BAKED ZUCCHINI AU GRATIN (Zucchine Gratinati al Forno)

 

 

Zucchini au gratin is a classic and tasty side dish to serve to everyone. This vegetarian recipe will always make a great impression! It's a simple recipe to prepare, it takes only a few minutes, and the zucchini are cooked in the oven forming an irresistible crunchy crust from the breadcrumbs and cheese.

Ingredients

2 medium or 3 small zucchini
2 potatoes
1 large onion, sliced
2 clove of garlic, chopped
1 pepper
2 large fresh tomatoes (if available) or a small can
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup of fresh basil (chopped)
1 cup Parmisan cheese or Gran Padana
1 teaspoon of salt and pepper

Procedure

Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Slice zucchini and potatoes.
Slice onion and pepper
Chop garlic, celery, parsley and basil
Blanch the tomatoes and chop

In a baking dish, place some of the oil.  Add all ingredients except the cheese.  Mix well.  Add remainder of the oil.  Cover the top with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 min.
Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 min.  If you like crisp potatoes and zucchini, place under the broiler for few minutes.

 

Meatless Stuffed Eggplants - Melanzane Ripiene Vegetariane

Meatless stuffed eggplants (Melanzane ripiene vegetariane)

 

Stuffed eggplants are one of our favorite dishes.  The filling can be modified in many ways: more spicy (adding a peperoncino), tastier (adding more cheese at the end of cooking), while the meat may be beef, pork, veal only, or a mix of veal and pork.  The choice is yours!  See Stuffed eggplants alla casalese.
 

Choosing eggplants is a ritual:  look for even color and firm feel. The eggplant should be heavy relative to its size; when you pick it up at the market, it should be firm and crisp, not spongy, to the touch.

In this case, I recommend you do not buy too big to shorten cooking time.

Ingredients
6 small to medium eggplants
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups cubes of day-old country bread
1 cup water
1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 can pitted ripe olives, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour the water over the bread cubes in a small bowl. Once the bread has softened, squeeze out the excess water.  Crumble and set aside.

Cut one end of the eggplants.  Wash and halve the eggplants lengthwise. With a small paring knife, score the flesh and cut the eggplant around, leaving a 1/4-inch border from the skin. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving eggplant shells or boats for baking. 

Salt the cavity of the eggplant shells.  Place the eggplant shells (cavity down) to drain for 30 minutes.

Chop the eggplant flesh.  Place the flesh into a pot filled with water.  After 10 minutes or so, drain.  Rinse few more times in a colander under running water.  Squeeze out the excess water.

Mix eggplant flesh, bread, cheese, garlic, tomatoes, green pepper, black olives, parsley and black pepper. 

 Drizzle a little of the oil over each shell.  Fill in the eggplant shells. 

Place the filled shells one next to the other in a greased pan. 

Drizzle remaining olive oil over each shell.  Cover the dish with foil, and bake until the eggplant is tender all the way through, about 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top of the filling is browned and crispy, about 10 minutes more.



COLOR YOU DIET

 

A colorful, balanced diet is associated with good health.

Vegetables from our garden

So what does color have to do with diet anyway?   According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, deeply colored vegetables -- whether green, yellow, orange, or red -- and dark leafy greens offer the most protective health benefits against cancer and other diseases. 








The more brightly colored the vegetable, the more protective the health benefits, thanks to a rich assortment of plant compounds called phytochemicals.

 

Fruits should also be an important part of our overall healthy eating plan.  Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, said that “to maximize the benefit, you actually want a variety” of fruits. He advises “eating the rainbow,” since different colors signal different types of antioxidants and nutrients.

I challenge myself daily to keep my dishes colorful.

Fried peppers

Spinach and brown rice

Sauteed mushrooms

Cream of squash soup

Zucchini, potatoes and eggplant casserole