Showcased in minestrone, a vegetable medley is tasty in another way: baked. Not long ago, our friend Simonetta brought us a savory dish of oven-baked vegetables; today, Pino and I tried out our own summer version.
Here it is:
Baked Summer Vegetable Medley
Ingredients (for 6 persons – vor more if using more vegetables)
2 red and/or yellow bell peppers
a couple medium-sized eggplants
2 or 3 small white onions
3 carrots (medium-sized)
3 medium-sized potatoes
2 celery stalks
3-4 very ripe Roma tomatoes
1 zucchini, medium-sized
capers, 1 T
Extra virgin olive oil, q.b. (“quanto basta” or “as much as you need”)
fresh thyme – a few sprigs
salt, q.b.
optional: ground chili pepper
Easy to prepare – takes the time you need to cut the vegebles – this baked summer vegetable medley can flank any main dish of meat, fish or an array of cheeses.
To start, wash all vegetables and then cut into medium-sized pieces:
After slicing eggplants, cover with salt and let sit about 20 minutes to take out bitterness, then rinse:
Gently toss all vegetables together. Bake in waxed paper-lined baking dish at about 250 F for approximately 30 minutes:
When vegetables are tender (but not too soft), put in serving dish and season with salt to taste, olive oil and thyme. 
Pino decided to toss in about a tablespoon of capers, too: buonissimo!
….and on the sly, he added another touch, a sprinkle of red chili pepper.
I caught that spicy addition at first taste at dinnertime. “Troppo?” (“too much?”) asked Pino.
No. Perfetto.
Click here for another tasty summertime recipe
Click here for more recipes
Click here a summer recipe for oven-baked tomatoes
Click here for a pasta recipe made with a vegetable medley
Try this recipe of summer vegetable goodness
Click here for rural lore and a Sicilian peppers favorite
