Peppers, zucchini, tomato and onion cooked down in oil until they forget they were separate — that is La Mancha's summer pot, and you eat it warm or at room temperature, with bread. A fried egg is traditional on top; the yolk should run into the stew.
Every inland kitchen in Spain has a version of vegetables collapsed in oil. The Manchegan one is slower than a sofrito and less sweet than a Provençal ratatouille — cumin if you like, no herbs to speak of, oil returning to the surface when it is done.
Eat it with a spoon, or cold the next day. A young Tempranillo from La Mancha. Don't rush the collapse; that returning oil is how you know you are there.
Method
- 01
Warm the oil in a wide cazuela over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and sliced garlic and let them soften for 10 minutes without taking on color — you're building sweetness, not a fry. Stir now and then so nothing catches. The kitchen should start to smell like an inland summer, and that's your cue to go on.
- 02
Add the diced peppers and cook until they slump and glisten, about 10 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and a pinch of salt — the salt will draw out moisture, which is what you want — and cook 8 minutes more. Each vegetable should forget it was separate, but you should still see the pieces. Don't rush the collapse.
- 03
Add the tomato and the cumin seeds, if you're using them. Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until the oil returns to the surface and the stew is thick, 20 to 25 minutes. That returning oil is how you know it's done — a Manchegan tell. The pisto should be slower than a sofrito and less sweet than a ratatouille.
- 04
Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Rest 5 minutes, then serve it warm or at room temperature, with plenty of bread. A fried egg on top is traditional if you want one; the yolk should run into the stew. It's just as good cold the next day, when the flavors have settled.
