Vegetarian Dish

Italy

Pizz e foje is a traditional peasant dish originating from Molise. It's made with a combination of polenta and wild greens. The polenta is prepared with cornmeal, flour, eggs, olive oil, sugar, and salt, while the greens mixture is made with garlic, red pepper flakes, Swiss chard, dandelion greens, and cardoons. Once cooked, the polenta is spread into a thick slab, then baked until it's hardened and browned. The polenta is broken into pieces and added to the pan with the greens mixture. The dish is served at room temperature or warm, and it's recommended to drizzle some olive oil on top before serving.

Pizz e foje

Spinaci alla genovese is a traditional dish originating from Genova. The dish is usually prepared with a combination of spinach, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, raisins, salt, and toasted sliced of peasant-style bread. The spinach is steamed, drained, then heated in olive oil with garlic, pine nuts, and raisins. The mixture is seasoned with salt and cooked over medium heat for about ten minutes. Once done, spinaci alla genovese is typically served over slices of toasted bread and enjoyed warm.

Spinaci alla genovese

Spollichini in bisaccia is a traditional dish originating from Salerno. The dish is made with a combination of beans, green beans, tomatoes, garlic, celery, hot peppers, olive oil, basil, and parsley. The garlic, tomatoes, basil, parsley, celery, and hot peppers are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil until blended. The beans and green beans are boiled until tender and tossed with the sauce. The mixture is left to stand for about half an hour or until the flavors are blended. Spollichini in bisaccia are then typically served on toasted slices of homemade bread. The dish is usually prepared in a terracotta pan.

Spollichini in bisaccia

India

Tandoori bharwan tamatar is a traditional dish originating from Punjab. The dish consists of grilled and stuffed tomatoes. The tops are cut off, the seeds are scooped out, and the tomatoes are then stuffed with a mixture of paneer, diced boiled potatoes, peas, raisins, turmeric, cumin seeds, oil, chili powder, and salt. The tops are placed back and each tomato is tied with twine. The stuffed tomatoes are coated with a marinade consisting of eggs, flour, salt, ajwain (carom seeds), and yogurt. They are skewered and roasted in a tandoor or grilled until fully cooked. If properly prepared, the filling should be piping hot. Bharwan tamatar is served hot and it's usually accompanied by chutneys and salads.

Tandoori bharwan tamatar

Tandoori broccoli is a traditional vegetarian dish originating from India. Although there are many variations, the dish is usually made with broccoli florets that are marinated in a combination of hung curd (strained thick yogurt), red chili powder, oil, besan flour, ginger-garlic paste, coriander leaves, fenugreek, garam masala, and salt. The marinated florets are placed on skewers and cooked in a tandoor or grilled in an oven until tender and fully cooked. Once prepared, tandoori broccoli is served hot, and the dish is usually garnished with mint leaves.

Tandoori broccoli

Urzici cu usturoi is a traditional dish originating from Romania. The dish is usually made with a combination of nettles, olive oil, onions, garlic, flour, polenta, scallions, pumpkin seeds, and salt. The nettles are blanched in boiling water, then placed in a bowl filled with cold water. The onions are saut&eacute;ed in oil until soft, mixed with the garlic, flour, polenta, nettles, and the remaining water from cooked nettles. The mixture is simmered over medium heat, mixed with the scallions, seasoned with salt, and then garnished with pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of olive oil before serving. If desired, the dish can also be topped with grated cheese for extra flavor (but then it's not vegan anymore). It's especially popular to prepare urzici cu usturoi in springtime as a celebration of fresh local ingredients.

Urzici cu usturoi

Zucchine alla poverella is a traditional dish originating from Basilicata. It's usually made with a combination of zucchini, red wine vinegar, garlic, mint, olive oil, and salt. The zucchinis are sliced into thin strips and fried in olive oil on each side until tender and golden. They're drained, layered in a heatproof dish, and sprinkled with salt and chopped mint. The wine vinegar is boiled in a pan with salt, garlic, and mint, and the mixture is then poured over the zucchini strips. The dish is chilled in the fridge and it's typically served cold. The name of the dish means poor woman's zucchini and refers to the fact that the ingredients are usually available and cheap.