vegetables Archives - Very EATalian

Sicilian Caponata: a sweet-and-sour summertime classic!

July 29, 2016 By very EATalian 4 Comments

If you’re tired of serving the same ol’ potato salad at your summer barbeques or picnics, I’d like to suggest an excellent alternative which also happens to make GREAT leftovers: caponata, i.e. a lovely summer vegetable dish, combining wonderful Sicilian sweet-and-sour flavors.

In this recipe, eggplants are the stars of the show: they are cut in pieces, fried (or sauteed) and then cooked briefly together with a softened ensemble of onions, celery, fresh tomatoes, capers, olives, and raisins. The most important additions are a generous splash of good vinegar and a couple tablespoons of sugar — both enhancing the sweet and sour taste for which caponata is known (in Italian, we call it agrodolce). A sprinkle of chopped almonds or pine nuts add a nice bit of crunchiness to the dish. Needless to say, all ingredients must be fresh and of the best quality you can find.

In order for the eggplant pieces to retain their shape, you must salt them and leave them in a colander to drain for about 30 minutes; salt draws the bitterness and the excess liquid out of the eggplant, preserving some of its firmness during cooking….

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

January 27, 2016 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

I’ll start off by admitting that Pasta e Fagioli isn’t the sexiest soup around (and I can assure you it was quite hard to photograph)…BUT it definitely makes up for its humble (and messy) appearance with a world of flavor and goodness. It’s peasant food, made with cheap ingredients — it only needs few veggies and pasta. It was a staple dish on my grandparents’ table and it’s still a dish we cook quite often around here.

We love it because it’s incredibly versatile: you can eat it warm or cold; you can use different pasta shapes (as long as it’s small dry pasta); you can make it more or less liquid. If you’d like to have it cold, just throw in some torn radicchio and lightly dress it with vinegar, for a nice touch of acidity. If you want to be really old school, you can do what my grandfather used to do — instead of vinegar, just pour a dash of red wine in it…better if straight from your glass!

The recipe is courtesy of my mom: it’s definitely simpler and lighter than many other versions that include pancetta, lard or pork rind. The cooking time depends on the type of beans you are using: we typically use fagioli borlotti (cranberry or Roman beans). Many people like to add shaved cheese on top — we only add a bit of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil and a couple of crostini as a final touch.

Mmmm. Che bontà! So good!

Pasta e Fagioli Soup [Pasta and bean soup]

Author: Very EATalian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

200 g (7 oz) dry cranberry beans, previously soaked in water for at least 24 hours*
1 celery stalk, cut in big chunks
1 carrot, cut in big chunks
1 onion, halved
2.5 lt (10 cups) water
150-200 g (5.2-7 oz) short dry pasta (ditalini or elbow macaroni are perfect!)
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
(optional) crostini*

Instructions

Pour water in a pot and add carrot, celery, onion, and beans. Add some coarse salt (like when you cook pasta). Bring to a boil and cook on medium-low heat for 50 min-1 hour or until beans are cooked through.
Take out some cooked beans and, if you like, some carrots; these will be added back in the soup at a later moment.
With a hand-held blender, blend together all the ingredients contained in the pot. Add pasta in it and cook according to package instructions. Stir often as pasta will tend to stick to the bottom.
Once pasta is cooked, add beans and carrots (cut in smaller pieces) back in the pot. Keep in mind that pasta will thicken the soup. Depending on the density you like to achieve, you can make it less liquid by adding boiling water or you can make it thicker by cooking it a little longer. Add more salt, if necessary.
Serve warm with crostini, some freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Notes

* When you soak your beans, it's a good idea to change out the water a couple of times.
* To make your own crostini (croutons), cut a pieces of bread in slices and then in small squares. Drizzle bread squares with extra-virgin olive oil and pan-roast them until golden.

Warm Vegan Farro Bowl

November 24, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

The cold weather’s finally kicked in and I celebrated its arrival by indulging a liiiittle too much in comfort food…I’m talking about all those Northern Italian hearty dishes I missed so much last year, when I was in Florida. Cooking or eating polenta, frico con le patate, or salame con l’aceto in hot and humid weather just didn’t feel right. Some dishes are meant to be eaten when it’s cold out — which reminds me of that time when I ordered a soupe a l’oignon in a restaurant in Paris on a particularly hot summer night. I’m not sure how my friend Raina was able to keep her composure in front of my regretful and sweat-dripping face.

The other day, in an effort to satisfy my body’s cravings for a leaner type of meal, I made this tasty warm farro bowl, grilling some of the vegetables I had at home: carrots, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, and some pretty long, thin and purple eggplants (similar to Chinese eggplants). Farro is a type of grain whose nutty and hearty flavor make it an ideal base for seasonal fall salads. I love its satisfying texture — I’ll trade any quinoa salad for a farro one any day of the week!…

Ribollita Soup

March 1, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

A few years ago, my mother started growing cavolo nero (a Tuscan variety of kale) in her garden. From that point on, when the kitchen counter tops were covered with big, dark green leaves and vegetables of all kind — and my mother had a sly grin on her face — we knew that ribollita soup was on the menu. From the first time we tried it, we loved it. Now, when she makes it, she prepares a huge pot and shares it with her sisters’ families.

Ribollita, once considered the soup of the poor, is a thick and tasty Tuscan soup made of simple and cheap ingredients. Just like polenta, pasta e fagioli, and many other dishes that are part of what’s called “cucina povera” (peasant cooking), ribollita is now appreciated more broadly, and you have a pretty good chance of finding it on a fancy Italian restaurant’s menu. The women of the family often used leftovers to make this soup and they made it in big quantities so it would last for several days. It would be reheated each time, hence the name ribollita (which literally means “boiled twice”).

There are a gazillion of ribollita variations and each family in Tuscany seems to have their own recipe. The common denominator is the use of cavolo nero (kale will work, too!), stale Tuscan bread, and cannellini or zolfini beans.

Ribollita is what I call “rustic goodness”. Despite its humble ingredients, this soup is quite tasty, substantial, comforting, and super healthy. It’s low in fat and calories and provides a good amount of fiber and protein. Your taste buds will love it, and your body will, too!

RIBOLLITA SOUP
Servings: 4 | Prep time: 20 min| Cook time: approx. 1 hr and 20 min

NOTE: *Cavolo nero can be found in grocery stores in the United States under different names: lacinato kale, dinosaur kale, black cabbage, or Tuscan cabbage. If you can’t find it, you can easily substitute it with regular kale.
TIP: This soup is best enjoyed the next day. Make sure you bring it back to a boil and add a bit of water, if necessary.

INGREDIENTS
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 bunch *cavolo nero or kale, leaves roughly chopped and stalks finely sliced
1 bunch swiss chard, sliced
1/2 green cabbage, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 potato, diced
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 lt (about 32 oz) water
stale Tuscan bread, sliced and torn into pieces
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme leaves

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add a splash of extra-virgin olive oil in a big stockpot over medium-low heat. Add celery, onion, leek, and carrots and let them soften.
2. Add chopped cavolo nero (or kale), green cabbage, and chard. It will look like a lot, but it will go down as soon as it starts to cook. Add a cup or so of water and stir.
3. Add potato, tomatoes, half can of cannellini beans, fresh thyme leaves and tomato paste. Cook gently over low heat for about 50 minutes, adding water, as needed. Keep in mind that the soup should be thick but not too dry.
4. Place 1/3 of the soup in a blender, mix it, and pour it back in the pot. Add the rest of the cannellini beans and cook for 10 more minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
5. To serve, arrange chunks of bread in the soup bowls and pour the ribollita over. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Buon appetito!

-Lisa