Italian Vegetable Stew (CCTC p. 51)

On Monday, April 5, 2016, I made "Italian Vegetable Stew" from America's Test Kitchen's "The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook" (p. 51).

The Process: This recipe took nearly 2 hours, but I wasn't moving quite as efficiently as I could have.

The Verdict: 8 out of 10. It's a good solid recipe, and I will definitely make it again, but it's not gonna blow anyone's socks off. 

The Cost: approx $XX for 3 servings.

Getting the ingredients together.

Heating olive oil in the dutch oven.

Cutting the eggplant into chunks.

The recipe called for 8 oz of eggplant, so I'm a bit over here...

Adding the chunks of eggplant to the hot oil.

Peeling and cutting up one gold potato.

The recipe calls for 8 oz of potato, sliced into chunks.

I've browned the eggplant and just about to remove it from the dutch oven.

Adding some olive oil to the potato just before softening it up in the microwave.

Getting ready to add the whole peeled tomatoes.

I separated out the liquid here and set it aside for later.

Adding the tomatoes to the hot dutch oven.

Mincing the garlic. 

It's such a shame opening an entire can of tomato paste when the recipe only calls for 1 tsp.

Cooking the tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt & pepper.

Getting the vegetable broth ready to add to the dutch oven. 

Slicing the zucchini into chunks.

The browned eggplant and raw zucchini, ready to be added to the stew.

The tomato mixture just before I added the broth and vegetables.

Adding the vegetable broth to the dutch oven.

Adding the reserved liquid from the canned whole tomatoes.

The stew, just after it came to a simmer and just before I partially covered it.

Partially covering the stew and letting all the ingredients heat up and the zucchini soften.

Washing the basil.

Chiffonading the basil. 

Chiffonade of basil, before I sliced up the ribbons some more.

Just after having added the basil to the stew.

Preparing to grate the pecorino romano cheese.

The finished product! Italian vegetable stew!