Tag Archive for 'vegetables'

Roasted summer vegetables

Published by Lucina, on 3 agosto 2016 in English Recipes, vegetables, vegetarian and Verdure. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .
roasted summer vegetables

roasted summer vegetables

Let’s blog something healthy for a change… I love roasted vegetables! And this dish is really straightforward, pleasant to look at and also very tasty. Ideal as a side dish for a barbeque, a quiche, grilled fish or whatever takes your fancy. I let it cool right down and served it at room temperature. I think the flavours develop even more. The inspiration came from Jamie Oliver. Feel free to add/take away any veggies you want: courgettes, butternut squash, asparagus, aubergines, etc. I have made it twice already  in the last couple of weeks, varying the veggies combination. Lovely both times! Continue reading ‘Roasted summer vegetables’

Spiced red cabbage

Published by Lucina, on 26 dicembre 2014 in English Recipes, vegetables, vegetarian and Verdure. 4 Comments Tags: , , .
braised spicy red cabbage

spiced red cabbage

Welcome back, dear Candi! How I missed you… I did patiently wait for you return but I do confess it was beginning to feel like a monologue. Well …merry belated Christmas and a happy Boxing day to you and everyone else who reads this blog. For my Christmas lunch yesterday I made a nice roast crown of turkey (my vegetarianism took a bit of a knock) but also a nut roast (recipe to follow). Of course I also made lots of lovely vegetables to accompany them. One of them was the spiced red cabbage you see here, which is traditional to make at this time of the year.  My sister in law Stefania asked for the recipe so I thought I might as well blog it. There are many similar recipes around. I used one from Riverford, the organic farms website. I am not a lover of cabbage, I have got to be honest,  but I have got to say this way of making it is rather nice. The good thing about it is that you can make it in advance and eat it cold as well as hot. It keeps really well. The only problem is I slightly overestimated the amount we would need. I could probably have fed a battalion with the quantities I made! :-) By the way another nice variation on the theme this year in the vegetables department was with the brussel sprouts. Instead of the ones with chestnuts I usually make  I cooked them with caramelised onions and blue cheese. Yummy! Definitely a success!  Continue reading ‘Spiced red cabbage’

Lentil and mushroom curry

Published by Lucina, on 12 giugno 2014 in Cucina regionale, English Recipes, vegetables, vegetarian and Verdure. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

lentil and mushroom curry

The idea to make this wholesome curry came from my son Tom, who, just like his mother, enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. We often swap ideas and recipes over the phone. I kind of made up this recipe as I went along: I looked at what ingredients I had available and used them so I’m sure you can alter/adapt/add. It’s a very simple dish to make and surprisingly tasty.  It was even nicer the following day. I served it with a home made naan (see recipe here) as you can see from the picture.  By the way I have effectively become vegetarian. I  still eat meat when I go to people’s houses , etc. but I have stopped buying it. I only buy fish. I’m sure I’ll be all the better for it. Anyway, the point is that I have to make sure to eat a balanced diet which doesn’t mean a slice of cake in both hands. 😉 That’s why I like eating pulses: they are a good source of proteins , they are  cheap, low-fat and also contain precious fibre, vitamins and minerals. What more can we want? Continue reading ‘Lentil and mushroom curry’

Baked stuffed aubergines

Published by Lucina, on 1 maggio 2014 in English Recipes, vegetables and vegetarian. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

baked stuffed aubergines

First of May and it is tanking it down here in England!! :-( Well…Hello everyone and sorry for the silence of these past few weeks but firstly I went on holiday during the Easter break so had no internet access and secondly I managed to break my leg on the first day back at work hence I’ve been out of action. In truth, I still am as my leg is in a plaster cast but  at least I finally managed to hobble to the computer. Just BEFORE the accident I cooked this really nice vegetarian dish from the Two greedy Italians cookery book (slightly adapted). I love aubergines and was impressed as to how nice this particular dish was. Really quite delicious (taste wise it reminded me of melanzane alla parmigiana) and not too complicated either. It was really tasty. Definitely one I’ll make again. Continue reading ‘Baked stuffed aubergines’

Roasted ratatouille

Published by Lucina, on 2 marzo 2014 in English Recipes, vegetables, vegetarian and Verdure. 1 Comment Tags: , .

roasted ratatouille

I said I would use again the Chocolate & Zucchini book and here I am , true to my promise, sharing a nice, healthy vegetables recipe ( long overdue, after all the cakes blogged recently!).  Everyone will be familiar with the traditional ratatouille. I’ve got to admit I am not a fan: I find it a bit bland, in truth. But not this one! Roasting the vegetables definitely adds to the flavour. Plus it’s even easier to do than the traditional one made on the hob as you put everything in a roasting dish and bang it in the oven, without the need to stir. It can be eaten hot or cold, so it’s ideal if you want to make it in advance. I had some leftover and tossed it in some pasta the following day. It was even nicer! I would definitely recommend it. Continue reading ‘Roasted ratatouille’

Cream of cauliflower and stilton soup

Published by Lucina, on 8 gennaio 2014 in English Recipes and Soup. 1 Comment Tags: , .

cream of cauliflower and stilton soup

After the excesses of the past couple of weeks and the distinctive lack of vegetables in my diet in favour of sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and all things calorie laden I am back on healthier stuff. In short ….bring back the soups and the salads!!  Soups are a firm favourite of mine and I’m always on the look out for new ones. Sometimes they are just a good way of using whatever veggies you have languishing in the fridge. This cream of cauliflower is a case in point:  I had a piece of sad looking stilton left over from Christmas, one cauliflower and …voilà…this soup was born. I confess I am not a fan of cauliflower (unless it is encased in béchamel sauce!)- not to mention its smell- but I must say I was surprised as to how creamy and tasty this one was. My husband was full of compliments and urged me to blog it as he enjoyed it so much. So how could I refuse? So here goes…. Continue reading ‘Cream of cauliflower and stilton soup’

Red lentils dal

Published by Lucina, on 14 agosto 2013 in Cucina regionale, English Recipes, vegetables, vegetarian and Verdure. 4 Comments Tags: , , , .

red lentils dal

Nothing for ten days and then two recipes all at once? What’s going on? Well….why not, eh? I like living on the edge, me! Seriously, the reason for my absence was simply that I have not been in residence. Like previous years I went to spend a few days in Edinburgh for the fringe festival. Brill! While I was there I met up with my youngest son Tom and , as it’s often the case, we ended up talking about food. Like mother, like son…He loves cooking too and this dal recipe is one of his favourites. So much so that apparently he “inflicts” it on his girlfriend at least once a week (I’m sure she is getting a bit fed up by now, good though it is!).! Anyway, dal is a very common Indian dish made with pulses. This simple but flavoursome version is based on red lentils. What I like about this recipe is that it’s very straightforward and can be used as a base. You can try adding other vegetables to it such as chick peas, potatoes, cauliflower, spinach, tomatoes etc.. I have seen many variations on the internet. Served with the naan bread I have just blogged works really well! :-) Continue reading ‘Red lentils dal’

Beetroot and pecan nuts hummus

Published by Lucina, on 29 febbraio 2012 in Antipasti, sfizi, finger food..., English Recipes and starters. 1 Comment Tags: , .

beetroot and pecan nuts hummus

Dear Candi, here I am with another healthy recipe, in answer to your  “naughty” mousse. I’m DETERMINED you try cooking with beetroot. I thought I didn’t like them myself until I cooked my first one, remember? It was love at first sight…ok taste. You MUST have a go and force your family to reconsider their hate for this glorious vegetable. The colour alone- a lovely shade of shocking purply/pink- is worth cooking with, don’t you think? AND, apart from anyhting else, it has incredible properties (it cleanses your kidneys, bla bla bla). Anyway, this particular recipe is absolutely gorgeous and bound to convert a few philistines. It’s easy to make, it tastes divine and it’s ideal as a starter with crudités (see picture). Or I guess as an accompaniment to cheeses or cold meats. You must try it when your next hoard of famished people descends on you! Once again I found the recipe, which I slightly adapted, in my River Cottage Every day book already mentioned (…. more than once in fact. I’m fast becoming a fan of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I must bring you a copy of this particular book when I come to Italy in March). Wouldn’t you agree that the colour alone is amazing????? By the way, I doubled the doses stated in the recipe as I had quite a few hungry people coming for dinner and didn’t want to run out…. Continue reading ‘Beetroot and pecan nuts hummus’

Honey roast beetroot

Published by Lucina, on 23 novembre 2011 in English Recipes and vegetables. 2 Comments Tags: .

honey roast beetroot

I tried this recipe for the first time at the weekend but I tell you what! I’ll make it again. It was quick but really tasty. I was looking for an easy vegetables dish as I had guests for dinner and not much time to cook-the story of my life these days! :-( . I had beetroot in my cupboard which I needed to use so I started scouring the internet for possible recipes. I eventually found this one from the BBC good food website.It looked simple enough so I had a go. Really nice! My guests loved it too. So here I am sharing it with you.  I’ve discovered beetroot late in life: to be precise a year ago when I started ordering an organic vegetables box every week. You can’t choose the vegetables you get and sure enough one day I found beetroot amongst my delivery. I thought I didn’t like it as I had only ever tasted the awful sliced variety in vinegar before (the one you buy in a jar).  But hey, the real mc Coy doesn’t taste anything like it. … It’s delicious! Sweet and earthy. I love it now. I’ve already blogged a summer salad recipe with goat cheese and beetroot and here is a more wintery dish you can have as an accompaniment to many things, including roasts. Continue reading ‘Honey roast beetroot’

Celeriac gratin with chilli and garlic

Published by Lucina, on 27 febbraio 2011 in English Recipes. 4 Comments Tags: , .

Hey Candi, I can’t remember if I told you but I have been getting a weekly delivery of vegetables since August. All kosha stuff (organic and local). Only problem is, because I order the seasonal veggie box, sometimes I get the same vegetables week in, week out.  At the moment there are lots of root vegetables, like for example swedes (which, to enlighten you Italians, look  like big turnips, orange inside. I have never seen them in Italy) which are fast becoming the bane of my life. After all  there’s a limit to how many you can cook in a week (same with cabbages). Consequently they are building up in my cupboard and developing a lovely mould like coating. Anyway  I managed to put one out of its misery and cooked it tonight (mashed, with a little butter and pepper) to accompany the cottage pie I made (bog standard stuff , but nice all the same). But  the recipe I want to share with you right now  is the other vegetable dish I made: namely some gorgeous baked celeriac (= sedano rapa in Italian) au gratin. Continue reading ‘Celeriac gratin with chilli and garlic’