Italian Vegetables

From Lucinda's Rustic Italian Kitchen

Tuscan Kale

3 tbsp olive oil
2 bunches Tuscan Kale of 1 bunch regular kale, ends trimmed off and cut croswise into 1/4 inch strips, rinsed well with water still clinging to leaves
Coarse salt

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and just before it smokes, add the kale little by little as each addition begin to collapse.

Baked Artichokes
1 1/2C fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 C flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped and fresh)
1/4C freshly grated Romano cheese
1/4C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp combined dried herbs (thyme, oregano, and savory herbs sold as italian seasoning)
1/2 tsp coarse salt
black pepper
2/3C olive oil
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 (9-ounce) packages best-quality frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, parsley, cheeses, herbs, salt, and pepper. Set aside
3. In another bowl, wishk together olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.
4. Rub olive oil inside a 13x9in pyrex baking dish. Lake the artichokes side by side. Evenly distribute the crumb topping over the artichokes, pushing it down in between the hearts. Tap the dish on the counter allowing the crumbs to sink into the cracks.
5. Drizzle the dressing all over the crumb topping
6. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Increase temperature to 375, remove the foil, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown all over.

Green Beans with tomato and Basil

1lb green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tomato, cored and chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large sprig fresh basil

1. Rinse and drain the beans, leave some water clinging to the beans
2. Place oil oil, tomato, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and basil in a medium size sauce pan with a lid. Add the wet beans and cover. Cover over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the beans are soft and tender, about 15 minutes.
   
3. Remove the cover, add the basil sprig and cook until most of the juices are evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove basil sprig before serving.

Note: I dried the beans, used some chicken broth instead of water to "steam," and added tons of garlic, and plenty of salt. The beans came out ok, tomato didn't add a lot of flavor. Mostly it tasted like green beans with some cooked tomato, nothing spectacular. Certainly easy to make.

Pomodoro Salad
Makes 4-6 Servings

4 fresh ripe tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 small red onion, sliced thinly length wise (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp torn fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp fresh thyme or oregano, or 1/4 tsp dried
3 tbsp olive oil
1 loaf fresh whole bread, torn in pieces

1. Blanch the tomatoes for 10s in boiling water and peel. Cut out core and slice into thick thin wedges and place into a medium size-bowm. Add salt and mix.
2. Add onion, parsley, garlic, basil, thyme or oregano, and olive oil, stir until combine. Chill for 30 minutes.