Cover
Title Page
Introduction
BREAD, PASTA, RICE & COUSCOUS
Focaccia with Caramelised Red Onions
FOCACCIA CON CIPOLLE ROSSE CARAMELLATE
Ciabatta
Roman-style Pizza Bianca
PIZZA BIANCA
Fresh Fig and Prosciutto Panino
PANINO CON FICHI FRESCHI E PROSCIUTTO
Bucatini with Amatriciana Sauce
BUCATINI ALL’AMATRICIANA
Fettuccine with Porcini and Hazelnuts
FETTUCCINE CON PORCINI E NOCCIOLE
Linguine Primavera
Spaghetti with Fruits of the Sea
SPAGHETTI AI FRUTTI DI MARE
Farfalle with Red Pepper Sauce
FARFALLE CON SALSA DI PEPERONI ROSSI
Orecchiette with Fennel Sausages and Broccoli
ORECCHIETTE CON SALSA BARESE
Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil
SPAGHETTI ALL’ AGLIO E OLIO
Neapolitan Christmas Eve Spaghetti with Walnuts
U SPAGHETT’ ANATALINA
Cheesy Macaroni Bake
PASTICCIO DI MACCHERONI
Orzo and Chicken Bake
PASTICCIO DI ORZO E POLLO
Rigatoni alla Vesuviana
Pappardelle with Ragù
PAPPARDELLE AL RAGÙ
Linguine with Fennel and Pine Nuts
LINGUINE CON FINOCCHI E PINOLI
Ricotta and Spinach Lasagne Rolls with Tomato Sauce
CANNELLONI DI RICOTTA E SPINACI CON SALSA DI POMODORO
Bucatini with Aubergine and Tuna
BUCATINI ALLE MELANZANE E TONNO
Seafood Lasagne
LASAGNA AI FRUTTI DI MARE
Spaghetti with Roast Tomatoes and Sage
SPAGHETTI CON POMODORI AL FORNO E SALVIA
Ligurian Pasta with Pesto and Green Beans
TROFIE AL PESTO E FAGIOLINI
Roast Pumpkin and Red Pepper Cannelloni
CANNELLONI CON ZUCCA E PEPERONI
Pancetta and Pesto Risotto
RISOTTO CON PANCETTA E PESTO
Oven-baked Mushroom Risotto
RISOTTO AI FUNGHI AL FORNO
Asparagus and Pear Risotto
RISOTTO CON ASPARAGI E PERE
Polenta Gnocchi with Basil Pesto
GNOCCHI DI POLENTA CON PESTO
Couscous with Saffron
COUSCOUS ALLO ZAFFERANO
Farro and Tomato Salad
INSALATA DI FARRO E POMODORO
Parmesan Polenta Chips
PATATINE DI POLENTA CON PARMIGIANO
FRUIT
Summer Berries with Maple Zabaglione
BACCHE ESTIVE CON ZABAGLIONE
Fresh Fig Ice Cream
GELATO DI FICHI
Fruit Granita
GRANITA DI FRUTTA
Plum and Chianti Compote with Ginger
PRUGNE AL CHIANTI E ZENZERO
Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries with Basil Syrup
RABARBARO ARROSTO E FRAGOLE CON SCIROPPO DI BASILICO
Poached Nectarine, Peach and Fig Salad with Lemon and Pistachios
PESCHENOCI, PESCHE E FICHI COTTI CON LIMONE E PISTACCHI
Orange and Melon Salad with Raspberry Sauce
MACEDONIA DI ARANCIA E MELONE CON SALSA DI LAMPONI
NUTS, BEANS & LEGUMES
Bean Soup
ZUPPA DI FAGIOLI
Green Beans with Sesame Seeds
FAGIOLINI CON SEMI DI SESAMO
Pesto Genovese
Beans with Italian Sausages
FAGIOLI CON SALSICCE ITALIANE
Broad Bean Hummus
CREMA DI FAVE
Creamy Pennette with Walnuts
PENNETTE CREMOSE ALLE NOCI
Green and White Bean Salad
INSALATA DI FAGIOLINI E FAGIOLI
Green Olive and Hazelnut Pesto
PESTO ALLE OLIVE VERDI E NOCCIOLE
VEGETABLES & SALADS
Artichoke, Roast Parsnip and Walnut Salad
INSALATA DI CARCIOFI, PASTINACHE ARROSTITE E NOCI
Asparagus with Pistachio Orange Dressing
ASPARAGI CON SALSA DI PISTACCHIO E ARANCIO
Butternut Squash, Red Onion and Spinach Salad with a Sesame Dressing
INSALATA DI ZUCCA, CIPOLLE ROSSE E SPINACI CON UNA SALSA DI SESAMO
Fennel Purée
PUREA DI FINOCCHIO
Chargrilled Summer Vegetables with Chilli Basil Dressing
VERDURE GRIGLIATE CON SALSA PICCANTE E BASILICO
Field Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon and Spinach
FUNGHI RIPIENI DL PANCETTA E SPINACI
Pumpkin Mostarda
MOSTARDA DI ZUCCA
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
PUREA AL PARMIGIANO
Poor People’s Potatoes
PATATE DEI POVERI
Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Watercress Mayonnaise
BROCCOLETTI CON MAIONESE AL CRESCIONE
Tomato Fennel Soup
ZUPPA DI POMODORO E FINOCCHIO
Wild Garlic and Rocket Soup
ZUPPA DI AGLIO SELVATICO E RUCOLA
Warm Radicchio, Spinach and Basil Salad
INSALATA DI RADICCHIO CALDI, SPINACI E BASILICO
Zucchini Stuffed with Ragù
ZUCCHINE RIPIENE AL RAGÙ
OLIVES & OLIVE OIL
Citrus-marinated Olives
OLIVE MARINATE AGLI AGRUMI
Chilli Olive Oil
OLIO D’OLIVA AL PEPERONCINO
Rosemary and Garlic Olive Oil
OLIO D’OLIVA AL ROSMARINO ED AGLIO
Olive Oil Ice Cream
GELATO ALL’OLIO D’OLIVA
CHEESE, YOGHURT & EGGS
Blackberry and Raspberry Yoghurt Ice Cream
GELATO ALLO YOGURT DI MORE E LAMPONI
Watercress and Hazelnut Crumbed Goats Cheese Salad
INSALATA DI ORESCIONE, NOCCIOLE E FORMAGGIO DI CAPRA
Eggs Soffritto
UOVA AL FORNO CON VERDURE
Poached Apples Stuffed with Gorgonzola
MELE IN CAMICIA RIPIENE DI GORGONZOLA
Broad Bean and Pecorino Salad
INSALATA DI FAVE E PECORINO
Sorrel Flan
CROSTATA DI ACETOSELLA
FISH & SHELLFISH
Chargrilled Dublin Bay Prawns
GAMBERONI ALLA GRIGLIA
Cod with Salmoriglio
MERLUZZO CON SALMORIGLIO
Swordfish with Chilli and Orange
PESCE SPADA CON PEPERONCINO E ARANCIA
Scallops with Prosciutto and Balsamic Glaze
CAPESANTE CON PROSCIUTTO E CREMA BALSAMICA
Seafood Stew
ZUPPA DI FRUTTI DI MARE
Whole Baked Sea Bass with a Red Pepper and Fennel Sauce
SPIGOLA AL FORNO CON SALSA DI PEPERONI E FINOCCHI
Tuna with White Beans and Artichokes
TONNO CON FAGIOLI E CARCIOFI
POULTRY & MEAT
Mixed Antipasto Platter
ANTIPASTO MISTO
Supreme of Chicken with Rocket and Parmesan Stuffing
POLLO RIPIENO DI RUCOLA E PARMIGIANO
Chicken with Prosecco and Shallots
POLLO CON PROSECCO E SCALOGNO
Pancetta-wrapped Chicken Thighs with Mozzarella Stuffing
COSCE DI POLLO AVVOLTI IN PANCETTA CON RIPIENO DI MOZZARELLA
Spatchcock Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
POLLO ALLA DIAVOLA CON 40 SPICCHI DI AGLIO
Date and Hazelnut Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
FILETTO DI MAIALE RIPIENO DI DATTERI E NOCCIOLE
Italian Wedding Soup
ZUPPA NUZIALE
Spare Ribs with Polenta Chips
COSTINE CON PATATINE DI POLENTA
Herb-wrapped Fillet of Beef with Wild Mushroom Sauce
FILETTO DI MANZO AVVOLTO NELLE ERBE CON SALSA DI FUNGHI SELVATICI
Lamb Stew with Lemon and Olives
SPEZZATINO DI AGNELLO CON LIMONE E OLIVE
Pistachio and Fig Crusted Rack of Lamb with Tapenade
CARRÈ DI AGNELLO IN CROSTA DI PISTACCHI E FICHI CON TAPENADE
SWEETS
Almond Cake
TORTA DI MANDORLE
Chocolate Breadcrumb and Almond Cake
TORTA DI CIOCCOLATO, PANGRATTATO E MANDORLE
Chocolate Ricotta Tart
TORTA DI RICOTTA AL CIOCCOLATO
Fresh Fruit Tart
CROSTATA DI FRUTTA FRESCA
Lemon and Panettone Trifle
ZUPPA INGLESE DI LIMONE E PANETTONE
Grandma’s Pine Nut Custard Pie
TORTE DELLA NONNA
Hazelnut Cake with Orange Cinnamon Topping
TORTE DI NOCCIOLE
Panettone
Panforte di Siena
Torrone
Pistachio and Orange Cake
TORTA AL PISTACHIO E ARANCIA
White Chocolate and Walnut Cream Cups
COPPE DI CIOCCOLATO BIANCO E CREMA DI NOCI
DRINKS
Grapefruit and Vodka Cocktail
COCKTAIL DI POMPELMO E VODKA
Lavender Lemonade
LIMONATA AL GUSTO DI LAVANDA
Walnut Liqueur
NOCINO
My Favourite Italian Wines
Dedication & Acknowledgements
Copyright page
About the Author
About Gill & Macmillan
Italian culture has had an enormous influence on the world, from artists such as Michelangelo and Caravaggio to creators such as Da Vinci and Marconi, from style icons such as Armani and Dolce & Gabbana to movie stars such as Sophia Loren and Rudolph Valentino, from Vespa to Ferrari and from Vivaldi to Verdi. But the greatest Italian culture is the food culture. It is the anchor that binds the people and their communities.
Food defines the Italian people. It comes as no surprise that the Slow Food movement was started in Italy, where ‘fast food’ does not exist – all food is to be savoured and enjoyed, especially in the company of friends and family.
There are many things that intrigue me about Italian food culture. How do they have time for all this food? Why do they have such strict rules and routine around food? With long, leisurely lunches, dishes of pasta richly coated in sauces, pizzas laden with mozzarella and glugs of olive oil, how is it that Italy is one of the slimmest nations in Europe? And most importantly, how can we enjoy these delicious recipes and savour some of la dolce vita here at home? That is what this book is about.
Let me tell you a story about Italian lifestyle and food. It’s a beautiful summer evening and I’m out shopping in our local town of Balestrate in Sicily. A new furniture shop has just opened up in the town square and I have a long look in the window. As I expected, the shop is beautifully laid out with all the elegance of Italian interior style. My eye catches a fabulous mahogany dining table and matching chairs, fully dressed with the best glassware and china.
Imagine my surprise when just after 8 p.m., when the shops close, I pass again and I stop in shock, as the table I had just admired was now fully complete with diners. The staff had locked the doors and sat down to enjoy this magnificent table by having a meal together in the shop window, totally oblivious to life beyond their own company and their enjoyment of their meal.
Then it dawned on me. This is Italy, where people live to eat, not eat to live. The more I considered this fact, the more clarity I got. I’d seen for myself that work stops when friends arrive – unplanned departures are made from offices in favour of the local coffee shop and work continues thereafter, until another friend or family member arrives. In other words, work fits around life and not life around work. And that’s logical, since offices open at around 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., so work has to fit around life. It’s frowned upon to talk business over lunch. Eating is about the company, the food, the laughter, chatter and sheer pleasure and should not be soured by discussions of work.
In order to eat like an Italian, we need to recondition ourselves to live like Italians. It might seem a little stressful to fit into our lifestyle of long commutes to and from work, college and kids. We all have such full days, but then, so do the Italians. As a family here in Wicklow, we make a point of sitting down and breaking bread together. It would be idyllic to do this every day, but realistically, we insist on four days together every week and include our extended family and friends in this too.
One thing I’ve learned is that work has to fit around life. I struggled for years trying to separate work from my life, but I constantly felt guilty about not spending enough time with my family. I realised that this was leading me nowhere and now I relax into work and prioritise life and it feels very empowering.
ITALIAN FOOD CULTURE: SHOPPING AND INGREDIENTS
Locally sourced food is the backbone of Italian food. Recipes are regional too and it’s unusual for people to cook non-regional dishes, especially for family gatherings, otherwise there might be a grandmother or two who would pass comment!
In Balestrate, our local town, it’s not uncommon for the women to shop for ingredients twice per day – for lunch and for dinner. Now that really is the epitome of freshness! It’s also common for the farmers to drive through the towns in their three-wheeled scooter trucks laden with produce from their farms, shouting their arrival through the loudspeaker positioned atop the van. The ladies purchase from their balconies by lowering a basket on a rope to collect the fresh melons, tomatoes, oranges and lemons. Shopping is also a social occasion to meet other locals and a chance to get daily exercise. I understand that this probably isn’t an option for most of us, but buying local, fresh produce where possible and even growing your own in little pots or plots is something to aim for.
As you travel through Italy, you learn very quickly that everyone has a passion for food and also has a strong opinion about where the best recipe or ingredient can be sourced. A few years back, our car broke down near Pachino, which is the famous tomato-producing area of Italy. The Pachino tomatoes are cherry-like, sweet and irresistible. We had to get the car towed back to Catania airport and arrange a replacement, and it was a long three hours once the driver realised my interest in food! He spent the journey telling me that Pachino tomatoes weren’t the best in Italy, but that actually the ones from his village were. Next to come was his opinion on olive oil, oranges, grapes, lemons ... I couldn’t get a word in edgeways, which is unusual for me! But it is this passion and inquisitiveness about food that drives the Italians to create the best dishes. There is a lesson here.
MEALTIMES AND MEALS
Breakfast usually consists of a cappuccino and a brioche or bread with butter and/or some local jam. In Sicily in the summer, brioche and granita (a flavoured iced drink which might be coffee flavoured) is most common, as it is considered too hot to sip a cappuccino.
Lunch is the main meal of the day and is usually somewhere between 12 and 1 p.m. In fact, the restaurants stop serving at around 2.30 p.m., as people stick rigidly to mealtimes and demand outside of this is unheard of, unless by tourists.
A two-course lunch is most common midweek, but Sunday lunch is a major meal and involves the extended family. It’s customary for family members to bring a gift of a cooked dish and the preparations for sunday lunch commence the day before.
A typical meal would start with l’antipasto – perhaps olives, local cured meats, cheeses and bread.
This is followed by il primo, which is the pasta or rice course. Pasta servings are smaller than we might think, as there are still many more courses to follow.
Il secondo is the meat or fish course. As meat or fish might not be eaten every day, this is a special course. After this comes il contoro – the side dish. Contori are always vegetables in season and often salads. Secondi are usually eaten first, then contori. A side dish that I really enjoyed at Sunday lunch in the Fulvio household in Palermo was a simple raw fennel bulb, which was passed around the table and we each pulled a layer off and chewed it. It was so refreshing after the fish course. Then fresh fruit platters arrive – again, always whatever is in season, followed by dried nuts and fruits in the winter (dried figs and dates are especially delicious).
After that, coffee is made and il dolce – a cake from the local bakery – is produced. A pistachio and lemon sponge cake with a sweet ricotta filling was one of the most delicious I’ve ever had. And finally, out come the chocolates and the ammazzacaffè, which means ‘coffee-killer’, a liqueur, which could be anything from homemade nocino (walnut liqueur) to limoncello.
All of this is often followed by a promenade in one’s Sunday best clothes – a lovely gentle stroll through the town or countryside, meeting other locals along the way. After all, seven courses requires a stretching of the body, and it feels so much better after a large meal than collapsing on the sofa in front of the television! Exercise is simply integrated into the Italians’ day, whether it’s walking to school or the shops, promenading after a large lunch or dancing in the evening.
Dinner is at 8 p.m. and is really more like supper. It’s a much lighter meal, usually only one course, and might be made up of the leftovers from lunch.
Drinks with meals consist of wine and water, or maybe a beer with pizza. Children are allowed a soft drink (generally not milk, as that is deemed to affect the flavours of the food and digestion). We enjoy a similar routine to this for our family mealtimes, especially the large family gatherings on a Sunday. It’s a time to catch up and chat, and when I think about it, it’s not unlike the lifestyle of my parents and grandparents years ago – except I recall that my granddad always drank tea brimming with milk and sugar with his main course. I wonder what the Italians would think of that?
THE MEDITERRANEAN AND ITALIAN DIET
Recognised by UNESCO, the Mediterranean diet is arguably the healthiest diet in the world.
The inclusion of daily recommended amounts of olive oil, beans, nuts and legumes in the Mediterranean diet is in clear contrast to our diet, where we don’t include many of these. In Italy, red meat is eaten in smaller quantities, while fish is the more popular protein. Not surprisingly, the quantity of carbohydrates consumed in Italy on a daily basis exceeds ours. Wine, noted ‘in moderation’, is a recognised part of the diet.
The Mediterranean and Italian diet is characterised by a nutritional model (above), that comprises fresh seasonal ingredients, an abundance of cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, generous amounts of olive oil, pulses and nuts and moderate amounts of fish and meats. UNESCO also recognised that this diet encompasses more than just food – it promotes social interaction, thereby giving full credit to the lifestyle. In my opinion, the Italian diet and approach to food is the solution to long-lasting health and happiness, so I have structured this book by each section of the food pyramid. Just try to eat a few more from the Vegetables and Salads chapter and a few less from the Sweets chapter!
It’s pretty realistic for everyone to embrace this lifestyle and food culture by enjoying our very own local, seasonally fresh produce, prioritising our mealtimes by making them routine and including our friends and family, taking daily exercise and a drink in moderation.
I hope you enjoy these recipes from Italy, then relax and savour the wonderful flavours of freshly prepared food while enjoying the company of others. It is the recipe for a good life.
CARBOHYDRATES
While we’re all warned to cut the carbs, the Italians relish in them – and in their slimness! It just doesn’t seem fair. What’s evident to me is the Italian approach to ‘everything in moderation’. Their carb portions are definitely smaller than ours and ‘stop when you are full’ is also an Italian mantra ... but sometimes it just tastes so good!
For Italians, carbs incorporate bread, pasta, rice, polenta and couscous. As with all things Italian, there are strong regional differences. For example, couscous is a staple in Sicily, whereas polenta is in the north. Even the type of flour used in the bread differs, from the durum wheat in the south to the grano tenero or even chestnut flour in the north.
BREAD
Bread-making is a serious business, with many types having been awarded DOP status (Denominazione di origine protetta, or protected designation of origin) by the EU. DOP status protects the names of regional foods and strictly outlines how they must be made. One of my favourite DOP breads is the Pane di Altamura from the province of Bari in Puglia. Golden in colour, it has a wonderful chewy crust (which must be 3mm thick, by the way).
Breads vary from region to region and there are over 350 recognised types of bread. The local panificio will produce regional breads, pizza sold in slices and focaccia and may also make sandwiches (panini). Bread is usually sold by weight.
Solina, our friend and local baker in Sicily, runs Panificio Testagrossa, where she produces the most delicious sfincione once a week. The queues build up down the street in anticipation of the delicious, thick, pizza-like bread coming out of the oven and it sells out within minutes. She also makes lots of biscotti, many using almonds or coconut as a base, and in the late autumn she makes the amazing traditional marzipan fruit, which is an enormous amount of work but very popular as Christmas gifts.
I particularly like the Pane Siciliano, which is made with yellow durum wheat flour. A family favourite is Roman pizza, especially pizza bianca, which can be turned into a delicious sandwich with prosciutto and cheese.
‘Fare la scarpetta’ is usually heard when any pasta sauce remains on the plate. There is no direct English translation, but it broadly means ‘to do the little shoe’ –