Vegetarian?
I have always been a meat eater, and the concept of vegetarianism was far from my mind. For much of my life I didn’t even know anyone who avoided meat. Of course my education included references to vegetarian concepts going back to Pythagoras and Plato, but it didn’t make much of an impression on me. I remember one guy who worked with me who made a big deal of changing his lifestyle, and when I’d introduce him to others, it would be like “this is Nick, he’s a vegetarian!”
Americans who identify as vegetarian or vegan now make up at least 6 percent of the population, and possibly 10 to 15 percent, according to recent surveys.
Three-fifths of American households go meatless at least sometimes, a sharp break from meat-and-potatoes tradition.
Diet for a Small Planet, the 1971 bestseller by Frances Moore Lappé helped to launch the modern vegetarian movement. Lappé made a case for vegetarianism as a solution to world hunger, which she ascribed to a wasteful and carbon-spewing meat industry.
There are 28,865 Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants businesses in the US as of 2023, an increase of 3.8% from 2022. There are many locally, and I admit I’d be unlikely to patronize any of them. Restaurants mean good meat dishes for me.
Anyway, we cook eclectically, and often we notice that, hey, this is vegetarian, though that was not our intent. So I’ll present our recipe for one-pan pasta (again) which we cook often and fills that role. This recipe is good enough that it’s worth keeping.
12 ounces dried Linguine
12 ounces cherry tomatoes (or be creative with what veggies are available)
(a cup of corn and/or slices of red bell pepper is a good addition)
1 sweet onion sliced into thin wedges
3-4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Leaves from 2 sprigs of basil, plus torn leaves for serving
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
4-½ cups water or stock of half and half
Grated Parmesan
In a deep straight-sided skillet, combine the linguine, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and water/stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil the mixture, frequently stirring and turning the ingredients with tongs, until the pasta is al dente and the water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 warmed bowls and garnish with torn basil leaves. Serve with the cheese and additional olive oil.
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