TTI 3 Italian vegetable side dishes
I love vegetables. I mean, I really love them. Leafy greens, sweet squashes, earthy mushrooms, bright peppers etc. You get the picture.
In Puglia, where my Pops is from, vegetables are mega popular and found in abundance on most street corners. Eaten everyday they regularly feature in thousands of local recipes. Inspired by my love of veggies this week, I wanted to share with you three statement Italian vegetable side dishes that you could serve with a slice of pan fried fish, chicken, meat or even eaten on their own. The vegetables become the star of the show and so they should. Plus, in true TTI fashion, as well as being well balanced healthy dishes, they take no time at all and could even been done with your eye closed.

Roasted Butternut squash with red onion and sage (2/3 people)
- 350g butternut squash, diced
- 1 small red onion, cut into chunks
- 6-8 fresh sage leaves
- Olive oil
- Sea Salt
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH RED ONION AND SAGE (2/3 people)
- Place the butternut squash in a baking tray.
- Add the red onion and scatter the sage leaves.
- Coat with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt.
- Roast in a pre-heated oven at 200C for 30 minutes
Broad bean, pea and parma ham (2/3 people)
- 1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- Olive il
- 4 slices parma ham, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp fresh mint, chopped
- 200g broad beans , tinned and drained
- 200g peas, tinned and drained
- 50ml while balsamic vinegar (or dry white wine)
- Sea salt
- Fresh parsley, chopped
BROAD BEAN, PEA AND PARMA HAM (2/3 PEOPLE)
- Add a drizzle of olive oil in a heated sauce pan. Add the garlic and the onion. Soften on a low heat.
- Next, add the parma ham. Fry until slightly crispy. Add the fresh mint and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Then, add the broad beans and peas. Stir all together for a couple of minutes
- Pour in the white balsamic vinegar, increase the heat slightly and cook covered for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt
- Let it stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh parsley.
Cherry tomato and black olives
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp dry rosemary
- 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 75ml dry white wine
- 15 black pitted olives
- Fresh parsley
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
CHERRY TOMATO AND BLACK OLIVES
- Drizzle olive oil in a heated pan. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook on a low heat until the garlic has softened
- Add the cherry tomatoes, stir for a couple of minutes until softened.
- Next, pour in the white wine, turn the heat up and cover for a couple of minutes.
- Uncover the pan and add the black olives. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes and serve with fresh parsley.