Tuesday

“On the second day of the week

My great Dad cooked for me:

1 polpettone

2 plates of gnocchi

Lots of zucchini

And a greeeeen salad, to finish with!”

Il Polpettone

Polpettone literally means “big rissole”.  Well, that’s what it is! A big, oval rissole.  Like most Italian dishes, there are different local varieties and names: polpettone tradizionale; casalingo; alla toscana and so on.

And, of course, there is the Corrado version, a mixture of all of the above plus my own  personal touch .

Polpettone is another example of the “cucina povera”, where people used anything available, hence the variations on the theme.

However poor the cuisine may be, though, the basic principles of Italian cooking do not change: you need the freshest and most genuine ingredients possible. And don’t forget to use herbs and the “odori” – carrots, celery, onion-

I am going to write down the basic recipe and some variations.  Then you can do what I do: experiment and see what works for you, in terms of skills, taste and availability of products.

Half kilo minced veal (rump, possibly)(1)

100 g prosciutto cotto (ham), chopped (2)

2 eggs (3)

Freshly grated nutmeg

Flour

30 ml Oil  and 50 g butter

Some “odori” chopped

30 g tomato purèe (4)

Salt and pepper to taste

(5)

Heat the oil and the butter in a largish pan (it has to contain the whole polpettone); add the vegetables, stir from time to time and cook gently on low-medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

In the mean time mix the ham, meat and eggs in a large bowl. Add the nutmeg and season the mixture.  Shape the lot into an oval form like a footy ball and dust it in flour.  Make sure the mixture is firm in texture. Should it be too soft you may want to add some bread crumbs.

Place the loaf in the pan and brown it on all sides, turning it very carefully.

Mix the purèe in some warm water (6) and add it to the pan.

Cover and cook slowly for 50-60 minutes. (7)

When done, slice the loaf into thick slices, glaze the pan juices and vegetables and spoon the liquids on the meat. 

Polpettone can be served warm or at room temperature.

Variations

(1)    My regular butcher at Preston Market, Mario, has a great mixture of lean veal and pork mince which I often use for polpettone.  You may want to dispense of the ham, if you use this combination.

(2)    The Tuscan variation (as reported by my guru, Marcella Hazan) calls for prosciutto or mortadella or Italian pancetta or even, in the absence of all of the above, for bacon.

(3)    The right egg quantity is important in order to get the perfect consistency and firmness.  You may find that 1 whole egg and a yolk will suffice. 

(4)    I often use 40-50 ml of passata, instead.

(5)    Some versions of this recipe call for 20-30 g dried mushrooms (I recommend the porcini variety for a earthier, wilder taste), soaked in lukewarm water for half an hour.  You can recycle their water to mix the purèe in step four.

(6)    And speaking of mixing the purèe, I use white wine (what else?) for that purpose.  It adds taste to the juices.

(7)    I also tend to finish the polpettone off in the oven for the last 20-25 minutes.  It makes the polpettone firmer and easier to slice.

Gnocchi burro e salvia (Butter and sage gnocchi)

Another simple, easy to make and yet tasty recipe.  The secret here is to get the gnocchi out as they surface from the boiling water and do not let them cook too much in it.  You need to toss  them in the pan and you do not want the final product to be mashy. Also, for the success of the dish, use only Parmigiano or Grana padano and do not use their natural substitute, pecorino.  The sharper taste of the sheep cheese (in both its Roman or Sardinian versions) will upset the subtle, delicate taste of the butter and sage combination.

Once you have taken the necessary precautions, the rest is VERY simple.  In fact, it couldn’t be simpler!

Put some butter in a pan capable of accommodating the part-cooked gnocchi later.  I’ll leave the quantities up to you.  However, remember that the butter is the only sauce in this dish and has to coat your gnocchi.  So don’t be stingy with it!  Put 3-4 large sage leaves in the butter.  Do not chop them with a knife; rather break them with your fingers, to avoid “bruising”.  Let the butter and sage cook for a few minutes, while you are boiling some salted water for the gnocchi and then switch the burner off.  When the water boils, place the gnocchi in. Using a meshed skimmer or a slotted spoon, remove the dumplings as they surface and put them in a colander to drain (you don’t want to water down the sauce).  When all gnocchi are out, relight the pan burner, place the gnocchi in the mixture of butter and sage and finish cooking, tossing constantly to evenly coat the dumplings.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle a generous dose of Parmigiano on the dish.  Serve immediately.

Zucchine marinate (marinated zucchini)

Another simple dish from yours truly (I am spoiling you guys).  This dish was often present on our table, when I was young, so I don’t know whether it is a traditional dish or a Nonna Albina invention.  Some sources report a Zucchini fried with vinegar, however I do not coat the zucchini wheels in flour and I don’t normally add garlic.  But you can.  In fact I might try this version myself next time I cook the dish.

Thinly slice 2 medium sized zucchini.  Heat 50-60 ml of oil in a pan (more if you coat the vegetables with flour, which tends to absorb much of the liquid). 

When the oil is hot, place the zucchini in the pan, a few at the time. 

Remove the fried zucchini from the pan and sprinkle with good quality red wine or balsamic vinegar while they are still hot.

Put another batch of zucchini in and repeat the previous step until all zucchini are fried.

Place the vegetables on a serving dish.  Season with salt and pepper and add flavours to taste by using garlic, basil, fresh oregano or any combination of the three.

You can prepare this dish ahead of time because it can be eaten cold.  In fact you can make a larger quantity of zucchini and preserve them in a well-sealed, glass jar. Make sure there is enough oil to cover the vegetables.  In this way they will last for several days in your fridge.

Green salad (see previous blog – Mixed salad)

(References:  Marcella Hazan – The Classic Italian Cookbook – MacMillan, London, 1981)

Aldo’s and Lea’s Menu - Monday

My splendid daughter, Lea, and my wonderful son-in-law, Aldo, often come to dinner or lunch at our place (they live literally around the corner).  In January, however, we had an arrangement that went beyond the family roast Sunday dinner.  Because of some contingent work commitments, Lea and Aldo needed me to prepare their meals for four days in a row.  They would both come home too late and too tired to even cook.  And fast food DOES NOT taste like dad’s food!  So I wrote a menu for those four days and every evening I would cook for them.  Aldo would then pop in at about 8 – 8.30 pm and pick up their dinner. 

Here is Aldo’s and Lea’s special menu.

M O N D A Y	Pollo alla Diavola French beans “Contadina” Melanzane garlic and basil Mixed salad
T U E S D A Y	Polpettone casalingo Gnocchi butter and sage Zucchini marinated Green salad
W E D N E S D A Y	Maialino al latte Tagliatelle al filetto di pomodoro Broccolini Celery, cucumbers and avocado salad
T H U R	Baby snapper with spinach Tomato stuffed with tuna Trenette al pesto Greek salad

So for the next four blogs I will guide you through some simple, yet delicious recipes.  Every blog will have the menu for one of those four days. 

“Bando alle ciance!” as we say in Italian (Bann the small talk/ bulldust).   Let’s get cooking!

Pollo alla Diavola

A great way of doing your chicken! Like most of the past and future recipes, this is an original one adapted and (hopefully) enhanced by Yours Truly!

Phase one - Get a nice chicken from your chicken shop or your butcher.  Try to get a “ruspante” bird that is, a free range, corn or grain fed one.  You can easily tell the difference between a ruspante and a battery chicken.  The meat is not flaccid (like Berlusconi’s buttocks) and it does not come off the bone so easily.  In fact you need to apply a considerable dental force to detach the flesh from the bone. That does not mean the meat is hard, only “al dente” to use a pasta analogy.

The bird should be kept as a whole however ask your butcher to butterfly it for you. (You can perform this operation yourself by incising longitudinally the middle of the chicken’s breast and open it up like a book)

Phase two – Marinade the bird with extra virgin oil, garlic (lots of it), red hot chilli pepper (yeah, just like the band!) and fresh rosemary – see my spiel on fresh herbs on the blog So Easy, So Tasty.

 Marinade several hours ahead, tossing the chicken from time to time in its juices.

Phase three – Cook on charcoal. The grill should be 4 to 5 centimetres above the coals.  Start with the skin side down and wait until it gets really brownish-blackish.  Watch for the dripping fats: they tend to set the coals aflame.  You want the bird roasted not burnt to cinders!

Phase four - Quarter the chicken, place it on a warm plate and serve with side vegetables as follows.
 
(Aldo's and Lea's Pollo alla Diavola ready to go)

French beans “Contadina”

400 g French flat beans

1 red pepper

1 onion (medium)

½ tin Italian tomatoes, chopped

Salt, pepper, olive oil.

Wash the vegetables in cold water. String the beans and cut their ends off.

Core and seed the pepper.  Slice thinly.

Thinly slice the onion as well, sweat it in a casserole with some oil.

Add the pepper and the tomatoes.  Cook until the oil separates from the vegetables, and then add the beans.

Stir to coat the beans; add some water; cover and simmer until beans are cooked but still crunchy.  Add water again, if necessary. 

Season to taste.

Look at the colours! They make you feel hungry, don't they? French beans "Contadina"

Melanzane garlic and basil

Well, a part from the usual olive oil and some seasoning, the ingredients are already spelled out in the name of the recipe.(For the neophytes, Melanzane means eggplants or aubergines)

Cube the eggplants.  Put them in a colander with some rock salt and let them “sweat” for about an hour (the eggplants will release some liquid).  Rinse them to wash out the salt.  This process will take some of the bitter taste out of the vegetables.

Put the oil in a pan and bring to hot.  Put a whole clove of garlic and let it brown, but not burn.

Toss the eggplants in the pan, stir and let them stew.  Add some liquid if the pan is getting dry (water or vegetables stock)

Chop two tablespoons of parsley.  Throw half in the pan and save the other half for garnishing.

Season to taste and pull the eggplants out when they are cooked but still firm.  Garnish and serve.

Beautiful, tasty, summery eggplants with basil and garlic!

Mixed salad

This is going to be the MOST CHALLENGING dish to date!

Get some mix lettuce from your green grocer and dress it!

Remember the Italian rule-of-the-thumb for dressing green or mixed salads:

Ben oliata, ben salata e poco acetata – Well oiled, well salted and not so well vinegared.

Vinegared?

Wow, I have just come up with a neologism!

Wait a minute! WHAT’S HAPPENING?

The Grammar and Spelling function is going berserk!!

Red lines everywhere!

A siren is howling out of the PC!

It’s about to explode!

Better turn everything off!

See you guys! See you next time! (I hope)

 

The green salad and other vegetables.

A symphony of feelings (and flavours)

Music is literature in notes.  It captures the ‘sounds’ of our feelings and emotions.  With summer now upon us (finally!) let’s muse for a brief moment about different feelings, genres and music related to this season, before we go back to our serious business: food.

There are two different sounds that come into my mind when I think of summer.  One is the bubbly, spirited, rocking sound of the Beach Boys and their endless summer loves, suntanned bodies and motor racing, epitomised in songs like, Surfin’ Safari, Little Honda and Do It Again.

The other is the second movement of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, suitably called Summer.  Its languor is in sharp contrast to the vibrant opening of the first movement – the Spring – No triumphant blasts of strings here. Summer is somnolent, unhurried, yet graceful.

 Each sound characterises a different aspect of summer, whether it would be its sunny vivacity or its lazy inertia. And different pieces conjure up different imagery.

In my youth, I have spent countless days on the beaches of Ostia, Terracina, and the Italian Riviera.  I recall swimming, dancing, getting tanned, falling in and out of love, running on the sand and lighting bonfires at midnight.

But I also recall many beautiful summer afternoons in the country, when I visited my grandparents.  I would lay under the domed, cool shade of a century-old tree, indolent and happy all at once. My eyes would gaze at fields covered with yellowed skinny stumps of hay.  Neat piles of harvested wheat were scattered all over, like pieces of a giant draughts game gone wrong.   A fresh breeze would gently bring to my nostrils the mixed scents of the bails, the blackberry bushes, the not-yet-ripe grapes and other fruit.

I could reminisce about it “All Summer Long”!

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen…

If music is literature in notes, food is the music of flavours.  It too can adapt to the changes of seasons, moods and rhythms.

In summer we need nourishment to withstand the heat and the energy expenditure associated with it. We should also have food that is light, fresh and can be prepared quickly and eaten gradually, a bit like the lyrics of Beach Boys’ “Kokomo”: …we’ll get there fast and then we’ll  take it slow”.  Proteins for nourishment; uncooked greens and fruit for freshness, minerals and…. for staying away from the hot stove!   I am going to propose 3 simple, delicious salads to be enjoyed at your leisure around the pool or in your air-conditioned lounge rooms.

Classic Caprese salad    You need 4 tomatoes, 300 grs fresh mozzarella or fior di latte, fresh basil, maybe some oregano for extra flavour; extra-virgin oil; and of course salt and lots of pepper.  Slice the tomatoes and the mozzarella.  On a serving dish, place the wheels alternating the cheese and the tomatoes in an overlapping way.  Chop up the basil using your hands and NOT a knife; sprinkle it over the food. Dress with a generous dose of oil.  Season to taste and serve. 

Smoked salmon salad   Ingredients: 200 gr sliced smoked salmon, 1 thinly sliced red onion, a tablespoon of chopped capers or caper berries, a sprinkle of dry dill, the usual extra-virgin oil and some pepper.  Place the salmon on a serving tray and garnish it with the other ingredients, again being a bit generous with the oil (I’ll tell you later why)*.

Pomegranate and walnuts salad in vinaigrette    Pomegranate is more an autumn fruit, in season between March and May, but now you can find it at the shops even in earlier months.   200 gr mixed salad; the seeds of one pomegranate; 50 gr of chopped walnuts.  Place the ingredients in a salad bowl; make the vinaigrette by mixing oil, salt, vinegar and a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard.  Dress the salad with it.  Note: a simple and quick way of spreading the pomegranate seeds on the lettuce is to cut the fruit, hold one half over the bowl, open side down, and hit the back side with a heavy object, such as a big spoon or a meat tenderiser, until all seeds have dropped into the salad.  When you have finished, do the second half.

 
        An awsome threesome of salads
Top - Classic Caprese    Bottom - Pomegranate and walnuts salad with vinaigrette (left);  Smoked salmon salad (right)

 

* Olive oil has good cholesterol and is good for your skin, being a natural sunscreen.  It also enhances the flavour of the juices.  Have some nice, crusty Italian-style bread handy.  All the juices from these delicious salads lend themselves to  a “scarpetta”, that is the typical Italian rite of mopping up sauces and juices with a piece of bread until the dish is so squeaky clean that you don’t need to wash it! (Only joking)

Postil to A genuine delight

When she was very young my second daughter, Alessia, used to say: “Sowwy daddy. I figgot”.  So now I am saying to you: “Sowwy  guys, I figgot to tell you something.”

Mixing cheese and fish, especially seafood, was an anathema for the Italian cuisine and for me.  Then,  five years ago, in a delightful restaurant in Bracciano, the pleasant town near Rome where we own a studio apartment with partners, I came across a version of the Spaghetti alle vongole which included (vade retro Satana) grated pecorino cheese! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the “Ristorantino” menu.  I must have looked truly terrified, because Simona, the part owner and maitre d’, immediately reassured me that it was a fantastic dish and persuaded me to try it.  I am glad I let Simona convince me: it was a sure delight and I have never looked back since.  The moral of the story is: grate some genuine pecorino cheese on this pasta - the Romano variety, if you can, otherwise Pecorino Sardo will do.

Apropos food anathemas, do you know that, according to the Bible, Spaghetti alle vongole would be an abomination in God’s eyes?  In Leviticus 11:9-12, Jehovah gives orders not to eat any water animals which do not have fins or scales.  So, by divine decree, clams are off! And so are oysters, crayfish, and mussels.  Uhmm!  There's something fishy here!

A genuine delight

Wow! That was a big hiatus! Eighteen days without posting a blog. I have been very lazy, sorry.  It is summer after all (is it? I really did not notice it) and the warm weather slows you down, you know. Well, that’s what they say, don’t they? Look at the stereotype of the indolent, lethargic, slothful Latinos, the ones sleeping in the sunny lanes against white-painted walls with a big sombrero on their jet-black-haired heads covering their round, brown, moustached faces.  Yes, that stereotype.

It reminds me of one of my favourite Italian jokes.  Would you like to hear it (actually, read it)?  I’ll post it anyhow.

A hyperactive Milanese business man arrives at Naples station one afternoon.  As he darts for the exit gate he sees a young man languidly lying on a bench.  The business man, annoyed at such a view, addresses the young one in no uncertain terms: “Look at you! You are in your prime and what do you do? Nothing! You lay there all day doing nothing! I bet you didn’t even bother with lunch, today.”  “Oh yeah – says the young man – I had lunch alright.”  “Really? - amused the business man – And pray, what did you have for lunch?”  “A snail - replied the Neapolitan”  “A snail? – yelled incredulously the Milanese – You had ONE SNAIL for lunch? “

“Well, actually – says the young one – There were two of them, but one managed to run away!”

Being of a Southern descent I assure you that not all Neapolitans are lazy.  And I can also assure you that “escargots” are not really a Naples specialty, but rather a Roman one.  What is genuinely Neapolitan, though, is the dish I am proposing to you today: Spaghetti alle vongole veraci – Spaghetti with ‘veraci’ clams.  Verace means genuine, truthful, veracious.  So for this dish the Neapolitans use the ‘true’ clams (Ruditapes decussatus) as opposed to other varieties, such as the Philippine clams (Ruditapes philippinarum), which is what we normally get here in Australia. 

However, anything is better than nothing and it’s ok to use them to make this “heavenly” dish.

For the white sauce variety, you need:

• 400 gr spaghetti/vermicelli/linguine
• 400 gr clams
• 1 garlic clove
• A teaspoon of chopped fresh red hot chilli
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 200 ml white wine
• 2-3 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

For the red sauce version, just add a tin of Italian peeled tomatoes or 400 gr of fresh, chopped Sanmarzano (the ones we call Roma in Australia) to the above list.

Once your “mise en place” is completed and you have all your ingredients, tools, pans in front of you, proceed as follow:

Wash the clams in cold water – unless your fishmonger has already cleaned and washed them for you.  Molluscs often retain grains of sand and you do not want a gritty taste spoil this divine preparation.

In a large pan (I often use a wok) put one-two tablespoon of oil, the garlic and the chilli.  Let them brown on a moderate to high flame, and then throw in the vongole.  Toss constantly so that all clams are coated with the juice, then pour the wine and keep tossing for a little longer.  Put a lid on the pan and let the molluscs stew until they all open.  Add some parsley, but save most of it for the final touch.  At this point you can add the tomatoes as well, if you have opted for the red version.  Lid back on and let the lot cook a few more minutes, for the flavours to mix.  Pick the clams out of the pan and set them aside on a warm plate or in the microwave. In the mean time, cook the pasta in a generous quantity of salted, boiling water.  Drain it very al dente.  This is because you will mantecare it, that is finish it in the pan with the sauce which now contains also water discarded by the clams.  Toss the pasta as it finishes cooking, until well coated.  Pull it out still al dente and quickly put it in the serving bowls.  Place the clams, shells and all, on top of the pasta and  garnish with the remaining parsley.  Serve hot, then pour yourselves a generous glass of dry white wine, possibly a Frascati Gotto d’Oro.  You deserve it!

So easy, so tasty

Premise

If you have not guessed it yet, I am going to tell you a secret: I am the designated chef at home! 

Surprised?  Yeah, sure!

Home is my wonderful family: my wife Pauline, my daughters Lea and Alessia, my son Marcus, my son-in-law Aldo.  Lea and Aldo actually have their own house two blocks from us, but they often drop in for dinner.  However, most of the time I cook just for the four of us.  What’s that got to do with the price of prosciutto?  It means that, unless otherwise specified, the recipes in this book/blog are for four people.  Simple as that!  It saves me time and space.  It also means that all I propose to you has already been ‘experimented’ on my human cavia and they are all the better for it.  No one has left home yet, on the contrary, like omnivorous boomerangs, they keep coming back for more food.  Who needs five stars from the “Michelin Guide” when I can get five boomies from my family!

I am going to suggest to you one of our favourite dishes: Saltimbocca alla romana - Saltimbocca Roman style.  Saltimbocca means ‘jump in mouth’.  Why such a strange name for a dish?  Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?  The veal done in this way is so delicious that it ‘jumps’ in your mouth on its own will! And, it is also simple and quick to prepare.  Beware the cheap imitations you find in some ‘restaurant’, however.   I speak from experience.  It was one of my first tastes of “Italian” cuisine in Melbourne, 1 and ½ billion years ago.  I was invited to lunch in a restaurant downtown – whose name I will not reveal, not even under duress!  My delight to find my favourite dish on the menu soon turned into desperation when I tasted it!  The fact that this restaurant is still operating is one of the world’s seven wonders, along with the Colosseum, the Chinese Wall, the Hanging Gardens and other regalia.

Enough of that!  Back to business.    Here is the recipe.

Ingredients (*)
4 veal slices, pounded and dusted in flour
4 slices of  prosciutto
8 sage leaves

toothpicks

Olive oil

1/2 glass white win e
butter
salt and  pepper

When you have pounded and dusted the veal, place on each piece 1 slice of prosciutto and 2 small sage leaves.  Fasten every ‘parcel’ with a toothpick.  Put some oil in a frying pan.  When it’s hot, place the veal in it with the prosciutto facing down.  Ground in some salt and pepper, let the veal brown and then turn it on the other side.

When cooked, place the veal parcels on a warm plate; deglaze the ‘scraps’ in the pan with the wine and some butter; adjust the seasoning  and pour the sauce on the veal.  Serve immediately.

(*)  The secret of this simple recipe, like with most Italian dishes, lies in the freshness and quality of the ingredients.  Ask for the pinkest veal; look for the best prosciutto – imported San Daniele is the ideal but a good Parma will do – As per the sage, use the fresh-from-your-garden variety and if you do not have a herbarium, ask a friend who does or buy it at the greengrocer: it is worth the extra 2 bob.  And do not be a scrooge with the wine either.

(Saltimbocca alla romana, ready to be cooked) 

Remember “A Roma se magna bene” (you eat well, in Rome)

Humble origins

My parents came to Rome in 1940, just as Mussolini was about to enter the fry in WW2.  They had moved from the land to start a new life in the Capital city.  Although my father’s father was one of the biggest tobacco growers in the area of Benevento – 65 km NE of Naples – they wanted to set up their own business in Rome, and they did.  Their farming origins coupled with their new status as business owners meant that mum and dad were very prudent with their money. Some would say parsimonious, others simply ‘tight’! However it may be, the word ‘waste’ was not part of their vocabulary.  Why am I saying this? To introduce my first recipe of this blog; a dish for the “waste-not- want- nots” – like my parents -  whose humble origins can be traced back many centuries, to Tuscan farmers, although it is present in all regions and areas of rural Italy.

 The Panzanella.  

This is the Tuscan name with which the dish is known throughout Italy – although there may be local variations.   It is a typical ‘cucina povera’ dish(*) that farmers consumed in summer when harvesting and generally working the land all day long. One of the most accredited etymology of the word is that it derives from panzana  - a big lie or a humbug –  in other words, with such a poor dish people would cheat their own hunger.

 Because it did not need cooking, it could be prepared on the spot, as long as you had a few basic ingredients with you: stale bread, water, red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, basil and red onion.  The original panzanella did not contemplate tomatoes because they were not known in Italy for many years after 1492 and, when they became known, they were introduced as ornamental plants only! It is hard to imagine an Italian cuisine without tomatoes, I know!

The recipe is simple but not set in concrete. As the great Roman actor and chef Aldo Fabrizi wrote in a poem dedicated to the dish: “…Nun è ch'er condimento sia un segreto,/
oppure è stabbilito da un decreto,…” (**).  In other words you will find as many varieties on the theme as there are regions, provinces or cooks in Italy.  My version, needless to say, is Nonna Albina’s and it is as close to hers as I can possibly remember over 50 years later. So, here we go:

Corrado’s Panzanella.

Ingredients.  (I leave quantities up to you, according to what is available in your refrigerator)  Stale bread preferably with a dark crust, the pane di casa variety; water; extra-virgin olive oil; red wine vinegar; red onion; fresh basil; oregano (fresh or dried); celery sticks; tomatoes (very ripe and of the oblong varieties, such as sanmarzano or roma as it is known in the Anglophone world); salt and pepper, to taste.

 Soak the bread in water for 20 minutes and then squeeze it. You need to drain as much liquid as possible to avoid any ‘water down’ taste.  Nonna would often prepare the bread overnight and leave it in a colander or in a kitchen towel, so the bread would be damp but not soggy. To fasten the process I put it in a colander with a plate and some weights on for an hour or so!

You then mix all other ingredients and add them to the bread.  I dress the panzanella in the same way I do my green or mixed salads, that is, I am very generous with the oil and the salt (do not tell my GP, please!) but parsimonious with the vinegar.  Be also generous with the basil, it gives that freshness that the dish needs.  I suppose the oregano is a Southern variation. I do not know, really, but I have always put a nice pinch of it in my version.

To taste the full freshness of the Panzanella, let it rest for an hour or two in the fridge, before serving it.  It makes a great summer dish and will go well as a side salad with your BBQs or just as a simple entrée to a summery, light dinner with friends.  Humble origins, long history and great taste!  Enjoy it.

 ( A panzanella at Corrado's)

Umili Origini

I miei genitori arrivarono a Roma nel 1940, proprio quando Mussolini si stava preparando per entrare in campo nella SGM.  Avevano lasciato la terra per cominciare una nuova vita nella Capitale.  E benchè il padre di mio padre fosse uno dei più grossi coltivatori di tabacco del beneventano, si erano messi in testa di aprire un negozio a Roma, e così fecero. Le loro origini contadine aggiunte al nuovo status di commercianti fecero si che mamma e papà fossero molto accorti con Il denaro. Alcuni direbbero parsimoniosi, altri semplicemente ‘tirati’ Comunque sia, la parola ‘spreco’ non faceva parte del loro vocabolario.  Perchè vi racconto tutto questo?  Per presentare la mia prima ricetta di questo ‘blog’; un piatto per quelli che "non-si-spreca-niente”- come i miei genitori – le cui umili origini risalgono a molti secoli addietro, ai contadini toscani, anche se è presente in tutte le aree dell’Italia rurale.

 La Panzanella.

Questo è il nome toscano con cui il piatto è conosciuto in tutta Italia – benchè ci siano variazioni linguistiche locali.  È un tipico piatto della ‘cucina povera’, che i contadini consumavano in estate, durante il raccolto, quando erano nei campi tutto il giorno.  Secondo una delle etimologie più diffuse, la parola deriva da ‘panzana’, cioè frottola, imbroglio, perchè la gente con questo piatto povero cercava di ‘imbrogliare’ appunto la propria fame e il proprio stomaco.

Poichè non necessita di cottura, il piatto può essere preparato ‘sul posto’, basta avere alcuni ingredienti di base: pane raffermo, meglio se con la crosta scura  tipo pane casareccio; acqua; aceto di vino rosso; olio extra-vergine; basilico e cipolla rossa.  Nella panzanella originale non c’erano i pomodori, perchè essi erano sconosciuti in Italia fino a dopo il 1492 e anche quando cominciarono a diffondersi, vennero introdotti  originalmente come piante ornamentali! Lo so, è difficile immaginarsi una cucina italiana senza il pomodoro!

La ricetta è semplice ma non rigidamente codificata.  Come scrisse il grande attore e chef romano Aldo Fabrizi, in una poesia dedicata a questo piatto: “…Nun è ch'er condimento sia un segreto,/
oppure è stabbilito da un decreto,…” (*)  Quindi troverete tante variazioni sul tema quante sono le regioni, le province e i cuochi d’Italia. La mia versione, non c’è bisogno di dirlo, è quella di nonna Albina ed è fedele alla sua ricetta originale per quanto mi possa ricordare dopo oltre 50 anni.  Bando alle ciance, ecco a voi:

La Panzanella di Corrado

Ingredienti (le quantità le lascio a voi e a quello che avete nel frigorifero): pane raffermo, meglio se con la crosta scura  tipo pane casareccio; acqua; olio extra-vergine; aceto di vino rosso; cipolla rossa; basilica fresco; origano (fresco o essiccato); sedano; pomodori (mature e lunghi, tipo sanmarzano); sale e pepe a piacere.

Immergere il pane nell’acqua per 20 minuti e poi strizzarlo bene.  Bisogna eliminare più liquido possible per evitare quel sapore di ‘annacquato’.  Nonna preparava il pane la sera prima e lo lasciava in un colo o in un panno da cucina perchè il pane fosse poi inumidito ma non zuppo d’acqua.  Per accellerare il tutto, io lo metto in un colo, poi ci metto un piatto sopra con dei pesi per un paio d’ore! 

Dopo di che, mescolate tutti gli altri ingredienti e aggiungeteli al pane.  Io condisco la panzanella come l’insalata mista: ben oliata, ben salata (per favore, non ditelo al mio dottore!) e poco acetata.  Siate anche generosi di basilico: dà al piatto quella freschezza necessaria.  L’origano suppongo sia una varazione meridionale.  Non lo so, per la verità, ma io un pizzico o due di origano ce lo metto sempre.

Lasciate riposare la panzanella per una o due ore in frigo prima di servirla,  così da gustarla in tutta la sua freschezza.  La panzanella è un ottimo piatto estivo che va bene come contorno ai vostri BBQ o come semplice antipasto per una cenetta leggera ed estiva con gli amici.  Umili origini, storia antica e gusto fantastico!  Gustatevela.