Italian Veggie

[lorilei]

I'm looking for good ideas for a vegetable side dish to be served with lasagna.

I'd normally go with something fairly simple, but this is being made for a family get together so I'd prefer something a bit more exciting.

A green salad is already on the menu... any ideas?

[Leanne]

I don't have a recipe - but I always think of zucchini (I have no idea how to spell that word!) & eggplant as Italian veggies. Maybe there's a recipe for one of those that would be good?

I usually make a veggie lasagna & have salad & bread. When I make a meat lasagna, I usually have steamed broccoli as a side. Not too interesting though.

[MrsReber]

Leanne, that's exactly what I make with my lasagna- broccoli.

I imagine broccoli rabe would be good. Maybe sauteed in some olive oil and garlic? Or even some stuffed artichokes as a sort of appetizer instead of a side? I love steamed artichokes and both of those seem Italian to me- probably becuase my Italian mother and grandmothers used to make them alot.

[This message has been edited by MrsReber (edited 01-04-2001).]

[Jessica]

I made a zucchini side dish once that was excellent. I no longer have the exact recipe, but basically you cut the zucchini into wedges, brushed lightly with olive oil and dusted with bread crumbs (I use matzo meal) and parmesan. Bake until crumbles are golden. If you use fresh parmesan you can get away with just a little.

[Mandy]

Here are a few ideas I found:


STUFFED ESCAROLE (SCAROLA RIPIENA)

Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All rights reserved

1 head escarole, about 1 pound, root ends trimmed and cut in half, ugly leaves removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons golden raisins, moistened in red wine and chopped
3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
Black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


In a medium bowl, place the garlic, pine nuts, raisins, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and salt and mix well to combine. Place the stuffing in the cavity of 1 escarole half. Place the other half on top of the stuffed half and tie them together tightly with butcher’s twine. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, warm the olive oil and place the escarole in the skillet, adding water to come halfway up its sides. Cover, bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Turn the escarole gently with tongs and cook another 10 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the escarole is soft. Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes, to brown the escarole. Cut the string, slice into 4 portions and serve.
Yield: 4 servings


BAKED EGGPLANT---MELANZANE AL FORNO

Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All rights reserved.

3 medium eggplants, to yield about 3 pounds, stem removed, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup


Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Place eggplant slices in a single layer on a lightly-oiled baking sheet. Brush each slice with the olive oil. Stud each slice of eggplant with the sliced garlic, embedding the garlic as much as possible into the flesh of the eggplant. Season with salt and pepper and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. When cool, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Yield: 8 servings







EGGPLANT “MEATBALLS”---POLPETTE DI MELANZANE

Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All rights reserved.

2 tablespoons salt
3 large eggplants, to yield about 4 pounds, peeled and cut into quarters lengthwise
4 slices day-old bread
1 to 2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup pecorino, freshly grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped to yield 1/4 cup
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying


Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Add the eggplants and boil 10 minutes. Dip the bread in the water and remove, squeezing to drain the water and set aside. Remove the eggplants from the water and drain well. When the eggplants have cooled, coarsely chop them and place them in the work bowl of a food processor. Add the soaked bread and 1 egg and pulse to form a somewhat homogenous paste adding more egg if necessary. Add 1/2 cup pecorino, garlic and parsley and continue to pulse until a smooth yet somewhat dry mixture is formed. Do not over-process.

Turn the mixture into a mixing bowl and place bread crumbs on a large plate. Using your hands and working quickly, roll the eggplant mixture into balls with a 1/2-inch diameter and roll each ball in the bread crumbs to coat. Hold each ball on a sheet tray.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil until just smoking. Cook the eggplant balls in the oil a few at a time, for 6 to 7 minutes, until dark golden brown, turning gently with a wooden spoon to evenly brown all sides. Remove to a tray or plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with the remaining pecorino and serve.
Yield: 6 servings

CARCIOFI RIPIENI (STUFFED ARTICHOKES)

Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All rights reserved.

1 slice day-old bread
6 medium artichokes, cleaned and choke removed
1 lemon, juiced
1 pound lean ground beef
3 eggs
1 clove garlic, finely chopped, plus 1 clove, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 (16-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes plus their juices
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup

Soak the bread in water, then remove from the water and squeeze out remaining liquid. Set aside.

Cut each trimmed artichoke into 2 pieces and hold in a water bath to which the lemon juice has been added until ready to use.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the beef, soaked bread, 1 egg, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and mix well to combine. Form the mixture into 24 oval-shaped balls of about 1-inch diameter.

Remove the artichoke pieces from the acidulated water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place 1 meatball between 2 pieces of artichoke, pressing to hold together. Roll each “sandwich” in flour, patting off the excess, and lay each on a sheet tray.

In a small bowl, beat the remaining 2 eggs and add a pinch of salt.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 cup olive oil over high heat until just smoking. Dip the artichokes in the egg mixture, let the excess drip off, and cook in the hot oil until they are golden brown on all sides. Work in batches if necessary, to avoid lowering the temperature of the oil. Remove the artichokes from the oil with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

In a skillet large enough to hold the artichokes in a single layer, arrange the artichokes and add the tomatoes and their juices, the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, the remaining clove of garlic, the onion, parsley and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook over medium heat, lowering if necessary to avoid scorching, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the liquids are of a fairly thick consistency. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings


Yummy, It's getting close to lunch, and I'm hungry!

Mandy


[This message has been edited by Mandy (edited 01-04-2001).]

[Kristi]

My MIL always makes what she calls "Greek Peas" to go with lasagna. From what I can tell, it's green peas, with olive oil, tomato sauce, onion, and Greek-type spices (thyme, oregano, rosemary). It's delicious for a side veggie and makes a nice accompaniment to a lasagna. I'd be happy to get her recipe if you need it.

Good luck!

[lorilei]

Originally posted by Kristi:
My MIL always makes what she calls "Greek Peas" to go with lasagna. From what I can tell, it's green peas, with olive oil, tomato sauce, onion, and Greek-type spices (thyme, oregano, rosemary). It's delicious for a side veggie and makes a nice accompaniment to a lasagna. I'd be happy to get her recipe if you need it.
Good luck!

Thanks -- recipes are always wonderful, so I'd definitely be interested if it's not too much trouble.
Thanks!

[emilycat]

For something as layered and ingredient-complex as lasagne, I think a simple side would be really nice...the zucchini side dish Jessica mentioned sounds like something I've made before, and would be really yummy with lasagna, I think. Also, if you think your brother-in-law might take the plunge to eat eggplant, it's delicious baked in thin slices, then drizzled with good olive oil and goat's milk feta -- as fresh as you can find. That's probably one of my absolute favorite side dishes...I could eat it by itself for dinner with some tomatoes and a salad. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Emily

[Grace]

Lori, here is a zucchini recipe that I think is awesome - it's an old CL recipe. It's kind of labor intensive, so I don't make it that often, but every once in a while I just have to have them, and I think they'd go well with lasagna...just a thought...

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Rosamaria's Stuffed Zucchini

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: Sept 1996 PAGE: 75

INGREDIENTS FOR 16 SERVINGS:
4 medium zucchini (about 1-1/2 pounds)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
10 spinach leaves
8 basil leaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium carrot, peeled and quartered
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
3 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 large egg white

INSTRUCTIONS:
John Villani talked his cousin, Rosamaria Restiani, into sharing her recipe
for this appetizer that uses fresh Parmesan.

1. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-
inch-thick shell. Set pulp aside. Cut each zucchini shell in half crosswise.

2. Steam zucchini shells, covered, 3 minutes. Place on paper towels to drain;
set aside.

3. Place zucchini pulp in a food processor; process until finely chopped.
Spoon into a bowl; set aside.

4. Place rosemary and next 5 ingredients (rosemary through carrot) in a food
processor, and process until finely chopped.

5. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over low heat. Add rosemary mixture; cover and
cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini pulp, tomatoes, and salt;
saute over medium heat 20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in breadcrumbs. Let
mixture cool. Add cheese and egg white; stir well.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

7. Divide mixture evenly among zucchini shells. Place stuffed shells on a
baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield:
16 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed zucchini piece).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 70 (30% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 1g, mono 0.9g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN
3.9g; CARB 9.1g; FIBER 1.4g; CHOL 4mg; IRON 0.9mg; SODIUM 298mg; CALC 93mg

[lorilei]

emilycat - I agree. Eggplant sounds scrumptious. I make it for my husband and I all the time (eggplant sandwiches with sundried tomato pesto are also a favorite around here!)... alas, my inlaws are not very adventurous. I brought an excellent cauliflower alfredo to our last gathering and found them all to be cauliflowerophobes!

Grace - the stuffed zucchini looks lovely. I'm leaning toward something of this nature. After all, if I can get them to EAT it first and LIKE it later -- things will be very happy http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Ohioan]

May I suggest steamed or sauteed green beans? Sauteed escarole? Roasted zucchini and/or root vegetables? And of course a huge salad. Lasagna is already so substantial and heavily flavored that, as Emily says, I'm not sure you'd want another "heavy" or complex dish to go with it. I'm thinking in terms of mouth dynamics here -- textures, tastes, etc. -- rather than nutrition, of course, although that too might be a factor.

Also, we don't want to distract from the complexity and bravura of the lasagna, do we? Let it keep center stage. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Cheers,
Phoebe

[mightyh]

Broccoli rabe sounds good to me.... Or maybe a zucchini/yellow squash dish. And I always like asparagus with everything.

Roasted red pepper something?

[lorilei]

Thanks for all of the recipes, Mandy! They look wonderful.

I'm leaning towards a baked veggie dish -- zucchini or eggplant sound good, although I'm not altogether certain if my brother-in-law will eat either.

Contemplation... contemplation...