Grandma’s Stuffed Vegetables

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August was a good month for the Bartolini Clan at the old two-flat. Grandpa’s garden was in high-gear, easily producing enough tomatoes for all of both families’ needs. (Be sure to check out Mom’s Tomato Antipasti.) As the years passed, the garden grew and so did the selection of produce. Lettuce, swiss chard, eggplants, peppers, and, of course, grapes, all made their way onto our dinner tables in August, if not before. To augment his own “crops,” Grandpa and I made a weekly trip to Detroit’s Eastern Market every Saturday morning, where he would walk the aisles, haggling each farmer/vendor over the price of whatever it was that he wanted to buy. By the end of our “tour,” we’d return to the car with everything from fruits & vegetables to chickens (dead or alive) and, one memorable Saturday each year, a hog’s head to be made into head cheese. (You’ve not lived until you’ve walked around a crowded farmers’ market, carrying a hog’s head on your shoulder, stopping occasionally while your Grandfather haggled with some farmer over what amounted to 50 cents, if that.) Sunday was my Dad’s turn. Starting when we were very young, Sis & I accompanied him and our favorite stop was the bread bakery. While Dad chatted with his baker friend, we munched on bread straight from the oven. Along the way we might visit with friends or family, stop at an Italian market or 2, and then head to the grocery for whatever he hadn’t found at the previous stops. We’d return home, laden with all kinds of goodies, just in time for Sunday brunch.  That night, both families often dined together in a large, screen-enclosed room, “the patio,” which Grandpa had built adjacent to the garage. It easily accommodated the 12 of us and very often a few guests more.

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Grandmas stuffed veggies 1

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In retrospect, these dinners went off like a well-oiled machine. While Dad, Uncle, and Grandpa worked the grill and their beverages, Mom and Zia handled the rest, from setting the table to making sure that the “trouble-makers” among us 6 kids sat at separate ends of the long table. (One memorable response, walkie talkies, though well-played was extremely short-lived.) Aside from the grilled entrées, the meal itself featured side dishes made from the garden’s vegetables, as well as those that Dad and Grandpa had just purchased. Family favorites, that both women were quite capable of preparing, were tomatoes, eggplant, and onions that were halved, topped with a bread crumb mixture, and baked. Both Mom and Zia spoke of Grandma preparing vegetables in this way, which is similar to recipes for tomatoes Provençal. With Mom & Grandma’s birthday having been on the 15th, and Uncle’s birthday the 12th, I thought this would be the perfect time to share this family recipe.

Now comes the hard part. I have seen these vegetables prepared countless times, most recently a few weeks ago while visiting Zia. I have prepared them myself dozens of times, the most recent being last night. Never have I measured any of the ingredients nor have I seen them measured. Mom would get so exasperated with me as I asked her, repeatedly, what the measurements were for some dish, often this one. Now, far too late, I understand. More important than how much of this or that is the look and feel of the finished mixture. She and Zia use this breading mixture in a number of dishes. It’s consistency varies depending upon the dish and how it is cooked. When used with Grandpa’s  barbecued shrimp, it is very moist, almost dripping. Here, the vegetables are cooked at a much lower temperature than on a grill and, so, the breading isn’t as moist. Even so, you may prefer your topping to be more/less firm when served and the amount of oil used will determine that. Because of all this, I’m only posting guidelines and not a recipe. Use them as a base, adjusting where necessary to suit your own tastes.

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Grandma’s Stuffed Vegetables

Select fully ripened tomatoes, small to medium-sized onions, and baby or small eggplants. If you use large, thick eggplants, they will require pre-roasting, as do the onions. Better to seek out relatively thin eggplants of about 4 – 6 inches in length.

For the stuffing, you will need about 2 – 3 tbsp of bread crumbs per vegetable half; about 1 tsp of freshly chopped parsley per vegetable; 1 – 2  garlic cloves, minced, depending upon the number of vegetables used; salt & pepper, to taste; and enough extra virgin olive oil to fully moisten the mixture. It should not be sopping or dripping wet.

Pre-heat oven to 400*. Remove a thin slice off of the top & bottom of each onion. This will allow them to “sit” without rolling while roasting. Halve each onion, score the cut side with a sharp knife, and brush lightly with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, create the bread topping. Combine bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, salt & pepper, and olive oil. Halve the tomatoes and gently squeeze each half to remove some liquid and the seeds.  Add the liquid and “tomato caviar” to the bread crumb mixture. Halve the eggplants, lengthwise, and use a knife to score the cut side a few times. Use a pastry brush to coat the cut sides of the eggplants & tomatoes with olive oil and then season with salt & pepper. By now the onions should be about ready to be removed from the oven. Place all the halved vegetables on a lightly oiled baking sheet or dish and season with salt & pepper. Reset the oven temperature to 350*

Cover the top of each vegetable half with the bread crumb mixture. When finished, drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake in a 350* oven for 40 – 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

Variations

These are the 3 vegetable that Grandma, and later Mom and Zia, used. I’ve, also, prepared zucchini and summer squash this way, treating them as I would eggplant.

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Grandmas stuffed veggies 2

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Notes

Left-overs can be easily re-heated in the microwave. Better still, with 2 slices of Italian bread, one of the tomato or eggplant halves makes a great sandwich. Grandma served these sandwiches to her girls for lunch and they, in turn, served them to us.

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35 thoughts on “Grandma’s Stuffed Vegetables”

  1. These look simply divine! I wish I had one now – I’m at work, but it is lunchtime and I have only a few yellow pear tomatoes and pretzels! My grandmothers never measured anything – and honestly, most of the time I don’t either! I enjoy reading your memories! Are you interested in genealogy?

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    • I think your yellow pear tomatoes would make a great lunch! As this “project” has progressed, I’ve become more interested in the family’s history. I guess it’s a side benefit of writing a blog. My Dad’s side of the family is next.

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    • Thanks, Greg. Your stuffed artichoke could have been prepared by Mom. And, yes, we use it to stuff our calamari, too. I have an Italian-born friend from Key West who uses it too.. This breading mixture is probably the “ketchup” of Italy.

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  3. John, what wonderful memories you have! I felt as if I was right there! It seemed like that “stuffing” was used for so many dishes and rightly so as it added just another layer of flavor. My father would add in lemon zest to some dishes. Love the leftover idea; I remember that well! Thanks for sharing!

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    • Thanks, Linda. This was a fun post to write. So many memories came to mind. More material for future posts! We, too, sometimes used lemon zest, and even juice, when the breading was used for seafood. Truly an all-purpose breading.

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  5. What’s great is that your Grandma really knew how to cook intuitively. The history of France is peppered with Mere Poulard, Mere someone else, etc. These were matriarchs who not only knew how to cook, but knew how to bond families with food and pleasure.

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    • I think you’ve just described a host of Italian mothers who, when faced with an “empty nest,” will use food to lure the children back home for a visit. It sure worked with me!

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  6. Just back from the weekly ‘shop’, with my 19-year-old son (he gets lunch in exchange for carrying groceries) when I saw your new post. After hearing about you carrying the pig’s head around, the 2 big cans of olive oil he had to lug for me today seemed less onerous…

    Wonderful memories, wonderful recipe. Thanks.

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    • Aha! You and Grandpa were cut from the same cloth. Part of our “deal” was that he would buy me lunch along the way. It was a fair trade — until hog’s head Saturday. To be honest, those memories never fail to bring a smile to my face and I wouldn’t trade the experiences for all the money in the world. Me, begging him for the car keys so that I could drop the thing off. Him, telling me “Only one more stop,” as we continued on his tour.

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  7. “You’ve not lived until you’ve walked around a crowded farmers’ market, carrying a hog’s head on your shoulder, stopping occasionally while your Grandfather haggled with some farmer over what amounted to 50 cents, if that”…I thought that I was living but now realize that still have some things to do. 🙂 Seriously though we are getting our nest meat CSA order this weekend and will have the opportunity to purchase various “unusual” pig parts and I’m not seriously considering purchasing an entire pigs head.

    As for the stuffed veggies….kinda feel like I could lounge around all day eating these.

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    • Well, ya know, hidden among the recipes my Aunt gave me years ago was the (in)famous head cheese recipe. She meant it as a joke but I’m saving it for later, when I may want to boost my readership. BUT, since you are going to purchase pig products, I could email the recipe to you immediately, just so long as you keep it secret. Then, all you’ll need is a 10 to 12 year-old to lug the thing around for ya.

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  8. what a lovely read and account of your childhood memories – I can feel the festivity of it all, sitting around the table with your family – fabulous!
    My mom can get equally as exasperated when I asked about measurements.
    Have a happy day.
    🙂 Mandy

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    • Thanks, Mandy. At the time, I don’t think that any of us realized just how special those times were. True, it was the stereotypical Italian extended family living under 1 roof but, to be honest, I wouldn’t trade away 1 minute of those years. We were truly blessed. You, too, have a great day.

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    • I can’t guarantee any success for you these days but, if you are lucky enough to have one pass you by, rest assured the boy doing the carrying will be wearing a face that will make the hog’s head look happy. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.

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    • I never seem to tire of these, especially this time of year. Tomorrow morning I go to the farmers’ market and I know I’ll come home with eggplant, tomatoes, and sweet onions in my bag. I’m just as sure that on Sunday night, I’ll have them stuffed for dinner. Mom taught me well!

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  17. John, I am suppose to work in my own kitchen for a little bit, but, as always, once I start reading an article by you I can not stop – like now!! 🙂 Would like to visit that market but much more, I would like, please – pretty please, have a little place at that family dinner table of yours. And I promise, I would not be ‘a troublemaker’. But closing my eyes I can hear the laughter, the euphony of sound and the happiness of a large family enjoying a meal together. Grazie tante! Carina

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    • Aw, Carina, you’d be welcomed with open arms. One thing, though, it’s OK to be a little bit of a troublemaker. It wouldn’t be a proper holiday meal without a little “discussion” somewhere along the line. Nothing so serious, however, that it would disrupt the serving and enjoyment of the feast. That would be sacrilege!
      All joking aside, those years living together in the two-flat were really very special. Mom, Zia, and I used to reminisce about them, often stating that we didn’t realize just how good we had it back then. There are two kinds of luck and thankfully ours was very good. 🙂

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