Healthy, plant-based side dishes can lighten a meat-centered meal, or they can be a fantastic meal in and of themselves. TABLE’s Italian correspondent, Sara Ghedina, tucked into some cold-weather classics which blend the irreverence and freshness of California, where she once lived, with the culinary wisdom of Europe, where she was born and raised and currently resides. Buon appetito!
This quick and easy side dish uses only a few basic ingredients but turns out super delicious. Adding the fried onion is optional but gives the dish extra crunchiness.
Can I Make This Dish for Non-Vegetarians?
For a non-vegetarian option, cook 3/4 pound diced bacon in a skillet until browned and then transfer it to a paper towel to drain. Cook Brussels sprouts in the bacon fat and follow the recipe. Add back the bacon towards the end and serve, omitting the onion.
Built like a gin and tonic, this spritz combines the bright, floral flavors of hibiscus syrup, mint, fizzy soda water, herbal gin, and a zing of lime juice. It’s an easy-drinking, warm-weather sipper meant for end-of-summer celebrations.
This cocktail also responds well to improvisation! If it’s too sweet, cut out the simple syrup. Or, swap the plain syrup for a raspberry-infused variety. Emphasize the floral notes of hibiscus by adding in a touch of elderflower liqueur, or play to the garden feel by throwing in a few leaves of basil.
Recipe by Maggie Weaver Styling by Keith Recker Photography by Dave Bryce
The beauty of baking with olive oil is that it enhances and elevates flavors and allows for the nuance of ingredients to spring forward.
The beauty of baking with olive oil is that it enhances and elevates flavors and allows for the nuance of ingredients to spring forward. And you would be right to imagine that the taste and fragrance of orange take center stage in this impossibly moist and scrumptious cake.
Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups Liokareas Orange Olive Oil
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 finely sliced orange
1/4 cup orange freshly squeezed juice
1 tsp lemon or orange extract
2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp poppy seeds (optional)
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup lemon curd
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Brush the paper with butter. Arrange thin orange slices on the bottom of the paper-lined pan. If desired, sprinkle some poppy seeds into the spaces in between the slices. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat olive oil and eggs together. Add milk, orange zest, orange juice, orange extract, and cardamom, and beat together. Once well combined, add sugar and beat for a minute more.
Now add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and beat on low just long enough to blend.
Pour batter gently into the pan so that you don’t disturb the orange slices. Bake for 60 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer and continue to bake until the skewer emerges clean from the loaf.
Remove from oven. Gently insert a spatula between the paper and the pan to loosen. Let cool to room temperature before lifting the loaf out of the pan. Gently and slowly remove the parchment paper. Flip over onto a platter so that the orange slices are on top.
Warm the lemon over a low flame, stirring until it is loose and glaze-like. Spoon over the top of the loaf, letting the lemon curd drip generously down the sides.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with edible flowers or fresh citrus zest.
RECIPE AND STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE
Chef Sarah Lujetic‘s nostalgic fruit dip is a throwback to the 1980s classic, an oh-so-simple and sweet solution to snack time that will satisfy your kids’ cravings and make mealtime fun. Build your fruit board on a wooden cutting board, overflow it with fruit goodness, and let the kids dig in. Feel free to substitute Greek yogurt for the whipped cream, too.
1 cup marshmallow fluff
6 oz strawberry cream cheese (whipped) and room temperature
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together rapidly for 3 minutes until the lumps are worked out. You can make this the night before, and it will last in an airtight container for up to a week.
Recipe by Sarah Lujectic
Styling and Photography by Star Laliberte
Get a healthy taste of Italy with this delicious Carrot Bolognese recipe.
Get an early start to your seasonal fall comfort classics with this delicious Carrot Bolognese. If you’re always looking for something new to add to the dinner table, Chef Curtis Gamble constructed this healthy Bolognese recipe based on soffritto—a finely diced mix of onion, celery and carrot. This trio starts us off on a journey towards the famous flavors of Bologna, Italy. Packed with nutrients and flavor, it’s perfect for any meal. This recipe makes a 6-quart instant pot worth while and freezes incredibly well.
Marcella Hazan’s Lasting Impact
Marcella Hazan, Italian mother, cookbook author and food writer, has introduced cultures around the world to her famous bolognese sauce recipe. Hazan has influenced the foundation for many modern recipes like it through her her cookbook “The Classic Italian Cookbook” (1973). She is featured on a PBS documentary, “Marcella“, that premiered on July 11th that shares the story of her culinary success.
The use of carrots in this tasty Italian dish serves as a savory alternative to the classic tomato. The use of carrot as a base provides a rich flavor that has been popular in kitchens around the world since the 1890s. There are many ways to personalize the texture of your sauce from shredded carrots to small chunks. This dish is famous for its versatility in flavor and in its reduced acidic tone.
With this recipe, the tomato paste renders in the familiar, sweet taste mixed with the carrot and soy. With individual preference, your choice of noodle is endless. Pre-packaged or homemade pasta from scratch, try it all!
Chef Gamble’s reinvention of this dish combines a veggie-motivated appeal that fits right on any menu. The dish reflects Italy’s culinary originality while delivering a modern, diverse taste. This dish melts in your mouth! It’s vegetarian friendly and the perfect addition to any fall evening.
Story and Styling by Keith Recker Food and Recipe by Chef Curtis Gamble Photography by Dave Bryce
a carefree whipped feta dip with blistered tomatoes
The food processor does all the serious work of turning feta, cream, roasted garlic and black pepper into a luscious Whipped Feta Dip. Grill or broil some fresh cherry tomatoes from your local farm or farmers’ market, toast some bread, and pour glasses of wine for the guests. You’ll love this carefree appetizer.
Can You Make This Recipe Without a Food Processor?
You can make this Whipped Feta Dip without a food processor but you’ll have to use some man power for mashing and whisking. Start by making sure your feta is crumbled and at room temperature. This way, as you thoroughly mash the feta with a fork, it will be easier to work with and help you get it as fine as possible. Then, in a separate bowl, you’ll whisk the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. After that, you’ll combine the rest of the ingredients into the mashed feta. Finally, gently fold in the whipped heavy cream to keep the airiness and creamy texture.
Creamy, salty feta and juicy, blistered cherry tomatoes create an effortless dip for your guests.
Ingredients
Scale
8 oz feta cheese
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup water
½ tsp black pepper
4 cloves garlic, roasted
2 cups cherry tomatoes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to the broil setting.
In a food processor, add feta, heavy cream, water, pepper, and roasted garlic. Whip until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Place in serving dish and set aside.
Toss tomatoes with olive oil and salt, place on a sheet pan and broil (or grill) just until the tomatoes start to blister. Place on top of whipped feta, drizzle with more olive oil, and serve with crusty bread.
Recipe and Styling by Anna Franklin Story by Keith Recker Photography by Dave Bryce
Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Seth Culp-Ressler
Where did spring go? Our fingers are crossed for the warmer weather to return…
Photo courtesy of AWAACC’s Facebook
A Taste of the American Century August Wilson African American Cultural Center, April 26
In this memorable foodie experience, the AWAACC cafe becomes the stage for a dinner highlighting the many historical Black food and desserts mentioned in the famous playwright’s American Century Cycle.
Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Playhouse
Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Bolero PNC Theatre at Pittsburgh Playhouse, April 27 to 28
Drawing inspiration from Zakes Mda’s novel Cion and Ravel’s Boléro, South African choreographer Gregory Vuyani Maqoma’s Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro uses singing, crying, and striking movement to give an intimate look at our connection with the loss of life.
Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Seth Culp-Ressler
Spring Gallery Crawl Cultural District, April 28
2023’s Spring Gallery Crawl marks the return of several popular stops: the TRAP + Paint series with Kuwame Kinsel of BOOM Concepts, the WPTS Radio local music showcase, where two acts chosen by the University of Pittsburgh’s student-run radio station perform live, and the hit after-hours Silent Disco. As always, new and already on-display exhibitions are the stars of the crawl, with thrilling entertainment and shopping options like Street Magic and Fashion is Art — a joint mother-and-daughter arts pop-up at Fresh Nostalgia Boutique — peppering the evening.
Photo courtesy of Handmade Arcade’s Facebook
Handmade Arcade Spring Market Construction Junction, April 29
Do you desire a little spring refresh? Handmade Arcade’s annual Spring Market is home to 33 local artisans and makers offering one-of-a-kind accessories, artwork, statement pieces, and more to adorn you, your home, or both.
Allegheny City Brewing x Hitchhiker Brewing Spray Collab: Photo courtesy of Allegheny City Brewing’s Facebook
Tiny Little Beer Fest Allegheny City Brewing, April 29
Whether you enjoy ales, lagers, dark brews, or something else, every one of the alcoholic beverages at Tiny Little Beer Fest features a 4.5% ABV or less. Joining the other 31 breweries and their low-alcoholic drinks are food trucks, music, and a special local collaboration beer.
Photo by Jeremy Cowart
Luke Combs Acrisure Stadium, April 29
Country fans, rejoice! Another year, another boot-stomping Luke Combs performance — a little over a month after the release of his latest album, Gettin’ Old.
It’s safe to say that we often drive our publisher, Justin Matase, to drink. But being the sport that he is, he turns the proverbial lemons into, well, in this case, a Violet Collins Cocktail: your new spring/summer cocktail perfectly refreshing as it is delicious, simple to make, and eye-catching in color.
How Did The Violet Collins Cocktail Get Its Name?
The “Collins” cocktail originated in the 1892 bartending manual Harry Johnson’sNew and Improved Bartender’s Manual, or How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style, in English and German. Johnson’s “Tom Collins” called just for Old Tom gin, lemon juice, and carbonated water. The later “John Collins” was the same, but with Holland Gin. Our addition to the Collins family is the colorful, flirtatious Violet Collins; we’ve simply added créme de violette, a violet flower liqueur, to the classic Collins recipe to balance the herbaceous flavors of the gin with a graceful springtime botanical. We’ve used an orange for garnish, but there are many other ways you could decorate this cocktail. Try some edible flowers, a citrus twist, or funky glassware for presentation.Print
Dive into this Citrus Salmon Carpaccio with Green Goddess Sauce. When you can, we suggest utilizing sunny, sweet-and-tart citrus varieties from quality produce departments like your local food co-op or grocery store. Perhaps take a vinegar trek out of town to farm-fresh naturally-fermented offerings into your dressing. However you slice it, this salad brightens the mood in nutritious and delicious ways. You can try this and other winter citrus recipes to brighten up the season for yourself and your loved ones.
What’s the Difference between Mandarin Orange, Blood Orange, and Cara Cara Orange?
For this Citrus Salmon Carpaccio, we tripled the amount of citrus. You’ll notice we have three varieties: Mandarin orange (needs no introduction, the classic orange), blood orange, and cara cara orange. Part of this aesthetics. Their sweet insides have different colors, so they create a more varied-looking plate. Blood oranges have a deep, almost maroon color, while cara cara oranges are paler pink-orange, and Mandarin oranges are somewhere in between with a yellower tone of orange. Cara cara oranges tend to be sweeter than the other two, also, making them a favorite in citrus-forward cocktails and salads since they complement other ingredients on the bitter or sour side of the palate.
Recipe and Styling by Anna Franklin Photography by Dave Bryce
