Ciaudedda is a vegetable stew from Basilicata. It goes perfectly with both meat and fish dishes, and it’s a great side dish for any season, or on its own, as you can enjoy it cold in the winter and hot during the summer. Its name derives from cialdella, a dialect term referring to the slice of roasted bread that's traditionally served alongside the vegetable stew to bring all the ingredients together.
This dish is rooted in Italy's cibo povero, or peasant tradition, heritage, which fully reflects the cuisine of the last century – one characterized by ancient, simple flavors that are both tasty and nutritious. The recipe is below and it's simple to follow. Though you can feel free to make the recipe your own and include any vegetables you want in the soup.
Homemade Ciaudedda Recipe
Ingredients
5-6 artichokes
1 lb. onions
3 lb/ fava beans
1lb. potatoes
9 oz. guanciale, pancetta, or bacon
salt
pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
Method:
To make ciaudedda vegetable stew, start by cleaning and cutting all the vegetables you plant to include in the dish. Clean the artichokes and then cut them into quarters. Remove the skin from the fava beans, and then peel and slice the potatoes and onions. Finely chop the guanciale, pancetta, or bacon.
In a fairly large non-stick pan, heat some extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Then fry the onions and bacon, adding the other vegetables by hand once these two ingredients are cooked. Cover the pan with a lid and let the vegetables cook over moderate heat. Add hot water, little by little.
Once all the vegetables are soft (or after about forty minutes), turn off the heat and let the stew rest for about 5 minutes to cool. Serve the ciudedda either hot or cold, and always with at least one slice of toasted bread.