Right now I am having a love affair between two chefs. Call it a foodie “Ménage à trois “. Chef Eric Ripert of the famous Le Bernadin Restaurant (my all time favorite) and Chef Jose Andres’ TV show, Made in Spain.
I record their shows, watch them, take notes of their recipes and save them for future meals.
Today we are going out with Chef Jose Andres. He made this vegetable dish that brought back memories of my dad, Antonio. My father a Spaniard through and through was a head of his time. He was a general practioner who then decided to go into the candy business. He owned candy factories, in Spain, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. I remember him as if it was yesterday through the eyes of a little girl who adored this handsome, six foot five inch man who was born in 1903. He was a giant then and still is, in my heart. Quite the vegetarian, as I said, ahead of his time. I remember this recipe as being one of his favorites.
Ingredients: (adapted from Chef Jose Andres):
Olive oil as needed for frying veggies
1 eggplant, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds
2 potatoes, 1/2 inch rounds
1 red and 1 green peppers, cut in 4 pieces each
3-4 tomatoes for sauce – see picture
6 garlic cloves, smashed leaving the skins on
1 rosemary sprig
3 -4 thyme sprigs
Heat olive oil and start cooking the potatoes until golden on both sides. Then add the peppers adding a bit more oil as needed, remove after blistered and add the eggplant, again adding olive oil as needed.
Tomato Sauce:
Shred the tomatoes as shown:
In the same pan, with a bit more olive oil, add garlic. Once golden add the rosemary, thyme and tomatoes. Cook until heated through.
To assemble, place some of the sauce in your caserole, layer with potatoes, more sauce , sea salt and contine doing the same with the rest of the vegetables. Finish with the rest of sauce on top and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Remember to preheat the oven.
Plate with some of the juices and garnish with the rosemary and thyme.
Note: The potates absorebed sucked up some of the juices and it was the best part of this dish.
BUEN PROVECHO!
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This looks so flavoursome and scrumptious! I love it!
I loved the introduction to your dad. I bet you were a popular kid since your dad owned candy factories! 🙂
This looks like a great vegetarian dish though I kept thinking it needed cheese or a fried egg on top! Ooh, yeah, fried egg. Do you have leftovers to try it?
My husband really enjoys vegetarian fare (although we are both carnivores), so I think I’ll give this recipe a try. I like Joan’s suggestion of adding a bit of cheese on top. There are few dishes that can’t be improved with the addition of some cheese. 😉
This is a very healthy veggie dish. i’ve tried it in mallorca and trust me ..it DOESN’T need cheese or anything else except a healthy appetite ..it’s delicious as a starter or a main course. It is quite filling too but you will not leave any on the plate i’ll bet.
I loved this post! The memories of dad, the food, the pictures! It makes me want to run to the farmers market and get my veggies. 🙂
Maybe next time we will try an egg….I love cheese, but cheese doe not love moi!
My kind of food. Your dad was so handsome, and I never heard of shredding tomatoes. Wow! What a great summer dish. I can’t wait for my tomatoes to come up. Happy Memorial Day too.
Hi Norma, I like so much this recipe I love vegetables cook in this way. What´s the your father´s candy company name here in Venezuela. It´s beautiful that you refer this recipe to him. Saludos
Cristina
So glad your affair with chef Jose Andres is going so well 😉 It’s wonderful when recipes can remind us of dishes we grew up eating. Your dad was a handsome man! I will be in the city a couple days this week, still trying to narrow down my schedule, but maybe I will see you??
EXQUISITO PLATO MUY BIEN ELABORADO LUCE ESTUPENDO,CARIÑOS Y ABRAZOS.
I love vegetarian recipes……My husband is a vegetarian and it is hard to find recipes with flavor like this one! I am printing this post,Norma. Thank you!
That looks wonderful Norma. And Jose is gorgeous. Never mind the vegetables! I love this recipe, especially as I am a big fan of eggplant these days!
Your Dad was a handsome man! I love this dish with the potato and eggplant combination! The potatoes sucking up all that flavor really make me want to taste it. I have a mad crush on Chef Ripert!
This looks like such a terrific and flavorful veggie dish, sounds like a must try for sure!
I am a big eggplant fan and with a vegetable dish like this…who needs meat? This looks so satisfying with the sauce, yum:-) Thanks for sharing some family history, interesting story about your father, how cool to be in the candy business.
super fab..I have added this to my must try folder..:)
Tasty Appetite
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I must not have had your new address in my feeder Norman, look at all the recipes I have missed. My dad was also a vegetarian but a very fussy one at that. Even so his taste in food has influenced me to this day. Your dad is such a handsome man and as you said before his time.
That plate of vegetables looks REALLY REALLY good. I don’t know why I’m reading your blog while I’m hungry…bad idea! LOL.
THis sounds amazing…it is totally my type of meal…forget the meat, give me all the veggies!
love veg food as am a vegetarian and I liked the simplicity of preparation of this dish…
Thanks you for your visit