Composta di Verdura Mediterranea

A strange dish – it never tastes the same twice over.

SERVES 4

It takes at least forty minutes to cook the vegetables. They all cook at different times. So remove when they are done and place in a container and cover, so they steam in their own juices. Then thirty minutes to peel and chop the vegetables into a pulp.

TOP TIPS:

I prefer to place all the vegetables on the griddle or barbecue. But, I admit it does get a bit messy. One can bake them in the oven. I think the first method produces the best results. If you have a really strong blender you can blitz all the skins of the vegetables that you discard. You end up with a burnt vegetable skin paste which has a really interesting flavour. 

STEPS

Heat the griddle, sprinkle a little salt over the surface and put on all the vegetables. Trying to make sure that each vegetable has contact with the griddle. Turn the vegetables every so often. 

The onions take the longest to cook, the tomatoes the shortest time. The skin of the peppers has to blister so that they peel easily. The aubergines need to char and the garlic has to blacken.

When each vegetable is done remove from the griddle and place in a bowl and cover with a lid so that the vegetables continue to cook in their own steam. 

When they are all cooked and cool enough to handle then start to prepare each type of vegetable. Remove the outer skin of the onions, open up the garlic and squeeze out the garlic pulp, peel the tomatoes, peel the peppers and open up and remove the seeds, cut a slit in the bottom of the aubergines and gently squeeze out and discard any of the bitter liquid which comes out then peel away. Place all the vegetables on a large chopping board and with your largest knife come clever start to mince all the vegetables together breaking them down into the compot. Place in a bowl and season with salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil.

Or, you can collect all the juices which came off the vegetables (except the aubergine juice) and mix them with the vegetables and then place them all in a saucepan and cook of a gentle heat and reduce the compot right down unit it is dense then season and serve.