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MIXED GRILLED VEGETABLES

This is a typical side dish from the Marche region. To be served hot or cold. Can be prepared in advance.

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons

your favourite mixed vegetables, like for example:

  • onions
  • peppers
  • zucchini/courgette/summer squash
  • eggplants
  • ripe tomatoes
  • breadcrumbs, 200 g
  • extra virgin olive oil, a generous amount
  • parsley, a handfull
  • garlic, several cloves
  • salt, just a little
  • pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

Heat the oven at 180°C.
Peel the onions, cut them in half and scoop out a little of the veggie, that you will set aside.
Discard the end parts of the zucchini and eggplants, cut them in half and proceed as above. If the eggplants are too big, you cut them in slices.
Wash and clean the peppers: cut then in 4 or more pieces.
Now, chop together with parsley and garlic all the vegetabls parts that you have scooped out.
Add the breadcrumbs (you can make your own from stale bread), oli, salt and pepper.
Fill the vegetables with this mixture and put them on a baking sheet.
Cook at 180°C until tender and until the surface with be nicely browned.

Fonte: Simonetta Salvini - published in "La Nostra Salute" - LILT - Florence - n 1. 2012

MIXED VEGGIES IN THE OVEN - gluten free/vegan

A tasty and quick to prepare dish, to be prepared with your favorite vegetables, in the preferred proportions. I suggest to avoid potatoes, that should not be considered as "veggies" since there are very rich in starch and have a very high glycemic impact.

One can choose to bake them without oil, and to add oil only at the end: but a little bit of oil also during preparation makes them tastier.
They keep well for 2-3 days, to be consumed cold or re-heated.

Perfect also for your lunch box: just add a serving of cooked chickpeas or beans, and a slice of whole wheat bread to have a well balanced menu.

INGREDIENTS for 6 persons

  • peppers, 400 g
  • onions, 400 g
  • eggplants, 400 g
  • zucchini/summer squash, 400 g
  • extra virgin olive oil, 40 g
  • oregano or other herbs
  • salt (optional), 1 teaspoon

PREPARATION

Heat the over at 200-250°C 
Cut the vegetables in cube, smaller or larger according to taste and time for baking (the larger, the longer time to bake).
Put the vegetables ina a large baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Add olive oil, oregano, salt (I use the coarse salt), and mix well with your hands.
Please note: the vegetables should be disposed on one sigle layer, for best results.
Bake for approx. 45 min – 1 hour, without stirring or touching them. They should get a bit brown/crisp on the surface.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE per portion

  • energy 110 kcal
  • protein 2.9 g
  • fat 7.1 g (of which saturates 1 g)
  • carbohydrates 9.4 g (of which sugars 9.3)
  • fibre 4.7 g
  • sodium 354 mg
  • potassum 503 mg
Fonte: Simonetta Salvini, adapted from a friend's recipe

PROVENÇAL WINTER SQUASH - vegan

I had some winter squash at hone and I had in mind a very appealing recipe by Martha Rose Shulman, from the New York Times.So I got into the kitche, with my laptop turned on, I cleaned the squash and then read the recipe more carefully: I realized that it was too late. It was already 7:30 PM, and the recipe required 2.5 hours of baking in the oven. Panic, and now?

I decided to run an experiment and transform the oven baking into a slow stirfrying in a pan, covered, hoping to make it in time for dinner. The result? A real surprise, great dish, sorry Martha for the modification of your original recipe!

To make the dish even more intriguing and crunchy, you can keep some of the breadcrumbs sauteed with herbs and oil and spinkle some on each portion when serving.

INGREDIENTS for 4 servings

  • winter squash, 800 g (after cleaning, i.e. approx 1kg-1.2kg before cleaning)
  • extra virgin olive oil, 4 TBSP
  • garlic, 4 cloves
  • bread crumbs (gluten free, if needed), 70 g
  • thyme, rosemary
  • salt, pepper

PREPARATION
Clean the squash (skin, seeds etc).
Cut in small cubes.
Chop the garlic, finely.
Pour the oil in a  large skillett, add the garlic. As soon as the colour starts changing, add the herbs and the breadcrumbs, letting the bread become golden, without burning.

Add the squash and keeping the flame quite high, mix well with the other ingredients. Turn down the heat and keep cooking, at very low heat, for approximately 45 minutes, shaking the pan from times to times to prevent burnng or sticking to the bottom. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot. as a side dish or as a complement to a simply cooked whole rice.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION per portion

  • energy 190 kcal (346 kJ)
  • protein 1,9 g
  • fat 4,6 g (of which saturated 0,7 g)
  • carbohydrates 9,1 g (of which sugars 2,6 g)
  • fibre 0,8 g
  • beta-carotene 3121 mcg
Fonte: Freely adapted - for a matter of time - from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman
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