Burgers? Nah.
Fries and soda? Nahhhhhh!
Pies and cakes? Twice a year in my household we had sweet somethings, Christmas and Easter. The rest of the time, fruit was our dessert.
Vegetables as the main dish!
As a child in post World War II in Southern Italy, our meals were mostly vegetarian, and meat was a treat for times Dad brought home a few birds he hunted, or when a neighbor exchanged his pork for our olives. We were not vegetarians by choice. We grew our food, and lived off of our harvests. If we had a great harvest of olives, we could buy a fat pig, slaughter it, and cut it up for sausages and salumi.
Lamb, chicken, or rabbits graced our table a few times a month.
My digestive system feels so good eating mostly vegetables.
So, protein, carbs are carefully selected to accompany the main dish.
Our lunch today: Stuffed artichokes.
Ingredients:
Two large artichokes
1 slice of bread, toasted and crumbled into
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 oz of pancetta, or 1 strip of bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch of parsley or mint, chopped
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 C water
1 C of fresh peas
salt and pepper
Trim the artichokes and parboil in acidulated boiling water.
Drain upside down while you prepare the stuffing.
Stuffing:
In a frying pan, saute the pancetta or bacon until rendered. Scoop out the crispy bits and set aside. (Omit this step if you want the dish to be vegetarian or vegan.)
Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic, parsley or mint, bread crumbs, peas and pancetta and stir together.
Taste and add salt and pepper.
Stuff the artichokes. Put them in an oven proof dish. Drizzle olive oil over the whole thing and add water to cover the bottom of the dish. Cover with foil and bake in a hot oven, 375F for 15 minutes.
Serve with grilled halibut and an orange for dessert.
sounds wonderful...eating vegetarian makes me feel better too...now if the men in my life would only agree.....
ReplyDeleteYesterday, for whatever reason, I ate like before my weight watcher days (which are 18+ months and counting). My digiestive system is still revolting. A lesson learned the hard way.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm. That sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteOh...memories of my grandmothers stuffed artichokes. Sounds wonderful, Rosaria. Last night I made a potatoes, beans and cabbage for dinner. My husband said...Tastes good...Is this dinner? I could tell he was looking for the "beef!"
ReplyDeleteI've noticed on my trips to Italy how much less meat is used in Italian meals. Where we would use a pound they use perhaps a quarter or half a pound. And bowls and bowls of fresh vegetables are always on the table.
ReplyDeleteYes, my Italian upbringing is strong. My husband, however, like most mid-westerners, expects a big chunk of meat on his plate as well. We have negotiations all the time.
ReplyDeleteI love artichokes but have never tried stuffing them. Diane
ReplyDelete