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A prime factor in an Italian family’s dinner table is its produce and that is because the foundation of Italian cuisine is built around vegetables. In Italy, vegetables are served as an accompaniment to other dishes in Italy. They are usually served individually, unlike in American cuisine where the vegetables are placed on the same plate as the meat.
Many soups made with a variety of vegetable combinations are a basic feature in regional cuisines in areas such as the Marches, Latium and Tuscany. It is also interesting to note that in spite of corporate agricultural conglomerations, Italians’ consumption of vegetables still stems primarily from their kitchen gardens.
Italians believe that Italy holds a natural suitability of the Italian soil for growing top quality vegetables. Farming areas like those found in California give Italy a run for their money when it comes to growing artichokes, radicchio and asparagus. And—many of us have our own kitchen gardens from which we can grow these delectables.
Generally speaking, the first image that comes to mind when we speak of vegetables is the salad. A salad is generally put together with a combination of many ingredients according to the season and the person’s imagination. The salad is also eaten after the meal to aid digestion. Many times we would eat our salad on the same plate that the spaghetti was on (a little tomato gravy always enhanced the salad’s flavor).
Food customs along the coast from Genoa to Marseilles are fundamentally similar. The term salad indicates a union of various ingredients, vegetable and non-vegetable, raw and cooked. But in everyday use the word “salad” is used to mean simply a collection of green leaves. Any waiter in an Italian restaurant will serve un’insalata that is a mixture of greens chosen from various types of chicory, Belgian endive, escarole, and radicchio.
Dressing usually consists of olive oil and lemon juice or wine vinegar and freshly ground black pepper.
Here are two fast salads to make that you will enjoy.
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
• 2 or 3 tomatoes, washed and quartered
• ½ cucumber, peeled and sliced
• Olive oil, salt, oregano, and basil to taste
Insalata Broccoli Rabe
• 1 head of broccoli rabe (regular broccoli may be substituted) rinsed and blanched for 7 – 10 minutes till tender
• Drain and place into a dish filled with cold water and ice
• Drain again and spread out the cooked broccoli rabe on a platter
• Drizzle olive oil on top, and add 1 – 2 minced garlic cloves
• Add the lemon juice at the very last minute as it will turn the leaves yellow, or serve with fresh lemon wedges.
Serve salads with hot, crusty Italian bread.
Buon Appetito!
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