The vegetable flan is a perfect appetizer to start lunch or dinner in a light but tasty way.
In this case, I used broccoli, very flavorful and perfect for this winter season, and zucchini, more neutral in taste but adding a sweet note to the dish. They can also be prepared with other vegetables such as cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, spinach, leeks, and squash. Choose according to the season and your personal taste.
If prepared in a larger portion, the vegetable flan becomes a great main course.
Here are some recipes to prepare a tasty side dish:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 447.02 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 7.95 (g) of which sugars 4.20 (g)
- Proteins 25.18 (g)
- Fat 35.89 (g) of which saturated 12.78 (g)of which unsaturated 9.56 (g)
- Fibers 2.20 (g)
- Sodium 464.69 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 180 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the Vegetable Flan
- 5.3 oz broccoli
- 5.3 oz dark zucchini
- 3.5 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- 3.5 oz fresh heavy cream
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 white onion
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 3.5 oz whole milk
- 3.5 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- to taste almonds (toasted, chopped)
Tools
- Molds
Preparation of the Vegetable Flan
Clean the broccoli and boil them in plenty of water. Drain them when ready and set aside.
Clean the zucchini and cut them into rounds. Finely chop the onion.Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and let it brown over medium heat.
Add the zucchini and continue cooking for a few minutes. Finally, add the broccoli and continue cooking for about ten minutes, adding a little water if needed. Lightly salt.
As soon as the vegetables are ready, transfer them to the blender cup, add the eggs, the liquid cream, and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and blend briefly.
Butter the disposable aluminum molds and pour the vegetable mixture into the molds, stopping at about 3/4 full.
Place the molds in a baking dish and fill with water to cook the flans in a bain-marie in the oven.
Bake in a preheated oven at 340°F for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the Parmigiano Reggiano fondue.
Bring the fresh cream to just below boiling. Remove from heat and pour in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Stir with a whisk to melt the cheese and put back on the heat, stirring constantly. In a couple of minutes, the fondue thickens and is ready.
As soon as the flans are ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool slightly.
Place a vegetable flan in the center of the individual plate and pour a tablespoon of Parmesan Reggiano fondue on top. Decorate with a bit of toasted chopped almonds and serve.
