“No, they were in season last week.” Roberto points to the fresh cannellini. “These are ready now. From all over—Roma, Milano—they come to Tuscany for these beans.” I know the cannellini. Simply dressed with oil, sage, salt, and a lot of pepper, they have restorative powers beyond all other beans. I’ve seen Ed eat them for breakfast. They are Tuscan comfort food.
When I walk out of the frutta e verdura, I’m struck. He said the Sant’Annas were in season last week. I had these skinny string beans once. Now they’re gone for a year. The cookbook watchword “seasonal” has taken on an immediacy I’ve never dreamed possible. Ed and I take the baskets up on the terraces and pick dinner. Anselmo has sown waves of lettuces all summer. We can’t eat enough; when it bolts, Beppe wields his sickle and bundles the greens for his rabbits. When we cut the chard, bietole, it comes back. I like the Italian word for that, ricrescere; it sounds as though the stalks are crashing upward through the soil. Fortunately, we planted a lot of cantaloupe and watermelon. Even with gnawing animal raiders, who take one hunk from a melon, we have plenty. As a crop finishes, Anselmo treads down the plants and stalks, letting them decay into the ground.
In spring, we were convinced he was planting too much, and we were right. It’s divine. We never have eaten so well. Or as simply. As it turns out, Anselmo’s idea of tomatoes is my idea of tomatoes: every day, a heaping basket of perfect red, red tomatoes. I look on these with more pleasure than I had when I saw my new car.
—FROM Bella Tuscany
CONTORNI
BAKED PEPPERS WITH RICOTTA AND BASIL
FAVA BEANS WITH POTATOES AND ARTICHOKES
ROASTED VEGETABLES, ESPECIALLY FENNEL
FASCICLES OF SUMMER VEGETABLES
CHARD WITH RAISINS AND ORANGE PEEL
How lucky that down the Italian peninsula and then into the islands way south, there’s a long, long growing season. The selection of gorgeous fruits and vegetables is one of the great delights of cooking here, as I’m sure you know if you’ve wandered through the weekly markets anywhere in Italy. When I first arrived, I wanted to grab a basket and fill it with the onions like giant pearls, little violet artichokes tender enough to eat raw, fat muscat grapes, wiry wild asparagus, red-speckled borlotti beans, zucchini blossoms like a handful of sunshine, white peaches about to burst with juice, burgundy Treviso lettuce, and pears that look like models for a still-life painting. Even though we now keep a riotously productive orto and a small orchard, I still revel in the Thursday market, especially when the artichoke vendors come up from the South in the spring. I buy flats of vegetables to plant, too, and always sample a paper cone of fritto misto, crispy fried fish. Like everyone else, I’m compelled to go to market. You just have to be there!
I’m delighted that now, at home in the United States, we have such markets, too. The revival of farmers’ markets is the best thing to happen to American food since Julia Child stormed onto the scene with her enthusiasm and can-do attitude. Something about a farmers’ market far transcends the produce on sale, making you feel as though you’re participating in an intense community, even if you know no one there. I just sense that I could know them, that we’re all going to be loving those fresh peas and handfuls of zinnias and mounds of multicolored peppers.
The Tuscan way with vegetables is to let them have their way. With produce from your garden or a farmers’ market, that’s a good plan. No recipe required. Spinach? Steam it, and add lemon juice and olive oil. Broccolo romano? Slice in quarters, steam, toss with chopped anchovies and olive oil. Potatoes? There are no real recipes for potatoes in Tuscany. It’s as if the collective voice of all nonne, grandmothers, agree: roast or sauté them with olive oil, rosemary, and whole garlic cloves. A little coarse salt. You’re done.
Still, with such bounty, many of us have great fun innovating with our eggplants, bushels of potatoes, and tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. Ripieno—refill—is what most cooks love to do; eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions lend themselves to a variety of fillings. Involtini—roll-ups—are another favorite. Slice the eggplant or zucchini, lay on prosciutto and mozzarella, roll into a neat wheel, and bake. The local favorite, sformati, a kind of a crustless quiche, appears in many guises. Any vegetable will do—carrots look especially appealing. I like making red radicchio and onion sformati.
I adore vegetables. There’s not a single one I don’t like. All the recipes in this Contorni chapter are my personal odes.
Fresh ricotta, made from ewe milk, is a treat. Special baskets once imprinted the sides of the cheese with a woven pattern. These are collectable, since ricotta now is formed in pierced plastic molds. Our neighbor, Lapo Salvadori, makes ricotta every week and drops off a bag at our house. For these recipes, choose any whole-milk ricotta and drain it if it seems watery.
SERVES 10
| 5 | YELLOW OR RED BELL PEPPERS |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 2 | CUPS (1 POUND) WHOLE-MILK RICOTTA |
| 1 | TABLESPOON TORN FRESH MINT LEAVES |
| ½ | CUP FRESH BASIL LEAVES, TORN, PLUS A FEW WHOLE LEAVES FOR GARNISH |
| 1 | TABLESPOON MINCED FRESH ROSEMARY OR 1½ TEASPOONS DRIED |
| 1 | TABLESPOON FRESH THYME LEAVES OR 1½ TEASPOONS DRIED |
| ½ | CUP FINELY SLICED GREEN ONIONS |
| 1 | HANDFUL OF FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, CHOPPED |
| 1 | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 2 | EGGS |
| ½ | CUP (2 OUNCES) GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO |
| 1 | TEASPOON FENNEL FLOWERS |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS FRESH BREADCRUMBS, CRISPED IN A LITTLE EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
Heat a grill or turn the gas flame on the stove on high.
Singe the peppers on the grill or the stovetop. I set them down right on the stove’s flame and keep turning them with tongs. In about 10 minutes, the peppers should char all over, but don’t cook them so long that they turn limp. Cool in a medium bowl, and then slide off the burned skin. Cut in half and clean out the ribs and seeds. Rub inside and out with the olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, green onions, parsley, salt, and pepper. Beat in the eggs and Parmigiano. Fill the peppers with the mixture and top with the fennel flowers and breadcrumbs. Line a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with parchment and arrange the peppers. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the ricotta is set to the touch and the breadcrumbs have browned. Garnish with basil leaves.
When in a last-minute quandary, I reach for at-the-ready ingredients and toss together this delicious mix of artichoke hearts, peppers, capers, and tomatoes. I’m not sure how I managed to live so many years without knowing this recipe.
SERVES 6
| 1 | RED BELL PEPPER, CUT INTO THIN STRIPS |
| 2 | 9-OUNCE BOXES FROZEN ARTICHOKE HEARTS, THAWED |
| 4 | TOMATOES, DICED |
| 1 | YELLOW ONION, MINCED |
| 2 | GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED |
| 6 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 1 | TEASPOON SALT |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 1 | TABLESPOON FRESH THYME LEAVES OR 1½ TEASPOONS DRIED |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR |
| 1 | HANDFUL OF FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, MINCED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS CAPERS |
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, toss together the pepper strips, artichokes, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with half of the salt and pepper, and all of the thyme. Empty this into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Roast uncovered in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the onions and peppers are tender.
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil with the vinegar, the rest of the salt and pepper, and the parsley and capers to make a dressing.
Remove the vegetables from the oven, and pour the dressing over them. Return the dish to the oven to warm for 5 more minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
The whiff of garlic and the silky, creamy texture of this flan accent any robust roasted meats, especially Short Ribs, Tuscan Style with Domenica’s Rosemary Potatoes. As a variation, add some sautéed, sliced mushrooms.
SERVES 6
| 1 | WHOLE HEAD OF GARLIC |
| 2 | CUPS HEAVY CREAM |
| A FEW GRATINGS OF NUTMEG | |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 4 | EGG YOLKS, BEATEN |
| EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, FOR THE RAMEKINS |
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Separate the cloves from the head of garlic. Without peeling them, place in boiling water for 7 minutes. Cool, and with your fingers squeeze out the garlic from the skin, crush with a fork, and mince.
Bring the cream and garlic just to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Stir in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat, beat a few tablespoons of hot liquid into the egg yolks, then add them to the hot cream. Spoon into six 3½-inch well-oiled ramekins.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Place the ramekins in a 9 × 13-inch baking dish as deep as the ramekins. Pour the boiling water halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set, but soft and silky. Cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, or serve in the ramekins.
Dragoncello, tarragon, spreads like a brushfire in my herb garden. Although it is not used much in Tuscan cooking, it always has been a favorite of mine. Adjacent to the herb garden, we have a summer plot of green beans and the two hit it off splendidly. I remembered a childhood favorite, my mother’s way with marinated green beans, and tweaked it a bit because, at that time in Georgia, we didn’t know about extra-virgin olive oil.
SERVES 8
| 2 | POUNDS SLENDER GREEN BEANS, TOPPED AND TAILED |
| 2 | YELLOW ONIONS, FINELY CHOPPED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 4 to 5 | SLICES PANCETTA |
FOR THE MARINADE
| ¾ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| 1 | TEASPOON SUGAR |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPERONCINI (RED PEPPER FLAKES) |
| ¼ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS CHOPPED FRESH TARRAGON LEAVES OR 1 TABLESPOON DRIED |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS LEMON JUICE |
| ½ | CUP BLACK OLIVES, PITTED |
| JUICE OF 1 ORANGE AND THIN STRIPS OF PEEL |
Steam the beans just until barely done, about 5 minutes. Empty them into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for about 3 minutes, or until completely cooked. Mix the onions with the beans in the baking dish.
Combine the marinade ingredients in a jar and shake well. Pour the marinade over the beans and onions, cover, and let rest in the fridge for 6 hours or longer, turning them over several times.
In a small skillet over medium heat, cook the pancetta in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil until crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on absorbent paper towels. Crumble the pancetta over the top and serve chilled or at room temperature.
The s before a consonant at the beginning of an Italian word inserts the negative, as the English a does (atypical, asymmetrical). A sformato, then, is not formed; it’s out of the mold, unformed. Sformati are similar to quiche without the crust. Almost any vegetable can benefit by becoming a sformato.
They can be served as a side dish, but we like to turn them out in the middle of an antipasto plate, with a spoonful of tomato sauce on top.
SERVES 8
| 6 | EGGS |
| 1 | CUP HEAVY CREAM |
| 1 | CUP WHOLE MILK |
| ½ | CUP SOFFRITTO (½ RECIPE) |
| ½ | CUP (2 OUNCES) GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO |
| 3 | CUPS PREPARED AND SEASONED VEGETABLES: |
thinly sliced artichoke hearts
zucchini with 1 tablespoon mint and ½ teaspoon lemon zest
red pepper slivers with 5 to 6 torn basil leaves
mushroom slices with 1 tablespoon minced shallot
grated carrot with ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
half a chopped red radicchio and half a minced onion
chopped tomato with 1 tablespoon pesto
| EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL | |
| ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR |
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the cream, milk, soffritto, Parmigiano, and vegetables with their suggested herbs. Stir the mixture well, and spoon it into eight oiled and floured 3½-inch ramekins. Place them in a 10 × 15-inch baking dish as deep as they are. (Or use a muffin tin and make 10 to 12.) Pour about 5 cups of boiling water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until firm to the touch, about 20 minutes, depending on the vegetable. When slightly cooled, run a thin knife around the edges of the sformati and unmold.
Lunch can be a platter of various salumi, a bowl of raw unshelled fave, a pasta, a round of pecorino, and a glass of wine. At many spring gatherings, the fave e pecorino ritual is observed at the end of a light dinner, a simultaneous salad and cheese course. Any time seems to be a good time for this sacred combination.
This recipe could accompany a veal chop or a pork tenderloin, but is a spring vegetable main course, too.
SERVES 6
| JUICE OF 1 LEMON, PLUS ADDITIONAL JUICE FOR ACIDULATING WATER | |
| 6 | SMALL ARTICHOKES, TOP THIRD CUT OFF, TRIMMED OF ALL TOUGH LEAVES, AND QUARTERED |
| 1 | POUND SMALL WHITE POTATOES (OR RED NEW POTATOES), PEELED AND QUARTERED |
| 2 | POUNDS YOUNG FAVA BEANS, SHELLED |
| ¼ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 3 | SPRING ONIONS OR 2 BUNCHES SCALLIONS, CHOPPED |
| 4 | GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED |
| 6 | SPRIGS OF THYME |
| 1 | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
Prepare a bowl of acidulated water. Steam the artichokes until just tender. Drain and set aside in the acidulated water. Steam the potatoes until barely done. Steam the fava beans until almost done.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly sauté the spring onions or scallions and the garlic 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the artichokes, potatoes, fava beans, thyme, salt, and pepper. Squeeze the lemon juice over the vegetables. Gently toss the mixture until nicely blended and hot. Turn out into a bowl.
LA FAVA—SPRING FAVORITE
First to arrive—and most loved of the spring vegetables—are the fave. The beans are preceded by a lovely flower that in ancient times was thought to bear the letter theta, Ѳ, associated with Thanatos—death. Now we just enjoy the delicate purple and white bloom. In Tuscany, they’re called baccelli because fava is one of the thousands of slang words for “penis.” I didn’t understand why until we planted them. The beans grow in an erect position instead of dangling.
Once shelled, fresh fave don’t need to be peeled, although older ones must be blanched and very tediously peeled, bean by bean. Although they still can be good, a bean that must be peeled is basically past its prime and way too much trouble.
The larger the oven, the better to roast a variety of the vegetables of the moment. I’ve come to prefer oven-roasting to grilling vegetables. The individual flavors are accentuated, while grilling imposes its own smoky taste that can be overwhelming. Oven-roasted fennel is unbelievably good. I find myself stealing a piece as soon as I turn off the oven. Roasting twice as much as you need to serve is a good idea—think of the next day’s pasta, salad, and sandwich possibilities.
| EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL | |
| BELL PEPPERS, QUARTERED | |
| SHALLOTS, QUARTERED | |
| FENNEL, QUARTERED | |
| ZUCCHINI AND SUMMER SQUASH, HALVED | |
| EGGPLANT, SLICED | |
| HEADS OF GARLIC, CLEANED OF PAPERY COVERING | |
| TOMATOES, HALVED | |
| FRESH THYME LEAVES | |
| SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE | |
| LEMON PEEL |
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Generously oil a nonstick baking sheet or two with low sides, or line the pan with parchment. Arrange the peppers, shallots, fennel, zucchini and squash, eggplant, garlic, and tomatoes on the sheets. Moisten well with olive oil, and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Scatter the lemon peel over the vegetables.
Slide the pan into the oven and roast about 10 minutes, then start testing the squash, zucchini, and tomatoes, removing them to a platter as they are done. Turn the eggplant and peppers. Everything should be done before 30 minutes have passed.
Arrange the vegetables on a platter. Use more olive oil if anything looks needy. The garlic requires hands-on attention. Have your guests pull off the cloves and squeeze them onto bread.
Since my friend Susan Wyler, author of several cookbooks, taught me to roast asparagus in the oven, I’ve rarely steamed it. Even burned and crisp, they’re delicious. Little green beans also benefit from a run in the oven. With about two hundred onions growing like mad in the garden, I’ve taken to roasting them frequently; the contrasting flavor of balsamic vinegar adds a sweet surprise. Surround a roast chicken with a ring of these onions. Unlike in the previous recipe, these vegetables roast separately.
| ASPARAGUS SPEARS | |
| EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, AS NEEDED | |
| SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE | |
| GREEN BEANS | |
| ONIONS, ALMOST PEELED | |
| BALSAMIC VINEGAR, AS NEEDED | |
| CAULIFLOWER |
Preheat the oven to 400°F for the asparagus and green beans, have it at 350°F for the onions and cauliflower.
Arrange the asparagus spears in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet with low sides. Trickle the olive oil over them and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 5 minutes, or until barely fork-tender, at 400°F.
Steam the green beans until almost done. Shake the steamer until they’re dry, season with salt and pepper, and roast on parchment with a dose of olive oil for 5 minutes at 400°F.
Arrange the onions—leave on a layer of the papery skin—in a baking dish. Cut a large X-shaped gash in the top of each. Douse liberally with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Check the onions while they’re roasting, and add more balsamic and oil if they look dry. After 40 minutes at 350°F, a fork should pierce through with little resistance.
Cut off the bottom of the cauliflower and then cut it into florets. Place them on oiled parchment in a low-sided baking pan. Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes covered at 350°F, then remove the foil, turn the cauliflower over, and bake another 10 minutes, or until tender with crispy edges.
Italians love the involtini concept—something filled and rolled. I experimented with this idea, since I had a nice firm and gigantic eggplant. For this dish, choose the brick-shaped part-skim mozzarella because it has less moisture. For beauty, tie the involtini with chives.
SERVES 8
| 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, PLUS MORE FOR THE PARCHMENT |
| 1 | LARGE EGGPLANT, CUT LENGTHWISE INTO 8 SLICES |
| 1 | TABLESPOON FRESH OREGANO LEAVES OR 1½ TEASPOONS DRIED |
| 1 | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 8 | TOMATOES OR 1 28-OUNCE CAN WHOLE TOMATOES ALMOST DRAINED OF LIQUID, CHOPPED |
| 1 | YELLOW ONION, CHOPPED |
| 1 | GARLIC CLOVE, MINCED |
| 8 | SLICES PROSCIUTTO |
| 8 | SLICES PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA FRESH CHIVES |
| ¼ | CUP (1 OUNCE) GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO |
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Oil a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place the eggplant slices on the pan and brush on both sides with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle on the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes, turning once. They will then be supple.
While the eggplant is in the oven, make a simple tomato sauce by whirring the tomatoes briefly in a food processor. In a medium skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion for 2 to 3 minutes in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Stir in the tomatoes and cook the mixture briefly, just to blend flavors, about 2 minutes.
Remove the eggplant from the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
On each eggplant piece, place a slice of prosciutto and a slice of mozzarella. Roll the pieces from the small end forward, and secure the neat little bundle with a toothpick or by tying a chive around it.
Slather the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with some of the tomato sauce, and arrange the involtini seam side down. Over each bundle spread some more tomato sauce and a scattering of the Parmigiano. Warm well in the oven, about 15 minutes. Finito!
Who could complain that zucchini is too prolific? When you grow it, you have the pleasure of picking the zucchini when they are firm and small. Then you can slice them into nickel- or quarter-size coins and warm them through in extra-virgin olive oil—the simplest preparation for this most compliant vegetable, especially with a generous sprinkling of one of its favorite companions, mint.
SERVES 8
| 8 to 10 | SLENDER ZUCCHINI, GRATED OR FINELY SLICED |
| 3 to 4 | SPRING ONIONS, MINCED |
FOR THE LEMON PESTO
| JUICE AND ZEST OF 2 LEMONS | |
| 1 | HANDFUL OF BASIL LEAVES, TORN |
| 5 to 6 | GARLIC CLOVES |
| ¼ | CUP HAZELNUTS, TOASTED |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE | |
| ¼ | CUP (1 OUNCE) GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO |
If the zucchini are grated, squeeze out some of the liquid. Steam the zucchini and onions in a steamer basket until they are just done, about 4 minutes.
Make the lemon pesto. In a mortar or food processor, combine the lemon juice and zest, basil, garlic, hazelnuts, olive oil, salt, and pepper and blend well, until the consistency of regular pesto. Work in the cheese only at the end. Combine the pesto with the vegetables in a large skillet and heat through on medium low, about 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Round zucchini keep their firmness better than long ones. Filled with vegetables, these pretties make a happy addition to a platter of grilled meat or they can stand alone as a light first course. As an alternative to this ham and fontina recipe, simply fill the prepared rounds with sautéed onion, crunchy breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmigiano, and chopped tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and bake as described.
SERVES 6
| 6 | ROUND ZUCCHINI JUICE OF 1 LEMON |
| ¼ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 1 | CUP BESCIAMELLA |
| ¼ | POUND SLICED HAM, IN SLIVERS |
| 1 | CARROT, MINCED |
| ¼ | CUP FRESH OR FROZEN PEAS |
| 4 | OUNCES FONTINA, CUBED |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS MINCED FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY |
| ¼ | CUP (1 OUNCE) GRATED PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO |
| 3 | TABLESPOONS BREADCRUMBS, TOASTED |
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.
Line a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with parchment. Slice off the stem-end tops of the zucchini and save them. With a teaspoon, hollow out and discard the interiors.
Boil the zucchini for 3 minutes. They should be slightly cooked but still firm. Remove and drain the zucchini. Pour the lemon juice and a little olive oil into the hollows. Season with the salt and pepper.
To the besciamella in a large mixing bowl, add the ham, carrot, peas, fontina, parsley, and Parmigiano. Mix well. Fill the zucchini with the vegetable mixture, and top with the breadcrumbs. Place the zucchini shells in the baking dish. Drizzle them with the rest of the olive oil, and place their little hats on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the zucchini are cooked.
A bundle of iron sticks (fasces in Latin) with a protruding ax head was discovered in a seventh-century B.C. Etruscan tomb, the earliest known image of the fascicle. The Romans adopted the symbol as a sign of authority, power, and unity.
Later, the image gave its name to the Fascist Party. It appears on war monuments all over Italy, but you can see it in unlikely places: two fascicles adorn the seal of the U.S. Senate. It is on the old mercury dime, and also on the Lincoln Memorial.
Right now, let’s think instead of the little bundles of handwritten poems that Emily Dickinson rolled into fascicles, tied with string, and hid in her drawer. And of these chive-tied summer vegetables, so delicious that Etruscans, Fascists, Lincoln, and Emily Dickinson would have relished a big helping.
MAKES 10 BUNDLES
| 1 | LARGE YELLOW BELL PEPPER |
| 1 | LARGE RED BELL PEPPER |
| 4 | CARROTS |
| 4 | YOUNG ZUCCHINI |
| ½ | POUND SLENDER GREEN BEANS, TOPPED AND TAILED |
| 10 | LONG CHIVE STEMS, PLUS SNIPPED CHIVES FOR GARNISH |
| ¼ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| JUICE OF 1 LEMON | |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| SEVERAL SPRIGS OF THYME |
Cut the peppers, carrots, and zucchini into the same size and thickness as the green beans. Stack in separate piles in a large steamer and lightly steam the peppers and carrots for 8 minutes, adding the zucchini only for the last 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure the vegetables stay taut and crisp.
When cool enough to touch, bundle several of each vegetable, and then tie with a chive stem.
In a jar, shake together the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Arrange the fascicles on a platter and pour the dressing over them. Sprinkle the snipped chives and thyme sprigs on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Domenica uses a cast-iron pan for her crisp potatoes, which are a cross between fried and sautéed. The usual Tuscan way with potatoes is oven-roasted. Mix large-diced potatoes with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, roast them at 375°F for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once or twice. Tried—and truly excellent. But somehow, the black iron works another kind of magic. I’ve come to prefer Domenica’s way.
SERVES 6
| ½ | CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 6 | RUSSET OR YUKON GOLD POTATOES, PEELED AND CUT INTO LARGE DICE |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS MINCED FRESH ROSEMARY OR 1 TABLESPOON DRIED |
| SEA SALT TO TASTE |
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Cook the potatoes, standing by with a spatula to turn them occasionally so that they don’t stick as they brown. As they begin to crisp, after about 10 minutes, season with the pepper and rosemary. Continue to toss around, testing for doneness, usually 20 to 25 more minutes. Add the sea salt before serving.
We gather baskets of chestnuts in the fall and we have to hurry—we’ve got competition from every wild boar in the area.
Even though I live near a chestnut forest, they still seem luxurious. Our first year here, we bought a chestnut pan for the fireplace and roasted a few every night in winter. Scoring the shell before they’re put in the pan ensures they’ll peel easily when roasted. Many cookbooks advise roasting chestnuts for up to an hour! But they’re ready quickly—15 minutes or so, depending on their size and how hot the coals are. Roasted chestnuts call for a meditative glass of a Nicolis Ambrosan, Amarone or Casanova di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova.
Coddled in red wine, chestnuts taste like the essence of autumn. Arrange them around a pork loin or a roasted chicken, or include them in your turkey’s stuffing.
SERVES 8
| 30 to 40 | FRESH CHESTNUTS OR A 14-OUNCE JAR OF CHESTNUTS |
| ½ | BOTTLE RED WINE (OR TO COVER) |
Before roasting, chestnuts must have their skin sliced; otherwise they’ll explode. With a short-bladed knife, cut a slit or X on the flat side.
Pile them in a chestnut roaster or in a perforated pan, the kind used for vegetables on the outdoor grill. Roast them over hot coals (not an open flame) for about 7 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan well to redistribute the chestnuts. After another 5 minutes, pierce one with a knife. It should go in quite easily. (Alternatively, use the oven, preheated to 450°F. Spread the scored chestnuts in a pan. Check at 20 minutes and then check every 5 minutes.)
Pour the roasted chestnuts into a bowl, let them cool only long enough to handle, then peel.
In a medium saucepan, simmer the chestnuts, partially covered, in just enough red wine to submerge them for 15 minutes—long enough for the flavors to intertwine. Pour off most of the wine.
Chard grows easily. How gratifying that it’s cut-and-come-again. If you have a plot for chard, you learn to harvest a huge quantity and steam an enormous potful at once. Then you drain and cool the much-reduced clump of greens, squeeze out the water, and form softball-size balls. What a boon for the cook. You can freeze these balls individually in plastic wrap. They’re then ready for soups or this very typical sauté. Always use most of the stems, cut into small hunks. Kale works just as well in this recipe.
SERVES 4
| ½ | CUP RAISINS |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS VIN SANTO OR ORANGE JUICE |
| 2 | LARGE BUNCHES CHARD |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 1 | YELLOW ONION, DICED |
| ½ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ½ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| PEEL OF 1 ORANGE | |
| ¼ | CUP PINE NUTS, TOASTED |
Soak the raisins for 15 minutes in the 2 tablespoons vin santo or orange juice.
Cut off the tough ends of the chard stems, and then slice the rest into 1-inch pieces. Steam the chard until the leaves are limp, about 7 minutes. Cool, squeeze out the excess water, then coarsely chop the chard and set it aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat (while the chard is steaming), cook the stems in the olive oil with the onion for 5 minutes, or until the stems are al dente. Add them to the cooked chard leaves and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the peel, raisins, vin santo, and pine nuts. Cook, covered, on medium-low heat, for 2 to 3 minutes to heat through.
When I take the first bite of this salad, I feel that I’m sitting under the great old Mediterranean sun, tasting the sea and the land at once. Texture is everything in a salad; this one delivers several: crunchy chickpeas, crisp greens, vibrant slivers of sun-dried tomato, and tender shrimp.
SERVES 6
| 1 | POUND MEDIUM SHRIMP, PEELED AND CLEANED |
| 6 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| ¾ | TEASPOON SALT |
| ¾ | TEASPOON PEPPER |
| 1 | BAY LEAF |
| 1 | TEASPOON FRESH OREGANO LEAVES OR ½ TEASPOON DRIED |
| 1 | TABLESPOON BALSAMIC VINEGAR |
| 4 | SPRING ONIONS, FINELY CHOPPED |
| 1½ | CUPS CHICKPEAS, COOKED AND SEASONED |
| ¼ | CUP SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, THINLY SLICED AND RECONSTITUTED IN ¼ CUP OLIVE OIL |
| 10 | OUNCES MIXED CRISP AND PUNGENT GREENS, SUCH AS ROMAINE, ARUGULA, LITTLE GEM, BUTTER, MÂCHE, AND FRISÉE PEEL OF 1 LEMON, CUT INTO STRIPS FOR GARNISH |
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the shrimp in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, the bay leaf, and oregano, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, spring onions, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
In the same skillet, mix the chickpeas, tomatoes, and shrimp with half of the salad dressing. Toss the greens with the other half of the dressing and arrange on six plates. Spoon the shrimp mixture on top and garnish with strips of lemon peel.
The anise taste of fennel plays so well with the tropical citrus flavors and the slight bite of shallot. Use any other orange, if a blood orange is unavailable.
SERVES 8
| 2 to 3 | FENNEL BULBS, THINLY SLICED, FRONDS RESERVED FOR GARNISH |
| 1 | BLOOD ORANGE, PEELED, SLICED, AND SEEDED |
| 2 | TANGERINES, PEELED, SLICED, AND SEEDED |
| 1 | SHALLOT, MINCED |
| ZEST OF 1 LEMON | |
| ZEST OF 1 ORANGE | |
| 1 | TEASPOON FRESH THYME LEAVES OR ½ TEASPOON DRIED |
FOR THE DRESSING
| 4 | TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL |
| 2 | TABLESPOONS CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR |
| JUICE OF 1 SMALL TANGERINE | |
| SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE | |
| JUICE OF 1 LEMON |
Put the fennel in a large bowl with the sliced oranges and tangerines. Stir in the shallot, zests, and thyme. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour it over the fennel and orange mixture, and gently toss. Arrange the salad in a shallow serving bowl and garnish with fennel fronds.
