Two easy and filling Italian style vegan dishes: quick Fregola (or Israeli couscous) di verdura and quick Risotto di verdura

These recipes are so simple that I wasn't even sure if to publish them, but sometimes we need simple, quick and filling food, and since these dishes taste great and are very healthy too, I thought that some readers may like them. Also FYI, in NZ it is very difficult to find fregola, but Israeli couscous is readily available in many shops now, and can be a great substitute. 

Quick Fregola di verdura

1 small onion

1 capsicum (any colour)

1 celery stalk with leaves

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

400 g fregola (or Israeli cous cous)

1 cup Italian tomato passata

1.5 l vegetables stock

Parsley and cherry tomatoes to decorate (optional)

Chop the onion, capsicum and celery, then sauté with olive oil. Add the fregola and stir, when hot add the Italian tomato passata and then, ladle by ladle, the vegetables stock, stirring constantly like when making a risotto. When the fregola is cooked and all the liquid absorbed serve, decorated with parsley and cherry tomatoes (optional).

Quick Risotto di verdura

1 small onion

1 small carrot

1 celery stalk with leaves

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chopped parsley

400 g carnaroli rice

1 glass white wine

1.5 vegetables stock

1 portion of frozen spinach

4 tbsp frozen peas

Chop the onion, carrot and celery, then sauté with olive oil. Add the parsley and rice, then a glass of white wine. Add the vegetable stock ladle by ladle, stirring constantly. Halfway through cooking add the spinach, and 5 minutes before finishing add the peas. Serve hot.

And now for something completely different: I visited the Teatro Solis in Montevideo today, April 10, and Chris Terrio was the special guest. Just in case you wander, no I didn't meet him.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©