Preparation: 5 mins
Cooking: 10 mins
Difficulty: Easy
“Salsiccia Calabrese” or “soppressata”, these are the names to look for when buying the key element of this recipe. Basically, it’s a chorizo-like pork meat sausage made in the Calabria region of Italy, but more spicy (because of the chilli) and with some hints of fennel (becuase they add some fennel seeds). Normally, it should be eaten with rustic bread and a glass of red wine, but it can also be used for making a lovely and tasty pasta sauce.
Ingridients-
400 g ( 14 oz) Penne rigate (cooked "al dente" - see How to cook perfect spaghetti)
75 ml ( 3 fl oz) Extra virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove of garlic (sliced)
1 Spicy Italian sausage (about 90 g - 3 ½ oz)
A full tablespoon of tomato purèe
A small handful of parsley (finely chopped)
Diretions-
1.Remove the skin from the sausage and cut the sausage into thin discs (between 1 and 2 mm thick).
2.Put the Olive Oil into a wok (or a deep frying pan) and heat it on a medium-low heat.
3.Add the garlic and sweat off for few minutes until the garlic become slightly golden.
4.When slighlty golden, remove it.
5.Now, turn the cooker to low heat and add the sausage discs.
6.Stir for a couple of minutes.
7.Add the tomato purèe.
8.Give a quick stir in order to melt the tomato purèe in the Olive Oil.
9.Then, add the parsley.
10.Stir for 30 seconds and turn the heat off.
11.When you are draining the pasta, turn the cooker on again and pour the pasta into the wok.
12.Stir to coat all the pasta with sauce and serve immediately.
Buon appetito!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
lasagna
Preparation: 40 mins (assuming that ragù is already prepared)
Cooking: 30-40 mins
Difficulty: Medium
It is probably the second best known Italian dish after pizza. This dish is not the same throughout Italy because it is influenced by each regional cooking style. So, if you are having lasagne in north Italy, it will have less tomato sauce (or no tomato sauce at all) than a lasagne prepared in south Italy where they use more tomatoes, and many other differences that I am not going to write about just now. Also, lasagne can be prepared with a variety of sauces to accommodate any taste or need (i.e. vegetarian lasagne). My recipe is very simple and it is made according to my family tradition; it's a "no tomato" recipe (with the exception that I use a bit of tomato purèe as enhancer when preparing the ragù sauce) that totally relies on a good cheese and ragù sauce.
Ingridients-
12 Lasagne sheets (approx. 3 per person)
450 g (1 lb) Ragù sauce - see Ragù di carne (classic version - North Italy)
600 ml (1 pint) Bechamel sauce
4 Cheese slices
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Note: about the ragù and bechamel sauces, the quantities I have given are approximate and you should use them according to your taste. Usually, when I prepare this recipe, I always use all the ragù sauce while I always have some bechamel sauce left because too much bechamel could make the lasagne too rich. Another important trick is that both the ragù and bechamel should be a bit more liquid than for other recipes because this help to keep the lasagne sheets moistered.
Directions-
1.Take a big pan, ¾ full of water, bring the water to the boil, add about 10 g (½ oz) of salt per litre of water and finally add few drops of Olive Oil (the oil helps the lasagne sheets not to stick together).
2.When the water is boiling, put the lasagne sheets into the pan and boil them for the required time. If the pan is very big, you can put the lasagne sheets all together, otherwise better to boil them 4 by 4.
3.Despite the fact that you can find lasagne sheets that do not require any boiling (you put them straightaway in the oven), I always prefer to buy lasagne sheets that required to be boiled first (it's just a personal choice - nothing more, nothing less).
4.Once the lasagne sheets are boiled, separate and lay them on a wet kitchen towel.
5.Take the oven tray and brush the bottom with melted butter.
6.The first stage is preparation of the bottom. After having brushed the bottom with butter, I usually start spreading some ragù sauce with few drops of bechamel sauce.
7.Then, I lay the first 3 lasagne sheets (first layer) and cover them with bechamel sauce.
8.Now, add few spoons of ragù sauce.
9.Spread the ragù sauce around.
10.To complete the first layer, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
11.Now, we prepare the second layer. Lay other 3 lasagne sheets (lasagne sheets 4,5 and 6), and spread with bechamel sauce.
12.Few spoons of ragù sauce.
13.Spread the ragù sauce around.
14.Now, we add a bit of variation! Take a couple of cheese slices and break them over.
15.Complete the second layer with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Now, prepare the third layer (lasagne sheets 7, 8 and 9) in the same way as the second layer without adding any cheese slices, but remember to sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. After that, we will pass to the final stage: the top layer.
16.Finally, cover with the last 3 lasagne sheets (lasagne sheets 10, 11 and 12). Cover them with a bit more bechamel than you did for the previous layers. Add few spoons of ragù sauce, but less than you used for the previous layers.
17.Break the two remaining cheese slices over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
18.This is the final tray ready for the oven or ready to be frozen.
19.Put the tray in the oven at 180ºC (gas mark 4) for about 30-40 minutes or untill it is sizzling and the top layer starts browning. On the top of this you can also add three or four small knobs of butter, just to give the final finish.
You could have also prepared the lasagne tray before and put it in the freezer. If you have done that, take the tray out of the freezer the night before and transfer it in the fridge. The following day it should be defrosted and ready for the oven. Usually, I find that lasagne that is kept in the freezer for a while (say 1 or 2 weeks) always tastes better than lasagne cooked straightaway; apparently the reason for that is because all the flavours, with time, blend together.
Buon appetito!
Cooking: 30-40 mins
Difficulty: Medium
It is probably the second best known Italian dish after pizza. This dish is not the same throughout Italy because it is influenced by each regional cooking style. So, if you are having lasagne in north Italy, it will have less tomato sauce (or no tomato sauce at all) than a lasagne prepared in south Italy where they use more tomatoes, and many other differences that I am not going to write about just now. Also, lasagne can be prepared with a variety of sauces to accommodate any taste or need (i.e. vegetarian lasagne). My recipe is very simple and it is made according to my family tradition; it's a "no tomato" recipe (with the exception that I use a bit of tomato purèe as enhancer when preparing the ragù sauce) that totally relies on a good cheese and ragù sauce.
Ingridients-
12 Lasagne sheets (approx. 3 per person)
450 g (1 lb) Ragù sauce - see Ragù di carne (classic version - North Italy)
600 ml (1 pint) Bechamel sauce
4 Cheese slices
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Note: about the ragù and bechamel sauces, the quantities I have given are approximate and you should use them according to your taste. Usually, when I prepare this recipe, I always use all the ragù sauce while I always have some bechamel sauce left because too much bechamel could make the lasagne too rich. Another important trick is that both the ragù and bechamel should be a bit more liquid than for other recipes because this help to keep the lasagne sheets moistered.
Directions-
1.Take a big pan, ¾ full of water, bring the water to the boil, add about 10 g (½ oz) of salt per litre of water and finally add few drops of Olive Oil (the oil helps the lasagne sheets not to stick together).
2.When the water is boiling, put the lasagne sheets into the pan and boil them for the required time. If the pan is very big, you can put the lasagne sheets all together, otherwise better to boil them 4 by 4.
3.Despite the fact that you can find lasagne sheets that do not require any boiling (you put them straightaway in the oven), I always prefer to buy lasagne sheets that required to be boiled first (it's just a personal choice - nothing more, nothing less).
4.Once the lasagne sheets are boiled, separate and lay them on a wet kitchen towel.
5.Take the oven tray and brush the bottom with melted butter.
6.The first stage is preparation of the bottom. After having brushed the bottom with butter, I usually start spreading some ragù sauce with few drops of bechamel sauce.
7.Then, I lay the first 3 lasagne sheets (first layer) and cover them with bechamel sauce.
8.Now, add few spoons of ragù sauce.
9.Spread the ragù sauce around.
10.To complete the first layer, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
11.Now, we prepare the second layer. Lay other 3 lasagne sheets (lasagne sheets 4,5 and 6), and spread with bechamel sauce.
12.Few spoons of ragù sauce.
13.Spread the ragù sauce around.
14.Now, we add a bit of variation! Take a couple of cheese slices and break them over.
15.Complete the second layer with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Now, prepare the third layer (lasagne sheets 7, 8 and 9) in the same way as the second layer without adding any cheese slices, but remember to sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. After that, we will pass to the final stage: the top layer.
16.Finally, cover with the last 3 lasagne sheets (lasagne sheets 10, 11 and 12). Cover them with a bit more bechamel than you did for the previous layers. Add few spoons of ragù sauce, but less than you used for the previous layers.
17.Break the two remaining cheese slices over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
18.This is the final tray ready for the oven or ready to be frozen.
19.Put the tray in the oven at 180ºC (gas mark 4) for about 30-40 minutes or untill it is sizzling and the top layer starts browning. On the top of this you can also add three or four small knobs of butter, just to give the final finish.
You could have also prepared the lasagne tray before and put it in the freezer. If you have done that, take the tray out of the freezer the night before and transfer it in the fridge. The following day it should be defrosted and ready for the oven. Usually, I find that lasagne that is kept in the freezer for a while (say 1 or 2 weeks) always tastes better than lasagne cooked straightaway; apparently the reason for that is because all the flavours, with time, blend together.
Buon appetito!
baked ziti
INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
chicken paddington
Ingridients:
- 4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded4 oz.
- white wine4 oz.
- chicken broth1/2 tbsp.
- lemon juice (concentrate)
-12 pads butter, thinly sliced1 1/2 lbs.
-boneless chicken1/2 c.
-Italian bread crumbs1/2 tsp.
-oregano1/2 tsp. garlic powder1/2 tsp.
-lemon pepper1 med.
-onion, chopped8 or 9 inch square baking dish
Grease pan, lay down 8 pads of butter; cover with chicken. Mix wine, chicken broth and lemon juice. Pour over chicken until it reaches about 2/3 of the way up on the chicken. Place chopped onion and sprinkle spices on the top of the chicken. Sprinkle half of the bread crumbs over the chicken next, then spread the cheese over this. Top with the remaining bread crumbs. Place the 4 pads of butter on top. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Serves 3-4.
- 4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded4 oz.
- white wine4 oz.
- chicken broth1/2 tbsp.
- lemon juice (concentrate)
-12 pads butter, thinly sliced1 1/2 lbs.
-boneless chicken1/2 c.
-Italian bread crumbs1/2 tsp.
-oregano1/2 tsp. garlic powder1/2 tsp.
-lemon pepper1 med.
-onion, chopped8 or 9 inch square baking dish
Grease pan, lay down 8 pads of butter; cover with chicken. Mix wine, chicken broth and lemon juice. Pour over chicken until it reaches about 2/3 of the way up on the chicken. Place chopped onion and sprinkle spices on the top of the chicken. Sprinkle half of the bread crumbs over the chicken next, then spread the cheese over this. Top with the remaining bread crumbs. Place the 4 pads of butter on top. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Serves 3-4.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Pasta with bottarga sauce (a.k.a. Pasta alla bottarga)
Pasta with bottarga sauce (a.k.a. Pasta alla bottarga)
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking: 10 mins
Difficulty: Easy
I regard this recipe as a super delicacy for seafood lovers. Bottarga is tuna or mullet roe, in origin used by the people of Sardinia and Sicily to make the sauce (bottarga sauce) to top their pasta. You can find the bottarga in any good Italian deli shop. In my case, now living on the west coast of Scotland, the only bottarga I can find locally is made of cod roe, which is nearly as good as the others. For the pasta, I have used squid ink linguine so you can better see the contrast of the bottarga sauce over the pasta, however you can use normal linguine pasta or spaghetti. Here, I am giving you the basic recipe and inside the recipe you will also find a link featuring a slightly different way to prepare the bottarga sauce so that you will have a couple of options available.
SERVES 4
Ingridients-
- 400 g (14 oz) Squid ink linguine or spaghetti (cooked "al dente - see just a tip, How to cook perfect spaghetti")
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) Extra virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Garlic clove
- 100 g (4 oz) Tuna roe or mullet roe (alternatively cod roe)
- A handful of flat leaf parsley (roughly chopped)
- Ground black pepper for seasoning
Directions:
1.First and foremost, we need to grate the cod roe, like grating a piece of Parmesan cheese.
2.Next, boil the linguine pasta and while it is boiling, you can proceed with the sauce preparation.
3.Put the Olive Oil into the pan, heat the oil over a gentle heat and add the garlic, cut in slices.
4.Sweat the garlic off until it turns golden in colour, then remove it from the pan and discard it.
5.Next, move the pan away from the heat and leave the oil to cool down for a minute or so.
6.Then, add 2/3 of the grated cod roe into the pan.
7.Give it a good stir.
8.Add 2/3 of the parsley into the pan.
9.Season with black pepper.
10.Finally, add a couple of spoonfuls of the boiling water you are using to boil your pasta.
11.Stir to make a creamy mix.
12.Now, your sauce is ready. Wait for the pasta to be perfectly cooked al dente.
13.When the pasta is cooked al dente, just before draining it, put the pan containing the sauce over the heat again (high heat).
14.Drain the pasta, but leave the pasta slightly wet.
15.Add the pasta into the sauce pan.
16.Sprinkle with the remaining grated cod roe.
17.Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and stir well for a minute.
18.Serve the pasta alla bottarga straightaway and have a nice glass of white wine.
DO NOT add Parmesan cheese, you would spoil the whole dish.
Buon appetito!
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking: 10 mins
Difficulty: Easy
I regard this recipe as a super delicacy for seafood lovers. Bottarga is tuna or mullet roe, in origin used by the people of Sardinia and Sicily to make the sauce (bottarga sauce) to top their pasta. You can find the bottarga in any good Italian deli shop. In my case, now living on the west coast of Scotland, the only bottarga I can find locally is made of cod roe, which is nearly as good as the others. For the pasta, I have used squid ink linguine so you can better see the contrast of the bottarga sauce over the pasta, however you can use normal linguine pasta or spaghetti. Here, I am giving you the basic recipe and inside the recipe you will also find a link featuring a slightly different way to prepare the bottarga sauce so that you will have a couple of options available.
SERVES 4
Ingridients-
- 400 g (14 oz) Squid ink linguine or spaghetti (cooked "al dente - see just a tip, How to cook perfect spaghetti")
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) Extra virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Garlic clove
- 100 g (4 oz) Tuna roe or mullet roe (alternatively cod roe)
- A handful of flat leaf parsley (roughly chopped)
- Ground black pepper for seasoning
Directions:
1.First and foremost, we need to grate the cod roe, like grating a piece of Parmesan cheese.
2.Next, boil the linguine pasta and while it is boiling, you can proceed with the sauce preparation.
3.Put the Olive Oil into the pan, heat the oil over a gentle heat and add the garlic, cut in slices.
4.Sweat the garlic off until it turns golden in colour, then remove it from the pan and discard it.
5.Next, move the pan away from the heat and leave the oil to cool down for a minute or so.
6.Then, add 2/3 of the grated cod roe into the pan.
7.Give it a good stir.
8.Add 2/3 of the parsley into the pan.
9.Season with black pepper.
10.Finally, add a couple of spoonfuls of the boiling water you are using to boil your pasta.
11.Stir to make a creamy mix.
12.Now, your sauce is ready. Wait for the pasta to be perfectly cooked al dente.
13.When the pasta is cooked al dente, just before draining it, put the pan containing the sauce over the heat again (high heat).
14.Drain the pasta, but leave the pasta slightly wet.
15.Add the pasta into the sauce pan.
16.Sprinkle with the remaining grated cod roe.
17.Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and stir well for a minute.
18.Serve the pasta alla bottarga straightaway and have a nice glass of white wine.
DO NOT add Parmesan cheese, you would spoil the whole dish.
Buon appetito!
Penne all'arrabbiata
Penne all'arrabbiata
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking: 25 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking: 25 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Firstly, this fiery dish gains its name arrabbiata (angry) because of the use of chilli. When preparing this angry dish, feel free to use as much chilli as you want, it is up to you and to your mouth, to make it angry or very angry!
This is a recipe that has its origin in the central part of Italy, more precisely, it belongs to the Roman cooking tradition. As you can imagine, in Italy there are many versions of it because of the different regional cooking traditions that influence this famous dish; some are so adventurous that they have nothing to do with a proper arrabbiata (like the use of cream or anchovies).
I believe the best arrabbiata is in its minimalist form and I believe that an arrabbiata should not contain pork meat (usually bacon) because otherwise we would trespass on another famous Roman dish, the “Bucatini all’amatriciana”, which rightly requires pork meat. The arrabbiata, in its simple way, is an aglio, oglio e peperoncino with the adding of chopped tomatoes, where fresh top quality Ingredients should be used. Also, the adding of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese is not recommended because it would overwhelm the typical flavour of this dish.
SERVES 4
Ingridients-
- 400 g (14 oz) Penne rigate pasta (cooked "al dente" - see How to cook perfect spaghetti)
- 90 ml (3 ½ oz) Extra virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 or 3 Whole dried red chilli (roughly chopped) - see also Using chilli
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Chopped tomatoes
- A small handful of flat leaf parsley (roughly chopped)
- Salt for seasoning
Directions:
1.Chop the garlic and chilli.
2.Heat the Olive Oil in a sauté pan (medium heat) and add the chopped Ingredients (garlic/chilli) into the pan.
3.Sauté for a couple of minutes or until the garlic becomes golden in colour.
4.When the garlic has turned to golden, add the chopped tomatoes.
5.Stir for a few seconds.
6.Season with salt.
7.Stir again for few seconds.
8.Now, cook on medium/low heat for about 20-25 minutes, to reduce the sauce. After this time the suace will be ready.
9.A few minutes before the arrabbiata sauce is ready, boil your pasta and when the pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and add it into the pan containing the sauce.
10.Stir for few seconds to coat the pasta with the sauce. Do this when the pan is still on the heat.
11.Then, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
12.Give a quick stir and serve immediately.
Buon appetito!
ITALIAN CALZONE
Italian Calzone
Preparation: see Pizza recipe
Cooking: 15-20 mins
Difficulty: Medium
In simple worlds, I would describe the Calzone as a pizza presented in the style of a Cornish pasty. This is ideal for a picnic or when you are hungry while having a walk in the countryside.Follow the instructions as per the pizza and when you are ready for the topping, spread the topping only on one half of the pizza layer (this should be as thin as I suggested for the pizza recipe).
Fold the empty side over, seal by rolling, and gently pressing the outer border with your fingers. Then, brush the top layer with some extra virgin Olive Oil (not too much). Now, set the oven at the maximum temperature (usually 240ºC - gas mark 9) and pre-heat it properly. If the oven is at the right temperature and your Calzone layer is thin, it should take about 15-20 minutes to cook. Fan assisted ovens may require a different cooking time. After 10 minutes cooking, it is a good idea to check the Calzone frequently. When the top starts to become golden brown, it is probably the right time to take the Calzone out of the oven.
You may try pinching the top with a fork if you think it will grow too much when in the oven.
If you think the top side could burn while the bottom is still undercooked, try covering the top with foil. The foil should be removed 5-7 minutes after being in the oven.
Preparation: see Pizza recipe
Cooking: 15-20 mins
Difficulty: Medium
In simple worlds, I would describe the Calzone as a pizza presented in the style of a Cornish pasty. This is ideal for a picnic or when you are hungry while having a walk in the countryside.Follow the instructions as per the pizza and when you are ready for the topping, spread the topping only on one half of the pizza layer (this should be as thin as I suggested for the pizza recipe).
Fold the empty side over, seal by rolling, and gently pressing the outer border with your fingers. Then, brush the top layer with some extra virgin Olive Oil (not too much). Now, set the oven at the maximum temperature (usually 240ºC - gas mark 9) and pre-heat it properly. If the oven is at the right temperature and your Calzone layer is thin, it should take about 15-20 minutes to cook. Fan assisted ovens may require a different cooking time. After 10 minutes cooking, it is a good idea to check the Calzone frequently. When the top starts to become golden brown, it is probably the right time to take the Calzone out of the oven.
You may try pinching the top with a fork if you think it will grow too much when in the oven.
If you think the top side could burn while the bottom is still undercooked, try covering the top with foil. The foil should be removed 5-7 minutes after being in the oven.
SICILLIAN VEGETABLE STEW
Sicilian vegetable stew (a.k.a. Caponata siciliana)
Preparation: 2 hours
Cooking: 40 mins
Difficulty: Medium
Suitable for freezing
The queen of the vegetable stews! I have tried many, but this one is THE ONE I like most; its sweet and sour character, colourful appearance and flavour packed soul will make any vegetarian jump for joy and turn meat eaters into part time vegetarians. The Sicilian vegetable stew is known as “Caponata Siciliana”. There are many versions of the stew on the island (apparently 37 official versions), depending on local customs, and the difference between them is that sometimes people like to add other types of vegetables, sometimes people don’t add the potatoes or sometimes they add fish to it and so on. There are many theories about the origin of the name “Caponata”; one of them says that it has Catalan origin and that around 16th century the stew was made adding a fish called “capone”. However, only aristocratic families could afford to buy this kind of fish so, around the 17th century, poor families decided to use aubergines instead of fish and the stew was consumed accompanied with bread. There is another interesting thing about this stew and this is the use of raisins and pine kernels, which is something not so unusual when you come across Sicilian dishes; this is probably because of the influence of the Arab occupation of the island between 827 AD and 1091 AD. Anyway, it is a wonderful stew and I hope you really enjoy it.
INGRIDIENTS-
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Aubergines (diced)
- 1 Courgette (sliced)
- 1 Celery stalk (sliced)
- 75 ml (3 fl oz) Extra virgin Olive Oil (for the initial sauté)
- 1 Onion (cut into thin rings)
- 2 Bell peppers (one red and one yellow - sliced into strips)
- 400 g (14 oz) Chopped tomatoes (a tin of chopped tomatoes will do)
- ½ tbs Dry basil (alternatively finely chop 5 leaves of fresh basil)
- 300 g (11 oz) Potatoes (diced)
- 10 g (1 tbs) Sugar
- 100 ml (4 fl oz) White wine vinegar
- 25 g (1 oz) Capers
- 25 g (1 oz) Pine kernels
- 25 g (1 oz) Raisins
- 75 g (3 oz) Green olives (stoned and cut in half)
- 60 g (2 ½ oz) Sun dried tomatoes (the ones preserved in oil will do)
- Salt and black pepper for seasoning
- 750 ml Light Olive Oil for the frying of the aubergine, courgette and celery
Note: Mild & light Olive Oil is ideal for frying and less expensive than extra virgin Olive Oil.
Directions:
1.Dice the aubergines (roughly 2 by 2 cm dice) and put the dice into a colander, sprinkle with lots of salt and leave to rest for a couple of hours. The salt will extract the bitter dark juice from the aubergines (if you want to more about this technique, read the following link: Preparing aubergines). After two hours, rinse the aubergines and pat them dry before frying them.
2.Meanwhile, you have plenty of time to prepare the rest of the vegetables. Slice the courgette into 3 mm thick slices. Do the same with the celery.
3.Peel the skin off the peppers. If your pepper have a full round profile, a peeler will save you lots of hassle; otherwise you can use a pairing knife and with a bit of patience you will get the job done.
4.Then, cut the peppers into strips, roughly 5 cm long and 5 mm thick (I wouldn’t go any thicker than this because it will be more difficult to sauté them).
5.This is the stage where the vegetables are ready to be fried. The timing for the frying is dictated by the aubergines, which need to go through a self cleaning process before to use them. Once the aubergines are ready, lay the vegetables to be fried onto a kitchen towels and see the next stage.
6.Just before you start frying, revive the raisins soaking them in lukewarm water for about 15-20 minutes, then drain them using a little sieve and set aside.
7.Put the light Olive Oil into a pan suitable for deep frying. Heat the oil until it gets the right temperature for frying.
8.Start with the aubergines, frying the dice for about 4 minutes.
9.After 4 minutes, remove the aubergine dice with a slotted spoon and put them into a large bowl lined with kitchen paper, to absorb the excess oil.
10.Using the same oil, fry the courgette for 4 minutes and then put them onto kitchen paper.
11.The same applies for the celery. Fry for 4 minutes and then put the slices onto kitchen paper.
12.Finally, once the excess oil is absorbed, then you can put all three fried vegetables together and set aside.
13.The next step is the initial sauté. Put the extra virgin Olive Oil into a large pan, bring the heat to medium and gently start to sauté the onion.
14.When the onion starts softening (I would say after 2-3 minutes), add the peppers and continue with the sauté.
15.Give it a good stir so that both the onion and pepper are well coated with oil. Continue cooking until the onion becomes well golden in colour. This is the stage where you add the chopped tomatoes.
16.Add the chopped tomatoes.
17.Give it a good stir.
18.Add the dry basil.
19.Give it a good stir.
20.Add the diced potatoes.
21.Give it a good stir. If you think the sauce is too dry, there is nothing wrong in adding half a glass ( roughly 100 ml) of boiled water.
22.Cover with the lid and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
23.After 10 minuets, add the sugar.
24.Add the vinegar.
25.Add the capers.
26.Add the pine kernels.
27.Add the raisins.
28.Add the green olives.
29.Finally, add the sun dried tomatoes (roughly cut into pieces). I used sun dried tomatoes from a jar, the ones preserved in sunflower oil, so these were already soft. If you want to use the very dried ones you can buy in a sachet, remember to soak them first into lukewarm water to soften them a bit.
30.Give it a good stir.
31.Season with salt.
32.Season with pepper.
33.Add the fried vegetables into the pan.
34.Give it a good stir. Also in this case, if you think that the stew is too dry, half a glass of boiled water will help (this is what I did).
35.Cover with the lid and continue cooking for about 20 minutes over very low heat, gently stirring once or twice.
36.After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool down; traditionally it is best served cold (some people prefer it still hot).
37.Use some home made bread to prepare a bruschetta-like dish. Slice the bread.
38.Heat a cast iron grill pan.
39.Once the pan is piping hot, grill the bread on both sides.
40.Finally, serve the vegetable stew over a slice of bread.
Buon appetito!
PS: this is where a good glass of south Italian red wine will come handy, to complete this Sicilian experience!
Preparation: 2 hours
Cooking: 40 mins
Difficulty: Medium
Suitable for freezing
The queen of the vegetable stews! I have tried many, but this one is THE ONE I like most; its sweet and sour character, colourful appearance and flavour packed soul will make any vegetarian jump for joy and turn meat eaters into part time vegetarians. The Sicilian vegetable stew is known as “Caponata Siciliana”. There are many versions of the stew on the island (apparently 37 official versions), depending on local customs, and the difference between them is that sometimes people like to add other types of vegetables, sometimes people don’t add the potatoes or sometimes they add fish to it and so on. There are many theories about the origin of the name “Caponata”; one of them says that it has Catalan origin and that around 16th century the stew was made adding a fish called “capone”. However, only aristocratic families could afford to buy this kind of fish so, around the 17th century, poor families decided to use aubergines instead of fish and the stew was consumed accompanied with bread. There is another interesting thing about this stew and this is the use of raisins and pine kernels, which is something not so unusual when you come across Sicilian dishes; this is probably because of the influence of the Arab occupation of the island between 827 AD and 1091 AD. Anyway, it is a wonderful stew and I hope you really enjoy it.
INGRIDIENTS-
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Aubergines (diced)
- 1 Courgette (sliced)
- 1 Celery stalk (sliced)
- 75 ml (3 fl oz) Extra virgin Olive Oil (for the initial sauté)
- 1 Onion (cut into thin rings)
- 2 Bell peppers (one red and one yellow - sliced into strips)
- 400 g (14 oz) Chopped tomatoes (a tin of chopped tomatoes will do)
- ½ tbs Dry basil (alternatively finely chop 5 leaves of fresh basil)
- 300 g (11 oz) Potatoes (diced)
- 10 g (1 tbs) Sugar
- 100 ml (4 fl oz) White wine vinegar
- 25 g (1 oz) Capers
- 25 g (1 oz) Pine kernels
- 25 g (1 oz) Raisins
- 75 g (3 oz) Green olives (stoned and cut in half)
- 60 g (2 ½ oz) Sun dried tomatoes (the ones preserved in oil will do)
- Salt and black pepper for seasoning
- 750 ml Light Olive Oil for the frying of the aubergine, courgette and celery
Note: Mild & light Olive Oil is ideal for frying and less expensive than extra virgin Olive Oil.
Directions:
1.Dice the aubergines (roughly 2 by 2 cm dice) and put the dice into a colander, sprinkle with lots of salt and leave to rest for a couple of hours. The salt will extract the bitter dark juice from the aubergines (if you want to more about this technique, read the following link: Preparing aubergines). After two hours, rinse the aubergines and pat them dry before frying them.
2.Meanwhile, you have plenty of time to prepare the rest of the vegetables. Slice the courgette into 3 mm thick slices. Do the same with the celery.
3.Peel the skin off the peppers. If your pepper have a full round profile, a peeler will save you lots of hassle; otherwise you can use a pairing knife and with a bit of patience you will get the job done.
4.Then, cut the peppers into strips, roughly 5 cm long and 5 mm thick (I wouldn’t go any thicker than this because it will be more difficult to sauté them).
5.This is the stage where the vegetables are ready to be fried. The timing for the frying is dictated by the aubergines, which need to go through a self cleaning process before to use them. Once the aubergines are ready, lay the vegetables to be fried onto a kitchen towels and see the next stage.
6.Just before you start frying, revive the raisins soaking them in lukewarm water for about 15-20 minutes, then drain them using a little sieve and set aside.
7.Put the light Olive Oil into a pan suitable for deep frying. Heat the oil until it gets the right temperature for frying.
8.Start with the aubergines, frying the dice for about 4 minutes.
9.After 4 minutes, remove the aubergine dice with a slotted spoon and put them into a large bowl lined with kitchen paper, to absorb the excess oil.
10.Using the same oil, fry the courgette for 4 minutes and then put them onto kitchen paper.
11.The same applies for the celery. Fry for 4 minutes and then put the slices onto kitchen paper.
12.Finally, once the excess oil is absorbed, then you can put all three fried vegetables together and set aside.
13.The next step is the initial sauté. Put the extra virgin Olive Oil into a large pan, bring the heat to medium and gently start to sauté the onion.
14.When the onion starts softening (I would say after 2-3 minutes), add the peppers and continue with the sauté.
15.Give it a good stir so that both the onion and pepper are well coated with oil. Continue cooking until the onion becomes well golden in colour. This is the stage where you add the chopped tomatoes.
16.Add the chopped tomatoes.
17.Give it a good stir.
18.Add the dry basil.
19.Give it a good stir.
20.Add the diced potatoes.
21.Give it a good stir. If you think the sauce is too dry, there is nothing wrong in adding half a glass ( roughly 100 ml) of boiled water.
22.Cover with the lid and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
23.After 10 minuets, add the sugar.
24.Add the vinegar.
25.Add the capers.
26.Add the pine kernels.
27.Add the raisins.
28.Add the green olives.
29.Finally, add the sun dried tomatoes (roughly cut into pieces). I used sun dried tomatoes from a jar, the ones preserved in sunflower oil, so these were already soft. If you want to use the very dried ones you can buy in a sachet, remember to soak them first into lukewarm water to soften them a bit.
30.Give it a good stir.
31.Season with salt.
32.Season with pepper.
33.Add the fried vegetables into the pan.
34.Give it a good stir. Also in this case, if you think that the stew is too dry, half a glass of boiled water will help (this is what I did).
35.Cover with the lid and continue cooking for about 20 minutes over very low heat, gently stirring once or twice.
36.After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool down; traditionally it is best served cold (some people prefer it still hot).
37.Use some home made bread to prepare a bruschetta-like dish. Slice the bread.
38.Heat a cast iron grill pan.
39.Once the pan is piping hot, grill the bread on both sides.
40.Finally, serve the vegetable stew over a slice of bread.
Buon appetito!
PS: this is where a good glass of south Italian red wine will come handy, to complete this Sicilian experience!
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