Nightshade Confit

Ingredients

• 2 medium globe or 3 Asian eggplants (1 pound)
• 2 medium zucchini (about 14 ounces)
• 5 sweet or semi-​hot frying peppers (about 6 ounces)
• 2 spring onions, greens trimmed
• ¾ cup extra-​virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. fine sea salt, plus more for the initial vegetable cooking
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1½ tsp. minced fresh rosemary
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. If the eggplants are the globe type, cut them into quarters and then again into eighths; if they’re the long Asian type, halve lengthwise and then cut crosswise into long bats. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into quarters. Halve the peppers if they’re larger than a kid’s fist. Quarter the onions.
3. Heat an extra-​large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-​high heat, then add a thin layer of the olive oil. Quickly brown the surfaces of the vegetables in batches (they’ll cook to tenderness later), seasoning them with salt and pepper just before putting them in the hot pan: first the eggplant, then the zucchini and the peppers, and then the onions. Don’t crowd them, or they’ll steam instead of sauté, and add a bit more oil if needed. Transfer the browned vegetables to a sheet tray.
4. Add the remaining olive oil, the garlic, and rosemary to the pan and cook briefly, just to take the bite out of the garlic, then add all of the sauteéd vegetables, nestling them into a nice formation, and drop the cherry tomatoes over the top. Season the vegetables with the ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, then stir together the water and honey in a small dish and drizzle it over the vegetables. Tuck in the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks and bring everything to a simmer. Cook the vegetables until juices begin to accumulate, about 5 minutes, then tip the pan and baste the vegetables with a large spoon.
5. Cover the surface of the vegetables with a circular lid of parchment paper cut to fit the diameter of the pan, to trap in the flavor and moisture. Transfer the vegetables to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stopping halfway through to baste the vegetables again. Remove the paper cover, baste the vegetables with the juices again, and bake, uncovered, for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the liquid clings thickly to the vegetables and the exposed surfaces begin to burnish.
6. Remove from the oven and let settle and cool before serving, right from the pan.