Summer Vegetarian Antipasto From Leftovers, Odds & Ends

Non-traditional vegetarian antipasto

Is it hot in your house? Don't feel like cooking? How about a non-traditional, vegetarian antipasto for dinner?

There is something so gracious and gratifying about a big generous platter of the good things from your refrigerator and cabinet, preferably served outdoors with a glass of wine or a cold one.

I can't explain why, but something about putting everything on one big family platter in the middle of the table makes it seem a lot more special than grabbing everything from the fridge and leaving them in their original containers.

The best part is you can put it all together in just a few minutes.

Don't feel limited to the standard repertoire of antipasto items you see at restaurants. Feel free to include tasty bits of leftovers, raw vegetables, quick pickled vegetables, an item or two from carryout, whatever you've got!

To get you started, here's what was on our platter last week, pictured above:

• marinated green olives
• fresh mozarella
• heirloom cherry tomatoes
• shards of parmesan
• leftover roasted green beans from carryout
• leftover corn and zucchini risotto - too lazy to fry it into cakes
• more leftover corn and zucchini (I diced too much for the risotto), quickly sauteed with red onion, garlic and olive oil
• cucumber
• ultra-thin slices of lemon, marinated in olive oil, parsley, chili flakes, sea salt and sugar (another Mario Batali trick)
• and of course, slices of baguette, brushed with olive oil and toasted

Obviously if you set out to make this exact platter, it is going to be a huge hassle. But if you take the concept, maybe stop at the store for a baguette and a couple vegetables and raid your fridge and pantry, you can have this on the table in just a few minutes.

Other wonderful options: roasted peppers, pepperoncini, aged balsamic vinegar, Middle eastern spreads like hummus or baba ganouj, roasted eggplant, roasted garlic, white beans... the possibilities are endless.

Try it and I'll bet you'll find your whole family will love this light, relaxing way of eating where everyone gets to choose what they want for their next bite.

And by the way, if you enjoyed this post, how about subscribing to my RSS feed. And have a great holiday weekend!

Is Molto Mario (Batali) Still The Best Cooking Show On TV?

You want to learn something valuable about cooking while vegging out in front of the tube? Got thirty minutes?  (Or twenty-two if you have TiVO.) In my opinion, the very best thing you can watch is reruns of Molto Mario on Food Network.

Now you might think: "dude, you are a vegetarian! Why would you watch that?" Ok, let's take a parenthesis here. If you are a vegetarian and think you should only buy vegetarian cookbooks and watch shows that don't involve meat or fish, you are an ... well, let's not be insulting. You are missing out on most of the knowledge that the food world has to offer, because let's face it - we are in the minority here, people. Most of the great chefs in the world cook animals. Sucks for me (and the animals). I still buy their books and watch their shows. You can always skip past the parts where our critter friends get dismembered, and probably cringe.

For example, I recently watched an episode called Vuccinia Market. Mario made three dishes: eggplant cutlets, pasta with sardines, and a sweet-and-sour chicken, all in the style of a particular town in Sicily. The eggplant dish was already vegetarian, and garnished with caciocavallo cheese, pepperoncini, fennel fronds, and orange wedges. Yum! The pasta dish might be good with cauliflower and capers. I probably wouldn't directly substitute in the chicken dish, but the flavor profile could be adapted to, say, artichokes.

So why my love for Mario? Three reasons:

• he's a phenomenal cook
• he's tremendously knowledgeable and passionate about the regional cuisines of Italy
• he doesn't waste my time

In the Vuccinia episode, as is his custom, he makes all 3 dishes almost from scratch during the episode, including most of the chopping. He only does "Betty Crocker moments" for things that have to cook longer than TV allows. And he does all of it while conversing with three guests, and educating the viewer.

There is virtually no fluff. You get to watch a master work his knives and pans while he talks you through his thought process, period. For example, in the Vuccinia episode he stops to explain that you can tell female fennel bulbs (round) from male ones (flat), and that the female ones taste much better. Who the heck knew?

You should particularly listen up whenever he says "the main understanding is..." or "the main event is..." For example, in this episode he tells you that the "main event" in caramelizing a vegetable (like fennel) is to put it in the pan and don't move them for awhile. Let it just sit in the hot oil, and those surfaces will brown and develop lots of flavor. Simple, but how often do you mindlessly keep tossing the veggies, trying to cook them evenly?

So there you have it. If you haven't caught Molto Mario lately, please do and let me know what you think. Or if you think there is a better show out there, please comment and tell me what it is!

Summer Risotto With Corn And Zucchini - Recipe

Summery risotto with corn, zucchini, and tomato oil

One of the great things about risotto is that it is a blank canvas on which you can paint the produce of any place and season.  Restaurants tend to make the same stereotyped combinations over and over again, but don't let that limit your options!

I needed a light entree for a hot day, and I wanted something a little festive since it was for a birthday celebration, so I made a basic risotto with fresh corn and zucchini, and dressed it up with a bit of tomato-flavored olive oil.

For a more concentrated tomato oil, I would oven dry the fruits first to evaporate most of the moisture. This one I did with raw cherry tomatoes. The water emulsified the oil, so it actually was more like a tomato dressing. It still had a lot of flavor intensity and has the virtue of coming together in 2 minutes. Dipping bread in the leftovers was pretty incredible. You should only keep leftover home-flavored oils for a few days because there is a risk of anaerobic bacteria.

The broth for a risotto should be mildly flavored, because it is greatly reduced and concentrated in the cooking process. If you started with a strong broth it would be overpowering when finished. For this risotto, I add the corn cobs to the broth while it is simmering to bring up the corn flavor.

p.s. I made another version of this dish in the summer of 2009; check it out and see which sounds best to you!

Summery Risotto With Corn, Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Oil
Serves 6
Vegetarian and gluten-free; vegan if you omit the cheese

For the tomato oil:

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• handful of flavorful cherry tomatoes (or 1/4 cup diced ripe tomato)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Puree all ingredients in a mini-food processor.
2. Allow to steep for half an hour if possible.
3. Strain first through a fine mesh sieve and refrigerate if not using soon.

For the risotto:

• 6 cups mildly flavored vegetable broth (Seitenbacher broth powder works well)
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 cups arborio, carnaroli or other risotto-approved rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons salt
• corn kernels from 1 and 1/2 ears, reserve the cobs
• 2 small zucchini, fine dice
• 1/2 cup or more grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese plus more for serving

1. Bring the broth to a simmer, and add the corn cobs.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot. Saute the onion for a couple of minutes until softened but not browned. Add the rice and saute for a minute or two until it turns slightly translucent.
3. Add the wine and salt stir until absorbed.
4. Add the broth, one ladle at a time, stirring very frequently. Continuously isn't necessary. When the rice begins to dry out, add another ladle.
5. After 16 minutes, begin to check a grain every minute. When there is a slight white pinhead that is a bit tough inside, add the vegetables. If you have used up all of the broth, you can start using water. Add more salt if needed.
6. Within 3-10 minutes, the rice should be tender but with just a hint of toothsomeness to it, and it should be surrounded with creamy, starchy goodness. Take it off of the heat right away and stir in the cheese.
7. Serve in individual bowls. Add a good squeeze of the tomato oil around the edge, and top with more cheese. Or truffles if you happened to have some.