra-virgin olive oil tastes fruity, balanced and bright.
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Buy now
Whole Cumin
Cumin’s husky, earthy, slightly smoky flavor accentuates the flavor of meats and galvanizes vegetables like cauliflower and beets.
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It was fabulous and the heavy browned veggies really made a great flavor. It was a little too salty for me. The manchego cheese really kicked up the saltiness at the end, so would suggest doing the final adjustment of salt/pepper after adding the cheese.
I really like you posting the comments from others. It is appreciated. Now, if you could have a site where we could access our "favorites" that are listed all together. Thanks
Hi Virginia,
To access your favorite recipes, simply hover above the recipe tab and select "your favorite recipes." Additionally, on the recipes page, you can filter recipes by choosing the drop-down menu seen as "all recipes" and select "your favorite recipes."
Best,
The Milk Street Team