Ciambotta Or Giambotta Italian Vegetable Stew

Ciambotta or Giambotta is an Italian vegetable stew from the South of Italy. Each region has a different name and version, however, it is usually made with summer vegetables like peppers, eggplants, zucchini, onions, and potatoes. Make a large batch and eat it for the week, the flavor gets better each day.

Ingredients

This recipe is from my sister Gilda who studied veterinary in Messina Sicily. This is what she would often cook as a student.

She would make a large batch and it lasted for the week.

Besides the eggplants, zucchini, peppers, and onions, she adds potatoes, tomato sauce, and basil.

She prefers to add the vegetables at the different stages as they have different cooking times and she doesn't want to have some vegetables more cooked than others.

So she starts with the potatoes and the onions, then she adds the eggplants and the peppers and after a while the zucchini so they don't get too mushy.

For the last 30 minutes of cooking, she adds tomato sauce which combines all the flavors together and makes it creamy.

How to make it

1. Oil a large baking tin using extra virgin olive oil
2. Place the chopped and peeled potatoes and onions and season them with salt
3. Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 20 minutes

4. Add the chopped peppers with core and seeds removed
5. Add the peeled and chopped eggplants and season with salt and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
6. Bake at 355 F - 180 C for 20 minutes

7. Add the chopped zucchini and season with salt and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
8. Bake at 355 F - 180 C for 30 minutes
9. Stir, add the tomato sauce and stir some more
10. Bake at 355 F - 180 C for 30 minutes

11. Add some fresh chopped basil, stir and serve

How to serve it

You can serve the Ciambotta immediately, a few hours later, or the next day.

The more it rests the better the flavor as all the vegetables have the time to blend together.

You can serve it as a side for roasted or barbecued meat or chicken.

It is also an excellent option for a vegan or vegetarian dinner.

Different versions of Ciambotta

Ciambotta is an undefined recipe, it differs not only from region to region but even from family to family within the same town.

The general rule is that Ciambotta is made with summer vegetables: eggplants, zucchini, peppers, and onions.

Some add potatoes, others don't. The Ciambotta without potato is practically an Italian ratatouille baked in the oven.

Another version of Ciambotta is Sicilian Caponata where the vegetables are seasoned with a sweet and sour sauce.

Many Italians make the Ciambotta into a one-pot meal by adding sausages or chicken. It is delicious!

Which one is best is a matter of preference, I like them all and always add some hot chili.

For more appetizers with eggplants, check out the story: 15 Authentic Italian Eggplant Recipes

The origin of the name Ciambotta

The name of this recipe varies from region to region: Ciambotta or Giambotta in Calabria and Sicily, Cianfotta in Naple, Ciammotta in Basilicata.

Searching the internet I found Italian articles claiming that Ciambotta originates from Charbot because it means mixture in French (La Repubblica, Italian newspaper).

However, I didn't hear this word before, and when I checked with my French friends they never used it as "mixture".

So I did some research and found a very different meaning.

Chabrot is a mixture of broth and wine which was drunk directly from the bowl.

"Fait chabrot" originates from Latin capreolus, which means "drinking like a goat" in fact this "charbot" soup was drunk directly from the dish.

Italians probably adapted the French word Charbot to this dish because of the way it was eaten, directly from the serving bowl.

In fact, Ciambotta originates from the countryside, and since farmers were bringing this meal in the fields, they had it inside a bread loaf and ate directly from it.

It is not unusual that Italian recipe names originate from French, especially in the South of Italy.

If you want to know more about the historic background of Italian cuisine you can read the article: Traditional Italian Recipes By Region

Other recipes you may like

Here is a list of more recipes using summer vegetables:

• Easy Ratatouille Recipe Baked
• Sicilian Caponata
• Grilled zucchini eggplants and peppers
• Aubergine caviar
• Deep Fried Eggplant Balls
• Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
• Pizza with Fresh Vegetables
• Traditional Pasta Alla Norma with Eggplants

If you are making the Ciambotta or Giambotta, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.

📋 Giambotta or Ciambotta Italian Vegetable Stew

Ciambotta or Giambotta is an Italian vegetable stew from the South of Italy. Each region has a different name and version, however, it is usually made with summer vegetables like peppers, eggplants, zucchini, onions, and potatoes. Make a large batch and eat it for the week, the flavor gets better each day.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

⏲️Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings: 8 people

Print Rate SaveSaved!

Author: Laura Tobin

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

0.5x1x2x3x

• 3 medium potatoes
• 3 onion regular or red
• 3 red peppers
• 3 eggplants
• 3 zucchini
• 1 cup regular tomato sauce
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• 1 teaspoon dried hot chili optional

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Equipment

• Rectangular baking pan 9 in x 13 in
• Baking Utensil Set

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Instructions

Bake potatoes and onions

• Oil a large baking tin using extra virgin olive oil
• Place the chopped and peeled potatoes and onions and season them with salt
  3 medium potatoes, 3 onion
• Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 20 minutes

Add peppers and eggplants

• Add the chopped peppers with core and seeds removed
  3 red peppers
• Add the peeled and chopped eggplants and season with salt and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
  3 eggplants
• Bake at 355 F - 180 C for 20 minutes

Add the zucchini

• Add the chopped zucchini and season with salt and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
  3 zucchini
• Bake at 355 F - 180 C for 30 minutes

Add the tomato sauce

• Stir, add the tomato sauce and stir some more. You can also like some chili if you like it hot
  1 cup regular tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon dried hot chili
• Bake at 355 F - 180 C for 30 minutes

Serve

• Add some fresh chopped basil, stir and serve
  ½ cup fresh basil leaves

Video

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Notes

• You can use any summer vegetables you like, Ciambotta is not a precise recipe
• You can either cook the vegetables at different times or cook them all together for the same length of time. In this last case, some vegetables will be more cooked than others.
• Add garlic if you like
• You can serve it as a vegan main meal 

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 1083mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1671IU | Vitamin C: 94mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg

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