Christmas with a vegetarian theme

CONCORD, N.H. -- Christmas dinner is an easy time for vegetarian cooks to lose their focus.

Meat-laden meals tend to be easier to plan. Select a main course, usually a turkey or ham, and everything from potatoes, to gravy, to roasted vegetables and dessert flows naturally from it.

But most vegetarian dishes aren't quite so substantial, leaving them to get lost in a sea of side dishes. Even a hefty vegetable lasagna can carry only so many bowls of steamed, baked and broiled vegetables and grains as counterparts.

The trick to planning a festive, focused vegetarian Christmas meal is to skip the centerpiece entirely. Instead, offer a variety of smaller dishes that follow a main theme, taste or color scheme.

By not centering the meal on one course, it also is easier to accommodate a variety of eating habits.

Depending on how courageous your guests are, you can keep things traditional or go wild (imagine a sushi feast, platters piled high with a variety of vegetarian maki rolls).

For an easy theme this Christmas, use red, green and yellow bell peppers in a variety of dishes to give your meal a festive look and a zesty flavor that will warm your guests.

Fusilli with bell peppers and onions, from "The Pasta Recipe Book," edited by Linda Fraser, can round out a meal with a substantial, but not heavy, pasta dish.

Fusilli with Bell Peppers and Onions

(Preparation 30 minutes)

1 pound red and yellow bell peppers

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

14 ounces fusilli, or other short pasta

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the peppers on a wire rack under the broiler. Use tongs to occasionally turn the peppers to cook all sides. When they are completely blacked and blistered, remove from the heat and place in a paper bag. Close the bag and let the peppers sit for 5 minutes.

Peel the peppers, then cut them into quarters, remove the stems and seeds, and slice into thin strips.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high flame. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until al dente, or just chewy. Remove from the heat, but do not drain.

Meanwhile, add the bell peppers to the onion and mix together. Stir in about 3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Add salt and pepper, then stir in the parsley.

Drain the pasta and add to the pan of peppers and onion. Cook over a medium flame for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring constantly to coat the pasta with the sauce.

Reinforcement salad, from Michelle Scicolone's "Italian Holiday Cooking," is a Neapolitan dish that Italians eat on Christmas Eve, when they traditionally abstain from meat.

Reinforcement Salad

(Preparation 10 minutes)

1 cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Salt

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup pickled red and yellow peppers, drained and cut into strips

1/2 cup black olive, pitted and sliced

1/2 cup sour gherkins (pickles), chopped

2 celery ribs, sliced

8 to 12 anchovy fillets, chopped

Trim the cauliflower and cut into 1-inch florets. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and salt to taste. Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Add the cauliflower and remaining ingredients and toss well to coat.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Remove the salad from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.