SAVORING Buon Appetito!

Any molto speciale Italian meal starts with... ANTIPASTI

FAGIOLINI AL POMODORO POMODORI AL FORNO (Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes) (Baked Stuffed Tomatoes)

*This can also be a side dish, served to accompany a main Stuffed tomatoes (and zucchini, , bell peppers) are course. made throughout Italy, in a wide variety of ways. This is the • 2 lbs green beans (fresh, if in season) recipe of my Palermitano friend, Giovanni Matranga: • 1- 1/2 lbs very ripe cherry tomatoes • 2 cloves • 1 medium-sized for each person • 1/4 c. (or more) olive oil • grated unseasoned bread crumbs (about 3 c) • salt and pepper to taste • grated romano pecorino cheese (about 1/2 c) • olive oil , salt , pepper Cook green beans until al dente (“to the tooth”) in salted boil- • or anchovies in oil (3 or 4) ing water. Drain. Heat olive oil in pan and add garlic clove, removing when golden brown. Add cherry tomatoes, cut in Wash tomatoes, cut off tops (save) and scoop out pulp (and halves, to hot olive oil and simmer a couple of minutes. Add set aside) Lightly toast bread crumbs by heating in non-stick green beans, salt, pepper. Continue to cook until green beans pan, turning constantly. When ready, mix with cheese, salt, are fully cooked (if needed, add a tablespoon or two of hot pepper (to taste), the tomato pulp. Add chopped parsley to water). Serve. mixture - or a bit of anchovy, if you prefer. Fill the tomatoes For an added touch, put in some fresh mint with beans and with this mixture, putting their “tops” back on. Put into a pan tomatoes. In Palermo, the beans are sometimes cut into small which has been covered in olive oil Back in a medium-hot pieces before adding to the tomatoes and this mixture will be oven for about 45-50 min. (Zucchini, eggplant, peppers can used as a pasta sauce on spaghetti. Parmesan cheese is added be cooked in similar way) before serving.

• FAGIOLINI AL POMODORO • POMODORI AL FORNO ... and then we go to the PRIMO PIATTO MELANZANE MARINATE (First Course) (Eggplant/Tiny Tomato Sauteé)

• 6 firm, medium-sized • olive oil (about a cup) PASTA AL CAVOLFIORE • sunflower seed oil (or another vegetable oil - about 2 c) (Cauliflower Pasta ) • 3 garlic cloves • bunch of parsley or mint or basil (or combination of any) A favorite dish in Palermo, Sicily. This is the version which • 3 garlic cloves Signora Vincenza, my mother-in-law taught me many years • white wine vinegar ago. • salt , pepper • white Slice 6 medium, firm eggplants. Soak in salt water about ½ • 1/2 lbs .whole peeled tomatoes large head cauliflower hour (put plate over eggplant slices and weight it so as to keep • handful of currants (or use raisins if not available) eggplants submerged) to remover bitterness. Water will be- • 2 Tbsp. pine nuts (if not available, substitute with ½ c. come dark. Rinse eggplant a couple of times (to remove all blanched slivered ) salt). Dry on towel. When dry, put olive oil in large stainless • anchovies, optional steel frying pan. Oil should be about 1/4 “ deep. Heat oil and • Parmesan or romano cheese put in one slice of eggplant to see if oil is at frying tempera- • red chili pepper ture. Do not let oil smoke. Add eggplant slices in one layer • rigatoni pasta - allow about 1 lb for every 5 persons. to hot pan. They should cover all the surface of the pan but should not overlap. Turn when golden brown. Remove when Wash cauliflower and cut into flowerets. Cook to al dente in golden brown on both sides and drain on paper towel. As you salted boiling water. Drain, setting aside the cooking water. remove from pan, immediately add another to Sauté sliced onion in hot olive oil. Add 2-3 anchovies if de- take its place, so as to avoid burning of oil. Put fried eggplants sired. Add cauliflower and stir. Add tomatoes and cook for on large serving platter. Finely-chop generous bunch of pars- 20 minutes or until desired sauce consistency. In the last five ley or basil or mint (or combination of all three or any of the minutes of cooking, add currants and pine nuts and chili pep- two or any one) with 3 garlic cloves. Add to about 1 c. of olive per, if desired. Adjust salt if necessary and add . oil (with vinegar added to taste salt, if necessary) and pour Serve over penne or rigatoni. Mix in well. over eggplant. Mix. Serve at room temperature. Can be made Add grated Parmesan or romano cheese. well-ahead. No need to refrigerate as vinegar preserves. Here’s another version, a favorite recipe of “Zia” Laura, my husband Pino’s aunt: Prepare cauliflower as above, cooking until al dente. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until LESS than al dente (as it will later go into the oven). When pasta is cooked, drain and mix with a generous amount of romano or Parmesan cheese and pepper. Fold in cauliflower chopped into pieces along with a generous amount of raisins and pine nuts. (“The more, the better”, says Zia.). Put into 9 x 12 in. pan, after covering bottom of pan with olive oil; then cover the top with bread crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Place in hot oven at 400º for about 10 mins or until golden brown crust forms on top. Serve hot.

• LA PASTA E’ SERVITA! And then we prepare the SECONDO PIATTO or ( main course)

POLLO AGLASSATO (“Golden Chicken”)

A recipe of my Sicilian mother-in-law, Vincenza (serves 10-12)

• 4-5 lbs. of chicken, cut into pieces • 1 lg. white onion • 2-3 bay leaves • rosemary, sage, (small bunches) • a carrot • 5 or 6 potatoes • white wine • olive oil • POLLO AGLASSATO

Sauté chicken in hot olive oil with bay leave, salt and pepper CONTORNO (side dish) until brown. Remove chicken. Cook onion just until soft and lightly golden. Cut potatoes in chunks, brown and set aside. Return chicken to pan, adding white wine, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. Cover, but turn as needed, not allowing it to dry INSALATA INVERNALE out. Add hot water if necessary and simmer about 20-30 mins. Add the browned potatoes and simmer until potatoes are al (This recipe is from northern Italy) dente, again adding additional liquid if necessary. • radicchio (red-leafed salad) My husband Pino came from a very poor Sicilian family. The • arugula only meat they ever ate was a chicken (one of their own). Po- • apple (green, tart) tatoes were not expensive and filled the stomach. They ate alot • of pollo aglassato! Pollo aglassato is a Sicilian favorite and can • olive oil be made in a variety of ways. • balsamic vinegar • salt Here is Zia Laura’s version, cooked in the oven: • fine slivers of Parmesan cheese or pecorino cheese (op- Preheat oven to 375º. Make about a quart of chicken broth. tional) (“Star” brodo bouillon cubes are Zia’s favorite shortcut to broth- making.) Cover the bottom of a 9 x 12 in. pan with olive oil Wash salads and cut or tear into small pieces. Slice apples and and add the chicken pieces to it. Moisten chicken with chicken add to salad, along with chopped walnuts. Add the slivers of broth and about a glass of white wine. The broth is salted, Parmesan or pecorino if desired. Add salt to taste, then bal- don’t’ add more. Add bay leaves. Place in preheated oven. Put samic vinegar and finally olive oil. potatoes in chunks around the chicken. Cook. Check frequently and add more broth and wine as needed - so that a nice sug- hetto (delicate sauce) keeps chicken moist. Also delicious with rabbit, in this case, Zia would also add black olives.

• RADICCHIO • SALAD-MAKING but, per favore leave some room for the DOLCE (dessert)!

MELE COTTE AGLI AMARETTI (BAKED APPLES WITH AMARETTI)

*This is a dish I learnt from a Milanese friend and I find it a pleasant finish to a filling Italian meal.

• 1 crisp cooking apple per person • 1 package of amaretti cookies • butter • white wine • Optional: crushed almonds (about 1/2 c)

Preheat oven to about 400 F. Wash and core apples, stopping • MELE COTTE AGLI AMARETTI just short of the bottom of the apple. With sharp knife, prick the apple all over in many places. Put amaretti (about 2 for every apple) into cloth and crush with rolling pin or a bottle. Mix crushed amaretti with about 2-3 T butter (depending on quantity of cookies). Add crushed almonds, if desired. Fill ap- ples and sprinkle each with sugar. Place in baking dish. Mix about 1 glass of white wine with same amount of water and pour this liquid over the apples. Place on upper most shelf of pre-heated oven and bake for about 45 min. Remove apples to serving tray. Dip amaretti biscuits into juices remaining in baking pan and use them to cap opening of apples. In saucepan, heat juices from cooked apple pan until reduced to syrup and spoon over apples. Serve at room temperature. An optional addition: Mix about 1 c of ricotta with same amount of mascarpone, adding sugar as needed. Dollop onto tops of apples before serving. Sprinkle with mixture of crushed amaretti and crushed almonds.

SUGGESTED COOKING EQUIPMENT: • 9 x 12 (or similar) baking pan for dessert • largest possible saucepan for cooking of pasta (we will cook the pasta in at least 8 qts water). - Even a lobster pot will do! • large saucepan (for pasta sauce) • 2 large non-teflon frying pans; 1 for preparation of marinated eggplant and the other for preparation of squash recipe. Stainless steel if the best. • a2nd large saucepan for cooking of green beans • large stainless steel saucepan for chicken • salad bowls • other serving dishes • ...and of course, all the necessary knives, ladles, cutting boards, etc. Please review recipes for a check on equipment needed for each TIPS: All these recipes are approximate as these recipes have been written down for the first time by me: I learned to cook these dishes by watching. Any Italian cooking I have learned over the years has been “recipe-less” and learned by watching ( as those who taught me had learned). I have indicated quantities for about up to 10 persons but the quantities are very abundant. Just add a bit of more if cooking for 12 and feel free to increase quantities “ approximately”. When reading an Italian cookbook, the most frequent annotation is “q.b” or “quanto basta”, i.e “as much as is needed”, and that depends on personal taste.

*Please use ONLY “extra virgin olive oil”. I will explain why this is important during our cooking event.

SHOPPING LIST

• green beens, 2lb. • sage, small bunch • cherry tomatoes, 1- 1/2 lbs very ripe, or use 1-1/2 lbs • parsely canned whole tomatoes • anchovies, 4 or 5 in oil. Anchovies are an optional addition • carrots, 4-5 to stuffed tomatoes, and 1 or 2 are also an aptional addition • garlic bulbs ,2 to cauliflower pasta. • eggplants, 6 firm ones • walnuts, 3/4 c • cauliflower, 1 large head • pine nuts, 2 Tbsp, if not available , substitute with 1/2c • parsley or mint or basil or combination of any, 1 bunch blanched slivered almonds • arugula, a generous amount; this will be the main salad • rigatoni or penne pasta - allow about 1lb for every 5 ingedient persons • radicchio, red-leafed salad good-sized head or more than • Parmesan or romano cheese, 1 cup for pasta dish one, if small. • butter, 1/4c • tomato, 1 medium-sized for each person ( to be stuffed) • white wine vinager - approx 2-3c • tomatoes , 1-1/2 lbs canned whole peeled • balsamic vinager, 1c • white onion, 1 • olive oil, 2 1/2 quarts or litres, but extra on hand would be • apples, 4 green tart ones for salad great! • apple, 1 crisp cooking per person (for desert) • chicken, 4-5 lbs cut into pieces • currants handful or use raisins if not available • grated unseasoned bread crumbs (about 3 c) • 1 hot red chili pepper • amaretti cookies, 1 package • rosemary, small bunch • sugar, 1T

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS: a handful of capers and , 4T optional for dessert: crushed almonds, about 1/2c ricotta and mascarpone.

Anne Robichaud - [email protected] More recipes - and information on my guided tours, on Italy: www.annesitaly.com Come stay in one of our lovely Assisi apartments: www.stayassisi.com