Proud Italian Cook

Grilled Vegetable Stacks With Lemon, Parmesan Ricotta Cream

April 16, 2026 by Marie Leave a Comment

These vegetable stacks are fun to make, very easy to put together and they make a beautiful and unique presentation. I’m a big fan of grilled vegetables, and as soon as the weather gets nice I’m often out there grilling whatever veggies I have on hand.

Basically you stack up some of your favorite grilled vegetables layered with a very flavorful ricotta mixture in between.

I chose to make mine with some grilled zucchini and grilled eggplant, but think about it, you can stack nicely sliced bell peppers, onion slices, potato slices and portobella mushrooms to name a few, all layered with that dreamy ricotta mixture.

You’ll want to get some good grill marks for a nice presentation when the vegetables are stacked.

The “glue” and the flavor buster in between the layers is this mix of ricotta, grated Parmigiano or grated Romano cheese, granulated garlic, parsley, basil, lemon zest and a touch of lemon juice, salt and pepper. There is no recipe, put everything in a bowl mix it up measure with your heart and taste it to your liking. I would suggest getting a more store-bought whole milk ricotta instead of the kind in water behind the deli.

If you get the deli kind you need to strain it of it’s liquid before mixing in everything else. The lemony and herby ricotta mix really elevates the whole dish.

It’s a different way of enjoying your grilled veggies. You can eat it for lunch, brunch, a light dinner. We even stuffed some in a pita for a light dinner one day, it’s all good!

To finish it off make a light vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk it up really good until it thickens ,then spoon some all around your stacks and on to your serving platter to enhance it even more.

Happy grilling!

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Appetizers, Grilled Foods, Party Foods, Side Dishes, Spring, Summer, Vegetables Tagged: grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, layered veggies, ricotta, stackedveggies

Pizza Rustica, My Way

March 25, 2026 by Marie 1 Comment

Pizza Rustica is a savory meat and cheese pie traditionally served during the Easter holiday. It’s also known as pizzagaina, pizza gain, Easter pie, or simply Italian meat pie. Of course every family has their own special way of making it.

It consists of a sturdy dough that can handle all the filling which includes an assortment of cured meats, Italian sausage and various Italian cheeses.

The original recipe is actually double the amounts that I’m posting here, it feeds a crowd. my family recipe was always made in a deep 13 x 9 pan.

For this recipe I cut all the ingredients in half and used a 10 inch spring form pan, easy to un-mold and it always gives you clean edges, and believe me it feeds many.

The deep golden crust is amazing, it also has black pepper sprinkled throughout which adds so much flavor in combination with the filling.

Speaking of the filling, my family’s passed down recipe was always made with Italian sausage, a mix of hot and mild, hard boiled eggs, a special cheese called Tuma, ( which can be substituted if you can’t find it, but if you live in the Chicagoland area you’ll find it at Caputo’s and other Italian grocers) and grated pecorino romano. By the way don’t be afraid to use hot sausage because the filling is so dense you’ll hardly notice the spiciness.

It’s rustic, dense and deliciously indulgent!

When you cut into it the slices stay oh so perfect! You can cut into wedges or thin slices.

Serve it at room temperature for an Easter brunch, lunch or just a very special treat.

Enjoy!

Pizza Rustica, My Way

An Italian meat pie typically served at Easter time. Filled with savory meat and cheese, also known as pizza rustica.

Author: Marie

Ingredients

DOUGH
4 cups flour
5 beaten eggs
1 -1/2 teaspoons salt
1- ½ teaspoons black pepper
¼ cup of vegetable shortening
water if needed to make a smooth consistency
FILLING
2 lbs.of Italian sausage ,use a mix of 1 lb. hot and 1 lb. mild or medium or all hot or all mild whatever you like, browned with casings removed
1 lb. tuma cheese, diced. if you can't find it use a mix of provolone and mozzarella or just mozzarella but not fresh mozzarella, the brick kind. If in the Chicagoland area Caputo's always has it or call head to other Italian grocery stores.
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup grated pecorino romano
2 eggs beaten
***********
1 egg yolk mixed with a little water to egg wash the top for a nice golden color

Instructions

Olive oil spray your spring form pan.
Pre-heat oven to 325
Dough
Use a giant bowl and add your flour, salt and pepper.Work the shortening in next, then add the eggs and mix well until incorporated. Use water if necessary to make the dough nice and smooth.
FILLING
Toss all the ingredients together in one big bowl. Mix well.
Roll the dough out to fit into the pan and let it overlap over the sides slightly.Save enough to cover the top.
Add all your filling pressing down while adding it in.
Place the rest of the dough you saved for the top, roll it out and place it on top of the filling.
Then roll the sides up to meet the top, just make sure the border is not overly thick, you might have to trim a little if your over hang was too long.
If you have dough scraps you can make a cross or do the leaves I placed on mine for a pretty decoration on top.
Brush the egg yolk mixture all over the top for a beautiful shiny gloss.
Place the spring form pan on a baking sheet for ease in and out of the oven or for any leakage.
Bake for about 1- ½ hours or until very golden and hollow sounding when you tap on top.
Let it cool 3 hours before releasing the ring on the pan, but better yet just cover the top with and chill the whole pan in the fridge overnight.

1 Comment Filed Under: Appetizers, Breads, Pizza, Side Dishes, Spring Tagged: Easter pie, Italian meat pie, pizza gana, pizza rustica, pizzagaina, tuma cheese

Italian Style Roasted Cabbage Wedges

March 1, 2026 by Marie 1 Comment

Italian style roasted cabbage transforms a humble head of cabbage into something spectacular. It’s my absolute favorite way to eat cabbage. All the flavors compliment each other and they become the perfect fit just like soul mates!

I realize there are hundreds of ways to make cabbage but if you’re going to roast some you have to give this a try, you might put it high on your list.

You’re going to cut your cabbage into thick wedges and what gives it the Italian flare is brushing each side with olive oil, some granulated garlic, a little salt and pepper and the most important key ingredient is, a good sprinkling of grated pecorino cheese on each side.

As the cabbage roasts the edges caramelize and turn golden brown, slightly crispy. The interior will become tender and sweet.

For the delicious sauce you’re just going to drain the juice from a large can of whole San Marzano tomatoes, keeping the tomatoes whole then tossing them into some warmed olive oil that’s been infused with softened whole garlic cloves.

Eventually you will be breaking the tomatoes open over the cabbage when it’s time to put everything together to finish off in the oven.

This dish is perfect along side some roasted chicken, Italian sausage, or any kind of sausage honestly.

It’s earthy, garlicky, smothered in a wonderful sauce enhanced with all the flavors that you prepped before roasting the cabbage.

I hope you enjoy every bite like I do!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Italian Style Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Roasted cabbage with an Italian twist to it.

Author: Marie

Ingredients

1 head of cabbage
1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, drained of the juice
5 whole peeled garlic cloves
grated pecorino romano cheese, (or Parmigiano Reggiano) measure with your heart
olive oil
fresh basil
chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep your cabbage by removing the outer leaves that might not look good.Rinse and pat dry. Then cut the cabbage in half DO NOT remove the core. It will help your wedges stay together. You can however trim a sliver off the bottom of the core if you wish. Lay each half cut side down and cut the cabbage into 3 wedges or 4 depending on the size of the cabbage.
Place wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush each side generously with olive oil, granulated garlic, a little salt, black pepper, a sprinkling of chopped parsley and the grated cheese.
Roast in a 375 to 400 degree oven ( ovens vary in temp) until golden on each side and edges starting to caramelize. Gently turning them over with a big spatula.
In the meantime prepare your sauce by covering the bottom of a small pan with olive oil and slowly simmering the garlic cloves until golden and soft.
Add the whole tomatoes just to warm them and get them coated with the garlic flavored olive oil.
Take your roasted cabbage wedges and place them gently into a baking dish and break open the tomatoes smothered right on top of the cooked wedges, adding in the whole garlic cloves as well and some more of the infused garlic olive oil.
Sprinkle with fresh basil, parsley some more grated cheese and place the dish into the oven til bubbly and cabbage is nice and tender.
Enjoy!