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!