Pisto is a Spanish mixture of vegetables very similar to French ratatouille or Italian caponata. It can be served both hot (topped with a fried egg) and cold, as a salad or side dish.
- 1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped, plus 1/2 head of garlic, top third sliced off and discarded
- 1 Tbsp chipped parsley
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of boneless pork loin
- One 1- 1/4 pound eggplant, pierced in several places with a fork
- 1 medium red onion, unpeeled
- 2 lbs tomatoes, cored
- 2 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 tsp crumbled dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
Light a grill. In a large, shallow dish, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the fresh lemon juice, chopped garlic and parsley and a pinch each of salt and black pepper and stir. Add the pork loin slices and turn to coat the meat well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Grill the eggplant, onion and garlic head cut side up over moderately high heat, turning a few times, until the vegetables are charred all over but not quite tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer the eggplant, onion and garlic head to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Grill the tomatoes, red and green bell peppers and zucchini over moderately high heat, turning frequently, until charred all over, about 5 minutes for the tomato and zucchini and 12 minutes for the pepper. Transfer the vegetables to the baking sheet.
Working over the baking sheet, peel off and discard the charred vegetable skins. Remove the seeds from the tomato and eggplant. Seed and core the peppers. Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Thinly slice the onion. Cut the eggplant, bell peppers and zucchini into 3/4-inch cubes. Remove the garlic cloves from their skins and trim off any charred parts. Pour any juices on the baking sheet through a strainer set over a bowl and reserve.
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the cubed eggplant and sliced onion and cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Add the cubed bell peppers, peeled garlic, cubed zucchini, dried oregano, cumin seeds and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the tomato wedges and reserved strained vegetable juices and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Season the pisto with salt and black pepper.
In a skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Scrape the garlic off the marinated pork slices; season the meat with salt and black pepper. Cook over moderately high heat until the slices are browned on one side, 4 minutes. Turn the pork over, reduce the heat to moderate and cook until the meat is white throughout, about 5 minutes. Spoon the pisto onto plates, top with the browned pork slices and serve.
Source: Food & Wine annual cookbook, 2008
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