Confit Byaldi

If you have a high power blender, you can leave the skin on the bell peppers. If not, roast them and remove the skin before proceeding (see note).

Add the oil, peppers, onion, and garlic in a medium nonstick pan and cook over low heat, stirring often until the onions are soft and translucent but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, thyme, and bay. Cook until reduced and slightly thickened, another 5 minutes or so. Season to taste with salt and discard the bay leaf.

Transfer the vegetables to a high power blender and puree until completely smooth. Spoon all but a couple of tablespoons of the puree to the bottom of an 8-inch round baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 275ºF.

Arrange the vegetables in concentric rings on top of the sauce in the prepared baking dish. Create stacks of zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, and eggplant. Place these stacks around to form the rings, layering until the entire pan is covered. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with garlic and fresh herbs. Wrap tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours. Then uncover and bake another 30 minutes, covering again if it starts to brown (you can refrigerate the baked vegetables for up to 3 days and just reheat at 350ºF until warmed through to serve).

Place the greens into a fine mesh strainer and bring a kettle of water to a boil. Pour the kettle of boiling water over the greens in a sink (should take about 10 seconds). Immediately rinse in cold water to blanch and cold shock them (this helps the greens and therefore the oil retain its beautiful green color). Press out as much liquid as possible and transfer to a high power blender cup. Add the oil and season with a bit of salt. Blend on high, or until completely smooth. Pass through a coffee filter into a bowl (or 3 layers cheesecloth). Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week).

Stir the reserved puree with oil and vinegar. Drizzle on serving plates along with parsley oil. Stack vegetables in the middle and serve with fresh herb garnish, if desired.

Note: To roast the peppers – coat the peppers with 1 tablespoon avocado oil and place onto a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until charred then turn and broil remaining sides until charred all over. Alternatively, if you have a gas stove, you can flame the chilis directly, holding each chili with tongs and turning in the flame to char the outside. Place the chilis in a plastic bag or a covered glass dish to steam to 15 minutes. This will help the skin to separate and makes it easy to remove. Use your fingers to pull the skins from the peppers.