zucchini Archives - Dinner in Venice

Italian Grilled Vegetables

April 4, 2013 By dinnerinvenice 13 Comments

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After almost twenty years in America, I have come to terms with the fact that here barbecue is an expression of national pride. Barbecue expresses American identity through food as accurately as jazz does through music. It’s simple, honest, and… manly. I ’ve come to love it. However, to stay true to my origins, I always make room on the grill for some vegetables! Italians (with the exception of Tuscany) are not so big on barbecuing meat, but grilling is a favorite cooking method for everything else! Besides the obvious advantage of being quick and easy, it preserves most of the ingredients’ nutritional qualities while enhancing their flavor. The secret of a good vegetable “barbecue” is the grilling temperature, which needs to be inversely proportional to the size/thickness of the food: the thinner pieces should be grilled quickly on high heat, and the thicker/larger ones should be cooked more slowly on lower heat. We don’t usually marinate the vegetables before grilling. In order to enhance (rather than hide) their flavor and texture, we just brush them quickly with a little oil while on the grill. Each vegetable needs some individual attention: eggplants, for example, tend to dry out a bit during grilling; besides, it’s best to salt them first, to cut down their bitterness, but this also removes some moisture.

For this reason, they should be sliced pretty thick (about1/2 inch) and cooked longer. Zucchini are delicate and should be sliced thinner and cooked very quickly. If you use a mandoline or your food processor disc, you will be able to set your desired thickness and cook the vegetable slices more uniformly. Tomatoes are quite watery, and should be seeded, salted and allowed to drain for twenty minutes before cooking. They should only be grilled on the side of the peel, or they’ll fall apart. Just make sure you give all your veggies some TLC and individual attention!

Italian Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients

2 bell peppers, seeded and halved or quartered
2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
1 or 2 Japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 head red radicchio or/and fennel, halved or sliced lengthwise (depending on the type and size)
** you can also useother vegetables, such as mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, asparagus etc.
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 tsp freshly chopped Italian parsley
(optional) chopped basil leaves,or rosemary and sage

Directions

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat (or feel free to use your barbecue). If using eggplant, salt the slices and leave them to sweat out the bitter juices for half an hour before you grill them. Rinse them and pat them dry before grilling. Right before placing them on the grill, brush the vegetables with oil. Grill one type of vegetable at a time, because depending on their texture and thickness (see intro) they will require different temperatures and cooking times. Working in batches, cook the vegetables until tender and lightly charred (about 8 minutes for the eggplants and peppers; 5 minutes for the zucchini; 4 minutes for the radicchio, fennel or onion). Don't shift them or turn them frequently or the grill marks will look too irregular. Arrange the vegetables on a platter and drizzle or brush them with more oil. Add salt, pepper, minced garlic and herbs to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

https://dinnerinvenice.com/2013/04/04/italian-grilled-vegetables/

Filed Under: Appetizer, Light and Healthy, Light/Diet, Quick/Easy, Side Dish, Special Diet, Vegetarian Tagged With: Eggplant, grilled vegetables, Italian vegetables, vegetables side, Vegetarian, zucchini

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Salad

June 25, 2012 By dinnerinvenice 2 Comments

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients

1 red pepper
2 zucchini
1 head curly endive
1 pound goat cheese (I used Natural and Kosher goat cheese log)
pink peppercorns, coarsely ground
green peppercorns, coarsely ground
chives, finely minced
1 carrot, grated
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Directions

With a wet melon ball cutter or with your wet hands, shape the goat cheese into little balls .

Roll 1/4 of them into the freshly grated green peppercorns, 1/4 into the chives, 1/4 into the pink peppercorns and 1/3 into the grated carrot, then place the cheese balls in the refrigerator to harden.

Wash the pepper and zucchini; cut the pepper into thin strips after discarding the seeds and white membranes; cut the zucchini into thin slices lengthwise (with a mandoline if possible).

Grill the zucchini and peppers on a heavyweight grill pan (I like this ).

Wash the endive and cut it into pieces.

Gather all the ingredients in a large bowl and dress with the olive oil mixed with a little salt and pink pepper.

Stir gently and serve in individual bowls or cups.

https://dinnerinvenice.com/2012/06/25/zucchini-and-goat-cheese-salad/

Filed Under: Appetizer, Dairy, Gluten Free, Light/Diet, salad, Side Dish, Special Diet Tagged With: appetizer, Cheese, cucina ebraica, cuisine, dairy, gluten free, goat cheese, healthy, Italian recipe, kosher Italian, light, salad, vegetables, zucchini

Stuffed and Fried Zucchini Flowers

March 30, 2011 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Stuffed Fried Zucchini Flowers (Dairy)

Stuffed and Fried Zucchini Flowers (Dairy)

Ingredients

12 zucchini flowers
1/2 cup of COLD dry white wine (120ml)
1 large Italian mozzarella ball, cut into strips
3 tablespoons parmigiano cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup pastry flour (best) or all-purpose flour
extra virgin olive oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Check inside the flowers for bugs and shake them out.

Wash the flowers very carefully or they will break.

Dry well with paper towel without rubbing. leave for a few minutes on paper towel so the inside will dry out as well.

Stuff each flower with a strip of mozzarella. If you eat fish with dairy (**many Jews of Sephardic and Italian origins do not) add an anchovy fillet.

If you don't, salt the mozzarella and add a touch of parmigiano cheese and maybe nutmeg.

For the batter, mix eggs, all purpose flour and wine together until smooth and even (a whisk works best).

Heat up the extra virgin olive oil in a deep pot, at least 3" deep, until hot; test it by throwing a small piece of bread in it - lots of small bubbles should form around it, but it should not burn.

Gently coat the stuffed flowers with batter.

Fry until golden brown. Place on several layers of paper towel to absorb the excess oil and immediately season with salt.

The flowers can also be fried in the same batter without stuffing, sprinkled with sugar and served as a dessert (a delightful idea for Purim and Hanukkah!)

https://dinnerinvenice.com/2011/03/30/stuffed-and-fried-zucchini-flowers-dairy/