Vedure Ripiene di Liguria
This traditional recipe for stuffed vegetables dates back to ancient Roman times when day-old bread soaked in milk was mixed with raisins, pignoli nuts and spices. Any seasonal vegetable can be used - from zucchini to bell peppers and tomatoes. The vegetables are cut in half, then filled with a medley of bread or breadcrumbs, artisan cheese, garden herbs, and sometimes meat or seafood. The stuffed vegetables are baked until golden and served immediately.
- 500 grams stale bread
- 2 large red onions
- 1 pepper
- 500 grams potatoes
- 50 grams grated parmesan cheese
- Thyme, marjoram, parsley, oregano
- A pinch of coarse salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 eggs
- 2 spoons of breadcrumbs
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 spoons of prescinseua cheese (optional!)
- How to make Ligurian stuffed vegetables!
In a marble mortar, beat the garlic, some of the herbs and some grains of coarse salt until they have a creamy appearance.
Put the stale bread in a bowl with warm water (some people use milk, but I prefer to keep it lighter).
On a cutting board, finely chop half onion and the parsley.
Now rinse the bread, keeping aside the water. Tear it into tiny bits with your fingers and place it into the mortar, together with the chopped onion and parsley. Add the eggs, the Parmesan cheese and the prescinseua cheese. If it looks too soft, you can add some breadcrumbs; if it is too hard, add some of the water you used for the bread. Taste the stuffing to check if it is good, but try not to eat it all!
Peel, wash and cut into very thin slices the potatoes, pour into a pan greased with the oil, creating a thin layer. Sprinkle some salt and oregano onto the potatoes.
Wash the pepper and the onion and, cutting them into pieces, use them to make little containers for the stuffing. Lay all your stuffed vegetables on the potatoes, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and bake them into the oven for 40 minutes (200° C, 392° F).
Stuffed vegetables are delicious even when eaten cold.
You can use also zucchini, but you need to boil them before stuffing them. The core can be added to the filling as well.
Have fun and buon appetito!