Veggie Cassola

Ingredients

1 zucchini, cut into ½-inch dice

1 large onion, chopped

2 large red or yellow bell peppers, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 Italian eggplant, cut into ½-inch dice

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper (optional)

1 bunch parsley, washed and chopped

5 leaves basil

1 sprig thyme, stemmed and minced

1 sprig oregano, stemmed and minced

3 bay leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss all vegetables with olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss with herbs, then spread out evenly on a large roasting pan.

Roast for 1 hour.

Remove bay leaves, then serve with crusty bread or Sardinian flatbread

Notes

Talana, like the other villages in the Sardinian blue zones area, is located a day's journey from the sea (and until 1960, a two-day round-trip trek was required to reach the coast). To avoid the travel, villagers produced their food in the highlands around their homes instead of relying on seafood. During the summer, when their gardens offer a bounty of fresh vegetables, this hearty dish appears on the dinner table of Sardinian shepherds most nights of the week.