Isn’t it funny how our minds work? Into my 40s I still thought I was flexible. Experience had taught me that I really only like change that’s my idea – change that’s thrust upon me isn’t always welcomed.
The other day I was talking to my neighbor who was telling me she’d made ratatouille for dinner. She proceeded to tell me it had zucchini, tomatoes, and Italian sausage in it. Although I said nothing, my brain was screaming, “That’s not ratatouille, that’s giambotta!” It seems that in my brain, there’s one key to what makes the difference between these two soups/stews made from summer veggies: ratatouille has eggplant, giambotta has zucchini. The addition of the Italian sausage sealed the deal. While my giambotta doesn’t generally have sausage in it, ratatouille certainly doesn’t contain Italian sausage – not in my world.
Anyway, although today is August 4th, it has felt like fall all day. Cool, windy, alternating between overcast & clouds. So I decided I’d make giambotta. In addition to the zucchini (I only had 1 small one) I used yellow summer squash. Another giambotta must-haves for me is green beans, and I had some fresh beans that were a tad large for just steaming. I added some kale, tomatoes, red bell pepper, chicken stock, and the ever-present onions & garlic. This time I also made a mess of mini meatballs with ground turkey.
Gonna go eat it while it’s hot!
Your turn: wanna share a recent encounter that pointed out your mental rigidity? Or doesn’t that happen to you?
My ciambotta has potatoes in it, too. Meat? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Mini meatballs are my favorite, but I’ve done it with shredded beef cubes. Chicken? Never tried it, but I guess you could use chicken balls . . . When Grandma made it, she always fried the zucchini first. (I don’t.) Grean (or yellow) beans are a must in my world, too. Never thought of trying kale, but it sounds good.