Winter vegetarian assorted starter
( Antipasto assortito vegetariano)

Vegetarian winter starter, Italian style

Preparation and cooking

• - Cauliflower mini flans, lentil mini frittatas. Links to their recipes below!
  You'll serve 4 people with the suggested doses.
  You should prepare a lentil soup the day before and make frittatas just before serving.
  On the contrary, you can prepare cauliflower flans in advance. The ideal thing is to serve them warm but you can also warm them up if made in advance.
• - Radicchio with Russian salad. I used radicchio leaves to serve vegetarian Russian salad better. The method to make a quick-to-do Russian salad is very simple. Drain 1 400g (14 ounces) can assorted vegetables (potatoes, carrots and beans) very well. Dress vegetables with olive oil, salt, fresh chives and 2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise. It serves 6 to 8 people.
  Let your radicchio leaves whole, wash under cold running water and pat the excess water with paper towels.
  Spoon your Russian salad inside as you can see in the photo.
• - Polenta topped with caponata. Generally, I'm used to prepare wholemeal polenta but you can prepare polenta with normal corn flour and the precooked one too, to save time. In any case prepare it some hours ahead (even the day before), so you can slice it better.
  Heat polenta slices in the oven and then top them with caponata. In this case I used a can of assorted vegetable caponata. We are in winter and even if it is easy to find eggplants at the market, remember that it is not exactly the right season! Every vegetable has its own season ;))

Just before serving

• - Assemble your plate.
• - Your starter is ready to serve!

Note

Tips

• - A tip for polenta. You have to calculate its amount according to the number of your guests but if you have any leftovers, do not worry! Have you ever tried to put it in the oven, cut into slices and arranged in layers alternated with grated mozzarella or other cheese that you like as long as it melts in the heat?

Menu planning

• - In addition to being a starter, these assorted vegetable platter can be a great idea for a vegetarian main course, different from the usual and delicious. Ideal to be eaten in front of the TV.

Useful links for this recipe

• - Here are the recipes for cauliflower mini flans and lentil mini frittatas!
• - Interested to eggplant caponata too?

Healthy eating

• - I could not calculate calories, fat and everything else of this winter vegetarian starter. It is very difficult to know the right amount of olive oil in mini frittatas. Besides polenta and caponata can be variable too.
  But keep in mind that even if we are talking about a vegetable dish, it is rich in calories!

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Winter vegetarian assorted starter "?

My husband and I suggest you to pair the bubbles to this assorted vegetarian dish such as an Italian prosecco. But a new wine in winter could be another great idea!