A simple vegetarian winner I hope you will like

I got this from a funny little cookbook I got on a sale rack at B&N for about $5.00 that has turned into an invaluable resource - The Little Big Vegetarian Book from McCrae Books. It's an English version of a cookbook originally in Italian. Like my other Italian cookbooks, it uses a few ingredients simply with outstanding results. I really recommend this book if you can find it. Anyway, the recipe I just made that was so good was

Zucchini and Asparagus Lasagna* (doesn't use pasta noodles, so not really a lasagna, but more a layered vegetable bake)
serves 4.

1.Cut 2lbs of zucchini lengthwise into thinnish strips. (Don't julienne the strips, they should be wide.)saute in a little olive oil until browned and set aside. These will act like lasagna noodles.

2.Saute 1 &3/4 C of fresh breadcrumbs and a couple cloves of chopped garlic in 2T of Olive Oil and 1 T of butter until lightly browned, and set aside

Preheat oven to 400.

3.Saute 5 chopped shallots and 2 chopped carrots in 2T of Olive Oil a few minutes until soft and lightly browned. Add 1/2lb of trimmed coarsely chopped asparagus and 3/4 C heavy cream and cook over medium heat about 10 mins. Season with salt and pepper.

Layer casserole dish with 1/2 zucchini strips
top w/ 1/2 of asparagus cream mixture
sprinkle with 1/2 the breadcrumbs and then 1/4 to 1/2 C of freshly shredded Parmesan. Dot top with cut up 1T of butter.

Repeat layers

Cook for 15-20 mins til browned. Let sit a little after you take it out to firm up a bit, just like all casseroles.

Yum!!

You definitely don't need it in the center of the casserole.

Thanks for posting it :hi:.

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Big-Vegetarian-Book/dp/8889272333/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247946012&sr=1-1

The picture on the cover is actually this dish. I guess I was lucky to get it on the sale table. Most of the reviews are pretty complimentary except for one. I think the vast majority of the recipes are relatively simple yet quite tasty and are things most people would actually eat.

:hi:

I need some new cookbooks :-).

Doesn't sound good, but who knows. Unfortunately one is a Spring veg and one a Summer veg. I think instead of the asparagus, I'd try mushrooms, onions and/or pea pods. Those all go well with zucchini. Maybe eggplant too!

If you think about it, zucchini is very mild and works well as a carrier for lots of other flavors. The asparagus flavor is softened by being cooked in the cream with the shallots and carrots and the zing in the dish is the parmesan and garlic. Believe me, it actually worked. I would have never come up with it on my own

BUT, the second I made this dish, I said, hmmm, you could do this with lots of other combos. I was thinking that I could see putting a little white wine and tarragon with some chicken and artichokes would work nicely as a substitute for the asparagus. I think I will experiment and make lots of different combos. I could see changing the cheese too if you wanted something gooier.