Portuguese cuisine is not known for its vegetables, which are generally treated as an afterthought and only added if room can be found on the plate not already taken up by either a large piece of grilled meat or fish!  In many restaurants they don’t even bother listing them on the menu.

This recipe, however was inspired by a tapas I was served in a rare vegetarian restaurant in Lisbon. Although there is indeed a lot of fine chopping involved in the recipe, it is otherwise simple to prepare and can therefore be completed with company in the kitchen, and perhaps sipping a glass of wine!

In a large pan place a large glug of olive oil over medium-high heat and add the following vegetables, all very finely cubed (leave the skin on but remove any seeds): 1 aubergine, 1 courgette, 1 red or yellow pepper, 2 red or yellow tomatoes, 3 garlic cloves. 

Stir fry the vegetables this they soften and start to crisp up around the edges. Now add 2 heaping tablespoons massa de pimento*, some sea salt and pepper, and some dried thyme leaves, crumbled into the mixture. Heat through.

You can serve this Portuguese-style, as a small accompaniment to grilled meat or fish, or on some grilled bread as a tapas, as in the photo above.

* This is a salted/cured roasted red pepper puree from Portugal. You could substitute tomato puree or a pureed, small jar of roasted red pepper. These Portuguese peppers are slightly spicy so you can also add a few flakes of chilli pepper if you like.