Italian

Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli Soup

Recipe Photo: Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli Soup
Source of Recipe
Posted by Michelle Zippelli January 4, 2012 at Boston.com

Modern Pasta Fagoili recipes use chicken or beef broth and a meat like pancetta or spicy sausage. I went the veggie route, using vegetable broth and 5 different types of vegetables: carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes and swiss chard. The beans make the soup hearty and filling regardless, so just use whatever you have on hand. My secret ingredient is Parmesan cheese rind, it gives the broth amazing flavor. Just add the rind of Parmesan cheese when cooking, then discard when serving. Unless of course you want to eat it, I always do, it tastes like a chewy cheese crouton. 

Swiss Chard Pesto

Recipe Photo: Swiss Chard Pesto
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe - March 30, 2011, by Luke Pyenson
Serves/Makes/Yields
6

I first had Swiss chard pesto two years ago while volunteering on an organic farm in Italy. It was a revelation. Pesto, usually made with basil, is also fantastic with any leafy greens — radish greens, turnip tops, kale. Swiss chard is the easiest to work with because of its enormous, easy-to-tear leaves. For vegans, omit the cheese in the pesto, as I do here. Then boil a pot of pasta and grate a good bit of Parmesan onto the servings for people who want it. Use fresh whole-wheat spaghetti or a dried shape with a little curve, such as fusilli.

Brussels Sprouts Panzanella

Recipe Photo: Brussels Sprouts Panzanella
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe - March 30, 2011, by Luke Pyenson
Serves/Makes/Yields
8

At the beginning of the semester, this was one of the things I made when my housemates and I sat down for dinner together. The Brussels sprouts at the market looked particularly appealing that day, and we had some bread sitting around. Panzanella is a traditional Italian dish made with stale bread, tomatoes, and olive oil. This version, made with Aleppo pepper (a fruity, not-too-too-spicy chili from Syria) can work as a vegetarian main course.

Eggplant Involtini (Eggplant roll-ups with angel hair and marinara)

Recipe Photo: Eggplant Involtini
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe - March 16, 2011 by Molly Kravitz
Serves/Makes/Yields
4 with leftovers

Eggplant is a dinnertime staple on the southern Italian island of Sicily, where the vegetable is known as melanzane and might appear as involtini (rolled up with a filling) or caponata (the sweet-and-sour cooked vegetable salad). These are both first courses, but with a little tweaking, you can make them substantial enough for the main event. We fell for the dishes at the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school in Sicily, where the late founder’s daughter, Fabrizia, teaches them.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Recipe Photo: Shrimp fra diavolo
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe, February 9, 2011, By Catherine Smart
Serves/Makes/Yields
Serves 2 with leftovers

Fra diavolo (“brother devil’’ in Italian), is a deliciously spicy Italian-American tomato sauce in which you simmer calamari, lobster, or shellfish of any kind, along with oregano and cayenne, or fresh chilies and parsley. To make an intimate dinner for your valentine — one with a great deal of zip — buy large shrimp in their shells. Put some music on and shell the shrimp leisurely (save the shells to make a quick stock for shrimp stew another day). Set a pot of long-grain rice on the stove top.

White Bean and Vegetable Frittata

Recipe Photo: White Bean and Vegetable Frittata
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe - February 24, 2010 - Necee Regis
Serves/Makes/Yields
4

This recipe uses leftovers from the White Bean and Swiss Chard Stew for a quick frittata. Like omelets, Italian frittatas are made in a skillet with lots of eggs. You can have simple or elaborate fillings. Here, the filling is the bean and chard mixture. Toss a handful of grated cheese into the pan, using whatever you have on hand - cheddar, Gruyere, or pepper Jack. Add a green salad and you have two virtuous meals.

 

Mostarda

Recipe Photo: Mostarda
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe - February 3, 2010
Serves/Makes/Yields
about 1 1/2 cups

Mostarda is an Italian condiment, something like a chutney, that is typically served with meat. Fresh and dried fruits are simmered with vinegar and seasoned with mustard for a little kick.

 

Basic Tomato Sauce

Basic Tomato Sauce
Source of Recipe
EatingWell: September/October 1995, The Essential EatingWell Cookbook (2004)
Serves/Makes/Yields
5 cups

This simple but intensely flavored sauce can be used in many Italian recipes. Make a large batch and freeze in small containers for quick reheating.