Skip to main content

Ciambotta, a Delicious Calabrese Mess #ItalianFWT


This month the Italian Food, Wine & Travel - #ItalianFWT - blogging group is traveling to Calabria. Follow along the journey with my fellow #ItalianFWT bloggers.  You can also chat with us live this Saturday morning at 11am EST on Twitter at #ItalianFWT.  Hope to see you there!


To Calabria
Calabria is a region in Southern Italy and forms the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. It is bordered to the north by the region of Basilicata, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the Ionian Sea. 

I spent one evening in Calabria as a stop between our adventures on Ustica, off the coast of Sicily, and the Amalfi Coast. I regret to say that I wasn't paying too much attention at the time. I collapsed in our room after a walk from the train station, woke to find a place to eat dinner, drank too much red wine, and went back to the hotel to catch a few zzzzzzs before going back to the train in the morning. I will have to return to Calabria one of these days.

The Other #ItalianFWT Offerings... 

In the Glass...
This month has been crazy. Along with the mayhem and my poor planning, I found myself without a Calabrian wine to pour. Boo! But I plan to hunt one down soon as I am intrigued by the regional red Gaglioppo.


On the Plate...
I had initially planned to make Costolette D'Agnello Alla Calabrese, Calabrian-Style Lamb Chops. But Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog was already making that dish...and he had already done the cooking and pairing while I had yet to make it to the market. Besides, my procrastination, we try to give our group's readers some variety! So, I changed directions and will share my version of that dish another time.

Today, I opted to make a version of ciambotta. Its akin to a caponata but without the agrodolce (sour-sweet) that comes with the vinegar-sugar syrup in a caponataLike caponata, people in Calabria eat ciambotta in many different ways. They might eat it with crusty bread or as a contorno with grilled meats or sausages. They might also eat it topped with eggs and grated cheese. Che squisito!

Also like caponata, making ciambotta is more of a process than an actual recipe. Measurements are not crucial as, for instance, one more or fewer zucchini will not dramatically alter the dish. Everything softens and melts into a delicious saucy stew.

Fun Fact: Italian food names are often appropriated as colloquialisms. You know if someone is driving too slowly, another driver might shake a fist at the slow-poke and holler "Polenta!!" Ciambotta is similar. If someone gets confused and tells a story wrong, a Calabrese might apologize and exclaim that they have made a "grande ciambotta" (a huge mess).

This dish is a big, delicious Calabrese mess.


Ingredients
  • 1 sweet onion (I used 1/2 red onion and 1/2 white onion)
  • 4 heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 eggplant
  • 1 C cubed waxy potatoes (I used baby red potatoes)
  • 3 T olive oil
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 2 T fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 T fresh parsley, chopped


Procedure
Cut the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, and potatoes into cubes. In a large, flat-bottom pan, cook the onions in a splash of olive oil over medium heat until softened, approximately 5 to 8 minutes. 

Add the eggplant, and potatoes and cook until the eggplants are softened. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, approximately 30 minutes. Add water if the mixture seems too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


When the ciambotta is done, remove it from the heat and stir in the basil and parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature. I poached some eggs in the ciambotta for a quick and easy dinner.

Comments

  1. Thanks Camilla! Now I have a recipe to try and a new phrase I can use often: What a "grande ciambotta!"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your flexibility Cam! Your dish looks amazing! I'll have to give it a try. my wife adores eggplant...love the egg on top too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This looks quick, easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing it! I also appreciate the fun facts!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This reminds me a little of a ratatouille. Love the fun fact you included as well, grande ciambotta!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I must try this! It looks like a great pantry item to have on hand! I hope you get to try the wine from Calabria - I was so impressed!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce