braised vegetables with capicola

Mark Bittman can do no wrong.  He’s the New York Times food guy and author of several cookbooks, including Food Matters. It is a book that does not contain many recipes by cookbook standards (especially when compared to Bittman’s hefty How to Cook Everything), but for each recipe, Bittman provides variations of the original, allowing the home cook to tailor the recipe to his or her personal tastes.

If you feel the need to add more vegetables to your diet, and want a one-pot, fool-proof dinner, this one is a winner. This is not the first time I made this dish – but it is the first time I loved it. I used turnips before, did not use garlic (the original recipe does not say to) and probably did not use enough salt and pepper. Tonight though… well tonight I used rutabagas instead of turnips, added garlic, and made sure to use plenty of salt and pepper.

Here’s what I did, which is adapted from Mark Bittman’s “Braised Vegetables with Prosciutto, Bacon, or Ham” from Food Matters:

2 T. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

red pepper flakes

1/4 lb. capicola ham (you could easily leave this out for a vegetarian meal… just add extra salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if you like)

a few sprigs of thyme

2 lbs. veggies – I used 1 lb. or so of baby carrots (slightly passed their prime); 1/2 lb. or so of brussels sprouts; and 1/2 lb. or so of rutabaga (one large)

2 c. liquid – I used 1 c. red wine and 1 c. vegetable stock

Put 1 T. olive oil in large pot. Over medium heat, add onion, ham, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute for five minutes, or until onions begin to color. Add thyme sprigs and garlic, turn the heat down a bit, and cook for another five minutes or so. Remove everything with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Meanwhile, trim and peel rutabaga and trim brussels sprouts. Cut rutabaga into large chunks. Carrots are prepped if you use baby carrots.

Return pot to medium heat and add another 1 T. of oil. When it is hot, add vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize and turn a little brown.Return the ham and onion mixture to the pot. Add wine and broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the mixture bubble gently, cover, and cook until vegetables are as done as you like them. I let them go for about 35 minutes. The rutabaga took longer than the carrots and sprouts.

I served this over bulgur, but it would be equally good over pasta or another grain (as Bittman suggests).

The vegetables were tender and flavorful with red pepper flakes, wine, thyme, and ham. If you have never tried rutabagas, they taste like a cross between turnips and sweet potatoes… maybe?

Try them. They are good and in season now.

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