Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Alboronía
 
The oldest Spanish pisto, vegetable stew, Alboronía hails from Andalusia. This simple dish is rooted in its Moorish and Sephardic past. Some versions include potatoes, others chickpeas; some have an “agrodolce” spin, using fruit, nuts, and vinegar; some aldoronías are soupy, others chunky. But all alboronías share these fundamental ingredients: onions, green peppers, pumpkin, tomatoes, eggplant and/or zucchini, cumin, and sweet paprika. Traditionally, alboronia is prepared with a prodigious amount of olive oil. For this oil-free interpretation, however, instead of sautéing, we will “reverse braise” the vegetables, cooking them in a bit of liquid on the stovetop until they are plump but firm, then finishing them in a very hot oven to lightly brown the top and condense the juices into a thick, delicious glaze. Enjoy this tasty dish as an entrée or side. Served above with Espinacas a la Catalana.
 
Prep 30 minutes  
Cook 30 minutes on stovetop, 20 minutes in oven  
Serves 6 to 8
 
3 cups white onion, cut in ½-inch dice
3 cloves garlic, peeled,  cut emincé (thinly sliced)
3 cups green peppers, cut in a large dice
5 cups Campari tomatoes, cut in quarters
3 cups young Italian eggplant, cut in a large dice
2 medium zucchinis, cut in a large dice
3 cups butternut squash, peeled, cut in a large dice
3 cups yellow potatoes, cut in a large dice
4 teaspoons, freshly ground cumin seeds
4 teaspoons, sweet paprika
Multiple grinds of black pepper, or to taste
½ cup white miso paste, diluted 1:1 with water, or to taste
 
Preheat the oven to 450°F/425° convection.
Combine all ingredients, except the diluted miso paste, in a large bowl and gently mix to combine.
Transfer the mixed vegetables to a 6-quart covered stainless sauté pan.  Add ½ cup water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. The vegetables will release some liquid as they soften but add a small amount of liquid and lower your heat if the pan has dried after 15 minutes.  After 30 minutes, the vegetables should all be tender, when pierced with a sharp knife, but perfectly intact. There should be ¼-inch of liquid or less at the bottom of the pan.  If you have more, use a turkey baster to remove the excess.
Place the pan in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the surface has lightly browned and the juices have thickened.  Taste and adjust the amount of pepper, cumin, and paprika as you like.
 Serve Alboronía in warmed bowls.  Season each bowlful with about 2 tablespoons of diluted white miso paste, or to taste.