What makes this dish truly good is the old bread soaked in milk. Not only is it flavorful and mellow, but the traditions are steeped in preserving and respecting food: waste not, want not. It makes for a great vegetarian main course. With some old bread and whatever was growing in the garden, the Italian immigrants could make a delicious meal.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8 or more as an appetizer, or 6 as a main course
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour the milk over the bread in a bowl, and let sit for 20 minutes, pressing the bread into the milk.
Step 2
Prepare the vegetables for stuffing: Halve the zucchini crosswise, then lengthwise, to make twelve pieces. Scoop out the centers to make “boats.” Finely chop the scooped-out centers, and put them in a large bowl. Cut the celery stalks into 4-inch lengths. Cut each bell pepper into four segments, at the natural breaks in the ribs, and remove stems and seeds. Peel onions, halve them crosswise, then cut each in half crosswise again, to get eight rings in all. Remove the inner pieces of onion, to make onion boats. Set the boats aside, and chop and reserve the smaller inner parts of the onions.
Step 3
Squeeze the excess milk from the bread. Combine the bread with the chopped zucchini. Add the scallions, 1 cup of the grated cheese, the provola, the parsley, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well.
Step 4
Season the vegetables to be stuffed with 1/4 cup olive oil and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Brush two large baking dishes with 3 tablespoons olive oil each. Scatter the chopped onion in the bottom of the baking dishes. Fill the vegetables with the stuffing, and put the stuffed zucchini and peppers in one dish, the onions and celery in another. Sprinkle the tops of the vegetables with the remaining 1 cup grated cheese. Cover the baking dishes with foil, and bake until the vegetables release their juices and are almost tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until vegetables are tender and the stuffing is browned and crispy, about 30 minutes more. (The peppers and zucchini may be done before the onions and celery; check them after 20 minutes.) Serve warm or at room temperature.
