Discover how to use your vegetable Box
Nutritional guidelines to learn what to eat first and what to eat last and… what to do to avoid wasting anything
You’ve just received the vegetable Box. Don’t look at it as a mere box of vegetables – it’s a box of veritable nutritional treasures that can be used to produce fantastic results.
Fresh salads
Greens for cooking (spinach, chard…)
Crunchy raw vegetables (fennel, cucumber, carrots, radishes).
Tomatoes
Onions and garlic
Courgettes
Green beans
Aubergines
Potatoes
Eggs
You’ve just received the vegetable Box. Don’t look at it as a mere box of vegetables – it’s a box of veritable nutritional treasures that can be used to produce fantastic results.
Fresh salads
Greens for cooking (spinach, chard…)
Crunchy raw vegetables (fennel, cucumber, carrots, radishes).
Tomatoes
Onions and garlic
Courgettes
Green beans
Aubergines
Potatoes
Eggs
Lucia Bacciottini’s tips
FIRST DAY when the vegetable Box is delivered:
Don’t put the salad ingredients in the fridge as they will lose their aroma and part of their flavour due to the presence of fragrant and tasty polyphenol molecules with a high nutritional value. Wash the leaves immediately and dry them carefully with a linen cloth or kitchen towel. The salad will be part of a meal the day the Box arrives.
Also on the first day, boil the greens, chard or spinach; you can eat them the same evening or keep them ready-cooked for the next day.
SUPER TIP #1 for the first day:
Don’t throw away the outside leaves of lettuce or greens for cooking – keep them for a minestrone for the second day. If the courgettes have flowers eat them on the first day. They’re delicious tossed in the frying pan with breadcrumbs, for making a frittata or baked in the oven stuffed with ricotta and anchovies.
SUPER TIP #2 for the first day:
Make mayonnaise with one of the fresh eggs that have just arrived without having put it in the fridge, to accompany the salad (mayonnaise recipe).
SECOND DAY
Seasonal minestrone: use the discarded leaves from cleaning the lettuce and greens, add onion or shallots, potatoes, carrots and if there are some courgettes or green beans, boil and put in the blender. Add a splash of olive oil.
SUPER TIP #1 for the second day:
If you have any dried beans that came in an earlier Box, add them to the minestrone to make it thicker and tastier.
SUPER TIP #2 for the second day:
in a pureed vegetable soup, instead of cheese, you can sprinkle with a spoonful of sunflower or toasted pumpkin seeds.
THIRD DAY
The third day after delivery is perfect for using the weekly vegetables: broccoli in autumn, cabbage in winter, artichokes, courgettes and green beans in spring and aubergines and peppers in summer. They will keep for two days in the fridge.
SUPER TIP #1 for the third day:
Courgettes and aubergines, as well as being sauteed, grilled or baked, can be stuffed with lean meat or ricotta to create a complete dish.
SUPER TIP #2 for the third day:
Add aromatic herbs – basil, parsley, mint and thyme are rich in flavour and are substances of high nutritional value.
FOURTH DAY
Ideal for raw vegetables with long shelf life: carrots, cucumbers and fennel; clean them and make wonderful crudités to serve with an aperitif by adding cherry tomatoes.
SUPER TIP #1 for the fourth day:
In addition to olive oil, pinzimonio (savoury dip for accompanying sliced raw vegetables) can also be made with hummus, which you can buy ready-made or make from chickpeas from the garden.
SUPER TIP #2 for the fourth day:
You can place two hard-boiled eggs cut into small wedges and seasoned with mustard alongside the pinzimonio.
FIFTH DAY
Use the excellent potatoes from the Orto: steamed, oven-roasted, baked/jacket or fried, they are a perfect accompaniment to fish or meat dishes and can replace bread.
SUPER TIP #1 for the fifth day:
If there are children in the house, make potato croquettes, mashed potatoes or potato gnocchi.
SUPER TIP #2 for the fifth day:
Steamed, then cooled, potatoes have low absorbable starch and are excellent for slimming diets.
SIXTH DAY
With the onions or shallots left, which last longer, and the eggs, make a tasty frittata to be served as a starter or as a main course.
SUPER TIP #1 for the sixth day:
If there are any potatoes left over, add them to the frittata after blanching them a bit.
SUPER TIP #2 for the sixth day:
The frittata can be cooked in the oven without oil for those following a diet.
Don’t put the salad ingredients in the fridge as they will lose their aroma and part of their flavour due to the presence of fragrant and tasty polyphenol molecules with a high nutritional value. Wash the leaves immediately and dry them carefully with a linen cloth or kitchen towel. The salad will be part of a meal the day the Box arrives.
Also on the first day, boil the greens, chard or spinach; you can eat them the same evening or keep them ready-cooked for the next day.
SUPER TIP #1 for the first day:
Don’t throw away the outside leaves of lettuce or greens for cooking – keep them for a minestrone for the second day. If the courgettes have flowers eat them on the first day. They’re delicious tossed in the frying pan with breadcrumbs, for making a frittata or baked in the oven stuffed with ricotta and anchovies.
SUPER TIP #2 for the first day:
Make mayonnaise with one of the fresh eggs that have just arrived without having put it in the fridge, to accompany the salad (mayonnaise recipe).
SECOND DAY
Seasonal minestrone: use the discarded leaves from cleaning the lettuce and greens, add onion or shallots, potatoes, carrots and if there are some courgettes or green beans, boil and put in the blender. Add a splash of olive oil.
SUPER TIP #1 for the second day:
If you have any dried beans that came in an earlier Box, add them to the minestrone to make it thicker and tastier.
SUPER TIP #2 for the second day:
in a pureed vegetable soup, instead of cheese, you can sprinkle with a spoonful of sunflower or toasted pumpkin seeds.
THIRD DAY
The third day after delivery is perfect for using the weekly vegetables: broccoli in autumn, cabbage in winter, artichokes, courgettes and green beans in spring and aubergines and peppers in summer. They will keep for two days in the fridge.
SUPER TIP #1 for the third day:
Courgettes and aubergines, as well as being sauteed, grilled or baked, can be stuffed with lean meat or ricotta to create a complete dish.
SUPER TIP #2 for the third day:
Add aromatic herbs – basil, parsley, mint and thyme are rich in flavour and are substances of high nutritional value.
FOURTH DAY
Ideal for raw vegetables with long shelf life: carrots, cucumbers and fennel; clean them and make wonderful crudités to serve with an aperitif by adding cherry tomatoes.
SUPER TIP #1 for the fourth day:
In addition to olive oil, pinzimonio (savoury dip for accompanying sliced raw vegetables) can also be made with hummus, which you can buy ready-made or make from chickpeas from the garden.
SUPER TIP #2 for the fourth day:
You can place two hard-boiled eggs cut into small wedges and seasoned with mustard alongside the pinzimonio.
FIFTH DAY
Use the excellent potatoes from the Orto: steamed, oven-roasted, baked/jacket or fried, they are a perfect accompaniment to fish or meat dishes and can replace bread.
SUPER TIP #1 for the fifth day:
If there are children in the house, make potato croquettes, mashed potatoes or potato gnocchi.
SUPER TIP #2 for the fifth day:
Steamed, then cooled, potatoes have low absorbable starch and are excellent for slimming diets.
SIXTH DAY
With the onions or shallots left, which last longer, and the eggs, make a tasty frittata to be served as a starter or as a main course.
SUPER TIP #1 for the sixth day:
If there are any potatoes left over, add them to the frittata after blanching them a bit.
SUPER TIP #2 for the sixth day:
The frittata can be cooked in the oven without oil for those following a diet.