This is one of the recipes that has been provided by Shirley Cline from San Fransisco. (You can contact Shirley by emailing her - click here). Shirley said:

"My Mom always made, and still makes a dish (which they call in her Piemontese dialect) 'Stuffato' (pronounced stew fa toe), which means a 'mixed up' stew. It was a dish that was passed down to her from her aunt. Actually, it's an Italian version of ratatouille. Because she never measures, we had to sit down one day, and measure her ingredients. You can eat this as a side dish or we often serve it with polenta".

Ingredients

3/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. eggplant, peeled and cut into about 1 inch cubes
2 large green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch cubes (or you can mix with red and green)
2 large onions, diced
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch diagonal pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes (she likes beefsteak) cut into 1 inch pieces
4 - 5 Tblsp. red wine vinegar (or to your own taste)
1 Tblsp. sugar
2 Tblsp. tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
About 2 tsp. dried basil, crumbled (optional) (or thyme)

• She uses a Dutch oven (or you can use any heavy pot with tight lid). Put in the olive oil, eggplant, green peppers, onions, green beans, garlic and the tomatoes. Stir.

• If you see that the vegetables are sticking, add a little more olive oil, but not more than a total of 1 cup. Cook this on low heat for about 20-30 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender.

• Now add the vinegar, sugar, tomato paste, salt, parsley and the basil. Cover and simmer this for about 15 minutes more.

• We serve this warm, not hot, at room temperature or it can be served cold. It will keep for about 3 weeks in a tight container in the fridge. You can also freeze it. Just thaw and slightly warm it.

From Shirley's Mom, Pauline