New Leaf: Massimo!

Capra has a new cookbook of one-dish meals

Monday, April 21, 2008
Last updated: Monday April 21, 2008, EDT 6:37 AM

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Massimo's Italian Kitchen: Authentic One-Dish Meals from a Seasoned Chef," by Massimo Capra (Sellers Publishing, 2007)

The mustachioed Food Network Canada personality comes back with more simple Italian recipes. Born in Cremona, Italy, Capra introduces each recipe with personal tidbits. For "My Mother's Frittata," for example, he explains a local habit in his hometown of enjoying 11 a.m. wine and frittata as a midmorning snack: It's a staple at local bars that easily can be made vegetarian. Italian cuisine usually is filled with vegetarian options, and this book has its share. Be prepared, though, to leave the pancetta out of recipes pairing it with brussels sprouts and the prosciutto out of the recipes with peas.

— Evelyn Shih

* Milanese fennel cutlets
2 fennel bulbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
1 tablespoon butter

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the stringy inedible outer leaf from each fennel bulb, clean the bottom, and cut the bulb lengthwise into wedges. Plunge the fennel into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and cool on paper towels.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, parsley and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the fennel wedges, and gently stir to coat.

On a tray, mix together the bread crumbs and the Grana Padano. Coat each fennel wedge by pressing firmly into the bread-crumb mixture, being careful not to crush the fennel by pressing too hard.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, pour olive oil to about 1/2-inch deep. It should be enough so that the fennel doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan, but isn't submerged. Add the butter. When it has melted, arrange the fennel wedges so they fit comfortably in the pan.

Fry the fennel until golden, turning as necessary for evenness. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Servings: 4 to 6.

Per serving: 471 calories, 25 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 125 milligrams cholesterol, 45 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, 721 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.