Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
Farm Market Sauté Provençal
Inspired by a recent visit to my local farmers market, here is a luscious sauté that nods to the South of France with artichokes, fennel, breakfast radishes, tomatoes, eggplants, green olives, and herbs. If you can’t find these farmers market varieties, substitute other varieties of radish, tomato, peppers, and eggplant. Enjoy with tender white beans like tarbais, Marcella, or cannellini, and some crusty whole wheat sourdough bread to sop up its delectable juices.
Prep time 30 minutes to roast tomatoes plus 20 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Serves 4 to 5
½ pound cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, roasted, juices reserved
½ teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
4 shallots, cut in medium dice
2 slender young leeks, white and green, cut in 1/8” slices
Up to 1/3 cup juices from roasted tomatoes (see below) and/or dry vermouth to deglaze pan
4 cloves garlic, minced
7 baby Japanese eggplants, cut in 2-inch sections, each section then quartered
6 baby fennel bulbs, outer leaves, tops, and fronds removed, cut in ¼-inch slices
2 bunches French breakfast radishes, cut in ¼-inch slices, greens chopped
4 to 5 baby Italian peppers, mildly hot or sweet, cored and cut in 1/8-inch slices
½ cup small good-quality brine-cured green olives, unpitted
Small bunch of fresh herb leaves (remove stems if they are not tender), like nepitella, tarragon, parsley, savory, and chives, chopped, or 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
2 bunches Swiss chard or turnip greens, chopped
20 ounces artichoke hearts packed in water, rinsed well, cut in half
1/3 cup aka miso, dissolved in ½ cup water, or to taste
Hint: If you roast the tomatoes a day or more in advance and store them, covered, in the fridge, they will release a delectable, sweet syrup that you can later use to deglaze the pan.
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Lay the tomatoes, cut side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle on the dry herbs. Roast for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened and become crispy on their cut edges. Cool and store if making in advance or set aside.
Heat a large skillet over a medium flame for 3 minutes. Dry sauté the shallots for 2 minutes. When then release their water and begin to darken the pan, deglaze it with your reserved roasted tomato syrup and/or the vermouth, scraping up any caramelized sugars from the pan.
Stir in the garlic and eggplants. After 5 minutes add the fennel and peppers. After another 5 minutes stir in the radishes. Cover and cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but intact.
Stir in the olives and roasted tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Now add the chopped greens and herbs. Cover, and cook until the sauté is fragrant, and the greens are tender. Gently add the artichoke hearts and cook for a final minute.
Remove from the heat. Plate in warmed bowls. Stir a spoonful or two of the diluted miso paste in each bowl, or to taste. Serve immediately and pass around the beans and bread.
