Pisto

Pisto is essentially a stove top version of ratatouille. There are a variety of "pistos", all with ingredients similar to ratatouille. This is the basic recipe which is easy to make, and is an extensible framework where you can "adjust" with almost any vegetables that strike your fancy.

This recipe requires two pans: one for the veg and a second to make the tomato sauce. (You can use a ready made tomato sauce instead.)

Ingredients

• 1 kilo (2 pounds) of zucchini (peeled & diced)
• 1 large onion (finely diced)
• 500 grams (1 pound) ripe tomatoes (peeled & diced)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 medium sized green pepper (optional)
• Salt

Preparation

• Put 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat, add onion (and green pepper if using) and cook until the onion is transparent - about 5 minutes, don't brown.
• Add the zucchini to the sauteed onions, stir and continue to cook on medium heat.
• In a separate pan, cook the diced tomato in 2 tbsp of oil for 10 minutes, squashing down the tomato to make a sauce.
• Add sugar & salt to taste, strain the sauce.
• Add the finished sauce to the zucchini and continue to cook for about 25 minutes, if it gets too thick, add a little water.
• That's it. Serve hot. It's great with a poached egg on top and crusty bread to mop up.

Note:
1. Optional veg: eggplant, red pepper, fennel, diced potatoes, etc. Generally, no spices are used but feel free to spice it up: black pepper, chiles, oregano, thyme, hot sauce...
2. Goes especially well with a poached or fried egg on top and served over a bed of white rice.
3. This is based mainly on Simone Ortega's recipe from "1080 Recetas de Cocina".

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