Mediterranean Hotpot
Introduction
I can not honestly
say this is an old family stand by as Courgettes, Aubergines and Peppers were considered
almost exotic foods when my kids were little and, as a result, cost the earth.
I would have also been given a look of horror if I had put such unimaginable
things before them. These days all these
ingredients are common place and much, much, cheaper than they were. Sadly, I
bet, some of my kids would still look upon this dish in the same manner. We
like it though and had it for tea tonight.
Ingredients for 4
People
8-16oz of left over meat
1 medium onion
1 courgette
1 small aubergine
1 small red pepper
A few mushrooms
1 pt passata
Seasoning
A little oil
Method
Chop all the veg into bite sized pieces. Break or cut the
left over meat into pieces – not too small. Heat the oil in a large pan and add
the onion. Sauté for a minute or two over a medium heat. Add all the other veg.
Sauté for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb the oil. Add the passata and bring to the
boil Add the meat to the pan and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. If the
passata was thin then leave the lid off the pan to allow some evaporation,
otherwise keep lidded. Try not to stir too much or your meat may break up, but
don’t let it stick and burn. When the meat is heated through and the veg cooked,
taste and add seasoning. You may need to include a large pinch of sugar in your
seasoning to help enhance the taste of the passata. Serve with rice or pasta.
Variations
You can spice this
up with chilli and garlic.
If you add a few
potatoes to the pan before adding the meat and let them cook through this can
become a one pot meal.
You could just put
the pasta into the pan but make sure there is enough liquid in there if you are
going to do that. Perhaps part cook the pasta first.
You can use any
meat for this, not just left overs. I used some fresh lamb scrag end which I
boiled straight from frozen, with herbs and veg, for a couple of hours to make
some stock for soup. I then broke the meat up for this dish.
Instead of meat try
adding some small pieces of fish, after the veg is cooked ,and just a few
minutes before serving.
Tips
You can use any veg
that needs used up in this just make sure you adjust your cooking times if
using longer cooking veg like carrots or turnip. You can make this more rustic
by leaving the vegetables in bigger pieces.
If you are looking
for a few Christmas goodies to make then check out my InfoBarrel Articles
