Fennel (Anise) is one of those vegetables which until the late 1800s were avoided by non-Jews in Italy and considered lowly and vulgar. By the time this delicious vegetable was accepted into general Italian cuisine, Jews had already discovered countless ways to prepare it, raw or cooked, as an appetizer or side. Fennel is said to be a digestive and detoxifier.
Besides eating the bulb, we use the seeds to flavor meats and sausages, and the fronds/leaves for tea and soups. Fennel tea is even said to increase milk production in nursing mothers!

Ingredients
(serves 6)

4 large bulbs of fennel
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed but whole
6 tablespoons of parmigiano cheese (for a DAIRY dish), OR plain bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
a touch of nutmeg

Boil the fennel in salted water till tender but not mushy (10 to 20 minutes).

Drain, dry, slice, and arrange in one layer in a greased baking pan.
Dress with the oil, salt, pepper, cheese or breadcrumbs (or a mix of both, but cut the amounts in half), and nutmeg..
(For a decadent, creamy dairy version, you can also add bechamel sauce).

Place the cloves of garlic somewhere around the pan. If making a dairy version you can add a few flakes of butter.
Bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F. Discard the garlic and enjoy!

 

The combination of spinach and pine nuts appears in a variety of festive Jewish Venetian dishes of Iberian and Turkish origins, from marinated fish to braised carrots, to meat stuffings for vegetables.
You can use the leftovers to make an unusual frittata.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds baby spinach
• 4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced shallots, or 1/2 an onion, minced
• 1 whole clove garlic
• 1/2 cup golden raisins or currants, plumped in hot water and drained
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2 oil-packed anchovies, minced (optional)
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg
• (optional) a sprinkle of Parmigiano, if serving in a dairy meal.

Wash the spinach well, discarding the stems (Italian Jews used to save them for a different preparation that required longer cooking).

Cook in a covered pot over medium heat with a little salt and a couple of tablespoons of water, for about 5 minutes.
Drain well. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the shallots or onions (and anchovies, if using). When they are translucent, add the pine nuts, raisins, spinach, salt, pepper, spices, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until ready.

Ingredients

- 1 scallion, chopped very finely
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 zucchini, sliced thi
- 1 cup fava beans (frozen is fine)
- 1 cup canned corn
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- salt and pepper
- 8 mint (or basil) leaves

Directions

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and add the scallion. Cook for 5 minutes or until translucent,, then add the zucchini. Cook for one more minute, stirring gently, add the white wine and allow to evaporate. Add the frozen fava beans, salt and pepper, and cook on medium/low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little vegetable broth or water if necessary. A couple of minutes before serving add the corn, drained of its liquid, and a few mint or basil leaves, coarsely chopped.

Italian cuisine is one of the best for vegetarians. There are so many delicious options and all are simple to make. Meat used to be a rare treat for most people, and legumes the main source of protein. This salad is a staple in Tuscany, and while minimalistic in terms of work, it’s very satisfying. However, never skip soaking the onion! This easy step removes the sting, sweetens the flavor - and allows you to still have a social life
I have seen elaborate versions of this dish, with additions of cheese, pesto, hummus, the works. Trust me, and don’t go there.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main course)

• 1 red or white onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups dried cannellini (white) beans (or 1 can)
• 2 or 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place onion in a bowl, cover with ice water, and allow to rest for at least 1 hour.
2. If using the dried beans: in a large saucepan cover beans with water by 2 inches and add salt. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding more hot water if necessary to keep beans covered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until tender (but not mushy).
3. (if using the canned beans, drain and rinse them well)
4. Place beans in a large bowl, drain onions and combine.
5. Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and dress the bean salad.
6. Serve at room temperature

 

A quick and delicious way to add some vegetables to your diet. Pistachios were first brought to the Roman Empire from Syria during the reign of Tiberius. Through history, they were considered a refined delicacy worthy of kings and queens (the Queen of Sheba is said to have been a fan!).
I also love the delicate flavor added by celery. It was not until the Middle Ages that celery’s use started expanding beyond medicine and into food. Always choose celery that looks crisp and snaps easily, with leaves that are free from yellow or brown patches. Sometimes Also separate the stalks and look for brown or black discoloration, a sign of a condition called “blackheart” that is caused by insects (yikes). If you are storing cut or peeled celery, make sure it’s dry, as water can drain some of its many nutrients. The optional touch of soy sauce was inspired by my friend Allaya Fleischer, Kosher Asian chef and writer for Bitayavon magazine.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1/2 pound asparagus
2 small/medium carrots
2 celery sticks
1/4 pound haricot verts or green beans
3 spring onions
1/3 cup coarsely ground pistachios
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
(optional) 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Peel the carrots. If the outside of the celery stalk has fibrous strings, remove them by making a thin cut into one end of the stalk and peeling away the fibers. Clean and cut the spring onions.
Cut the asparagus, carrots and celery into sticks. Trim ends and strings off the green beans and cut them into pieces. Toast the pistachios for one minute in a skillet or wok then set them aside.
Heat the oil in the skillet, then add the spring onions; cook them for about one minute on medium/high heat. Add the rest of the vegetables and some salt, and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes on medium/high heat, stirring. If liked, you can add some soy sauce and cook for one more minute (if not, just sprinkle with black pepper). Add the pistachios and serve.

 

An easy side that pairs well with earthy meat dishes, perfect for winter:

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 large onion, chopped or sliced thinly
• 2 cups mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (wild mushrooms taste best, if you can find them!)
• 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced (discard the darkest green parts)
• a few sage leaves
• salt and pepper
• 3 or 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium/low heat, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if they stick.
2. Add the mushrooms and the leeks, salt and pepper, and a couple of sage leaves, and cook for another 8 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
3. Serve as a side to meat.

As much as I love America, there is one thing food-wise, that I haven’t gotten used to in almost twenty years: salad dressings! Besides the fact that most store-bought dressings include a lot of processed ingredients, I find that most of these concoctions (even when home-made) combine so many different flavors that they hide, rather than enhance, that of the salad itself. Another issue is texture: most dressings are so thick that, rather than enveloping the leaves, they sit on them. In Italy, we dress salads very simply with oil and vinegar, or oil and lemon,and in some cases just oil and salt, in a similar way to the French. The proportions are simple: one part of vinegar or lemon to 4 of oil for a milder dressing, or one part of vinegar or lemon to 3 parts of oil (and some salt) if you like tart flavors. Most Italians don’t actually measure, but you should calculate about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons oil per person, or just 1 if you are on a diet. Skipping oil altogether and going fat-free is not as healthy as it sounds, because some of the vitamins in vegetables are lipo-soluble and can only be absorbed when accompanied by a fat. Choose a nice extra-virgin olive oil, and not the cheaper, “light” varieties. As for vinegar, balsamic is very popular these days, but its complex flavor works only with very flavorful vegetables and can be overpowering on simpler types of lettuce. Simple white or red wine vinegar is much more versatile, as is lemon juice. Other great options are apple cider vinegar, and rice vinegar. I must confess that most of us don’t even bother to blend the ingredients for our everyday meal. Right before eating the salad, we just sprinkle with salt, and pour some oil and then vinegar straight from their bottles. But this is not necessarily the best method, and you should blend the ingredients first for a better result.Everybody knows that vinegar and oil do not emulsify well and tend to separate. The best way to combine them, reducing them into micro-droplets, is in a blender. Honestly, I only do this if I have guests. For everyday, I just put the salt in a stainless or glass bowl, add the vinegar or lemon (do not add the salt after the oil, or it won’t dissolve), and combine well with a whisk or simply a fork. Gradually add the oil, whisking well, and use immediately to dress a salad. The ingredients should be at room temperature, and never cold, or they won’t blend well. Remember that you should never dress salads in advance, except for very “resistant” vegetables such as cucumber or radicchio - delicate salad leaves tend to react to vinaigrette and wither. Sometimes, when I want my salad to be really special, or if I need to plate it for a picture, I add a touch of honey to the dressing: honey stabilizes the emulsion for a long time, so that the oil and vinegar will not separate all over the plate.If you do use your blender and add honey, it’s actually best to let the vinaigrette rest for a few minutes or even an hour before using it, so that all the flavors can meld; but don’t refrigerate it!Last, but not least: even if you are using bagged salad, always rinse it first - not only because… you never know!!! but also because if the salad is too dry you will end up using way to much dressing. Buon appetite, and let me know how it goes!