Festive Side Dish for the Holidays

If you need a simple, speedy, scrumptious side dish for your holiday table, I have the recipe for you! My Zucchini & Red Peppers with Pine Nuts goes perfectly with a wide variety of entrees, from beef, to chicken, to fish. My family does a traditional Italian-American all-fish-feast on Christmas Eve, and a few years ago I created this side dish to go along with the main course, which is, of course, fish. What I love about this dish is that the green zucchini and red peppers look very festive, and the pine nuts and some Parmesan cheese give it amazing flavor. Even better, the whole thing cooks in under 10 minutes!

This weekend, I will be featured on Connecticut's News Channel 12 during their show called "What's Cooking". Because it airs so close to the holidays, I figured this was a great dish to demonstrate. Be sure to check it out over the weekend for hints on chopping and cooking techniques for this dish. It airs several times (Saturday, December 20th and Sunday, December 21st--both days at 7:00am, 10:30am, 2:00pm, and 1:30am). Once I have the link to the segment, I'll post it on both this blog and my cooking school website at http://www.thesecretingredientonline.com/. Please note that due to a recent schedule change, the "What's Cooking" show may be listed as "Educational Notebook" on your television listings.

Happy Cooking and Happy Holidays!!

Zucchini & Red Peppers with Pine Nuts

Serves 4-6

2 medium zucchini, cut into 2" long matchsticks

1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin, 2" long strips
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1-2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

salt & pepper

Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Saute for about 2 minutes, then add the zucchini to the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook for another 3-4 minutes and then add pine nuts.

Continue to cook for another 1-3 minutes, or until all the veggies are tender, but not mushy.

Remove to a plate and top with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Note: The vegetables should gently saute and not get too much brown color. If they begin to brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking.