summer vegetable stew

“Get ‘yer veggies here, fresh hot veggies! Get ‘yer veggies!” That’s what I want to shout about this recipe, like a popcorn vendor at the ballpark. It’s that good and that good for you.

And like that vendor, I’m hawking food that someone else invented because this recipe comes not from my own files, but from the geniuses at Sunset magazine (I started my food career at Sunset and I still think they turn out some of the best recipes in publishing). In this month’s issue there’s a recipe for Summer Chickpea Ragout that mixes peppers and squash and corn and basil…just about everything in the farmers’ market right now. I made it when I went crazy on peppers at the market last weekend, but didn’t want to stuff them or make ratatouille. Naturally, I tinkered with what I put in the pot, leaving out the carrots and adding in a spicy green poblano and using homemade vegetable broth, but you can make it exactly as Sunset does by clicking here or as I do by reading below. Either way, serve this over a cooked grain to soak up the incredible juices (bulgur, pasta, couscous, etc). You’ll feel so good, you’ll want to shout about it, too.

ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
8 ounces red Italian frying peppers or 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 poblano pepper or 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
kosher salt
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed and drained
2 cups homemade vegetable broth or low-sodium broth
12 ounces mixed zucchini and yellow squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
freshly ground pepper

To serve: 2 cups cooked bulgur, couscous, ditalini pasta or rice

directions

In a wide saute pan or frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add onion and peppers and a good pinch of salt and cook, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and broth and bring to a boil. Add zucchini and yellow squash, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until zucchini and squash are tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls over grain of your choice.