—FROM In Tuscany
The antipasto course—welcome to the table! All menus in Tuscany offer an antipasto misto, mixed antipasto, and if friends are dining together, they’re sure to say, “Shall we just order the misto?” Soon you find your plate crowded with bruschette, prosciutto and melon, a slice of frittata, crostini, various salumi, marinated artichokes, chunks of pecorino, grilled eggplant, and bocconcini, the delectable small balls of mozzarella di bufala—whatever the chef selects to lure you happily into dinner. Either informal or lavish, an antipasto course starts dinner with appeal and drama.
For an outdoor lunch, I rely on extensive antipasti and often follow them just with a pasta and dessert. Crowded platters circling the table create a festive mood and everyone finds something to want. Even a quiet dinner at home in Tuscany starts with one or two antipasti, maybe only some baked olives and a few crostini with spicy tomato sauce.
From the recipes that follow, put together elaborate antipasto platters, or choose one special recipe to serve as your overture, perhaps farro salad cupped in a red radicchio leaf or seafood gratinato, or a mound of crisp, fried zucchini flowers.
From this clarion call, you move happily onward to the feast.
When assembling antipasti, I pay as much attention to texture and color as I do to a variety of tastes. Hunting and gathering provide much of the fun. I enjoy the assembly: raid the pantry, open a few jars, and unwrap a choice pecorino. These are some easy choices—no need for a recipe:
ROASTED BELL PEPPERS
ARTICHOKE HEARTS WITH EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
FENNEL SLICES SPRINKLED WITH FENNEL SEEDS AND EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
BREADSTICKS WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO
GRILLED SHRIMP AND MELON CUBES ON TOOTHPICKS
HALVED FIGS
SMALL CHUNKS OF PECORINO, GRANA PADANO, OR PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO
BIG CAPERS, STEMS ON
TARALLI (CRUSTY BREAD TWISTS AVAILABLE IN ITALIAN SPECIALTY MARKETS) FLAVORED WITH PEPERONCINI OR FENNEL SEEDS
VARIOUS SALUMI
Bruschette and crostini, the heart and soul of the antipasto course, are more than grilled bread and “little crusts”; they’re the beginning of the ritual and fact of eating together. At home or in any trattoria, they jump-start the meal, which then proceeds to il primo, the pasta, risotto, or soup course, then il secondo, the meat and vegetable course, then comes the sweet end to the rhythmic sequence, dolce.
Eating out with friends, we love to order crostini caldi, the warm ones, along with the room-temp crostini topped with goat cheese and herbs, or spicy tomato sauce, or melted fontina with a bit of black truffle. The platters circulate for so long that we could just move on to dessert and forget the other two courses waiting to be ordered. But here comes the platter again, and we slide a few more crostini onto our plates.
Maybe bruschetta tastes best in its simplest form: grilled, rustic bread abundantly doused with green, fresh extra-virgin olive oil and salt, perhaps a quick rub of garlic. Is this the greatest thing that can happen to a piece of bread? This paradigm bruschetta represents the essence of Tuscan food, food that usually provokes me to say, “How can something so easy be this good?” Quintessential as the basic bruschetta can be, it’s still tempting to serve several other types of bruschette on the antipasto platter.
Crostini, the antipasti that appear at every party in Tuscany, and bruschette are both slices of bread with various toppings. The difference? Bruschette are larger, sliced from a regular, hearty loaf, while crostini are small rounds from a baguette-type loaf called a stinco, shinbone. Bruschette are always grilled or toasted; crostini usually are not, though crostini caldi are.
A typical platter of crostini includes several tempting choices. Crostini neri—topped with a “black” chicken liver spread—are, no question, the local favorite. If you dislike them, don’t tell anyone! In restaurants, I like to find crostini with Gorgonzola and walnuts, with roasted garlic and grilled shrimp, or with oven-roasted tomatoes. All summer and into fall, platters of bruschette topped with fresh juicy tomatoes and basil make the rounds of the table, along with refreshing melon slices or figs with prosciutto. Winter’s robust bruschette with black cabbage or puréed cannellini beans and sage are fun to prepare at the fireplace.
Each recipe serves 8 to 12, depending on the size of the bread you use and how generously you apply the toppings. Usually one portion of bruschetta or three to four crostini suffice. Bruschette and crostini are not reserved for antipasti—these recipes add their infinite variety to pranzo, lunch, and merenda, snack.
On the following pages are some of the best toppings, excellent for both crostini or the larger bruschette. Or even for crackers.
REPARING BRUSCHETTE AND CROSTINI
For bruschetta, grill or broil substantial slices of rustic Tuscan bread, brush with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. If you like, spear a clove of garlic with one side cut and rub the cut side across the bread before adding the olive oil. I usually cut the bruschette in half unless it’s being served at the table, because if you’re standing up, big bruschette can be unruly. For crostini, cut a long skinny loaf into slices about ⅓ inch thick. Toast them or not, depending on the topping.
This is your ace. In summer, the trio of chopped, luscious tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh herbs sings the national anthem.
In winter, canned or boxed tomatoes attain a new depth of flavor during a long nap in the oven. The plump little darlings garnish a roast or, chopped, wake up a last-minute risotto or frittata.
If you want heat, scatter a tablespoon of peperoncini, red pepper flakes, over the tomatoes while cooking.
| 60 | OR SO CHERRY TOMATOES, HALVED, STEM ENDS TRIMMED; OR 25 MEDIUM TOMATOES, QUARTERED; OR 3 28-OUNCE CANS SAN MARZANO PLUM TOMATOES, DRAINED, CUT INTO QUARTERS |
| ½ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS MINCED FRESH ROSEMARY OR 1½ TABLESPOONS DRIED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS FRESH THYME LEAVES OR 1½ TABLESPOONS DRIED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS FRESH OREGANO LEAVES OR 1½ TABLESPOONS DRIED |
| 5 | GARLIC CLOVES, CHOPPED SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE PREPARED BRUSCHETTE OR CROSTINI |
Preheat the oven to 200°F.
Arrange the tomatoes cut side up on a parchment-lined 12 × 16-inch sheet pan. Drizzle the olive oil over them, scatter the herbs and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 2 hours, turning the tomatoes once.
Coarsely chop the tomatoes for bruschette, or simply press a tomato onto each crostino.
Leftover tomatoes can be packed into jars, topped with olive oil, and stored in the fridge for a week.
Rucola, arugula, is satisfying to grow, though you must sow the seeds weekly. It sprouts quickly and the young peppery leaves are best. Savor immediately because arugula bolts while you look the other way. The wilder cousin is rughetta, which has an intense bite of intriguing bitterness.
| 1 | BUNCH OF YOUNG ARUGULA, STEMS REMOVED |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 2 | GARLIC CLOVES |
| ¼ | CUP PINE NUTS |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| ½ | CUP (2 OUNCES) GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO PREPARED CROSTINI |
In a food processor or mortar, combine the arugula, salt, pepper, garlic, and pine nuts. Blend well, and then slowly incorporate enough olive oil to make a thick paste. Pulse or stir in the Parmigiano. Spread on bread.
Small cubes of fontina or pecorino can be used with, or instead of, the prosciutto. This can be served, too, as a salad in whole leaves of the radicchio, which form pretty red cups.
| 1 | HEAD OF RED RADICCHIO |
| 2 to 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 3 | SLICES PROSCIUTTO, CUT INTO SLIVERS |
| ¼ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| ½ | TEASPOON FENNEL SEEDS, CRUSHED |
| PREPARED BRUSCHETTE OR CROSTINI |
Cut the radicchio head in two and put each half face down on a medium-heated grill. (You can, instead, use a 16-inch stovetop grill pan.) Let the radicchio slightly brown, 3 or 4 minutes, then turn the halves over with tongs and grill the other side for 2 or 3 minutes.
When cool, chop the radicchio and place it in a medium bowl. Douse with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and stir in the prosciutto, seasonings, and fennel seeds. Add a little more olive oil if it looks dry. Pile on the prepared bread.
Since pea season is brief, I like to buy a bushel and corral someone to help me shell them. I freeze them in two-cup portions.
| 4 | SHALLOTS, MINCED |
| 2 | CUPS PEAS, SHELLED |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS CHOPPED MINT |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS MASCARPONE |
| ¼ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPPER PREPARED BRUSCHETTE OR CROSTINI |
In a medium pan over medium heat, mix the shallots with the peas, and sauté in the olive oil until the peas are barely done and the shallots are wilted, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mint, mascarpone, salt, and pepper. Chop coarsely in a food processor or by hand, and spoon onto the bread.
When you buy the beans, be sure to check the sell-by date. The longer away it is, the better. If the beans are older, the soaking or cooking time will be longer. Watch and taste—if they turn mushy, there’s nothing to do but purée them with some stock for a lovely soup. Before starting, read the note on cooking beans and chickpeas.
| 1 | POUND DRIED CANNELLINI BEANS, COOKED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 8 to 10 | FRESH SAGE LEAVES, CHOPPED, PLUS MORE WHOLE LEAVES FOR GARNISH |
| 1 | GARLIC CLOVE, MINCED |
| 1 | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER PREPARED BRUSCHETTE OR CROSTINI |
By hand or in a food processor, lightly chop the beans, and add the olive oil, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper, being careful not to turn the mixture into a purée. Spread on the bread and garnish each with whole sage leaves.
Fresh garlic doesn’t have the bitter taste older garlic gets, mainly from the sprout in the center. Remove the sprout by slicing the clove in half and lifting out the green center with the tip of a knife. The heads of garlic should be dense, and the “paper” quite white.
As a variation on this recipe, toast and chop ½ cup of walnuts, add them to the garlic purée, and spread on crostini. As bruschetta, float it in your soup bowl, the way contadini, farmers, have done for centuries.
| 8 | WHOLE HEADS OF GARLIC |
| ½ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL SALT TO TASTE PREPARED BRUSCHETTE OR CROSTINI |
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Gently remove most of the papery outer skin of the garlic bulb and slice off the very top of the head, exposing the cloves. Place each head on a square of aluminum foil. Pour over the cut surface a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and close the foil into tight bundles. Place the bundles in a small ovenproof dish.
Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, checking with fork tines after the first 30 minutes. When the tines easily pierce the garlic, it’s done. The cloves will lightly brown.
Let the garlic cool until ready to handle. Squeeze out the garlic head with the heel of your hand, or take a paring knife and carefully dig out the cloves from the top. Or, and this seems best to me, separate the cloves gently and let your guests squeeze out the garlic directly onto their bread.
Beneath the cheese and nuts, you can slip thinly sliced salami or prosciutto.
| 8 | SLICES PECORINO OR FONTINA |
| ¼ | CUP WALNUTS, CHOPPED PREPARED BRUSCHETTE OR CROSTINI |
Preheat the broiler.
Place a slice of pecorino and some walnuts on each piece of bread. Run under the broiler for a couple of minutes until slightly melted.
Melted red peppers top bruschette perfectly, but just solo they’re a colorful marker on the antipasto platter. Leftovers are great on polenta with sausages. With cheese and grilled eggplant, savory sandwiches come together quickly. If you scatter a minced dried hot red pepper, seeds removed, over the bell peppers while they’re cooking, you’ll have a spicy spread.
| 3 | RED BELL PEPPERS, SEEDED AND THINLY SLICED |
| ½ | CUP BLACK OLIVES, PITTED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, OR MORE IF NEEDED |
| ¼ | CUP BALSAMIC VINEGAR, OR MORE IF NEEDED |
| ¼ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPPER PREPARED BRUSCHETTE OR CROSTINI |
In a large skillet on lowest heat, cook the peppers and olives, uncovered, with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar until the peppers are soft, about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally; the peppers should almost “melt.” Add more olive oil and balsamic vinegar if they look dry. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon peppers onto bread and serve warm.
Crostini neri—black crostini. Chopped liver? No way. This is the Tuscan recipe, the universal favorite, starring at every feast. I’m always astounded at how quickly they disappear, no matter how many trays are passed around.
| ½ | CUP SOFFRITTO |
| 3 | ANCHOVY FILLETS |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 1 | POUND CHICKEN LIVERS, TRIMMED |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| ½ | CUP RED WINE |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS BALSAMIC VINEGAR |
| 1 | TABLESPOON CAPERS, DRAINED PREPARED CROSTINI |
In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, sauté the soffritto and anchovies in the olive oil until the anchovies begin to dissolve, about 3 minutes. Wash and pat dry the chicken livers, season with salt and pepper, and add them to the pan, browning on all sides. Press with a wooden spoon from time to time. After 8 to 10 minutes, add the wine and vinegar. Raise the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. In the last few minutes of cooking, stir in the capers. For a finer texture, chop the mixture briefly in a food processor. Serve either warm or at room temperature on crostini.
When this is good it’s very, very good, and when it’s limp it’s a disaster. To avoid the latter, the oil must maintain a steady temperature. Choose a fresh bunch of flowers; if they’re slightly droopy, don’t bother. The male plants do not develop into zucchini—they only flower. If you’re growing zucchini, pick tiny ones with the flowers still attached. Cut these zucchini and flowers down the center and fry them with male flowers. Young squash blossoms work equally well.
SERVES 8
| 2 | CUPS PEANUT OR SUNFLOWER OIL, FOR FRYING |
| 24 | MALE ZUCCHINI FLOWERS, UNWASHED |
BATTER FOR FRYING
| 1 | CUP ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| 1 | CUP BEER |
| COARSE SALT TO TASTE |
In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 350°F.
If the blossoms are moist, pat them dry with a paper towel. Gently pry open each flower and break off the yellow stamen, or use tweezers to snip it out.
To prepare the batter, in a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, and beer, and let this rest for 20 minutes. Break up any lumps with a fork. Quickly dip each flower into the batter, coating it all over.
Slip the flowers into the oil. Flip once. Fry in batches until tawny and crispy, about 2 minutes. Remove them with the spatula or tongs, and drain quickly on paper towels. Serve immediately, with a sprinkling of salt.
Too often, sage is associated with that green dust that comes in little jars and makes you sneeze. Fresh sage has an assertive punch. Fry these as a garnish for meat or serve them along with fried zucchini flowers and drinks.
SERVES 8
| BATTER FOR FRYING (USE ½ RECIPE) | |
| 1 | CUP PEANUT OR SUNFLOWER OIL, FOR FRYING |
| 32 | SAGE LEAVES |
Prepare the batter and let it rest for 20 minutes.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 350°F.
Wash the sage if necessary, and pat it with a dishtowel to dry completely. Dip the sage leaves into the batter and drop them into the oil for 1 to 2 minutes (depending on the thickness of the leaves), or until the leaves are crisp. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
As a Southerner, to me the words “deep fried” are an enchanting combination. We never met an artichoke, when I was growing up, except the kind that was marinated in a jar. Still, carciofi fritti seem like soul food.
At the Thursday market in season, vendors, many of whom have driven their trucks all night from Puglia, sell five sizes of artichokes. For stuffing with bread, herbs, and tomatoes, I buy the largest ones. For frying, the smallest, purple-tinged violetti or morellini are best. Tiny violetti, sliced raw and dressed, make an astringent crunchy salad, which exemplifies the Tuscan preference for bitter tastes.
For these fried beauties, remember that the stem is as tasty as the heart. Sometimes four or five inches long, the stems can be peeled with a vegetable peeler. Cut each artichoke in half, leaving the stem attached. If they’re small enough, fry them like this. If not, slice each in half again, paring off any choke. Be sure to remove all tough outer leaves.
Matching wine with artichokes is daunting, but we’ve tried fried artichokes with Friulano, formerly called Tocai, the darling of the province of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. The usual suggestion, however, is a Gewürztraminer.
SERVES 4
| BATTER FOR FRYING | |
| 2 | CUPS PEANUT OR SUNFLOWER OIL, FOR FRYING |
| 15 | VERY SMALL ARTICHOKES COARSE SALT TO TASTE LEMON WEDGES, FOR GARNISH |
Prepare the batter and let it rest for 20 minutes.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 350°F.
Strip all tough outer leaves from the artichokes and cut away the top third. Trim off any sharp tips from the lower leaves. Halve or quarter the artichokes.
Dip the artichokes in the batter, and then slide them into the oil. Fry the artichokes in batches until crisp and browned, about 4 minutes, depending on size. When done, remove them to paper towels to drain, salt immediately, then pile them on a board and pass with wedges of lemon.
Italians adore celebrating seasonal food. For over sixty years, artichokes have been the focus of the Sagra del Carciofo Romanesco in Ladispoli. The romanesco is the BIG artichoke. “Sagra” denotes a festival—in autumn it’ll be zucca, castagna, polenta, cinghiale (pumpkin, chestnut, polenta, boar); in summer, lumache, ciliegie, oca (snails, cherries, goose)—whatever the region boasts at the moment. The sagra signs lure you to follow your nose. The festivals are lively; the food, extraordinary. I’d like to go to Ladispoli for the April sagra because we’re always looking for new ways to serve artichokes.
I’ve made this constructed artichoke a thousand times. Its talents take it to center stage as antipasto, first course, or the main attraction at lunch. It’s fun to assemble these with a child because it’s like decorating the Christmas tree.
SERVES 8
| 8 | LARGE ARTICHOKES, TOPS AND BOTTOMS TRIMMED, SHARP POINTS OF LEAVES CUT AWAY, ALL ROUGH LEAVES REMOVED |
| 3 | GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED JUICE AND ZEST OF 2 LEMONS |
| ½ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 1 | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 1 | HANDFUL OF FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, CHOPPED |
| 4 | SLICES RUSTIC BREAD, CUT INTO 1-INCH SQUARES AND TOASTED |
| 4 | TOMATOES, CUT INTO LARGE DICE |
Bring a large steamer of water to a boil, and cook the artichokes, partially covered, for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing the bottom with a fork, or by pulling a petal, which should only slightly resist. It should be yielding but not soft. Cool the artichokes, and then gently pry apart the leaves, exposing the choke. Pull out the tuft, and scrape the heart clean with a spoon.
Mix the garlic, lemon juice, zest, olive oil, seasonings, and parsley in a glass jar and shake it well.
In a medium bowl, toss the bread and tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the lemon and olive oil mixture. With your fingers, spread open each artichoke and fill the cavities with the bread and tomato mixture. Insert bread and tomatoes inside the leaves so that the artichoke is studded all around. Arrange the little beauties on plates, and douse each one all over with the remaining lemon and olive oil mixture.
The Sicilian version of caponata that I tasted in Siracusa was more flavorful than mine. Why? The concentrated tomato estratto (tomato paste made from sun-dried tomatoes) available in Sicily, a freer hand with seasoning, and the umami lent by the anchovies. I came home and gave my caponata a boost.
This is one of those perfect antipasti to have on hand for guests. Place a bowl of caponata amid crackers and crudités and serve it forth. At lunch, a couple of tablespoons of this turns a plain ham or tomato sandwich into something special, and it’s also a great pasta sauce–just toss with penne. Like many tomato-based recipes, caponata is best if made a day ahead. It will keep in the fridge for a week.
SERVES 15 TO 20
| 2 | MEDIUM EGGPLANTS, SLICED ½ INCH THICK |
| 6 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 1 | LARGE YELLOW ONION, FINELY CHOPPED |
| 4 | GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED |
| 6 | SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, SOAKED FOR 1 HOUR IN 2 TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, THEN CHOPPED |
| ½ | CUP TOMATO PASTE |
| 1 | CUP TOMATO SAUCE |
| 4 | ANCHOVY FILLETS, CHOPPED |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS SALTED CAPERS, RINSED AND LEFT WHOLE |
| 1 | HANDFUL OF FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, CHOPPED |
| ½ | CUP PITTED GREEN OLIVES, COARSELY CHOPPED |
| ½ | CUP PITTED BLACK OLIVES, COARSELY CHOPPED |
| 1 | TABLESPOON FRESH OREGANO LEAVES OR 1½ TEASPOONS DRIED |
| 1 | TEASPOON SALT |
| 1 | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPERONCINI (RED PEPPER FLAKES), OR MORE TO TASTE |
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the eggplant slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan, drizzle with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened and slightly browned.
In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Cut the eggplant slices into small cubes, add to the onion, and cook to blend, about 3 minutes. The onion and eggplant are now ready for their jolt of color. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, tomato paste, and tomato sauce to the eggplant mixture. Stir well and toss to combine. Turn the heat to low and add the anchovies, capers, parsley, and olives. Stir in the oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Let the caponata warm through. Serve it right away, or if you chill it for later, let it come to room temperature before serving.
Olives are fine on their own, but here are three twists on the usual—one spicy, one lemony, and one stuffed and fried. Try all three when there are guests. With this olive threesome, I like breadsticks wrapped with prosciutto, chunks of aged pecorino, finocchiona (fennel-scented salami), and dry Cinzano on the rocks.
If the olives are pitted, you can fill each one with a whole roasted almond.
SERVES 10 TO 15
| 2 | SMALL HOT PEPPERS (1 RED AND 1 GREEN), SEEDED AND MINCED, OR 1 TABLESPOON PEPERONCINI (RED PEPPER FLAKES) |
| 1 | MEDIUM YELLOW ONION, MINCED |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 2 | CUPS LARGE GREEN OLIVES |
| 1 | TEASPOON SALT |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS LEMON JUICE |
In a small skillet over medium-low heat, cook the hot peppers or red pepper flakes with the onion in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and on the verge of browning. Mix in the olives, moisten with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and add the salt and lemon juice. Transfer the olives to a covered glass dish and let them rest in the fridge overnight.
Just one of these can set you dreaming of Capri or Ravello.
SERVES 10 TO 15
| PEEL OF 1 LEMON | |
| PEEL OF 1 ORANGE | |
| 2 | CUPS MIXED GREEN AND BLACK OLIVES |
| 6 | GARLIC CLOVES, QUARTERED |
| 1 | TABLESPOON RED WINE |
| ½ | TEASPOON FRESH OREGANO LEAVES OR ¼ TEASPOON DRIED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
After removing the citrus peel in thin strips, cut the strips into pieces an inch or so long. Mix everything in a small, open earthenware baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, and serve in the same dish.
In the Marche region, the 50,000 ascolani, the people who live in Ascoli Piceno, dwell around one of the most beautiful piazzas in Italy, the Piazza del Popolo. At cafés in early evening, everyone is sipping prosecco and nibbling stuffed fried olives, a local treat famous all over Italy. Traditionally filled with ground meats, the olives also show an affinity for chopped salami. The olive of choice is their local one, the quite large and green Ascolano Tenera.
Use any large, pitted green olives. For an alternative filling: with a pastry tube, try piping in a mix of roasted garlic, anchovy, and lemon zest.
SERVES 8
| 1 | CUP PEANUT OIL OR SUNFLOWER OIL, FOR FRYING |
| ½ | CUP ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR |
| 2 | EGGS, BEATEN |
| ¾ | CUP FRESH BREADCRUMBS |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 24 | LARGE GREEN OLIVES, PITTED |
| ¼ | POUND SLICED ITALIAN SALAMI, PREFERABLY FINOCCHIONA, FINELY CHOPPED |
In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 350°F.
Place the flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs in three separate small bowls. Season the flour with pepper. Stuff the olives with the salami, and then roll them in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Fry until golden, turning when needed, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
A scoop of farro salad, tucked into a red radicchio leaf, adds texture to an antipasto platter. Leftover farro keeps in the fridge for three to four days and is handy for wraps. Farro (the grain Triticum dicoccum) is no longer difficult to locate. Spelt it’s not, though you do see that identification. Farro is an ancient grain that almost fell out of use for centuries and has been restored as a viable crop. Nutty and chewy, it tastes like a cross between brown rice and wheat berries—but, really, it just tastes like farro.
If you use husked farro perlato, pearled farro, it will cook in 20 minutes. Look for whole-grain or semi-pearled farro. If the label doesn’t say, monitor the cooking time. Farro salad is one of a triumvirate I usually serve at pool and bocce parties, along with a green salad and a fennel and orange salad.
SERVES 10, WITH LEFTOVERS
| 3 | CUPS FARRO |
| 1 | ONION, QUARTERED |
| 4 | CELERY STALKS, 3 FINELY CHOPPED AND 1 LEFT WHOLE |
| 3 | CARROTS, 2 MINCED AND 1 LEFT WHOLE |
| 4 | TOMATOES, SEEDED AND CHOPPED |
| ½ | CUP PITTED GREEN OLIVES, CUT IN HALF |
| 2 | SHALLOTS, MINCED |
| 3 | GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED |
| ½ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 1 | HANDFUL OF BASIL LEAVES, TORN |
| 1 | BUNCH OF FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, CHOPPED JUICE AND ZEST OF 1 LEMON |
| ¼ | CUP PINE NUTS, TOASTED SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE |
Pour the farro into a 6-quart pot of cold water. Add the onion, the whole celery stalk, and the whole carrot. Bring to a boil, immediately lower to a simmer, partially cover, and cook, stirring now and then, until the farro is done, usually in under an hour. Start tasting after 45 minutes. It should have the same texture as rice. If overcooked, it turns goopy.
While the farro is cooking, mix all the other ingredients in a medium bowl. Drain the farro, and return it to the pot. Discard the cooked vegetables. Add the vegetable mixture to the farro, and toss well. Correct seasonings and serve.
The quality of the mozzarella means everything in this classic summer salad. Instead of the brick-shaped mozzarella, use the delicate and rich mozzarella di bufala, the water buffalo cheese that comes suspended in bags of liquid to keep it moist.
SERVES 8
| 20 | SLICES TOMATO, ABOUT 5 MEDIUM |
| 20 | SLICES MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA |
| 5 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 20 | BASIL LEAVES, TORN |
Alternate the tomato and mozzarella slices in concentric circles, drizzle the olive oil all over them, season with salt and pepper, and scatter the basil leaves on top.
Robiola, from Lombardia and Piemonte, is usually made from cow milk, but Robiola di Roccaverano is almost all goat milk. Try them both. If no Robiola is available, use cream cheese, which will be fine once it’s dressed up with herbs.
SERVES 8
| 4 | OUNCES ROBIOLA A BIG HANDFUL OF ARUGULA, CHOPPED |
| 2 | TEASPOONS FRESH THYME LEAVES |
| 2 | TEASPOONS CHOPPED FRESH CHIVES PEPPER TO TASTE |
| 16 | SLICES BRESAOLA (DRIED SALTED BEEF) |
In a small bowl, combine the Robiola with the arugula, thyme, chives, and pepper. Spread the Robiola on the slices of bresaola and roll up. Place on a platter seam side down.
Simple and classic, prosciutto e melone starts off many a summer dinner all over Italy. Cut a melon into 8 crescents, remove the seeds and rind, and arrange on a plate with the thinnest slices of prosciutto. Garnish with mint or lemon balm leaves. Basta! Enough!
Fiorella makes everything from scratch, or so I thought. When she brought out this tart one summer night, she said it was “made in an instant.” Later, she told me that for this only, she uses a purchased piecrust. When it emerges from the oven, the tart is puffed and golden, so rush it to the table.
SERVES 8
| 1 | YELLOW ONION, THINLY SLICED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 3 | MEDIUM ZUCCHINI, THINLY SLICED |
| 1 | 10-INCH FLAKY PASTRY PIECRUST (MADE WITHOUT SUGAR) |
| 3 | EGGS |
| ½ | CUP (2 OUNCES) GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 1 | RED BELL PEPPER, CUT INTO SLIVERS |
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a medium skillet, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until translucent, about 3 minutes, over medium heat, then add the zucchini and let them cook together for 3 or 4 minutes more, until they are barely tender. Arrange the sautéed vegetables in the piecrust.
Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk with the cheese and seasonings. Pour this over the onion and zucchini. Swab out the bowl, and toss the bell pepper in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange the slices in a spoke pattern, pressing them down into the eggs a little. Bake for 30 minutes, until the center has domed and the pastry is flaky and browned. Serve immediately.
Redolent of beach cafés with a salty breeze, this shrimp and mussel gratinato stars as a solo antipasto or as a tasty first course. Before you begin, soak the saffron to yield the most flavor from this most expensive of seasonings. The sauce is optional, but Ed recommends a spoon or so for the intense golden taste. With this dish, Ed pours Venica & Venica, Collio DOC Traminer Aromatico.
SERVES 8
| 3 | SHALLOTS, MINCED |
| 1¼ | POUNDS WILD-CAUGHT MEDIUM SHRIMP, PEELED AND CLEANED |
| 6 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| ¾ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPPER, PLUS ADDITIONAL TO TASTE |
| 2 | POUNDS MUSSELS, WASHED AND CLEANED WITH A BRUSH |
| ¼ | CUP COARSE FRESH BREADCRUMBS, TOASTED |
| ¼ | CUP (1 OUNCE) GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO |
| ¼ | CUP CHOPPED FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY |
| 1 | TEASPOON FRESH THYME OR ½ TEASPOON DRIED |
| PINCH OF PEPERONCINI (RED PEPPER FLAKES) |
FOR THE SAUCE
| PAN LIQUIDS FROM SHRIMP AND MUSSELS | |
| ¼ | CUP WHITE WINE |
| ½ | CUP HEAVY CREAM |
| ¼ | TEASPOON SALT, PLUS ADDITIONAL TO TASTE |
| 4 to 5 | SAFFRON THREADS |
Soak the saffron threads in 2 tablespoons of tepid water for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the shallots and shrimp in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the shallots are translucent and the shrimp just start to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Remove to a large bowl. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and raise the heat to medium high as you add the mussels. The heat causes the shells to open. Discard any that do not.
Leaving the liquid in the skillet, remove the mussels to a bowl with a slotted spoon and extract them from their shells. Mix them and any liquid from the mussels with the shrimp. Toss the seafood with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix in the breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, parsley, thyme, the remaining salt, and the red pepper flakes. Transfer to ½-cup buttered ramekins or scallop shells. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Bring the reserved pan liquids and wine to a boil and reduce by a third, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and add the cream, salt, saffron, and saffron water. Continue to cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Taste to see if a little more salt should be added. Serve the ramekins and pass the saffron sauce.
Eight years ago, a friend of ours, Marco Bennati, started cultivating lavender crocuses (Crocus sativus) just outside Cortona, on a plot about the size of a football field. Every October, from three quintale, 660 pounds, of bulbs, he harvests a total of ½ pound of saffron—only the three threadlike stigmas are plucked out of the flower—which he then dries on baking sheets in the fireplace.
Saffron and other now-rare spices were used in earlier eras in Italian cooking. Hearing Marco describe the labor involved, it’s easy to understand how the cultivation of saffron declined. He keeps beehives, too, and raises grapes and rare varieties of potatoes. As we walk over to the hives, he stays on the edge of the crocus field, swatting away bees that come near. Marco teaches at the agricultural school and passes on to the coming generation his passions, introducing them to artisans who are devoted to the revival of lost vegetable crops, planting vines in Etruscan patterns, ageing cheese in pits, making ricotta, and searching out old varieties of fruit trees.
When he gave me a few of his precious threads and some bulbs to plant, I asked him for his favorite saffron recipes. He laughed and said, “I must admit, I don’t even like it.” Luckily, he likes the crocuses and the whole growing process. And as he hands me a huge jar of honey, he tells me he’s allergic to bee sting!
