Baked Vegetables
(“Verdure al forno”)
This recipe is enough for 4 to 6 persons, it is healthy and delicious. The secret of this dish is in the simplicity of the preparation, which is easy and fast. The end result is an unexpected mosaic of savors that can easily satisfy the most discriminating gourmet.
La Signora Danila, my mother-in-law cooked this dish often, especially in the summer. She learned this recipe from her grand-mother Emilia. Now Terry, my wife, carrying on this delightful tradition, bakes this dish to serve either as a main dish or as a “contorno” - side dish- to meat or fish.
Ingredients
- 3 medium onions, peeled and sliced very thin
- 2 yellow or red peppers. Remove seeds and cut into ½ inch wedges
- 4 medium tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced paper thin
- 1 ½ lb. baby eggplant or Sicilian eggplant, peeled and sliced very thin -¼ inch
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- heavy duty pan 10 X 12, 2 inches high
The Vegetables
Wipe the vegetables clean.
Prepare each vegetable in a separate bowl.
Sprinkle each bowl with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix each bowl to coat vegetables well.
The Assembly
Make sure you use a heavy duty pan to insure good results.
Lightly oil pan, and arrange all ingredients as follows:
Make the bottom layer with half of the potatoes, cover with a layer of peppers (half of bowl).
Follow with a layer of half of the eggplant, and than half of the onions, an end with half of the tomatoes.
Repeat, in the same order with the remaining vegetables.
The Baking
Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake at 400 degrees covered for 30 minutes.
Uncover and continue baking at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
