“Grandma-style” means the vegetables are cooked like a stew in a big pot until they’re soft and delicious. The vegetables taste better and better as you cook them down, and the broth tastes nourishing. This is one of the classic recipes I pull out in a pinch, and it’s always welcomed.

　　

Ingredients

serves 2

　　3 red bell peppers

　　Extra-virgin olive oil

　　Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　15 baby new potatoes, halved

　　3 zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch-thick circles

　　1/2 cup whole kalamata olives

　　3 garlic cloves, sliced

　　2 fresh thyme sprigs

　　6 fresh tarragon leaves

　　1/2 lemon, sliced paper-thin

　　2 cups Chicken Stock (page 156)

　　1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

　　Juice of 1 lemon

　　2 center-cut red snapper fillets, about 8 ounces each, skin on, halved on the diagonal

　　

Step 1

Preheat the broiler. Pull out the cores of the red peppers; then halve them lengthwise and remove the ribs and seeds. Toss the peppers with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place them on a cookie sheet, skin side up, and broil for 10 minutes, until really charred and blistered. Put the peppers into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and steam for about 10 minutes to loosen the skins. Peel the peppers and cut them into big strips.

　　

Step 2

Heat a 2-count of oil in a wide pot. Add the roasted peppers, potatoes, zucchini, olives, garlic, thyme, tarragon, and lemon slices. Sauté everything together for a few minutes over medium heat to coat in the oil and soften; season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock, wine, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and let it slowly simmer down for 30 minutes while you prepare the fish.

　　

Step 3

Rub a little olive oil and salt and pepper on the fish fillets. Add a 2-count drizzle of olive oil to a skillet and place over medium heat. When the pan is nice and hot, sear the fish, skin side down. Gently press on the fish with a spatula to crisp up the skin. Carefully transfer the fish to the pot of vegetables, skin side up. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it; don’t let the liquid boil or cook the fish too long or it will fall apart. Serve the fish and vegetables in wide, shallow bowls with a ladle of broth and a drizzle of olive oil. Home-style goodness!

　　Reprinted with permission from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen by Tyler Florence. © 2003 Clarkson Potter