Again more veggies!!

If you think that this was all the veggies you can cook, you are wrong.
There are still a lot of ways to cook vegetables, especially in tomato sauce. The difference is that in the following recipes we'll use chopped tomatoes, so you'll be also able to see small bits of tomato within the vegetables.

ZUCCHINI IN TOMATO SAUCE

Growing up I didn't like zucchini. My parents, after a couple of tries, didn't push me and left it at that. So I went through life staying away from zucchini until some 7 or 8 years ago when I planted two zucchini plants in my back yard. I had one green zucchini plant and one yellow. All of a sudden we had an extraordinary crop with lots of zucchini. I gave some to my neighbour, some to my friends, and I still had a lot on my hands. I started slicing them and frying them. My mom like it very much, but how much fried zucchini can you feed her? So here I was one day sitting on my deck looking at the crop of the day: 3 beautiful green zucchini, a couple of bell peppers, 4 cucumbers and a lot of tomatoes. I kept admiring the fresh zucchini and thinking of how to cook them. Finally I thought: why not give it a try the old fashion way with these beautiful fresh tomatoes? Only then, I realized why I never liked zucchini. Back home zucchini had big seeds, and they were tough to cook, so they had to overcook them, and by the time the seeds were edible, the flesh was very mushy. Talk about the yukky factor. Realizing that the main factor in disliking zucchini was the consistency of the vegetable when overcooked, I thought of a way to avoid that. It was easy especially that zucchini here have so little seeds. And it came out delicious! You'll need:
- 3 green zucchini
- 1tbsp of finely chopped onions and garlic (the mixture that we froze earlier, the equivalent of 1/2 small onion and 1 or 2 garlic cloves)
- 3 or 4 tomatoes chopped or 1 can (15oz) of chopped tomatoes
- chopped parsley for garnish (I use flat leaf parsley)
- 1tbsp canola oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then each half again lengthwise. Then slice them into small triangles.
In a skillet combine the oil and the onion/garlic mixture with salt and pepper. Cook until translucent. Add the zucchini and some salt. Stir. cook for 3 or 4 minutes more, then add the tomatoes with their juice. Cook over medium high heat until the zucchini are tender, not mushy ( they should have a little bite to them, less than al dente).
Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.
Note: If the tomato juice is not enough, you can add some chicken stock, just a little, until the zucchini are done. But first make sure that all the liquid has been absorbed before adding any. Sometimes the zucchini cook very quickly.

PEPERONATA

I noticed that most people treat bell peppers as a condiment. We put them in salads, we chop them and add them to our food, we even roast them and use them as garnish or add-ons to other dishes, but we almost never treat them as a main dish. It is a shame, because peppers are so delicious on their own. Here is how you can have a delicious dish made of peppers. You'll need:
- 6 peppers; 2 of each: red, yellow and orange
- 1 tbsp of the frozen onion and garlic mixture
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 can (150z) chopped tomatoes (or 3 to 4 fresh tomatoes chopped)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp capers rinsed (optional)
- 2 tbsp chopped basil or parsley

Remove the stem from the peppers, cut them open to remove the seeds and the white parts on the sides. Cut the peppers in strips lengthwise. In a large skillet, combine the onion mixture with the oil and cook until translucent. Add the peppers and some salt and pepper. Stir and let cook for a while. When they start to soften add the tomatoes and let cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Add the capers if you're using them, stir. Garnish with the chopped herbs and serve.
This peperonata can also be served at room temperature, and as an appetizer.
Note: If peppers don't usually agree with you, and you have always avoided them, don't worry, there is an easy solution to that: before you cut them, use a vegetable peeler to peel the transparent membrane of the peppers. It contains all the elements that cause your discomfort.
Also some people like to slice the onions almost the size of the peppers, you can do that too if onion slices don't bother you.

BASIC RICE RECIPE N.1

You can serve all these vegetables with a side of rice. But please don't boil your rice. I'll tell you how to make it tastier. This recipe is sometimes called pilaf, but I consider it my basic rice recipe because I never boil the rice, and seldom cook it just white. Also I use the long grain rice, but you can go ahead and use any kind of grain you prefer. You'll need:
- 1 cup of rice (rinsed and drained)
- 1 handful of angel hair pasta crushed
- 1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil (or 1/2 oil, 1/2 butter)
- 2 cups water or chicken stock ( or according to your rice instructions)
- salt to taste
In a non stick pot, heat the oil with the pasta and stir until golden brown. Add the rice and stir until you hear a cracking after all the liquid from the rice is absorbed (about 2 minutes). Add the liquid and salt and bring to a boil covered. When all the liquid is absorbed, stir the rice, reduce the heat to a very low setting, cover and let cook until done.

BASIC RICE RECIPE N.2
It is the same as the recipe N.1, but you'll substitute the angel hair pasta with orzo. Just a handful. You can adjust the liquid you'll add accordingly (meaning add a little bit more than the instructions require to cover the extra orzo. But not too much, you can always add more later if it needs so).

BASIC RICE RECIPE N.3
Again it is the same as recipe N.1, but you'll substitute the angel hair pasta with a handful of the same rice. Brown it and add the rest of rice. you'll have a one and one rice.

BASIC WHITE RICE
-1 cup of rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp oil
-2 cups water or chicken stock
-salt to taste
Heat the oil in a non stick pot. Add the rice, stir until you feel that the liquid from the rice is all absorbed. Add the water or chicken stock, and salt to taste. Cover and let boil. When the liquid is all absorbed, reduce the heat, stir and cover again until done.