In this weekly series we have been discussing the benefits of a vegetarian diet including: better health, animal rights, frugal living, food safety, and the direct connection between livestock production and global warming.
Mark Bittman asks an interesting question:Could Industrially Raised Meat Be Illegal?
If greenhouse gases are a hazard to human health, as the EPA has declared, and the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act authorizes strict regulatory action on substances if there’s a reasonable basis to conclude that there’s "an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment," and industrially raised livestock causes an estimated 18 percent of greenhouse gas (some estimates are much higher), could there be a legal case for tougher regulation of animal production?
I was inspired to create this series by former Beatle and vegetarian advocate Paul McCartney(Macca) who partnered with the Meatless Monday campaign to promote less consumption of meat. We don't just discuss the advantages of a vegetarian diet we also do some cooking, share recipes and listen to great Beatle/McCartney music!
Tonight to fulfill a New Year's resolution I'm heading to Nice, France, specifically to a vegetarian restaurant there called La Zucca Magica meaning The Magic Pumpkin. Now I don't know when I'll actually be heading there because I've really been faithful to personal carbon reduction and flying across the Atlantic on a whim doesn't accomplish that goal. But I love France and to be recommended to a rare vegetarian restaurant there by non-other than Mark Bittman may be irresistible.
These are adaptations of recipes from La Zucca Magica which I've tried at home and can verify that they do give you a taste of The Cote d Azur.
ORANGE AND OLIVE SALAD (serves 4)
La Zucca Magica
1 cup good black olives, preferably oil cured, pitted
About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for dressing
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
4 naval oranges, peeled, seeded, and sliced into rounds
Fennel seeds
1.Combine the olives in a food processor, along with a bit of the olive oil. Pulse the machine once or twice, then turn it on and add the remaining olive oil rather quickly; you don't want this purée too uniform but rather rough.
2.Stir in the thyme if you're using it, thin with more olive oil if necessary, and set aside (NOTE: You can refrigerate the tapenade for up to a month).
3.Layer 3 or 4 slices of orange on each plate, drizzle with olive oil, top with a good tablespoon of the tapenade, and sprinkle with fennel seeds
TOMATOES STUFFED WITH SPAGHETTI (4 servings)
Adapted from La Zucca Magica, Nice
4 large tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 yellow pepper, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, more for baking dish
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 pound spaghetti (or use orzo as above)
3 tablespoons small black olives (niçoise), pitted and chopped (kalamata would also work here)
1 tablespoon capers, preferably salt-packed (rinsed with warm water)
12 basil leaves, chopped
2 or 3 marjoram or oregano leaves, or a pinch of dried
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove top third of each tomato. Scoop out some flesh and chop it, along with the top third. Salt inside of tomatoes and turn them upside down while you proceed.
- Cook yellow pepper in a tablespoon of oil with half the garlic, until soft. Break spaghetti into little bits and cook in salted boiling water just until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- Mix together the chopped tomato, cooked pepper, spaghetti and all other ingredients except mozzarella. Stuff tomatoes, first with cheese, then with tomato mixture. Put in an oiled baking dish and bake for about 15 minutes, or until hot. Serve hot or warm. You may bake the tomato tops along with the stuffed tomatoes and reconstruct the tomatoe for serving.
STUFFED ZUCCHINI (serves 4)
Zucchini Stuffed With Marco's Pistou Adapted from La Zucca Magica
Adapted from La Zucca Magica, Nice
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup mixed herbs, like borage, mint, rosemary, sage, lavender,parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (use the good stuff)
Salt
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for baking
8 zucchini, preferably round
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor or, if you have time and patience, a mortar and pestle, mix together herbs, garlic, cheese, salt and oil. Herbs should be chopped, not puréed. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Wash and trim zucchini, then remove top third (or so) of each; if you are using the more typical long zucchini, cut them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out as much of the insides as is practical, then chop the insides with the removed slice and combine with the pesto. Salt the zucchini shells.
- Stuff shells with pesto mixture and put in an oiled baking dish; drizzle more oil over top and sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until zucchini are very tender. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
FRENCH ONION SOUP
This is my recipe
3 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. vegetable oil or olive oil
7 to 8 cups halved and thinly sliced onions (about 5 large)(use sweet if possible)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
10 to 12 oz. shredded Jarlsberg or Gruyere cheese
In large, heavy pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter with oil over medium heat. Stir in onions, sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Reduce heat, cover and cook 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add remaining butter to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and very soft, about 15 minutes.
Stir in flour and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in broth, sherry, thyme, salt to taste and pepper. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, adding more salt if needed.
Preheat broiler. Lightly toast bread slices. Ladle soup into 6 ovenproof bowls or crocks and arrange on baking sheet. Put enough bread on top of each serving—cutting and fitting if necessary—to cover soup. Sprinkle bread with shredded cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden. Serve hot
BAKED PEARS
A light,simple,french dessert
8 Bosc pears with stems intact
1 lemon, halved
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/4 cups sugar
the zest of 2 navel oranges removed with a vegetable peeler
two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1/3 cup orange-flavored liqueur (optional)
Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact and dropping the pears as they are peeled into a bowl of cold water acidulated with the juice of the lemon. In a saucepan combine the wine, 2 cups water, the sugar, the zest, the cinnamon sticks, and the liqueur, bring the liquid to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes. Arrange the pears, drained, on their sides in a baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer and pour the syrup over them. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake the pears in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, turn the pears over gently, and replace the foil. Bake the pears for 20 to 30 minutes more, or until they are tender. Let the pears cool, transfer them carefully to a deep serving dish, and ladle the cooking syrup with the zest over them. Chill the pears, covered, overnight and serve them with some of the syrup.
Here I will link to one of my favorite recipes which I have shown you before and which comes from La Zucca Magica Chard Stuffed with Risotto and Mozzarella
"Dance Tonight" Paul McCartney from Memory Almost Full
Ou Est le Soleil...Paul McCartney
What have you all been cooking? Have you made any New Years food resolutions? Please share your recipes and fave Beatle/McCartney music here.