As part of a project at my job, I watched a group of young adults learn how to make chicken piccata from a renowned chef. While I was taking pictures, video and observing, I was thinking about how I could make this dish vegetarian.

Tempeh piccata is now a food I make about once a month. This recipe, named after a character in “Vertigo,” is also low FODMAP and gluten-free.

If you omit the parmesan romano cheese or use a vegan parmesan, it is lactose-free and dairy-free. If you omit or swap the cheese and use a pasta that doesn’t contain eggs, it’s vegan.

Ingredients
3 servings of the low FODMAP, gluten-free pasta of your choice
3 tablespoons shallot-infused olive oil
3 teaspoons oregano
1 7-ounce package tempeh, cut into 6 triangles
3 tablespoons capers
1.5 cups low FODMAP pasta sauce (optional)
parmesan romano cheese or vegan parmesan (optional)

Instructions
Prepare your pasta according to its instructions.

Cut the tempeh rectangle into three squares then cut each square into two triangles, for a total of six triangles.

Heat the oil and oregano in a frying pan over medium heat.

Add the triangle-cut tempeh and capers. Use tongs to flip the tempeh and make sure it lightly browns on both sides.

If you’re using pasta sauce, add it now. When the sauce is hot, it’s ready to serve.

Plate your pasta and add the cooked tempeh and capers (and sauce if you’re using it). Top with parmesan romano cheese if you want that.

Savor your dinner and the slow burn of this Hitchcock masterpiece.

The Easy Route
This might be a little harder to make easier, other than buying some precooked noodles. If you have an awesome restaurant or store near you that makes tempeh pasta, please do share it in the comments.

The Pairing
Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has a firm placement in my top films of all time. Along with “Citizen Kane,” it is widely referred to as a favorite of many legendary cinephiles, including the one and only Martin Scorsese.

The film follows Jimmy Stewart’s John “Scottie” Ferguson as he goes through a traumatic accident that causes him to give up his job as a police detective. He dips his toe into the private detective world when an old college classmate (Tom Helmore’s Gavin Elster) asks him to investigate his wife’s mysterious behavior.

Things take a lot of strange turns as Scottie becomes more intrigued by her. The wife, Madeleine, is played by Kim Novak, so it is very easy to become intrigued by her. And Hitchcock frames those initial shots of her to amplify that.

I took a Hitchcock class in college, and my final paper was on the use of color in “Vertigo.” There are certain sequences in the film that I’ve seen hundreds of times (including Madeleine’s introduction), and I’ve seen the entire movie quite a few times as well.

The cinematography is striking from start to finish, playing with camera movement, editing and color to amplify the titular vertigo affecting Scottie throughout the film.

Speaking of the film’s cinematography, art direction and editing, I know that the movie “Bullitt” is commonly pointed to as the most epic car sequence through San Francisco, but I honestly believe the driving sequences in “Vertigo” give it a run for its money.

Like the rest of the film, those sequences are a slow burn, allowing viewers to get to know both Scottie and Madeleine.

Stewart and Novak are perfect as these two tormented characters who find a little solace in each other. But Barbara Bel Geddes steals every scene as Midge Wood, Scottie’s closest friend and confidant.

“Vertigo” holds up after multiple viewings and more than 60 years after its release, just like the tempeh piccata holds up after several iterations.

If you decide to make tempeh piccata and/or watch “Vertigo,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes