Meat lovers like superstar chef Mario Batali have recently turned pro-vegetable, favoring meat in smaller amounts—and in some dishes as a flavoring agent rather than the central component. Here, seven vegetable dishes that call for less than three ounces of meat per serving like a crunchy Asian pea salad with crunchy honeyed bacon.
Birmingham, Alabama, chef Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club uses fresh field peas, like black-eyed peas, in his succotash, but green peas are nicely sweet. Finely diced thick-cut bacon give the succotash extra flavor.
A good-quality, at least slightly hot mustard from France, Germany, or England is the perfect accompaniment for this. Put a dollop on your plate and dip each forkful into it.
This savory, sausage-accented main-course salad is as satisfying as it is restorative. "According to Thai belief, both peas and pea shoots are revitalizing, as well as good for digestion," Su-Mei Yu says. "And escarole strengthens muscles and bones."
Vietnamese summer rolls are often filled with chicken or shrimp, but Grace Parisi makes hers with roast beef from the deli.
This recipe is a nod to the pickled vegetables (giardiniera) in the Gramercy Tavern salad. Grace Parisi quickly soaks baby cauliflower in vinegar and sugar, then combines it with snap peas, white beans, ham and sunflower seeds to create a unique main-course dish.
Cooks in Italy fry cauliflower to bring out its nuttiness. Here, Ethan Stowell deep-fries it for a salad with salty prosciutto and nubby farro (a variety of whole-grain wheat).
