A Mess o' Something

Tonight, I made a dish I often prepare, but have never posted. One reason I haven't posted it is because I don't really know what to call it. Which reminds me of a time when I was visiting with my friend Lucy's aunts while they were making dinner. I asked one of them what they called the dish they were preparing. She looked at me like might be a little off my rocker, before replying, "What do I call it? I don't know. I don't talk to my food ~ I eat it!" So. There you have it. It doesn't need a name, because I don't talk to it. For my title for this entry, I decided to borrow a phrase from my Uncle Jim, who used to like to go out into the kitchen and "cook up a mess of something." I hope he doesn't mind.

 Anyway... Whatever it is, it just happens to be one of my very favourite things in the whole wide world to eat...or...maybe it's, like, 9 or 10 of my favourite things to eat. Because, see, that's the thing about this particular dish. It isn't exactly a dish at all. It's more like...hmmm...well, it's a loose construct...a method...it's really just a mess o' something, cooked up in a pan. And it's really, really, really good. Will you like it? Well, that depends. If, like me, you operate under the assumption that almost anything is delicious when you throw onions, garlic, peppers, olive oil and herbs at it then: yes. Yes, you will.

 Here's (roughly) how it goes.
 Sometimes.
 Sorta.
 *ahem*

 Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. (You can probably use any skillet, but I always use cast iron)

 Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, but not so much that your food's gonna swim around in it.

 Add:
 1 onion, roughly chopped
 at least 2 (but more is good) cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
 about 1 cup of diced peppers (I like to mix colours)
 some oregano, thyme and rosemary (yeah, "some." If you're worried, start small. You can add more later.)
 a good sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
 salt (just a sprinkle)

 Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions just start to get translucent, but not until stuff is mushy. If you like your onions and peppers browned, stir less frequently during this step.

 Pour a little red wine** over the veggies, stir, and bring to a simmer.

 Now, you can add... Pretty much anything you like. Tonight, I added sliced zucchini and yellow squash. Yummy!

 Other ideas include:
 Leftover cooked sausage (I use the vegetarian kind), cut in bite-sized chunks
 Mushrooms
 Eggplant
 Cooked beans (garbanzos are especially nice, IMO)
 Olives

 In fact, you could add zucchini, yellow squash, sausage, mushrooms, eggplant, AND olives. I've done that. It's goooooooooooooooood. You can really put in whatever you like, as long as you think will taste good with onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes (they come later) and herbs. Like I said, this isn't really a recipe.

 Okay, once you have thrown in everything but the kitchen sink (or a select few ingredients ~ whichever way you choose to go), let it cook, stirring occasionally, until your vegetables (the ones you just added, that is) start to soften, but not until they are done.

 Add one 150z (or thereabouts) can of diced Italian stewed tomatoes* and a pinch or two of sugar (my mom always told me this takes away the "tinny' taste tomatoes get from being stuffed in a can, and it seems to work, so I do it. It is optional, but I think it makes the dish taste better).

 Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally (are you tired of hearing me say that yet?), until the veggies are done to your liking. I'm gonna be honest ~ sometimes, I like my veggies VERY done. Other times, crisp-tender is good. If you prefer it less brothy, either drain your tomatoes before you add them, or turn up the heat and cook off the liquid.

 There.

 You're done.

 Almost.

 Taste, and adjust seasonings.

 NOW, you're done.

 Serve with crusty bread, rice, pasta, quinoa, couscous...Honestly, I don't really care how you serve it. Just eat this. Trust me, you will not regret it.

 BTW, you can top this with parmesan (or nutritional yeast, if you avoid dairy) and/or crushed red pepper flakes, if you like. It is extra yummy that way.

 That's it.

 Go make some.

 I'm off to have another helping of mine :)

 *If you want to avoid canned tomatoes, you can add fresh diced tomatoes, basil, oregano and a touch of salt. You may or may not need the sugar, depending on how sweet and ripe your tomatoes are. **If you avoid wine, you can skip it, but I recommend adding a little (really, just a tiny bit) of balsamic vinegar at this stage, instead.