Pisto & vegan titaina

Two recipes made with stewed bell peppers and tomatoes that can be served cold or hot, as tapas, a side, or to fill pastry.


Hola!

Today I bring you double trouble! Two recipes in one post: pisto and vegan titaina. Pisto is already a vegan recipe, and it is a luscious bell pepper, onion and tomato stew that can be served cold or hot. It is very versatile, since it can be served as a starter, as a side, on toast or however you like! Titaina has the same stewed vegetables, but it also has pine nuts and tuna (will be vegan), topped with black olives. 

BACKGROUND

Pisto is one of the easiest and most convenient things to have in the fridge. I remember my mum and my iaia making a batch of it almost once a week and having a bit every day. I have always disliked bell peppers, so I was not a fan of that pungent smell while cooking, but once is mixed with the tomatoes it makes such a good contrast.

Pisto is called sometimes pisto manchego, from La Mancha. I have seen a few variations and it doesn’t seem like any of them are right or wrong: sometimes it has courgette, aubergine, no onion, etc. What is clear is that the common denominator is bell pepper, onion and tomato, the rest is my version of it. From the recipes I found online and my family versions, I decided to add garlic and paprika to give it a smoky kick. You may see it served hot with a fried egg on top, or you may see it cold as a tapa in a bar.

What is the difference between pisto and ratatouille? Whereas pisto is all vegetables stewed together in their juices, mixed up and with a mellow texture, ratatouille is often cooked separately, with a harder bite and presented with that beautiful pattern structure. They are similar because both have bell pepper and tomato, but ratatouille always has courgette and/or aubergine and for pisto that would be optional. Ratatouille vegetables are chopped chunkier or sliced for the pattern, but for pisto we chop or slice the vegetables smaller. And the last and probably most important difference is that ratatouille is seasoned with Provençal herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, etc.), whereas pisto draws its flavour from the sultry combination of tomato sauce and peppers.

But it doesn’t end there! When writing this post, I realised that in Valencia we use a kind of pisto with tuna and pine nuts to fill pastries (empanadillas) or put on top of a pizza-like pastry. However, the base is always bell pepper and tomato (maybe onion), but you would never add courgette or aubergine like it happens with the pisto variations. It turns out this has a name and it’s called titaina! From the fisherman neighbourhood, titaina is famous from El Cabanyal/Canyamelar, and sometimes associated with Easter’s Lent because of its lack of meat. Tuna was salted and kept for a long time and then desalted to make this recipe. Pine nuts are also a fixed feature in many Valencian dishes, so I’m not sure if that is because there are plenty of pine tree woods around the Albufera area and people would collect them and use them for cooking. Pine nuts are actually seeds and not nuts, but they are rich in nutrients like all seeds/nuts, since from them a whole tree would grow. The black olives are often added on top to decorate, especially on open pastries. Most of the times they are used whole, which I think it’s brutal and dangerous to bite into the pit, so I prefer them pitted.


PLANT POWER, MAKE UP!

As mentioned, pisto is already vegan, and titaina has tuna, so you can swap that by vegan tuna.


PISTO & VEGAN TITAINA

Makes: 6 sides
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 20 min


INGREDIENTS

Pisto

1 red bell pepper, cut into small squares
1 green bell pepper, cut into small squares
1 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove
1 chopped tomatoes can
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. paprika


Vegan titaina: additional ingredients

1/2 cup vegan tuna
2 tbsp. pine nuts
Pitted black olives (to serve)


INSTRUCTIONS

Pisto

  1. Cook the peppers and onion over a medium heat without oil, season with salt and pepper and add boiling water if it sticks. Don't let them brown, we don’t want them chargrilled, just cooked al dente.
  2. Add the crushed garlic clove (or finely chopped) and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, paprika and sugar. Simmer until it thickens and adjust salt and pepper. Turn the heat off and let it cool down.


Vegan titaina

  1. Following from the above, add the vegan tuna and pine nuts to the pan with the pisto and mix well.
  2. Serve with pitted black olives on top or mix them in if you prefer.


You can eat the pisto or titaina cold or hot, as a starter, as a side or as a tapa, on their own or on a piece of toast. You can also use it in pastries like empanadillas or pizza-like pastries in the Valencian vegetable coca.

You can keep them in the fridge for a week.

Bon profit!