Italia a Tavola- Neapolitan Rice Salad

Insalata di Riso alla Napoletana

Neapolitan Rice Salad

Ingredients for 4 servings

(Fresh organic ingredients are always preferable)

9 oz of rice (cooked and cooled to room temperature)

2 zucchini, cubed

1 carrot, cubed

1 cup of fresh cannellini or white beans, cooked in salted water

with a sprig of rosemary.

1 yellow pepper, cubed

1 large tomatoes, drained and cubed (save the juice)

1 small cucumber, seeded and cubed

2 TbS of capers, chopped finely

Basil, chopped

lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt pepper.

Lightly stir fry the carrot, the zucchini, the pepper, until tender but still firm; add salt pepper and the oregano and set aside.

In a bowl mix ¼ cup of olive oil with the juice of ½ lemon; add the juice of the tomato, basil, capers salt and pepper.

Put this dressing in the rice and mix very well, add the rest of the ingredients and  mix well again. For a more complete meal you can add shrimps or a can of tuna fish.

A wonderful summer dish!

This recipe is dedicated to Marilyn, because she waited do long for it!!.

Italia a Tavola-Eggplant Parmesan

Parmigiana di Melanzane

Eggplant Parmesan

(Organic is better!)

Ingredients for 4 servings

4 large eggplants

Tomato sauce (see recipe below)

Flour

Olive oil for frying

4 0z. of mozzarella cheese chopped

Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil

I TbS of Butter

Salt, pepper

For the tomato sauce: mince finely a small carrot, ½ small onion, 1 clove of garlic, ½ celery stalk and a small bunch of Italian Parsley.  Lightly stir fry in a pot with 4 spoons of olive oil, add a large can of diced tomatoes, salt, and let cook at medium/low heat with the lid on for about 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Eggplant: In the meantime cut the eggplants length wise in slices of about ¼ inch thickness.  Salt each slice and let sit for about 20 minutes until they start to sweat.

Rinse and dry each slice and roll into white flower.  Pan fry the eggplants in abundant oil or deep fry them if you prefer, until they are soft.  Sit on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Now, Layers! Take a square pan and put a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, put on top a layer of eggplant slices, cover with a layer of tomato sauce, sprinkle with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese, break a few leaves of basil and spread them on top.  Bravi! First layer is done; repeat until all the ingredients are gone. On the last layer sprinkle the butter in small pinches.

Bake at 300F for about 30 minutes.  Let sit for about 10/15 minutes before you serve.  This dish is delicious even cold and….OH! I need to go make it RIGHT NOW!  Enjoy it!

P.S. For the sauce the Muir Glen fire Roasted Organic tomatoes are magnificent, but I was very happy to discover that, at a much more reasonable price, Fred Meyer Private selection Organic Tomatoes are really tasty and an excellent substitute!

Italia a Tavola- Farmer's Beef Rolls

Involtini di Manzo alla Contadina

Farmer’s beef rolls

Ingredients for 4 servings

4 large thin slices of beef

(you can buy beef for a stew, before it is cubed, and ask the butcher

to slice it in 4 slices of about 1/8 inch thickness)

4oz of prosciutto

2 anchovies (under oil)

2 cloves of garlic,

1/2 cup of parsley

4 oz of pancetta (or bacon), cubed

olive oil

8oz of white dry wine

8oz of water

1 ripe tomato minced finely (pulp included)

a small bunch of aromatic herbs

(Thyme,Parsley, marjoram)

1 small onion, minced

1 small carrot, minced

salt and pepper

First prepare the filling:

Mince finely the prosciutto, the 2 anchovies, 1/2 cup of parsley and 2 cloves of garlic, pepper and taste for salt since the anchovies are already pretty salty.

Divide this filling in 4 equal parts and put in the center of each beef slice. Roll the slice and tie it with a cotton string or a couple of tooth picks.

In a pan with a few spoons of olive oil fry the onion, carrot and pancetta; when the onion has began to take some color, put the beef rolls in the pan. Cover the pan and cook at low fire for about 15 minutes. At this point add the wine, water, tomato, herbs, salt and pepper and continue cooking for 90 more minutes.

Italia a Tavola- Provençal stuffed tomatoes

Pomidoro Ripieni alla Provenzale

Provençal stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings

8 ripe tomatoes

6 oz. of rice (cooked but lightly “al dente”)

6 oz. of ripe green olives, pitted and cut in 4 pieces

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 oz. of fresh pancetta (or bacon) cut in one thick slice and cubed

2 TbS of Thyme, tarragon and marjoram

 (in equal amount), finely chopped

Olive oil, salt, pepper

Cut a round cap from the top of each tomato, take out the pulp and juice and save it in a bowl.

Pan fry the onion in a few TbSs of oil;  when golden brown add the tomato pulp, the rice,the minced herbs and the pancetta, salt and pepper.  Cook for a few minutes stirring, take out of the fire and add the olives.

Stuff each tomato with the filling, place them in a greased baking pan and cook at 300* for one hour. 

Excellent accompaniment to roasted meat or fish

Italia a Tavola-Recipe from the Master-Cooked Water

Acqua Cotta

Cooked Water

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 stalk of celery and 1 small yellow onion finely chopped

2 bunches of black kale, ripped in chunks and without the center rib

3 fresh and ripe Roma tomatoes, cubed

olive oil, salt, pepper,

4 eggs

4 slices of Como bread, toasted

Lightly fry the celery and onion in a couple of spoons of olive oil. Add the kale, the tomatoes, salt and pepper and enough water to cover the vegetables.

Cook at medium fire until the kale is tender.  If the water reduces too much add more water and salt.

When the kale is tender, reduce the heat and crack in 4 eggs, making sure not to break the yolk; cook until the eggs are soft boiled.

Scoop this very simple soup in 4 bowls where you previously placed the toasted bread.  Make sure you place one egg in each bowl, right on top.  Add a little fresh olive oil and serve hot.

This recipe is from the restaurant " Etrusca" of Sovana (Grosseto)

Italia a tavola-Firenze- Potatoes Torta

Tortino di patate

Potatoes torta

Ingredients for 4 servings

18oz of Potatoes

3oz of butter

2 oz of Parmesan Cheese

1oz of flour

1 TbS of fresh Thyme leaves, 

or Italian Parsley chopped coarsely

16 oz of milk

Bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper

Peel and boil the potatoes and mush them smooth adding 1oz of butter and 8oz of milk.

Melt 1 oz of butter in 4oz of milk; when the butter is melted turn off the fire and add another 4oz of milk and the flour making a smooth sauce of the consistency of pancake batter.

Add the potatoes puree, the eggs, salt, pepper and the Thyme; pour everything in a buttered earth pan or cake pan, cover the surface with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and little pinches of the remaining butter.

Cook the torta in a oven at 350    for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

This torta is truly delicious, often children’s favorite, and a good way to entice them to eat vegetables if you substitute the potatoes with roasted zucchini or artichokes or asparagus.

Italia a tavola-Firenze- Stewed potatoes with sage and bacon

Patate Stufate con Salvia e Carnesecca

 (Stewed potatoes with sage and  bacon )

Ingredients for 4 servings

28 oz. of potatoes cut in medium size pieces

4 oz of bacon cut in small strips

½ onions finely chopped

A few Sage leaves

2 TbS of Italian Parsley finely chopped

About 1 or 2 cups of broth (depending on the type of potatoes you used and the size)

Olive oil, salt and pepper


Lightly stir fry the onion, sage and bacon in a deep pan with a couple of TbS of olive oil.  When the onion is slightly golden add the potatoes and let them roast a few minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.  Add a small amount of broth and keep stirring, add salt and pepper.  Continue adding broth and stirring until the potatoes are cooked.  Turn off the fire, add the parsley, stir well and serve!

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Drunken Sturgeon

Storione Ubriaco 

(Drunken Sturgeon)

28oz of Sturgeon

1 glass of white wine

2 garlic cloves

1 lemon (juiced)

¼ spoon of Italian parsley (chopped)

¼ ts of Thyme

Rosemary

3 TbS of Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Make a marinade with the 2 TbS of olive oil, rosemary, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cover the sturgeon with it, on both sides, and let sit for 4 hours.

In a pan put 1TbS of olive oil and the garlic cut in 4 pieces (each); when the

Garlic is slightly golden add the sturgeon and fry lightly on both sides, then add the white wine, a little more salt and pepper and the thyme. Let cook until the sauce is a bit thicker and serve with fresh lemon on the side.

The sturgeon is of remote origin.  In the Italian sea once lived a few different species of sturgeon that in the spring time (reproduction time) would swim up the rivers where the female would deposit up to 2,000 eggs. Sturgeon eggs are also used to make caviar.  At this point there are almost no sturgeons left in the Italian sea; the last known catch was in 1958, in the Arno river.  Two very large sturgeons were caught  and used for the wedding banquet  of Lucrezia de' Medici with the Prince Alfonso d' Este.

SPOTLIGHT on Spices! Cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon was one of the first spices sought in the explorations of the 15^th and 16^th centuries. True cinnamon is indigenous of Sri Lanka and was eventually exported to India, Java and the Seychelles Islands, as well as Brazil, Indonesia and the West Indies. The largest producers of cinnamon today are Sri Lanka, which produces the finest cinnamon, and the Seychelles Islands.

Cinnamon is the bark of an evergreen tree of the Laurel family. It is harvested during the rainy season; the first harvest yields thick inferior bark, the quality improves with successive cropping and the finest bark comes from the thin shoots at the center of the plant. Quills are assembled then dried in the shade as direct sunlight warps them.

Cinnamon is mildly sweet and woody, with a well defined taste and warm fragrance; it is suited for sweet and savory dishes as well as a variety of drinks.  It is also widely used to make incense, pomanders and pot-pourris.

Italia a tavola-Firenze-sweet and sour shrimps

Gamberi in dolceforte

 Sweet and Sour Shrimps

Ingredients for 4 servings

18oz of raw peeled large shrimps

4oz of raisins

1 lemon  (juiced)

Olive Oil

Flour

½ ts of cinnamon

Salt, Pepper

Set the raisins in a small bowl of lukewarm water and let sit until plump; then drain and dry them.

 Wash the shrimps and dry them well, coat them with the flour and stir fry them in 5 TbS of olive oil at medium/high heat.  As soon as they turn red, lower the heat and add salt, pepper and cinnamon. Add the raisins and the lemon juice. Continue cooking until the sauce is thicker.

The contrast of salty and sweet ingredients was highly appreciated during the renaissance period.  This reflected the influence of spice merchants coming from different countries, particularly from the orient.

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Lemon meat balls

Polpettine al Limone

Lemon meat balls

Ingredients for 4 servings

14 oz of extra lean hamburger meat

2oz of grated Parmesan Cheese

1.5 oz of butter

1 egg

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1TbS of Italian parsley finely chopped

Flour

1 lemon (juiced)

Olive Oil, salt and pepper

In a bowl mix the meat with the egg, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt pepper and let everything rest for about 1 hour.

After 1 hour prepare the polpette (meat balls) by rolling about ¼ cup of the seasoned meat in your lightly wet hands and rolling it into the flour; set on a plate until they are all done.  When the polpette are ready put them in a pan where you melted the butter in 2 TbS of oil. Cook at very low heat for about 30 minutes turning them over frequently; at this point add the lemon juice, raise the heat and as soon as the sauce starts boiling turn off the heat…they are ready to be served.

They go very well with a side of steamed vegetables.

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Farmer wife Risotto

Risotto alla Contadina

Ingredients for 4 servings

11oz of Arborio rice

14 oz of ripe tomatoes (or canned)

11 oz of fresh peas in their shell

11oz of fresh lima beans in their shell

4 oz of green beans

1 small yellow onion

1 zucchino

1 carrot

1 stalk of celery

¼ cup of fresh Italian parsley

Olive Oil

Parmesan cheese

Salt, Pepper

Mince finely the carrot, celery, onion and parsley

And stir fry lightly in a pot with 6 TbS of olive oil.

When the onion is slightly golden add the tomatoes diced in small cubes, the fresh lima beans (shelled), the green beans cut in 4 pieces each, and the zucchini cut in small cubes, salt and pepper. Let everything cook at slow heat for about 20 minutes; add the peas (shelled) stir well and let cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the rice and stir until fully cooked adding small amount of hot salted water as necessary to complete the cooking time and avoid burning.

Serve with Parmesan cheese.

(you can substitute with vegetable of your choice as long as they fresh and in season)

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Pasta with Lamb

Minestra di Agnello

(Lamb pasta)

Ingredients for 6 servings 

11oz. of lean ground lamb

14 oz. of hand made taglierini

7oz. of ripe (or canned) tomatoes

6 ½ cups of light chicken broth

½ glass of white wine

½ Onion

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

1 clove of garlic

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Mince finely the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and lightly fry it in 3 TbS of olive oil;

When the onion is golden brown add the lamb meet and stir fry lightly, stirring for about 3 minutes; add the white wine and when is almost completely evaporated add the tomatoes.  Continue cooking at slow fire for abut an hour and then add the broth. After a few minutes add the taglierini and cook for a few minutes.

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Pasta e Fagioli

This recipe is dedicated to my son, also an appreciator of healthy and savory cuisine as well as a good chef!  I love you Cicci!

Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients for 6 servings

11 oz. of short pasta (rigatoni, conchiglie, orecchiette)

11 oz. of dry Cannellini beans soaked for 12 hrs

(or 27 oz. of fresh Cannellini if you can find them)

3 garlic cloves

1 twig of Rosemary

1 twig of Sage (4, 5 leaves)

½ hot chili pepper

Olive oil, salt, pepper

Put the beans and 2 cloves of garlic in a pot (best pot for beans is a terracotta pot) with the sage and 2 TbS of olive oil. Cover everything with about 2 inches of water (over the surface of the beans),
and let cook in the oven at 300* for 3 hours.  
When the beans are well done pass them through a strainer (a potato ricer could work), leaving about 1/3 of the beans whole.  In a small pan lightly stir fry 1 garlic clove, the rosemary and the hot chili pepper in 4 TbS of olive oil; when cooked, pass through the strainer or put in the food processor and add to the beans.  Put everything in a pot, bring to a boil add salt and cook the pasta in it, add a little water if necessary.

Serve in bowls with a drip of fresh olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh black pepper and without cheese.

You can of course compromise a little and cook the beans on the stove top at very slow heat; this will make removing the peals easier because they generally float to the surface.

You can compromise more and use canned beans…but then you can’t really taste the true flavor of this recipe.

Good things take time!