Alboronía is a traditional ratatouille from Andalusian cuisine, similar to ratatouille from La Mancha, but with some variation in its ingredients. The alboronía was widely consumed during Lent, when meat was not eaten on those days, although today we can find it throughout the year in bars and houses. The best thing about this simple mixed vegetable dish is how inexpensive it is, since it requires ingredients that we usually have at home.
This dish is of Mozarabic origin and highly appreciated and used by the Arabs in large and important celebrations. It turned out that this ratatouille preparation remained in Spain and in many of the places and areas of this country it is recognized by different names. It is a fairly light and healthy dish, since its vegetables are simply braised, that is, they have little oil and are almost overcooked with the little oil they contain. This dish is so extremely easy to prepare and so versatile that we can often make it as a side dish. In addition, we can keep it in the fridge for up to a week, since its conservation is long. However, before we know it, we will have consumed it with any accompaniment of meat or fish, since its flavor is exquisite. If you want to learn how to cook this traditional dish, how to make pisto andaluz or alboronía.
Ingredients to make Alboronía or Andalusian ratatouille:
- 1 slice of pumpkin two fingers wide
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 zucchini
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 eggplant
- 3 ripe tomatoes
- 1 small glass of virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons of paprika from the Vera
- 1 handful of pine nuts to decorate (optional)
How to make Alboronía or Andalusian ratatouille:
Wash and cut the vegetables with their skin, except the pumpkin and the onion, all into small squares of about one or two cm.
Put olive oil in a clay pot or deep frying pan and, when it is steaming, add all the vegetables already chopped. Give them a point of salt so that each vegetable releases its water and cooks more easily. Have the alboronía over low heat and stir from time to time for 40 minutes.
Make sure the vegetables don’t fall apart. Once the vegetables are completely cooked, but without them becoming too undone or soft, turn off the heat, add the paprika and stir until completely mixed.
Serve and add some pine nuts on top to give that touch of flavor and texture to your Andalusian ratatouille. However, if you do not want to use this ingredient, you should know that it is also typical to serve the Andalusian ratatouille with a fried egg or with potatoes. You already have your recipe for Andalusian ratatouille or alboronía ready! Tell us what you think and what you have accompanied it with.
If you want a very useful trick, you can fill an empanada with this alboronía, adding pieces of boiled egg and a little fried tomato. Check out our empanada dough recipe.
