Lidia's Italy at Home #3

DISCOVER ITALIAN FOOD, DRINK AND LIVING WITH LIDIA BASTIANICH, ONE OF AMERICA BEST-LOVED CHEFS - PRICE $5.99 US, $6.99 CANADA - ISSUE 03 - 2019

It's Summertime!

DISCOVER ITALIAN FOOD, DRINK AND LIVING WITH LIDIA BASTIANICH

Fresh salads, cool cocktails, and great picnic tips

Bright Whites, Big Italy Joe Bastianich picks the best Italian white wine

Barbecue, Lidia-Style

Italian Pantry

Tasty Italian spins on cookout classics

Lidia shares her must-haves

Father's Day A delicious way to celebrate dads

Discovering Umbria A taste of Italy’s “green heart”

ISSUE 03 - 2019

Chef Lidia Bastianich brings us into her home to share her favorite family recipes: Roasted Shrimp, Pepper and Olive Salad Italian Deviled Eggs Onion-Tomato Foccacia Grilled Meatball Burgers with Marinara and Mozzarella Summer Vegetable and Country Bread Lasagna Mussels with Farro, Cannellini and Chickpeas Peach-Ginger Prosecco Punch Coffee-Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

Now that it is June, our tables are more likely to be outdoors — on a terrace, at a picnic or barbecue, on the beach, under an arbor in a garden. No matter where the table is located, the important thing is that it is filled with people we love.

Tutti a tavola!

Our spirits lighten when the weather gets warmer, and so do the dishes we share around the table. So for this issue, I am celebrating all that’s best about the season through light dishes that are bursting with vegetables and fruit. Some are purely Italian, and others Americanstyle dishes with distinctly Italian twists.

So many of the foods I cook at this time of year, and that I share with you here, begin in the garden I tend with my mother, who is now 98 years old. My family has been lucky to have had a garden of our own for most of our lives. From back when I was digging potatoes and picking beans with my grandma Rosa, to today, when my grandchildren and I are performing those same tasks, I cherish the time spent in the peace of the garden. And there is nothing like the flavor of justpicked tomatoes and crisp lettuces, warm from the sun.

If you have a garden at home, I hope that you are bringing your own children in to pass on the beauty of food grown from seed with your own hands and good soil. If not, I hope your local farmers market is bountiful, and that you take the kids along. Speaking of family, in this issue I offer some menus with them in mind. I celebrate dads with a hearty Father’s Day menu I hope you’ll enjoy. I also get the kids in the kitchen with ideas for a pizza party and recipes that will be fun and easy for them to try.

So pour a cool drink (there are plenty of recipes for them in the issue, too), get the salads and easy pastas on, and gather round for a delicious celebration of summer.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

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Contents 9 In My Garden 12 Flavors of Childhood 18 Italian Pantry 25 It’s Wine O’Clock 27 Celebrating at the Table 36 Keeping It Light 43 Holiday: Father’s Day 51 Lidia Entertains 52 Italian-American Favorites 56 The Importance of Being Italian 63 Discovering Umbria 77 It’s Summertime 81 Time to Eat 87 Tie One On 93 What a Wonderful Pasta 103 My Grocery List 111 Eat Different 117 It’s Always Dessert Time 122 Ingredient of the Month 124 Italian Glossary

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Recipes 10 Snap Pea and New Potato Salad 11 Roasted Beet and Beet Green Salad with Dried Apricots, Pistachios and Goat Cheese

14 Pizza Dough 16 Pizza Margherita 28 Grilled Caesar Salad 30 Grilled Meatball Burgers with Marinara and Mozzarella 32 Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Salad 33 Italian Iced Tea 34 Strawberry-Lemon Granita 39 Chicken and Carrot Salad with Pine Nuts and Raisins 40 Roasted Shrimp, Pepper and Olive Salad 44 Spareribs Roasted with Vinegar and Red Pepper 47 Tricolor Salad 48 Coffee-Chocolate Ice Cream Cake 49 Campari Gin Old-Fashioned 54 Chicken Cacciatore 58 Onion-Tomato Foccacia 61 Mussels with Farro, Cannellini and Chickpeas 72 Homemade Strangozzi 75 Strangozzi with Chard and Almond Sauce 78 Summer Vegetable and Country Bread Lasagna 83 Italian Deviled Eggs 84 Cannellini and Roasted Pepper Dip 85 Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus 88 Peach-Ginger Prosecco Punch 89 Blood-Orange Shandy 90 Mango Aperol Spritz Slushies 94 Farfalle with Sausage, Leeks and Peas 97 Chickpea and Tuna Pasta Salad 98 Fusilli with Spinach and Herbed Ricotta 100 Orecchiette with Spicy Broccoli Rabe 104 Potato Croquettes 107 Grilled Pork Chops with Dried Porcini Rub and Corn Salad 108 Seared Calamari with Salmoriglio 112 Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce 113 Peach and Cherry Mostarda 115 Stuffed Mushrooms 118 Free-Form Cherry Crostata 120 Lemon–Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies 121 Chocolate-Hazelnut Panna Cotta 4

Editor in Chief Lidia Bastianich Co-Editors: Tanya Bastianich Manuali Shelly Burgess Nicotra Nanette Maxim Copy Editor Lorenzo Manuali

Contributing Writers Olivia Pera Joe Bastianich

Sales, Advertising & Events Director Paolo Del Panta

Editorial manager Franco Del Panta

Art Direction Francesco Sciarrone

Communication and PR Director Corrado Manuali

Photo Credit for Food Photos and Cover Shot Jennifer May

Digital Tech Liam Canning Food Editor Amy Stevenson Food Stylist Assistant Liz Crabtree Make up Lisa Makowski All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

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In my garden: EARLY RISERS

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The garden may be at its peak in

with my mother and me, the three or four

August, but some of the most gratifying

generations together, planting, tending, and

moments are when the early “cold-weather”

harvesting.

vegetables begin to pop up in late spring and

the beginning of summer. We plant them in

time, when they are still young and delicate,

late March or early April (when the soil is

was one of the tasks I taught the children.

50°F or above), and after 50 to 70 days, the

Picked too late, snap peas lose their sweetness

first crop is ready to be harvested. Those

and become tough, the pods inedible, so

early birds give us our first fresh tastes of the

timing is everything. If you are shopping for

season, and remind us of all that’s to come.

these sweet, crunchy peas, try to buy them as

fresh as possible at the farmers market, where

Day by day we see the pea vines

Picking the snap peas at just the right

getting taller and taller as they climb the

you know they have probably been picked just

wooden poles with string tied between

before bringing them to market.

them to support them, and sprout delicate

flowers. Fingerling potatoes also make an

we plant early and also late in summer for

appearance then, and have pretty flowers

the fall harvest. There are so many varieties

of their own to signal they’re going strong.

(and colors), from the most common red

Digging potatoes brings back memories of

beets, which we plant, to mild yellow,

working side by side with my grandmother

orange, and the red-and-white Chioggia.

in her garden in Istria. It truly felt that we

With an assortment of varieties, you can

were being given a gift from the soil as I dug

make a lovely salad, with the beets sliced

the potatoes, felt their warmth in my hands

quite thin, or grated raw. Many people

and took in the smell of the rich red earth.

discard the beet greens, but they’re missing

That feeling was only compounded when

out. When the greens are young and

we cooked them; fresh potatoes are bursting

tender you can blanch them to include in

with flavor! Fingerlings stand up to roasting

a salad, and when they’ve matured a bit

and boiling (their skin is so thin I never

they can be boiled, then tossed with olive

peel them), and are perfect for potato salad

oil and vinegar for an earthy side dish.

(made even better with the crunch of snap

Roasting beets brings out their sweetness.

peas, see page 10).

Just remember to roast them first before

peeling. It’s a much easier way to prep

I’ve tried to pass that connection

Beets are another cool-season vegetable

to the earth on to my own children and

them, for a spring salad or an intensely

grandchildren, inviting them into the garden

colored risotto.

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Snap Pea and New Potato Salad Insalata di taccole e patate novelle Feel free to add other seasonal produce here— crunchy raw fennel or radishes would be delicious as well. This is a great salad to bring along for a picnic, as it is best at room temperature.

Yield Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients 1 pound fingerling potatoes (a mix of colors is nice), halved crosswise 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed and tough strings removed ½ small red onion, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes more.

Roasted Beet and Beet Green Salad with Dried Apricots, Pistachios and Goat Cheese

Drain the potatoes and snap peas and add to the

Barbabietole arrostite e insalata verde di barbabietole con

ice bath to cool completely. Drain from the ice bath

albicocche secche, pistacchi e formaggio di capra

Recipe Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.

Add the potatoes to the water and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas

and pat very dry.

Whisk the vinegar and mustard together in a ser-

Yield Serves 4 to 6

ving bowl. Whisk in the olive oil to make a smooth, thick dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, snap peas and red onions and toss well. Add the parsley and dill, season again with salt and pepper and toss again. Serve at room temperature.

Ingredients 10 to 12 small red and yellow beets with greens attached, about 3 pounds total ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup red wine vinegar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ cup dried apricots, chopped 4 ounces slightly aged goat cheese, crumbled ¼ cup coarsely chopped toasted pistachios

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Recipe Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the tops from the beets about an inch from the top. Wash the beets well and prick each in several places with a fork. Put the red beets on one piece of doubled aluminum foil and the yellow on another. Drizzle each with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the beets closed in the foil and roast until tender all the way through when poked with a knife, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Peel and cut into wedges.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Trim any tough pieces from the beet greens and separate the tender stems from the leaves. Cut the stems into 2-inch lengths. Add the stems to the boiling water and simmer until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the greens and simmer until both are tender, about 4 minutes more. Drain well. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine the beets, greens and stems in a large bowl with the apricots. Drizzle with the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil and the vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Spread the salad on a platter.

Sprinkle with the goat cheese and pistachios and serve.

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Everybody around the world loves pizza, especially children. It’s a great way

to tempt kids into the kitchen to begin cooking. They’re much more interested in learning to prepare one of their favorite foods, and once they see how easy it is to make (and how much more delicious it is than take-out pizza), they will become regulars at creating “pizza night” at home.

Making pizza together is also a wonderful idea for a party. It gets everyone, old

and young, involved, and it lets each person mix and match their favorite toppings.

Individual-sized pizzette are fun to make. You can even cut up these small pizzas into quarters, which invites the children to try many combinations to find their favorites. My grandchildren have enjoyed crafting their own pizzas, from kneading and shaping the dough to experimenting with all kinds of toppings. That includes dessert pizzas with toppings such as jam and fresh berries; ricotta and honey; and a chocolate-hazelnut spread topped with bananas.

Your dough is the key to a delicious pizza, and you can’t go wrong with the

basic dough recipe on the following page. Luckily, mixing only five or six ingredients together is simple for even young children. Put the dough in a clear bowl lightly coated with oil to let it rise, covered with plastic wrap. That way, it’s a little bit like a science experiment to witness the magic of yeast as the dough climbs the bowl. (For a party, you can also have the dough prepared to avoid waiting during rising time, and simply let the kids stretch and shape their own pizzette and choose and apply their toppings). A classic pizza Margherita, with a basic tomato sauce and toppings of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves is a good place to start. You can also put out sliced pepperoni, sautéed mushrooms and onions, black olives, roasted peppers, sliced tomatoes, Pecorino, even pears and Gorgonzola.

Toss together a nice green salad alongside the pizzas (the kids can make the

salad, too!), and you have a meal that the whole group will love and that the kids will be proud to say they’ve made themselves (and had a lot of fun doing it).

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Pizza Dough Impasto per pizza

Recipe Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and let sit until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the olive oil.

This is a great basic pizza dough recipe. Use for pizza or calzone or even focaccia. If you don’t want to use the

Stir together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir in

dough right away, you can slow down the rise by putting

the water and yeast mixture with a fork to make a sticky

it in the refrigerator for a few hours. Punch it down and

dough. Turn the dough out on a floured work surface

let it come to room temperature before proceeding.

and knead by hand until the dough is smooth and

Yield Makes 2 10-inch pizzas

Ingredients

elastic, about 5 minutes. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.

Punch down and divide into portions.

2 teaspoons active dry yeast Pinch of sugar 1 ¼ cups warm water (between 90 and 110 degrees F) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for working the dough 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

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Pizza Margherita Pizza Margherita

Yield Makes 2 10-inch pizzas I’ve suggested some toppings here, but you can choose any that your family or friends favor. The key to pizza is to use a light hand with the sauce and toppings—too much of either will result in a soggy pizza.

Recipe Preheat oven to 475 degrees F with a pizza stone on the bottom rack. For the sauce, pass the tomatoes through a food mill or crush very well by hand. Stir in the olive oil, salt, oregano and peperoncino.

Press the dough into 11-inch dough rounds (they’ll

Ingredients for the sauce 1 ¼ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes with their juices 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian oregano on the branch ¼ teaspoon peperoncino

Ingredients for the topping Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced ½ cup fresh basil leaves Sliced pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, roasted bell peppers, pitted and halved black olives, for topping (optional) Kosher salt

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shrink back a little upon baking). Arrange a round of dough on a sheet of parchment on a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet.

Brush with olive oil. Spread half of the pizza sauce almost to the edges of the round. Top with half of the cheese and tear half of the basil over the pizza.

Add optional toppings of your choice. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt.

Slide the pizza from the peel or the back of the baking sheet (still on the parchment) onto the stone. Bake until the pizza is golden brown underneath and the cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for a minute or two before slicing and serving. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.

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11 INGREDIENTS

YOU SHOULD

ALWAYS

HAVE

Pine Nuts

IN YOUR KITCHEN

Pine nuts (pignoli) are small, nutrient-packed nuts that are used in pesto, pasta sauces, and cookies, such as the pine nut cookies enjoyed everywhere in America.

The first secret to a good meal is a well-stocked and organized pantry. Use very simple ingredients, whose flavors, however, are so intense that they make a difference and allow you to handle any circumstance that may arise, and at any time.

Pignoli are expensive due to the labor-intensive process needed to extract them from pine cones, which involves heating the cones. Due to their high oil content, they are buttery and rich in flavor and texture. Pine nuts turn rancid if kept at room temperature and should be refrigerated in an airtight container or stored in the freezer.

Here is my personal shopping list.

To bring out their flavor, toast pine nuts in a skillet or an oven at 350°F before using them.

Dried Sicilian Oregano Italian Parsley Parsley is more than just a decorative garnish; it’s a nutritious herb that contains plenty of vitamins A, C, and K. Flat-leaf “Italian parsley” is less bitter and more fragrant than curly parsley.

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Oregano is a dominant herb in Italian-American and Italian cuisines. Aromatic oregano is ubiquitous in Sicily, and it is an essential ingredient in other southern Italian regions such as Puglia.

To retain its vibrant and fresh aroma, parsley should be tossed raw into a dish at the end of preparation or simply sprinkled over the top.

Dried oregano is great to use throughout the year, especially in wintertime when fresh herbs are not available. When dried, oregano’s flavor is intensified.

Store your fresh parsley in a cup with water in the refrigerator, where it will stay fresh for about a week.

Its aroma is released with almost no cooking time, so it is best added at the end or to finish a dish.

Parsley brightens many dishes such as sautéed vegetables and most pasta dishes, especially those combined with garlic. It also is a favorite addition to salads, soups, and grilled fish and meats.

When shopping for oregano, look for bouquets of dried Sicilian oregano on the branch; it is more intensely flavored than the crushed leaves in jars.

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Dried Porcini

Jarred Roasted Red Peppers

Use dried porcini to add an intense earthy flavor to all sorts of dishes like risottos, pasta sauces, soups, and braises. Always smell the packet of dried porcini before purchasing. They should have a pleasant and chocolaty mushroom smell. Also check for possible insect larvae.

Jarred peppers from the supermarket are a good option when you don’t have time to roast peppers yourself. When in season, many roast their own red peppers at home and preserve the rest to use throughout the winter.

A little goes a long way with dried porcini.

Keep what you don’t use in a dark, cool place or freeze them.

Use thin-fleshed peppers that have a boxy shape.

These roasted red peppers, due to their soft skin and sweet taste, pair well with grilled or toasted bread, other vegetable antipasti and sides, pasta and fish.

Porcini are typically soaked to reconstitute them and to maximize the flavor. Remember to reserve the soaking liquid, it is very flavorful and can be used in soups and sauces. Careful not to use the grit that will settle on the bottom of the soaking water.

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You can even make a smooth and sweet red pepper sauce to dress all kinds of dishes, such as grilled fish.

Espresso powder

Active Dry Yeast

Espresso powder is stronger than regular instant coffee. It dissolves quickly in liquid, making it ideal for mixing and baking purposes.

Active dry yeast is live yeast with its water removed and ground into fine granules.

It is not a coffee you would drink due to its concentrated and intense flavor. Espresso powder can be hard to find in a grocery store; it is usually sold in specialty stores and online.

It should be activated in water before using (unlike instant dry yeast, which can be added directly to dry ingredients). When proofing the yeast, make sure the water is warm and not hot, and you can add a touch of sugar, which gives energy to yeast.

Use espresso powder to add a rich coffee flavor to many desserts, including cakes, cookies, brownies and more. Espresso powder works especially well with and enhances the flavor of chocolate, caramel, and nuts.

It is available in supermarkets in small packets or jars.

Check the expiration date, as it is highly perishable, and store it in the refrigerator after opening.

Active dry yeast is a popular yeast for home bakers, especially when baking bread.

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Red Wine Vinegar

Lemons

Red wine vinegar is great for everyday use, especially for dressing salads, for drizzling on vegetables, and in marinades for chicken and pork.

The Italian Sorrento lemon is widely used in Southern Italy, where it grows best. I use it in light desserts, gelato, granita, limoncello, and squeezed over seafood, which neutralizes its fishy taste.

The length of aging determines the quality and taste of red wine vinegar. Cheaper varieties have a highly tart, sour flavor. Vinegars aged longer are more mellow and taste better.

The juice, rind and zest of lemons are used to bring freshness and a tangy flavor to salads, grilled fish and meat, pastas, roasts and desserts. Lemon is a great marinade and tenderizer for meats, and is also a bright addition to many cocktails.

You can make your own red wine vinegar reduction to drizzle on cooked and raw vegetables, which is mellower but more intense in flavor than regular vinegar.

When using lemon zest, which is loaded with essential oils, make sure to remove all of the bitter white pith underneath.

Dried Chickpeas Cooking your own dried chickpeas is a great alternative to buying the precooked canned version, which is often high in sodium. The buttery texture and nutty flavor of chickpeas make them a delicious and versatile addition to many dishes.

An overnight soak of around 8 hours is the easiest way to rehydrate them before cooking. Salt and acidic ingredients toughen chickpeas and should be added only after the beans are tender.

When cooking chickpeas, you can control their final texture; for a purĂŠe or dip, the softer and more well-cooked, the better. For salads, pasta sauces and stews, firmer chickpeas work best.

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Red wine vinegar does not have to be refrigerated.

Simply keep it sealed in a cool, dark place.

Semolina Flour Semolina, made from durum wheat (grano duro) is a high-protein flour that is used to make dry and fresh pasta. Semolina creates a firm dough that helps dry pasta retain its shape when boiled, making it the best and only flour used to make dry pasta.

Mixed with all-purpose flour, it makes a fresh pasta that is nutty and firm but tender.

It is the flour of choice for fresh pasta in the Southern regions of Italy, especially Puglia.

You can also turn the more coarse semolina meal (not the flour) into dessert when you cook it with cream. The result is a thick, pudding-like porridge to be enjoyed with, for example, a drizzle of honey or a dollop of fruit sauce.

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IT’S WINE O’CLOCK:

Bright Whites, Big Italy - By Joe Bastianich -

The diversity of Italian food and wine has

Italian white wines. I recommend sticking with

always been a beacon for people looking to

authentic products consumed with these simple

get an authentic taste of the motherland. No

yet transporting indigenous white varietals:

different than iconic agricultural products like

Tocai Friulano and prosciutto San Daniele,

burrata, olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes and

Vermentino Sardo with Pecorino, Grillo and

balsamic vinegar, the best of Italy’s indigenous

anchovies; the list goes on. In a country where

white wine varietals gives drinkers a sense of

regional cuisine is king, a spaghetti alle vongole

place, sophistication and flavor. Friulano and

with a Fiano di Avellino, whether you’re on a

Ribolla Gialla (both from Friuli-Venezia Giulia),

terrazzo in Amalfi or in your den in New Jersey,

Verdicchio (from the Marche), Arneis (from

will make you weep tears of food joy. Drink

Piedmont), Vermentino (mainly from Sardinia

Italian and eat Italian; it’s sound advice for

and Liguria), and Grillo (from Sicily), to name a

delicious and healthy dining. Whether you are

few, are generally crisp, purely expressive and,

at your favorite wine shop or local Italian hot

most importantly, food friendly and well priced.

spot, find someone who knows and loves Italian

wine and ask them to recommend an indigenous

The beauty of regional indigenous varietals

in Italy is that they come from a peasant culture

Italian white that will pair perfectly with the food

of pure and simple vinifications delivering

you plan to eat.

a clean expression of the grape and terrior.

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Wines should taste like where they come from.

Try these pairings for starters:

The combination of tradition, noninvasive

Brandini Langhe Arneis - Bagna cauda

vinification and the longstanding test of time

Bastianich Friulano - Prosciutto San Daniele

allows these seemingly simple varietals to be

Fulvia Tombolini Verdicchio - Fritto misto di pesce

satisfyingly quaffable and consistently food

Planeta Grillo - Involtini di pesce spada

friendly.

all’agrodolce

If it grows together, it goes together; sacris sermonibus, especially with regional indigenous

con vongole

Marisa Cuomo Furore Bianco Fiorduva - Linguine

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CELEBRATING AT THE TABLE:

Barbecue, Lidia-Style

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When I say “Tutti a tavola a

A version of a hamburger I enjoy is more of

mangiare!”—Everyone to the table to

a patty-shaped version of a meatball. I use both

eat!—I think of the many, many tables

ground pork and beef, along with Grana Padano

where I’ve joined family, friends, and

and herbs. It’s very similar to the Italian version

strangers who, over a good meal, become

of meatballs (polpette) that I ate as a child. They

fast friends. There are the tables in my

were shaped a bit flatter, not as round as the

home and at my restaurants, at the homes

Italian-American meatballs are, and we pan-

of friends, and then there are the tables

fried them. In this version, a marinara sauce

of memory—the farmhouse table in the

and mozzarella take the place of ketchup and

courtyard at Busoler, where, when it was

cheddar.

hot, we would gather to eat our meals in

the fresh air. Those meals outdoors tasted

vinaigrette and herbs is a refreshing side;

a little bit better, accompanied by the soft

zucchini and cherry tomatoes are great salad

breezes rustling the leaves of the trees.

companions. I also like to do as the Tuscans do

The most popular American

in the heat of summer, and mix an iced tea with

outdoor gathering is the barbecue, with

lots of lemon, lemon verbena, and some Italian

hamburgers beautifully charred on the

lemon soda.

grill as the most popular item on the menu.

Italians love to grill, too, with everything

fruit granita satisfies the craving for a sweet, but

from steak to vegetables to fresh fruit.

it is light and crisp, not creamy like a gelato (of

When I have a barbecue, I like to combine

course, I love gelato, too; it’s also a great summer

the best of both Italian and American

dessert). I like to use berries in season—and

traditions, putting my own spin on some

June is the time for plump, juicy strawberries.

favorites. I may start, as I do in my menu

Lemon zest and juice give this cool dessert just

on the following pages, with a salad of

the right amount of tartness. So come to the

grilled greens. I use hearty greens like

table—whether it’s a big wooden picnic table, a

romaine, which stand up very well to heat,

weathered farmhouse table, or a patio table—it’s

and when charred become slightly sweet.

time for a barbecue Italian-American style.

A salad of fresh vegetables with a light

Fruit is always the best dolce in summer. A

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Grilled Caesar Salad Caesar Salad grigliata

Recipe Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat. Put a large cast-iron skillet on one side of the grill to heat.

You can also make this salad on a grill pan, but if you do, toast the croutons on a baking sheet in a

Combine the egg yolk, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice

350-degree oven until crispy, about 8 minutes.

and mustard in a mini food processor and process

Yield Serves 6

until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in 6 tablespoons of the olive oil to make a somewhat thick, smooth dressing. Transfer to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Toss the bread cubes in

Ingredients

a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Scatter into the cast-iron

Yolk of 1 hard-boiled large egg

skillet. Cook and toss until crisp and toasted, about

1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled

6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the grill and

3 anchovy fillets

let cool until just warm, 2 or 3 minutes. Toss with the

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

grated cheese.

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

Brush the romaine lightly with olive oil and season

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

with salt and pepper. Grill until marked and just

3 cups day old country bread cubes

wilting, turning on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes in all.

¼ cup grated Grana Padano, plus a small wedge for shaving 3 heads romaine hearts, trimmed and quartered lengthwise through the base

Put the romaine on a serving platter. Top with the croutons and drizzle with the dressing. Shave the Grana Padano over the top with a vegetable peeler.

Serve immediately.

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THE TRADITION OF TOMORROW.

Grilled Meatball Burgers with Marinara and Mozzarella PolpettE grigliate con salsa alla marinara e mozzarella Who says meatballs are just for spaghetti? I’ve transformed my favorite meatball recipe into burger patties that cook beautifully on the grill—just make sure they are cooked all the way through because they contain pork.

Yield Serves 6

OUR HISTORY

EN TRADITIONS HAVE BE FOR 140 YEARS, OUR GENERATION HANDED DOWN FROM TO GENERATION. MISTAKEABLE TASTE THE UNIQUE AND UN S ITS ORIGIN IN THE OF PROVOLONE HA E VENTED IN 1877 BY TH “SECRET RECIPE” IN NNARO AURICCHIO. FIRM’S FOUNDER, GE NDMADE IS STILL LIT TERALLY HA KERS.

BY EXPERT CHEESEMA

Ingredients 12 ounces ground beef 12 ounces ground pork ½ cup fine dry breadcrumbs ½ cup grated Grana Padano, plus more for sprinkling ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian oregano on the branch 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk 1 teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing 6 seeded round Italian rolls, split and toasted 1 small ball fresh mozzarella, about 8 ounces 1 cup marinara sauce, warmed

Recipe Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, crumble the beef and pork into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs, ½ cup of the grated cheese, the parsley, garlic and oregano over the meat. Beat the egg and yolk with 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a small bowl until blended. Pour over the meat mixture. Mix the ingredients with clean hands just until evenly blended.

Don’t overmix. Shape the meat mixture into 6 1-inch-thick patties. Brush the burgers and the grill with olive oil. Grill the burgers until cooked all the way through (the internal temperature should read 165 degrees F), 5 to 6 minutes per side. Top with the sliced mozzarella, turn off the grill and close the lid until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve

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the burgers on the rolls. Top with the marinara and a final sprinkling of grated Grana Padano.

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Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Salad Insalata di zucchine e pomodorini The secret to bringing out the flavor of the zucchini without making it soggy is to cook it whole for just long enough to soften it. I love zucchini cooked this way in a variety of salads—with tomatoes as I’ve done here, or tossed with tuna or poached chicken and hard-boiled egg. Here, cucumber adds a nice crunch.

Yield Serves 6

Ingredients 4 small zucchini, about 1 ½ pounds 1 pint ripe, juicy cherry tomatoes, halved ½ English cucumber, sliced into half moons

Recipe Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Set a large bowl of ice water near the stove.

Slip the zucchini into the boiling water and cook just until softened and bright green, 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer them to the ice water and let stand until cool.

Drain well.

Trim the ends from the zucchini and cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ½-inch slices.

Toss the zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber and basil in a large bowl.

Italian Iced Tea Tè freddo all’italiana The tea base can be made up to a day ahead, but

Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt

add the sparkling lemonade just before serving.

and pepper and toss well.

Yield Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Serves 6

½ cup fresh basil leaves, shredded ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients 6 cups water 6 black tea bags 4 sprigs lemon verbena, plus more for garnish Ice cubes 2 (12-ounce) cans Italian lemon soda (such as San Pellegrino)

Recipe Bring the water to a simmer in a medium saucepan.

Remove from the heat, add the teabags and the lemon verbena. Let the tea steep 5 minutes, then remove. Let cool completely. Remove the lemon verbena. Put the tea in a pitcher and chill until cold.

When ready to serve, add ice to the pitcher. Fill with the lemon soda, stir, garnish with sprigs of lemon verbena and serve.

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Strawberry-Lemon Granita Granita fragola e limone Granita is the ultimate refreshing summer dessert. This version tastes like frozen strawberry lemonade. For an adult refresher, you can pulse the granita and your favorite spirit in the blender until slushy.

Yield Serves 6

Ingredients 2 lemons 1 cup water ž cup sugar 1 pound strawberries, hulled and chunked, plus more for garnish

Recipe Remove the peel of 1 lemon with a vegetable peeler. Zest the second lemon and reserve. Juice both lemons and reserve the juice.

Combine the strips of peel, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the lemon juice and let cool completely. Discard the peel strips.

Combine the cooled syrup, the strawberries and the reserved zest in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture in a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and freeze until the edges start to crystallize, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Use a fork to scrape the ice towards the center of the pan. Continue, scraping in the same way every 30 minutes, until the granita is all light, flaky crystals, 3 to 4 hours in all. Serve in bowls, with additional berries.

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KEEPING IT LIGHT:

Salads

When the weather gets warmer, keeping it light gets

much easier. A salad is just the thing. Happily, our gardens and farmers markets offer us so many options—greens and tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and carrots, to name just a few.

It’s the perfect time to put all of this beautiful produce front and center on the menu.

Turning a delicious side salad into a main dish is easy:

just add a little lean protein, such as shrimp or chicken. Or, if you’re vegetarian, a hard-boiled egg will do the trick. It’s another way I find to use up leftovers from the previous day’s meal, whether it’s a chicken breast, a grilled steak, or a piece of salmon.

Here are two salads with very different flavor profiles.

My Chicken and Carrot Salad with Pine Nuts and Raisins has a natural sweetness, balanced by bright mint and earthy nuts. I love the crunchiness added by the nuts. The Roasted Shrimp, Pepper, and Olive Salad is a blend of textures and savory flavors, the seafood tossed with fresh chives and parsley, then served on a bed of frisée. Very refreshing and full of flavor.

Greens make a delicious base, but any fresh

ingredients you love can be mixed and matched to create a wonderful salad, keeping your kitchen (and you) cool all summer long.

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Chicken and Carrot Salad with Pine Nuts and Raisins INSALATA DI POLLO E CAROTE CON PINOLI E UVETTA Carrots are an under-appreciated standby. We tend to use them for everything, but rarely highlight them. This dish brings out the sparkle of carrots.

If you have leftover cooked chicken (or a rotisserie chicken) or turkey, you can skip the poaching step and use that instead.

Yield Serves 4

Ingredients 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 fresh bay leaves 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long wedges 1 cup white wine vinegar, plus more to taste 2 tablespoons honey ¼ cup raisins 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Recipe Put the chicken in a medium saucepan with water to cover (about 3 ½ cups). Season the water lightly with salt and pepper and add the bay leaves. Bring to a bare simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool. Reserve the cooking water.

Add the carrots, vinegar and honey to the water and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered until the carrots are tender but not mushy, about 8 minutes.

Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon or spider and drain in a colander. Keep the carrot liquid at a simmer and add the raisins, poach until plumped, about 5 minutes. Remove with the slotted spoon and add to the colander.

Return the liquid to a boil and cook until reduced to a light syrup (about ⅓ cup), about 8 minutes,

stirring frequently towards the end so it doesn’t burn. Pour the syrup into a small bowl to cool, discarding the bay leaves.

When ready to serve, chop or shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to a large serving bowl with the carrots and raisins.

Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the syrup and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss and add more syrup (or olive oil) to taste. Scatter the pine nuts and mint over top. Serve immediately.

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Roasted Shrimp, Pepper and Olive Salad Insalata con gamberetti arrostiti, pepe e olive The broiler is a great way to cook shrimp, but I also like to cook scallops and fish fillets in the same way—it keeps them moist and juicy and keeps cleanup to a minimum.

Yield Serves 4

Recipe Preheat broiler. Put the peppers on a baking sheet and broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let cool.

Meanwhile, toss the shrimp on the baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil the shrimp until browned and just cooked through, stirring once, 4 to 5 minutes.

Set aside.

Ingredients 3 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange) 1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ cup pitted large green olives, such as Cerignola ¼ cup chopped fresh chives 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Once the peppers have cooled, peel the charred skins and remove the stems and seeds. Pat dry and slice into ½-inch strips. Put the peppers in a large bowl with the shrimp, olives, chives and parsley.

Drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and the vinegar. Toss well. Spread the greens on a platter, or serving plates, and top with the shrimp and peppers.

8 cups mixed baby salad greens

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HOLIDAY:

Father’s Day

Although you never need a special reason to gather your family for a meal,

Father’s Day is one of the best reasons I can think of. It’s a day to thank the men who have raised us and who we love, to remember the dads some of us have lost, and to salute all the fathers in our lives, whether they be grandfathers, uncles, brothers, sons, nephews, or friends.

In Italy, Father’s Day is celebrated on March 19, which is also the Feast Day

of San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph). It is an Italian tradition to make an altar in honor of St. Joseph at local churches. The altars are covered with special treats, like the flaky, cream-filled sfogliatelle. Other cream-filled pastries, such as zeppole are the signature of the day, with one cream-puff-like pastry even named bigné di San Giuseppe. The ladies of the church often work the whole week prior to the feast day baking cookies and making fruit and flowers from marzipan. The altars are beautiful sights to see and there are great treats to eat. When we came to America we also began to celebrate Father’s Day American-style. Tanya, who married an Italian from Rome, Corrado, celebrates both dates, March and June, so he’s a lucky guy.

For this Father’s Day meal, I share traditional dishes made new for the

dads of today. It starts with a cocktail, the Old-Fashioned, which reminds us of dads from the 1950s and ’60s. I made mine a lighter, Italian version, with Campari, gin, and orange bitters. The meal’s hearty centerpiece is Roasted Glazed Spareribs with Yukon Gold Potatoes. These oven-roasted ribs have that traditional barbecue flavor, but are incredibly moist as well (with the bonus that the potatoes absorb some of the sauce). With a meat dish this substantial I like to serve a light salad with it. Here I chose a classic tricolore of radicchio, arugula, and endive, for its blend of slightly bitter, nicely spicy, and mild flavors. Plus, we don’t want to spoil our appetites for dessert! I’ve combined the dessert-andespresso idea with a coffee ice-cream cake, with espresso powder infused into both the graham-cracker crust and the filling. It’s a cool yet invigorating summer dessert I think any coffee-loving dad will enjoy.

On Father’s Day, I say an extra prayer of thanks to my father, who gave

everything he had to make a better life for my mother, my brother, Franco, and me. I was lucky to have this loving man to call my dad. In his memory, and in thanks to all the fathers out there, working hard to raise healthy, loving children, we raise a glass. Salute!

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Spareribs Roasted with Vinegar and Red Pepper Costolette arrostite con aceto e pepe rosso

Recipe Cut the racks of spareribs between the bones into single ribs (or ask your butcher to do this for you.)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Pat the spareribs dry and season them with salt

This is my version of barbecued ribs—perfect for

and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large roasting

Father’s Day or any family gathering. The potatoes

pan over medium-high heat. Add the ribs and

make it a one-dish meal.

brown all over, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and

Yield Serves 6

Ingredients 2 racks pork spareribs (about 5 ½ pounds total)

bay leaves. Pour in the broth and roast, turning occasionally, until the liquid is almost completely evaporated and the ribs are golden brown, 45 minutes to an hour, adding the potatoes in the last 15 minutes of cooking time. (Add a little more broth if the bottom of the pan begins to burn.)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Meanwhile, combine the wine, vinegar, honey and

12 whole garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

peperoncino together in a small saucepan. Bring

4 fresh or dried bay leaves

to a simmer and cook until reduced by about a

1 ½ cups chicken broth, plus more as needed

quarter, about 4 minutes.

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into wedges

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1 cup dry white wine

Toss the ribs and potatoes with the vinegar glaze.

½ cup red wine vinegar

Continue baking, turning every few minutes, until

2 tablespoons honey

the glaze is syrupy and the ribs are mahogany

¼ teaspoon peperoncino

brown and sticky to the touch, about 20 minutes.

Tricolor Salad Insalata tricolore

Ingredients 8 cups baby arugula 2 small heads radicchio, cored

This salad was one of the first dishes that brought

and leaves torn into bite sized pieces

the taste of contemporary Italy to Italian American

3 heads endive, cored and sliced into ½-inch pieces

restaurants, but it stands the test of time today. It’s

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

a great base for additions, from walnuts and pine

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

nuts to different cheeses and cold cuts, such as sa-

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

lami or turkey, and even fish, such as tuna, shrimp,

1 small wedge young Provola, for shaving

or poached whitefish.

Yield Serves 6

Recipe Put the greens in a large serving bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar and toss well to coat all of the leaves. Season with salt and pepper and toss again. Shave the cheese over top with a vegetable peeler, toss gently and serve.

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Coffee-Chocolate Ice Cream Cake Torta con gelato al caffè e cioccolato

Yield Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients for the crust 12 chocolate graham crackers 3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon espresso powder Pinch kosher salt 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Ingredients for the filling 1 quart coffee ice cream ½ cup prepared fudge sauce 2 cups heavy cream, chilled 2 teaspoons espresso powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar ½ cup sour cream Coarsely crushed chocolate-covered espresso beans, for garnish.

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Recipe Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grind the graham crackers in a food processor to make fine crumbs. Add the sugar, espresso powder and salt and pulse to combine. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch pie plate. Bake

Campari-Gin Old-Fashioned Campari-Gin Old-Fashioned

Yield

Recipe Put the sugar cube in a rocks glass. Sprinkle the bitters over top and muddle to dissolve the cube. Add the gin and Campari and stir.

Add ice and a few cherries and serve.

Makes 1 cocktail. Multiply by 6 to make a pitcher of drinks.

until crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Ingredients To make the filling, put the ice cream in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth but still frozen, about 1 minute. Spread the fudge sauce on the bottom of the crust. Spread the ice cream in an even layer over top. Mix ¼ cup of the cream in a small bowl with the espresso powder until smooth.

1 sugar cube 2 to 3 dashes orange bitters 2 ounces gin 2 teaspoons Campari Ice cubes Amarena cherries, such as Fabbri, for garnish

Beat the rest of the chilled cream in a clean mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment to soft peaks. Add the espresso mixture, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar and whisk to combine. Fold in the sour cream. Spread the cream mixture over the ice cream. Sprinkle with the espresso beans. Freeze until solid, 3 hours or overnight.

To serve, cut with a sharp knife dipped in hot water.

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LIDIA ENTERTAINS:

Picnics

There is something about a picnic that makes everybody feel happy.

Getting outdoors and enjoying the sun and warm breezes while sharing a meal of simple, delicious foods feels so carefree, which is what summer is all about.

In Italy, no one needs an excuse to have a picnic, whether among the

rolling green hills of the Tuscan countryside, the parks of Rome, or, as my family does during our summers in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, amid the vines.

When we arrive at our picnic spot, I pull from my large picnic basket a

sheet that I lay on the grass and then cover with a festive tablecloth, which will serve as our “table” al fresco. As a child, especially during the most celebrated picnic of the year, held on Pasquetta (Easter Monday), I loved to help my mother and grandmother lay out the picnic dishes on just such a cloth, and then sit in the fresh spring grass to soak up the sun.

Among the picnic foods I pack, all are easily transportable and flavorful

at room temperature. I especially like a frittata with fresh vegetables and herbs as a light main dish. It wouldn’t be an Italian picnic without a salad. I often pick what’s ripe in the garden and make a vegetable or seafood salad like those on pages 38 to 40 or a hearty pasta salad like my Chickpea and Tuna Pasta Salad (page 97), or one with cherry tomatoes, green beans, and bocconcini (small mozzarella balls edible in one bite — a boccone) and a light vinaigrette dressing.

A loaf of good bread (I love focaccia, such as the one on page 58) is another essential, as are foods that can be eaten by hand and nibbled on throughout the picnic—cured meats such as sliced prosciutto, cheeses such as Grana Padano, oil-cured olives, and fruit like strawberries, grapes, and sliced melon.

In an ample cooler I always bring a refreshing drink like homemade

lemonade, along with plenty of water, and a light red wine or chilled white. And for dessert, in addition to fresh fruit, I may serve parfaits of ricotta and fruit, such as blueberries or strawberries, drizzled with a bit of honey.

After the meal, those of us who aren’t enjoying a post-meal nap in the

shade may divide into teams, and play a round of bocce (don’t forget to pack your bocce set!) or a highly competitive card game of briscola or scala quaranta, a form of gin rummy. It’s a wonderful way to play and laugh together, along with a bit of friendly family competition. Let the games (and the picnics) begin!

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ITALIAN-AMERICAN FAVORITES:

Chicken Cacciatore

Back in Istria in the 1950s, eating meat was far from an everyday

occurrence for our family, nor was it for most Italians during the post–war years.

But on Sundays, Nonna Rosa would often cook a chicken that she had raised herself in the courtyard in Busoler. It was a ritual I remember well, and that I took part in. I would help her catch, prepare, and clean the bird, from plucking feathers to cleaning the organ meats. From her I learned to have a reverence for the animals that provided food for our Sunday table, and to let none of the meat they gave us go to waste. There was (and continues to be in my cooking today) a dish for every part.

When Italians came to America, there was an abundance of meat. And

chicken, which is now perhaps the most-cooked meat on American tables, came to play a part in many Italian-American staple recipes—among them, the hearty year-round favorite chicken cacciatore.

Like many other Italian-American chicken dishes, such as chicken

parmigiana, a version of cacciatore originated in Italy, but the ingredients changed to accommodate what cooks could find in American markets. During the Italian Renaissance, a stew made “alla cacciatora” (“hunter’s style”) would have included game such as rabbit, pheasant, or guinea hen that was tracked and hunted, then brought home for the hunter’s wife to cook in a stew pot along with onions and mushrooms, or whatever she had on hand. But back in those days, there may not have been tomatoes in the dish—they arrived in Europe from South America in the sixteenth century. Over time, though, plum tomatoes became a key ingredient in the stew.

When cacciatore came to America, the main ingredient became not quail

or rabbit but chicken, and it has become a classic Italian-American dish, one I have made my own and that can be made in many different ways. Traditionally a whole chicken is used, but I also like it with just legs and thighs—the dark meat gives the stew (which includes plenty of vegetables and herbs) a richer flavor.

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Chicken Cacciatore Pollo alla cacciatora This classic dish is made with olive oil instead of butter, and can be served over polenta or mashed potatoes. You can even just serve it with grilled bread, for sopping up the delicious juices. For a slightly lighter dish, you can make this with bone-in chicken breasts, but be careful not to overcook. If you don’t want to cut up the chicken, use 3 pounds of pieces or ask the butcher to do it for you.

Serves 4

thighs, 2 breasts, halved. Season the chicken with

Modern Sicilian Wines

salt and pepper. Heat ½ inch of vegetable oil in a large shallow Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Dredge the chicken in flour on all sides and add half of the pieces to the skillet. Brown well on both

CENTURIES IN THE MAKING

sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the pieces and drain on paper towels as they brown.

Carefully pour the vegetable oil from the pot into

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a heatproof container and wipe clean. Return the pot to the heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is

Ingredients 1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Vegetable oil, for frying All-purpose flour, for dredging 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch chunks ½ cup dry white wine 1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed by hand 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian oregano on the branch ¼ teaspoon peperoncino 8 ounces white, cremini or shiitake mushrooms (or a combination), thickly sliced 1 each red and yellow bell peppers, sliced into ½-inch strips ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

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hot, add the onion. Cook until it begins to brown,

Photo by: Gio Martorana

Yield

Recipe Cut the chicken into 10 pieces: 2 wings, 2 legs, 2

about 4 minutes. Season with salt. Add the white wine, bring to a boil and cook until syrupy, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, peperoncino and ½ cup water. Nestle the chicken pieces back in the pot, cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the mushrooms and peppers and cook until they are browned but still crunchy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add to the chicken after it has cooked 20 minutes and stir.

Cook until the chicken and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve.

WinesOfSicily

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Italian cooks are truly hands-on, from growing and harvesting

the ingredients in our gardens to mixing and rolling dough for pastas, breads, pizza, and cookies. I love touching food at the market and in my garden. When I put my hands on an ingredient, such as a fresh tomato or even a dried pasta, I get a sense of it, and can picture its possibilities in my mind, and start creating recipes before I’ve even entered my kitchen.

Although almost every Italian dish calls for a good deal of

hands-on preparation, pasta and bread stand out as truly expressing

THE IMPORTANCE

OF BEING

ITALIAN Italian cuisine is a culinary adventure that begins with tradition and authentic products. It continues to evolve and becomes enriched with memories that are made at the table. Grandmothers’ recipes focus on simple, healthy and flavorful ingredients and techniques that continue to inspire children and adults for generations.

the tradition. They are the ultimate hands-on Italian food, shaped in countless ways.

One of the simplest pastas is cavatelli, a specialty of Puglia,

in the “heel” of Italy’s boot. Your fingers are all you need. It’s an easy process of pinching off pieces of dough, then rolling and pressing indentations in them. My grandmother taught me how to make cavatelli when I was a girl. I would stand on the little stool (scagnetto, in Italian) next to her at the counter, and she took my hands and showed me how to shape the dough. Making simple pasta like cavatelli and gnocchi is a good way to give children a feeling of accomplishment in cooking and lead them into more difficult methods as they get older. It’s also a way to make their helping hands a part of the family meal.

The moist and savory flat bread focaccia is another hands-on

food that is made a little different in every region of Italy. Our fingers make little indentations in the top of the dough, where special ingredients are placed. In Puglia, that means cherry tomatoes and onions. Fishing is yet another way we Italians get hands-on with our food. Along Puglia’s Taranto coast on the Ionian Sea, mussels and oysters are among the region’s pride, and have been gathered in nets by generations of fishermen who have worked these waters.

I love to combine this fresh seafood with pasta and also with farro, the ancient grain whose popularity has thankfully spread from Italy to the U.S. Try the recipes on the following pages, and get hands-on, Puglia-style!

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Recipe For the dough, combine the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let sit until bubbly, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the olive oil.

Put the flour and salt in a mixer fitted with the paddle

Onion–Tomato Focaccia

attachment. Add the water mixture and mix until the

FOCACCIA CON CIPOLLA E POMODORO

to the dough hook and knead until a soft ball forms

This topping is traditional to Puglia, where you will find some of the best focaccia in Italy, but feel free to use other combinations of vegetables or meats (cooked mushrooms, leeks, bell peppers, and sausage to name a few). Just keep it light and simple.

dough just comes together in a sticky mass. Switch on the hook. If it’s very sticky and hasn’t come off the sides at all, incorporate more flour, a tablespoon or 2 at a time, to stiffen the dough and bring it together.

If the dough is dry, process in more water in small amounts. Knead on medium speed until the dough forms a soft, springy ball, about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead by

Yield Serves 8 or more

hand for a minute to bring the dough together. Oil a large bowl and turn the dough to coat in the oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Ingredients for the dough 1 tablespoon active dry yeast ½ teaspoon sugar 2 ¼ cups warm water (90 to 110 degrees F) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl 6 to 6 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for working the dough 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

While the dough is rising, toss together the sliced onions, cherry tomato halves, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of peperoncino in a small bowl and let them marinate.

Coat a half sheet pan (18 by 13 inches) with the remaining olive oil. Punch down the dough and flatten to fit the edges of the oiled sheet pan. Remove the marinated onions and tomatoes from the bowl with a slotted spoon (reserving the oil) and scatter over the

Ingredients for the topping 1 medium sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced 2 cups ripe cherry tomatoes, halved ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and peperoncino Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian oregano on the branch

top of the focaccia, lightly pressing with your fingers to create dimples. Drizzle with the remaining oil in the bowl. Let rise, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees F with a baking stone (if you have one) on the bottom rack.

Just before baking, gently dimple the dough again with your fingertips and sprinkle coarse salt all over.

Bake the focaccia for about 20 minutes, rotate the pan back to front for even cooking and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the onions and tomatoes are nicely caramelized.

Remove the focaccia to a cooling rack. While still hot, crumble the oregano over top. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

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Recipe Soak the chickpeas and cannellini beans, separately, overnight in cold water to cover. Drain separately. Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan with 7 cups cold water, onion, carrot, celery, cherry tomatoes and ¼ cup

Mussels with Farro, Cannellini and Chickpeas Cozze con farro, fagioli cannellini e ceci

Yield Serves 6

Ingredients 1 cup dried chickpeas 1 cup dried cannellini beans 1 cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped carrot ½ cup chopped celery 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing.

1 cup farro, rinsed and drained Kosher salt ½ teaspoon peperoncino 4 garlic cloves, sliced 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

olive oil. Bring to a boil, partially cover and cook until the chickpeas are just beginning to get tender, about 1 hour.

At this point, add the cannellini beans. If the water is not covering the beans by 1 inch, add more water. After about 15 minutes, add the rinsed farro. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon peperoncino. Partially cover and simmer until the beans and farro are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes more, adding more water if needed, to keep everything just covered. When they are done, most of the surface water should have been absorbed or evaporated but the stew should be slightly soupy.

While the farro cooks, prepare the mussels. Heat the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and remaining ¼ teaspoon peperoncino and cook until the garlic is light golden, about 1 minute. Add the mussels and cover the pot.

Cook until the mussels have opened, about 4 minutes, discarding any that do not open.

Remove the pot from the heat. Shuck the mussels right back into the pot. Discard the shells. If you like, leave a dozen or so mussels in the shell for a garnish.

Stir the farro and beans into the mussels and reheat over medium heat. The consistency should be rather brothy. Taste and adjust salt. Stir in the chopped parsley and spoon portions into warm pasta bowls; garnish with unshucked mussels if you saved them.

Drizzle good olive oil over each and serve immediately.

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Discovering Umbria Assisi

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Known as “The Green Heart of Italy,” Umbria

around Lake Trasimeno, medieval hill towns and

is in the central Apennine Mountains, which run

the culinary jewels the region has to offer.

the length of the Italian “boot.” The region combines

hilly terrain, a vast woodland and untouched natural

delicious local ingredients—cured and fresh pork,

beauty. There are no metropolitan areas in Umbria;

black truffles, and wonderful olive oil produced in

instead, it is the home of many charming hill towns

the area. Inland Umbria supplies freshwater fish—

(some dating to Roman times), such as Gubbio, Todi,

perch, trout, carp and mullet— from lakes such as

Assisi, Spoleto and its capital, Perugia, the biggest

Lago Trasimeno that play a big part in the cuisine.

city in Umbria. It has a special place in my heart

These fish are often combined in a bouilliabaisse-like

since Corrado, my son-in-law, has deep roots in the

stew called tegamaccio.

town of Gubbio, the place where his paternal side

hails from.

park, are part of the central Apennines, situated

between Umbria and Marche. In Roman times,

Umbria is similar to Tuscany in many ways,

Its cuisine is very rustic, hearty, and built on

The Sibylline Mountains, since 1993 a national

with its rolling hills, fields of poppies, beautiful hill

these mountains were thought to be the haunt of

towns, and good food and wine. Umbria is well

the mythological Sibyl, the enchantress who lured

worth exploring for the magnificent unspoiled drive

travelers to their doom. Today, the park is full of

Orvieto

Orvieto

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wildlife year round, but is most spectacular in June, with its extraordinary display of wildflowers. When I was visiting there in June 2006, I literally landed from the sky into this kaleidoscope of flowers. The Apennines are renowned for their multitude of game and for superb porcini mushrooms. However, the undisputed king of Umbrian cuisine is the Norcina, a black truffle from the area of Norcia.

Located in the mountains of southeastern Umbria,

Norcia is also renowned for its pork. The town is so famous for the skill of its pork butchers and the quality of their products that the term norcineria throughout Italy designates a shop that purveys only pork and pork specialties, always of the highest quality. Prosciutto di Norcia IGP is the most prized cured meat in Umbria and has a distinctive woodsy flavor due to the pigs’ diet of acorns. Slow-roasted suckling pork, porchetta, is also a regional specialty. As a street food ubiquitous in Umbria and around Italy, it is typically enjoyed sliced in

Orvieto

a sandwich. Sausages, including those of pork and wild boar, are another important element of the Umbrian cuisine. When visiting Norcia, anyone can enjoy a plate of pasta alla Norcina, made with a rich sauce of cream, sausage, and pecorino.

The Norcina truffle, with its intense aromas and

flavors, is considered the best black truffle in Italy. In season from October through February, it makes a wintertime trip to Umbria a memorable gastronomic experience. You will find black truffles made into a paste with butter and anchovies and spread on toasted bread, known as crostini al tartufo, and shaved onto all kinds of dishes. Often, they are shaved on Umbria’s traditional pasta, strangozzi.

I learned about strangozzi when I first visited

Umbria. Strangozzi are made from dough that is rolled into scroll-like shapes before being unfurled into chunky strands. Made with just flour, water, and salt, they have a deliciously wheaty flavor. Shaping the strangozzi can seem a little complicated at first, but you get the hang of rolling, cutting, unfurling, and nesting the finished pasta in no time. And pasta is forgiving; you don’t have to achieve the perfect shape for it to still taste wonderful.

You might have a tomato-bacon sauce on your strangozzi in Umbria, or a veal and chicken-liver sauce. One of my favorites of these delicious Umbrian sauces, and which you’ll find on the following pages, is a salsa con bietole e

mandorle (chard and almond sauce). It has such a fresh, summery flavor, combining Swiss chard and a pesto of basil, mint, and toasted almonds.

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The Apennine mountains are home to abundant

Perugia

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wild mushrooms, including the coveted porcini.

Sheep are raised and herded throughout Umbria and the other mountainous regions, and sheep’smilk cheeses such as pecorino, ricotta salata and

caciotte (a mixed sheep and cow’s milk) are typical here. They are perfectly paired with pane comune, a saltless Umbrian bread made with only flour, yeast, and water. When visiting Umbria, don’t forget to try the typical Umbrian flatbread, torta al testo (or

crescia as it is known locally), stuffed with locally crafted cured meats and cheeses.

To the east of Norcia is Castelluccio, a medieval

town perched on a hilltop in the middle of a plane high in the Sibyllines. It is the home of the Lenticchie di Castelluccio, a variety of lentils with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) thought to be the best in the world. Due to their thin skin, these lentils don’t require soaking before cooking, and they give the mouth-feel of caviar. Farro wheat is also produced in this area, as well as in Monteleone di Spoleto. The farro in Umbria is firmer than other varieties grown in Italy. These grains, along with polenta and barley, are staples in Umbrian cooking and are often used in hearty stews and soups.

When traveling to the west of Umbria, you

must visit Orvieto. The vineyards that surround it produce most of Umbria’s wines, including its renowned white, named for the city itself. However, red wine is taking center stage in the province of Perugia, especially Torgiano Rosso (from the hamlet of Torgiano), and Sagrantino (from Montefalco), both with the Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin (DOCG) status. The Duomo or Cathedral has a facade that is a masterpiece in Gothic architecture and mosaics. The 15th-century addition to the cathedral of the Chapel of San Brizio houses masterful and powerful frescoes by the artist Luca Signorelli, not to be missed.

Where there is good wine, there is good olive

oil. In any direction you look in Umbria, your eyes are bound to fall on olive trees; the cultivation of the olive here goes back to the first century BC. Golden-green in color, and with a mellow herbal flavor, the region’s oil has a buttery, nutty finish.

Up north is Perugia, the region’s capital,

famous for the Fontana Maggiore, located in the center of town and one of the most important Romanesque works of art in Europe. It is an openair salotto, or living room, each piazza a work of art in itself, filled with people enjoying themselves and 68

Perugia

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Spello

their surroundings. One of the main cities during Etruscan times and home to Perugino, a prolific Renaissance artist (and Raphael’s teacher), Perugia is filled with amazing artwork and good food. Part of the region’s long tradition in chocolate making, Perugina founded its chocolate factory in 1907, and created its famous Baci, made with dark chocolate and hazelnuts. If you visit Perugia in October, you can take part in Eurochocolate, an international chocolate fair held every year. Don’t miss walking in the underground medieval part of Perugia in what remains of the Rocca Paolina; many a Pope took refuge in Perugia when things got rough in Rome.

North of the city of Perugia, there is the town

of Gubbio, which has one of the most impressive medieval piazzas, Piazza Grande, and breathtaking views of the Umbrian countryside. Tradition calls for you to walk around La Fontana dei Matti, or fountain of the insane, to become a bit crazy like the locals, crazy about Gubbio that is. The market underneath the porticoes abounds with local produce and is lively with bartering. There is also a local flat bread, torta al testo, which is delicious, sliced in half and filled with local cheese and salumi, another “not to be missed” moment in Umbria.

Follow in the footsteps of St. Francis and

visit Assisi. The basilica that houses his tomb also houses some of the most important frescoes of the Renaissance by artists such as Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini, and the list goes on. Spello is a tiny town that houses a jewel-like chapel in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The Capella Baglioni, with frescoes by Pinturicchio, is vibrant and alive, in a tiny town not many visit. Don’t miss the apse frescoes by Perugino either. And if you are lucky enough to be there around the feast of Corpus Domini, June 20th, the whole town becomes covered in flowers, known as the Infiorata.

The town of Bevagna, one of the few towns

in Umbria that is not a hill town, has an amazing medieval festival during the month of June. The whole town is transformed and it is well worth becoming a part of it. The quaint town of Todi has a gorgeous piazza worth having a gelato in.

Deruta is famous for the longstanding tradition of Umbria pottery. Foligno has the fabulous museum of Palazzo Trinci, and don’t miss Torgiano or Montefalco either! In its art, as in its incredible food, wine, and natural surroundings, Umbria has so much beauty to discover.

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Homemade Strangozzi Strangozzi fatti in casa

Yield Makes 1 ½ pounds fresh strangozzi, serves 6

Ingredients 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for working the dough 1¾ cup fine semolina flour ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 ¼ cups ice water, plus more as needed

Lay out one pasta strip on the floured surface in front of you, and roll it up from both short ends, making two fairly tight coils that meet in the middle, like an old-fashioned scroll. With a very sharp knife, slice the scroll crosswise, down through both coils of dough, at ¼-inch intervals.

To unfurl the strangozzi, try this clever method that

Recipe Combine the flours and salt in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse to aerate. With the food processor running, pour in the water through the feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, until a dough forms and gathers on the blade. If the dough does not gather on the blade or process easily, it is too wet or dry. Feel the dough, and add either more flour or more ice water, in small amounts. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface, and knead by hand briefly, until it’s smooth, soft, and stretchy.

Press it into a disk, wrap well in plastic wrap, and

I learned in Umbria: After slicing the scroll, slide the long blade of a serrated knife (or similar thin blade) under the cut pieces, without separating them. Make sure that the knife edge runs exactly under the center line of the scroll, where the two coils meet. Now lift the knife, and all the cut pieces, off the table. Twist the knife so only the sharp edge, not the flat of the blade, is in contact with the dough. Jiggle the knife gently. If you’ve centered the blade correctly, the coils of all the cut pieces will begin to unroll, on either side of the knife blade.

If the dough is sticky in spots, unroll with your

let rest at room temperature for at least ½ hour.

fingers. Dust the strands with flour and make into a

Cut the dough in six equal pieces. Keeping it lightly

from the rest of the long dough rectangles. Leave

floured, roll each piece through the machine at progressively narrower settings (but not to the narrowest setting), extending it into a strip about ⅛ inch thick, 20 inches long, and 5 inches wide (or

nest on a floured sheet pan. Make more strangozzi the nests of pasta uncovered, to air-dry at room temperature, until you’re ready to cook them (or freeze the nests on a tray until solid, and pack in airtight zip-top bags).

as wide as your machine allows). Trim the edges so the rolled strips are even rectangles, and lay them flat on lightly floured trays or baking sheets. Dust the tops with flour, and cover loosely with a kitchen towel. Let the sheets dry for 15 to 30 minutes to make the next steps easier.

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Strangozzi with Chard and Almond Sauce Strangozzi con bietole e salsa di mandorle This is a fresh and extremely flavorful preparation for strangozzi. The dressing has two components, tender cooked Swiss chard and an uncooked pesto of fresh basil and mint leaves and toasted almonds.

(Other leafy greens, such as spinach, chicory, and arugula, could be used, and walnuts could replace the almonds, but the recipe here is true to the region.) It is best to prepare the greens and pesto shortly before you cook and serve the pasta, but if you follow the recipe steps, the dish is actually quite quick-cooking and simple.

It is only the multitude of tastes and textures that are complex and tantalizing!

Yield Makes sauce for 1 batch strangozzi, serving 6

Ingredients for chard and pesto 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 2 pounds Swiss chard 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves ¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves 4 plump garlic cloves (2 crushed and peeled, and 2 peeled and thinly sliced) 10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ⅓ cup sliced almonds, toasted ½ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste

Cooking and finishing the pasta 1 batch (1½ pounds) Homemade Strangozzi 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing Extra-virgin olive oil, best-quality, for finishing

When the water is boiling, heap all the chard into the pot and stir, submerging the strips. Return the water to a boil, and cook the chard until tender to the bite, about 8 minutes. With a spider or other strainer, lift out the chard strips, and drop them into a colander.

When the chard has drained and cooled a bit, squeeze the strips by handfuls, pressing out the liquid. Loosen the clumps, and pile the strips in the colander. To make the herb-and-almond pesto: Put into a food-processor bowl the basil and mint leaves, the crushed garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt. Process to a chunky paste, about 10 seconds, then drop in the toasted almonds and process again for 10 seconds, or until you have a smooth bright-green paste.

Pour the remaining 7 tablespoons of olive oil into the big skillet, and set it over medium-high heat. Scatter in the sliced garlic, and cook for a minute or so, until it’s sizzling. Drop in the chard strips, season with peperoncino and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and stir the chard around the pan. Ladle in ½ cup of hot water from the pot where the chard was blanched, add to the chard, and bring it to a boil. Cook rapidly for a couple of minutes, until the water has reduced by half, then lower the heat so the greens are barely simmering.

Shake the excess flour from the nests of strangozzi, and drop all the pasta into the pot, stirring and separating the strands. Cover the pot, and rapidly return the water to a rolling boil; set the cover ajar, and cook the strangozzi for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until barely al dente. With a spider and tongs, quickly lift out the strangozzi, drain for a moment, and drop them into the skillet with the simmering chard. Toss them together quickly, and spread all of the herb-almond pesto on top.

Rinse out the food-processor bowl with ½ cup or so of hot water from the big pot, and pour that in with the pasta. Over low heat, toss the pasta, the chard, and the

Recipe For the chard and pesto: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. As it heats, rinse and drain the chard leaves, and cut off the stems; if the central rib of the leaf is thick and tough, cut it out. (Save the trimmings for stock.)

Pile up the leaves, and slice them crosswise into strips about 1 inch wide.

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pesto together for a minute or two, until the strangozzi are all coated with the dressings and perfectly al dente. If the dressing is soupy, reduce it quickly over high heat; if it’s too dense, thin it with more pasta water.

Turn off the heat, sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese over the strangozzi, and toss well. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, toss again, and heap the pasta in warm bowls.

Serve immediately, with more cheese at the table.

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It’s Summertime

I have grown vine cherry tomato plants for my grandkids

since the day they were born. The small sweet tomatoes are perfect for little fingers to pick and pop into their mouths. It was a pleasure to watch them picking through my garden. I also grow plum tomatoes, and I love to add these deliciously sweet tomatoes to a summer bread lasagna, which is a good way to use up day-old bread. Country bread stands in for pasta, and is layered with vegetables, fresh basil, tomato sauce, and Grana Padano cheese. The bread can be white or a combination of white and whole wheat, but should be a sturdy country (European-style) bread, which will soak up the flavors of the sauce nicely without getting soggy.

Rich purple eggplants, also in abundance, lightly floured

and sautéed, are another delicious addition to the lasagna. It’s truly a dish that works with any combination of vegetables you like. And when it’s time to have a crowd over to eat al fresco, this country-bread lasagna is an easy-to-assemble, fresh, satisfying main dish that simply tastes of the season.

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Recipe Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay the plum tomatoes on 2 layers of paper towels. Season lightly with salt and pepper and let drain. Slice the

Summer Vegetable and Country Bread Lasagna Lasagna con verdure di stagione e pane casereccio

ends from the zucchini and with a sharp knife or mandoline, cut lengthwise into ⅛-inch-thick slices.

Toss the zucchini in a large bowl with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

With a vegetable peeler, remove lengthwise strips from the eggplants to make stripes. Cut off the stems and slice the eggplants lengthwise into

Yield Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients 4 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 pound medium zucchini (about 2 or 3) Vegetable oil, for browning the eggplant 2 small Italian eggplants (about 1 ¼ pounds) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil All-purpose flour, for dredging 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened ½ cup chopped fresh basil 6 cups tomato sauce 12 or so slices of day-old country bread 2 cups grated Grana Padano

⅛-inch thick slices. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add about ½ inch of vegetable oil. Spread the flour on a plate. Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and pan-fry, in batches, until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Spread a 9-by-13 inch baking dish with the softened butter. Stir the basil into the tomato sauce. Spread a cup of sauce in the bottom of the dish. Cover the bottom with a flat layer of bread slices. Spread 2 cups of sauce on the bread. Layer half of the vegetable slices over. Press the layer down, then sprinkle with 1 cup of the grated cheese. Arrange a second and final layer of bread and cover with 2 cups of sauce. Lay the remaining vegetables over in an even layer, overlapping if needed. Spread with the remaining tomato sauce, then sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.

Tent the baking dish with foil and seal tightly around the edges. Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly and the top is a deep golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Let sit at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

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Time to Eat

I love hosting my own parties and being invited by

friends and family to drop by theirs. Whether you’re a host or a guest, the question always arises of which appetizers to serve or bring that will be boldly flavored enough to pair with the cold drinks being passed, yet light enough not to spoil the main meal. I also like to serve something unexpected, to give everyone a little surprise.

I’ve come up with a trio of appetizers that require

little cooking, and that I think will delight your guests (or your host, if you are contributing to their picnic or barbecue). And they are perfectly light for summer.

There are a few true deviled-egg lovers in my family,

particularly Tanya and Lorenzo. I love eggs; they were our main source of protein when I was growing up, and for the best flavor they must be very fresh. My grandmother kept chickens when I was a girl, and I remember the rich flavor of those eggs, just gathered from the hens. We all can’t keep chickens, but, if we have access to a good farmers market, we can buy eggs from our local farmers. To these fresh eggs, I add Italian notes of capers, zucchini, parsley, and anchovy for a spicy, very Italian spin on a classic picnic food.

Dips are also classic appetizers, although I am not

a fan when they are too heavy and creamy. At Felidia we serve dips, which our guests love, using a bean purée as the base. These dips are full of flavor and healthy as well, excellent to spread on bread or crackers or served with crudités.

A grilled appetizer is such a treat, and I love the

beautifully charred flavor of grilled asparagus. Wrapping it in prosciutto and sprinkling with Grana Padano adds a layer of earthy, salty, flavor. Your guests will devour them!

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Italian Deviled Eggs Uova alla diavola

Recipe Put the eggs in a saucepan to fit snuggly. Add cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat

Unlike traditional deviled eggs, I use only a small

to very low (just below a simmer) and cook 10

amount of mayonnaise to add creaminess. The

minutes. Immediately drain the eggs and plunge

flavor in these eggs comes from a variety of classic

into an ice bath. Let cool completely. Peel the eggs,

Italian ingredients, finely chopped—adding the

halve lengthwise.

piquant flavors of salsa verde to this dish.

Remove the yolks to a mini food processor with

Yield Makes 24 halves

EX PE RI EN CE

the mayonnaise, mustard, cornichon brine and anchovies. Process until smooth. With the machine running, add the olive oil until very smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the cornichons,

Ingredients

zucchini, peppers, capers and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

12 large eggs 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Stuff the mixture into the egg whites.

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

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¼ cup finely chopped cornichons, plus 1 tablespoon brine 2 anchovy fillets 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup finely diced zucchini ¼ cup finely diced red bell pepper 2 tablespoons chopped drained capers in brine 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus more for garnish Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Cannellini and Roasted Pepper Dip Salsa di fagioli cannellini e peperoni arrostiti I like to serve this dip with a variety of crudités – raw carrots, celery, fennel, radishes, bell peppers and snap peas to name a few. We offer a variety of bean spreads (with housemade breads) to all of our diners at Felidia, and this is inspired by those.

Yield Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 5 large garlic cloves, sliced

Recipe Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and cook until light golden and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rosemary and peperoncino, let sizzle a few seconds and remove from the heat. Let cool completely.

Put the beans and peppers in a food processor. With the machine running, pour the cooled oil into the feed tube and process until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with dippers of your choosing.

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary ¼ teaspoon peperoncino 1 (15 ½-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained ½ cup marinated roasted red peppers, drained Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Asparagi avvolti in prosciutto crudo These asparagus can also be broiled in the oven.

Broil, turning once, until the prosciutto is crisp, about 4 minutes total, depending on the strength of your broiler. These asparagus are such quick and easy appetizers, they’ll soon become a reliable entertaining favorite for you as they have for me.

Yield Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients 18 thick asparagus spears (about 1 bunch) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

Recipe Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Break the asparagus spears at their natural breaking point and discard the tough bottoms. Peel the lower third of the stalks. Toss the asparagus in a large bowl with the olive oil and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.

Wrap each spear in a slice of prosciutto. Brush lightly with olive oil. Grill the wrapped asparagus, turning occasionally, until the spears are just tender and the prosciutto is crisp, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Let cool slightly. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and serve.

2 teaspoons lemon zest Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 18 thin slices prosciutto ¼ cup grated Grana Padano 84

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Tie One On!

Summer parties call for cocktails that cool and refresh,

something with a bit of fizz to keep things light. I prefer drinks that are not too sweet, and whose sweetness is naturally derived from fresh fruit, or a liqueur or non-alcoholic beverage with a fruit base. With all the fresh fruit in season, I have fun thinking up ways to include it throughout the meal, starting with cocktails.

A punch is a great way not only to create a cocktail that

everyone can enjoy, but that also can be mixed in a big batch that can be served easily instead of making individual drinks.

A punch bowl looks so festive on the table, too, especially one that is filled with fresh fruit, as this Prosecco punch is.

Here I mixed bubbly Prosecco—which, by the way, has its origins in the Veneto and my home region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia—with Aperol, vodka, and peach schnapps along with fresh peaches and raspberries, and some ginger beer to give it a touch of tangy flavor.

A slushie may be the coolest of summer cocktails.

Orange and mango are the fruit stars of my slushie version of the Aperol spritz. I’ve found that freezing the fruit and juice in ice cube trays before blending with wine or liqueur makes a deliciously chilled drink. Experiment with your favorite fruits. You can also make non-alcoholic slushies using seltzer water and simple syrup in place of the wine and liqueur.

For beer lovers—and who doesn’t love a nice cold beer

on a hot day?—the shandy says summer. Typically mixed with lemon or limeade, my shandy is pure Italian, using blood-orange soda and bitters mixed with a good Italian lager, such as Peroni Nastro Azzuro. It’s true that Italy is wine country, but some terrific beers are made there, too, with microbreweries popping up from north to south. As with Italian wine, the beer is made with craft and heart.

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Peach–Ginger Prosecco Punch Punch di prosecco e ginger alla pesca To make a decorative ice ring, fill your mold halfway with water and freeze until solid. Add additional peach slices, raspberries and edible flowers and freeze until they adhere to the ice. Fill the rest of the way with water and freeze until solid.

Recipe In a large bowl, combine the Aperol, vodka, schnapps,

Blood-Orange Shandy Shandy all’arancia rossa

peaches and raspberries. Chill 2 hours to let the flavors mingle.

When you’re ready to serve, pour the fruit mixture

Yield Makes 2 cocktails

into a large punch bowl, and add the ginger beer and Prosecco. Add the ice and mint and serve.

Ingredients 1 (12-ounce) bottle Italian lager, such as Peroni 8 ounces Italian blood-orange soda

Yield Serves about 18 to 20

Ingredients 1 cup Aperol 1 cup vodka 1 cup peach schnapps 4 peaches, thinly sliced 2 pints raspberries

Blood-orange bitters Ice cubes Rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Recipe Divide the beer between 2 chilled pilsner glasses.

Top with the soda and add 2 to 3 drops of bitters to each glass. Fill with ice. Stir each with a rosemary sprig and serve.

2 (12-ounce) cans non-alcoholic ginger beer, chilled 2 (750-ml) bottles Prosecco, chilled 1 ice block or mold Mint sprigs, for garnish

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Mango Aperol Spritz Slushies Granita di mango e Aperol Spritz This is a very untraditional version of the classic Spritz cocktail–but it will hit the spot on a hot summer evening nonetheless.

Yield Serves 4

C

M

Ingredients 1 cup Aperol 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 2 cups frozen mango cubes 1 ½ cups white wine, chilled Orange wedges, for garnish

Recipe Combine the Aperol and orange juice in a spouted measuring cup. Pour into ice cubes trays and freeze.

When ready to serve, combine the Aperol orange cubes, frozen mango and wine in a blender and blend until smooth and slushy. Serve immediately, garnished with orange slices.

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What a Wonderful Pasta

Pasta is always in season. In fall and winter we enjoy

it with hearty sauces and meats, and in spring and summer we crave more simple preparations that are lighter and have plenty of fresh vegetables.

Some people who are restricting their carbohydrate

intake on certain diets forgo pasta, especially as the weather warms. But pasta is not only one of the most economical foods, it is also one of the most delicious and versatile.

So I say, do as the Italians do and enjoy it, but in smaller portions.

My daughter, Tanya, and son, Joe, wrote a whole

cookbook, Healthy Pasta, on just that subject, emphasizing portion size and being extra mindful of, for example, the quality of ingredients and the amount of fat, such as oil and cheese, we use. I’m proud of my children for their hard work in developing these thoughtful recipes and in sharing such a healthy lifestyle with their own families and with their many readers.

I like to try all shapes and sizes of pasta. For these

recipes, I’ve used shorter pastas like orecchiette (ear-shaped), farfalle (bow-tie shaped) and fusilli (tight spirals), which have nooks and crannies where vegetables and sauces can enter. I have added tomatoes and peas to make my farfalle with sausage, leeks, and peas more summery; made a satisfying pasta salad from a classic Tuscan combination of ingredients—chickpeas and good Italian tuna packed in olive oil; and offer a bowl of fusilli with plenty of fresh, ironrich spinach and herbs along with fresh ricotta and Grana Padano.

Use your seasonal favorites to make your own summer

salads and entrées—grilled asparagus, broccoli and garlic sautéed in bit of olive oil, or the simplest, and very Italian combination of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil leaves. You can’t go wrong. Pasta never met a vegetable it didn’t like.

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Farfalle with Sausage, Leeks and Peas Farfalle con salsiccia, porri e piselli There are many different Italian sausages that one can buy. For this dish, I recommend a sweet, not

Recipe

spicy, Italian sausage made of 100-percent pork

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the

meat with no caraway, fennel or anise seeds—sim-

pasta. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add

ple and good. If you’re using fresh peas in season

the olive oil. When the oil is hot, crumble in the

for this dish, cook them in salted water first, until

sausage and cook until lightly browned, about 4

tender, about 5 minutes. Frozen peas can be added

minutes. Add the leeks and cook until wilted, about

as is.

4 minutes more. Add the cherry tomatoes and 1 cup pasta cooking water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down and the

Yield Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and a pinch of peperoncino.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water.

When the pasta is al dente and the sauce is ready, remove the pasta with a spider directly to the simmering sauce. Add the peas and a drizzle of olive

8 ounces sweet Italian sausage,

oil. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding a

removed from the casings

little pasta water if it seems dry. Remove the skillet

2 medium leeks, halved and sliced ½ inch thick, white and light green parts only 1 cup canned cherry tomatoes

from the heat, sprinkle with the grated cheese and toss again. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.

1 pound farfalle ½ cup peas, fresh or frozen (see note above) Kosher salt Peperoncino ½ cup grated Grana Padano, plus more for serving

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95

Chickpea and Tuna Pasta Salad Insalata di pasta con ceci e tonno

Recipe

This salad is colorful, full of crunchy vegetables

Put the chickpeas in a bowl with cold water

and best at room temperature, making it ideal for

to cover by 2 inches and soak overnight in the

summer potluck gatherings. If you’re pressed for

refrigerator. Drain and rinse.

time, you can use canned chickpeas, though I like the texture of the ones I cook myself better, they’re

Put the drained beans in a large saucepan with

creamier and less mealy.

water to cover by 2 inches, Add the bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to a simmer.

Set the cover ajar and cook until the chickpeas are

Yield Serve 8 to 10

Ingredients

very tender, about 1 ½ hours. Season with salt and pepper and let cool in their liquid.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the shells. Cook the shells until al dente, then drain

1 ½ cups dried chickpeas

and rinse. Drain the cooked chickpeas as well. Put

2 fresh bay leaves

the chickpeas and pasta in a large serving bowl.

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crumble in the tuna. Add the celery, carrot, pepper

1 pound medium shell pasta

and onion. Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar.

3 (6-ounce) cans Italian tuna in olive oil, drained

Toss well. Add the parsley, season with salt and

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

pepper, and toss again. Serve at room temperature.

1 medium carrot, diced

(Add a little more olive oil and vinegar to moisten

1 red bell pepper, diced

the salad just before serving if you’ve made it

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

ahead of time.)

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more if needed ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

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97

Fusilli with Spinach and Herbed Ricotta Fusilli con spinaci e ricotta alle erbe

Yield Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients 1 pound fusilli 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 4 scallions, chopped 1 bunch spinach (about 10 ounces), stemmed and coarsely chopped 1 bunch kale (about 10 ounces), stemmed and coarsely chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup fresh ricotta Ÿ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley Ÿ cup chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 cup half-and-half ½ cup grated Grana Padano, plus more for serving

98

Recipe Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

Add the pasta once you start the sauce.

For the sauce, in a large skillet, add the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and kale and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, parsley, chives and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the half-and-half until smooth. Stir the ricotta mixture into the skillet and bring to a simmer.

When the pasta is al dente, remove with a spider directly to the sauce. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding a little olive oil if it seems dry.

Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle with the grated cheese and toss. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.

Orecchiette with Spicy Broccoli Rabe Orecchiette con cime di rapa piccanti

Yield Serves 4 to 6

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the broccoli rabe and the pasta. Add the broccoli rabe and boil until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with tongs to a colander to drain.

Add the orecchiette to the boiling water once you start the sauce. For the sauce, in a large skillet over

Ingredients

medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the

2 bunches broccoli rabe,

oil is hot, add the anchovies. Cook and stir until

trimmed and cut into 2- to 3- inch lengths ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 4 anchovy fillets 5 garlic cloves, sliced Kosher salt ½ teaspoon peperoncino 1 pound orecchiette ½ cup grated pecorino, plus more for serving

the anchovies begin to dissolve, about 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until just golden, about 1 minute. Add the drained broccoli rabe and season with salt and the peperoncino, toss to coat the broccoli rabe in the oil. Add 1 ½ cups pasta cooking water and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by about half, about 4 minutes.

When the pasta is al dente, remove with a spider directly to the sauce. Drizzle with a little more olive

Recipe To trim the broccoli rabe, trim off the very bottom of the stems. Starting with the bottom of the stalk, use a paring knife to peel away any tough fibers up the stalk. Cut the broccoli rabe into 2- to 3-inch

oil and toss to coat, adding a little more pasta water if it seems dry. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Sprinkle with the grated cheese, season again with salt, and toss. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.

pieces.

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101

My Grocery List

When my garden is thriving in summer, I look at it as my

seasonal “grocery store” for most of my fresh ingredients. I can easily cross off my shopping list fresh herbs such as oregano, rosemary, basil, and sage. I just walk out my door and into the garden to collect them. We Italians hate to waste food, so we have become accomplished at drying edibles of all sorts. The herbs I can’t use by the end of the summer, I dry, or, in the case of basil, make batches of pesto that I freeze for use during the cold months, when we long for the fragrance of fresh herbs.

Speaking of dried foods, however, dried mushrooms are

frequently on my list for the market. They are so easily reconstituted in water for use in sauces and soups (as well as to stuff, see page 115). Meaty porcini, among Italy’s most prized mushrooms, are a key ingredient to a rub I apply to pork chops (page 107) before grilling them. When I can, however, I use fresh mushrooms, especially in dishes like salads.

I still have to visit the market for other ingredients, and typically

on my grocery list are potatoes—mostly the waxier varieties for summer salads, but also starchy ones for dishes like croquettes (page 104). Although I grow potatoes, I limit the number of plants because they take up a good deal of garden room. So I usually have both a waxy variety such as Red Bliss and starchier Yukon Golds on my list.

Lemons usually appear on my list as well, especially when

I’m cooking seafood (sometimes fish I’ve caught myself!). My Uncle Emilio taught Franco and I how to fish when we were young, accompanying him in his wooden skiff to go crabbing or to catch calamari. When Emilio cooked up the fish, my mother would often make a simple salmoriglio sauce (page 108) to go with it. Lemons are the prime ingredient in salmoriglio, and I remember the bright flavor of the Sorrento lemons we would use for it (they also make delicious limoncello). Outside of Italy, Sorrentos are found mainly in specialty produce shops, such as Eataly. I’m so happy that we can share these delicious lemons with others. For me, they smell like home.

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103

Recipe Put the whole potatoes in a pot with cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender, about 20 minutes or so, depending on size. When they’re cool enough to handle, peel and press through a ricer into a

Potato Croquettes

large bowl. (You can also mash the potatoes with a masher, though the texture won’t be as smooth.)

Crocchette di patate Potatoes are a staple in my kitchen year round. Not all potatoes are created equal, though. I love Yukon Golds — they’re medium starchy and very flavorful, so perfect for mashed potatoes or these croquettes.

But the classic russet potato is also a good choice here. I like waxier potatoes for salads or roasting— preparations where you need them to retain their shape.

Add the butter to the potatoes while they’re still warm and stir until smooth. Beat 1 egg and add that along with the scallions, ham, cheese and parsley.

Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Let cool completely.

Using about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture for each, form cylindrical croquettes about 2 inches long. Refrigerate the croquettes, uncovered, until firm, about 30 minutes. They can also be covered

Yield Makes about 2 dozen

and refrigerated for up to 1 day before continuing with the recipe.

Whisk the remaining two eggs well in a wide bowl.

Ingredients 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 large eggs 3 scallions, chopped ½ cup chopped good-quality ham ¼ cup grated Grana Padano 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley All-purpose flour, for dredging 1 ½ cups fine dry breadcrumbs Vegetable oil, for frying Warmed marinara sauce, for serving

Spread the breadcrumbs and flour out on separate plates. Working with a few at a time, dredge the croquettes in flour to coat them lightly and tap off the excess. Dip the floured croquettes into the egg, turning well to coat all sides evenly. Let excess egg drip back into the bowl, then add the croquettes to the breadcrumbs and coat all over. Rest the finished croquettes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a pot to 365 degrees F. Fry the croquettes in batches, carefully turning them as necessary, until golden on all sides, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat under the pan as the croquettes cook so they cook evenly. Remove the croquettes with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining croquettes. Fried croquettes can be kept warm on a baking sheet in a 200 degrees F oven for up to 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

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105

Grilled Pork Chops with Dried Porcini Rub and Corn Salad Braciole di maiale alla griglia al profumo di porcini secchi con insalata di mais

Recipe Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat. For

Dried porcini are always a part of my pantry. I soak

the rub, pulse the porcini and fennel seed in a

them to rehydrate them and then chop and add

spice grinder to a fine powder to get about ½ cup.

to sauces, soups and braises to add depth. A little

Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sugar, salt and

goes a long way with these, so a small handful is

pepper. Sprinkle about 2 to 3 teaspoons of the rub

all you need. Don’t throw away the soaking liquid;

on each chop and rub into both sides. (For extra

strain it and add it to the sauce for added flavor!

flavor, rub the chops an hour or two ahead and

This makes more rub than you’ll need for the

refrigerate.) Brush the chops with the olive oil.

chops, but it will keep in your pantry for several weeks. It’s also delicious on chicken or mixed into

For the salad, put the corn, apricots and red onion

burger patties or tossed with vegetables before

on a baking sheet and brush all over with olive oil.

roasting.

Season with salt and pepper.

Yield Serves 4

Put the chops on one side of the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until nicely marked and just cooked through (a meat thermometer inserted

Ingredients for the pork chops

close to but not touching the bone should read 145 degrees F), about 5 minutes per side.

1 cup dried porcini mushrooms 2 tablespoons fennel seed

Meanwhile, grill the corn, apricots and red onion

2 tablespoons sugar

on the other side of the grill until the corn is lightly

1 tablespoon kosher salt

charred, about 5 minutes, and the apricots and

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

red onion are just tender, about 3 minutes for the

4 (1-inch thick) bone-in pork loin chops,

apricots and 5 minutes for the red onion.

about 10 ounces each 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the grill

Let the chops rest for a few minutes off the grill while you assemble the salad. Cut the kernels from the ear into a large bowl. Cut the apricots and red

Ingredients for the corn salad

onion into chunks and add to the bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar and toss. Add the

4 ears sweet corn, shucked

basil and season with salt and pepper. Toss and

4 firm ripe apricots, halved and pitted

serve with the pork chops.

1 medium red onion, cut into thick rings ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons cider vinegar ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

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107

Seared Calamari with Salmoriglio Calamari scottati al salmoriglio Lemons are another year-round pantry staple, used in both sweet and savory dishes. Choose lemons that feel heavy for their size and store them on the counter, as they’ll give more juice at room temperature. Salmoriglio, a traditional sauce for seafood, is nothing more than a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, peperoncino and fresh parsley. There’s nothing to it—except remembering to make it ahead so the garlic and pepper infuse the oil. I use the zest and juice of the lemon here for added flavor—and no waste!

Yield Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Recipe Combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt and peperoncino into a bowl, stir together briefly, and let it steep for 30 minutes to an hour, to develop flavor. Stir, and taste the sauce; add more salt or lemon juice if you like.

Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Pat the calamari dry and brush with olive oil. Season with salt. Put one layer of calamari in the skillet (cook in 2 batches, if needed) and weight down with another heavy skillet.

Cook until seared on one side, 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn and cook until just cooked through, about

Ingredients ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing 3 plump garlic cloves, thinly sliced Zest of 1 lemon ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice or more to taste

2 minutes more. Remove to a serving platter.

Stir the parsley into the salmoriglio.

Spoon the sauce over the calamari, leaving back the garlic slices if you wish.

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning ¼ teaspoon peperoncino 1 pound medium calamari, tubes and tentacles ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

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109

Eat Different

American and Italian cooking may use the same basic techniques,

but what we prepare using those methods can be very different.

When you think of poaching in American dishes, you may think of an egg poached in simmering water. “Stuffing” may remind you of the Thanksgiving turkey filled with fragrant bread dressing. And “preserving” may bring to mind a good jar of strawberry jam. In Italy, however, you may think of poaching as seafood poached in olive oil, a stuffing recalls a stuffed artichoke, and preserves may make you hunger for a chutney-like accompaniment to meats and cheeses.

Poaching is such a beautifully gentle way of cooking in liquid, adding

flavor and moisture to a wide range of delicate ingredients—fish, poultry, eggs, and fruit. The liquid is everything. For a poached whiting I may add white wine vinegar, carrots, onions, and bay leaves to the poaching liquid.

For eggs, I love the flavor that a tomato sauce with plenty of red pepper flakes provides. And for a dessert of fresh figs, I may poach the fruit in a syrup with a bright touch of lemon juice and zest.

For Italian cooks, stuffing is a double blessing. It’s a way to add

another dimension to a dish, and it also lets you use up ingredients you don’t want to waste. My stuffings are often improvised this way—from what I happen to have in my kitchen. I enjoy experimenting, and I encourage you to do so as well! Artichokes are a natural for a stuffing of breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, hard-boiled eggs, and Grana Padano.

Mushrooms are delicious with a similar mixture (a stuffing you can use for celery, too).

Being able to enjoy fresh produce out of season is what preserving is

all about. And in mostarde, chutney-like preserves of fruits and vegetables mixed with mustard and mustard seeds, Italians make the method their own. In my recipe I use peaches and cherries, but you can make a mostarda from apples, squash, even celery, as they do in Puglia, where it is served with fresh sheep’s milk ricotta. Making preserves is work, it’s true, but it can be a fun way to cook together, with everyone preparing, cooking, and canning the produce. And when you open a jar on a winter’s day, you will recapture the beauty of summer through all your senses.

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111

Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Peach and Cherry Mostarda

Uova in camicia in salsa di pomodoro piccante

Mostarda di pesca e ciliegie

Poaching sometimes has a bad reputation as a

Mostardas have been part of the Italian preserving

2 tablespoons dry mustard

cooking method—that it’s flavorless or for “dieters,”

repertoire for centuries, originally as a way to keep

1 ½ pounds fresh yellow peaches, peeled

but that couldn’t be further from the truth!

vegetables and fruits for the winter months. Cooked in

Ingredients 1 ½ pounds fresh cherries, pitted and halved ½ cup white wine ½ cup cider vinegar

and cut into ½-inch chunks

Poaching adds flavor to both the item being cooked

sweet syrup with hot mustard added, mostardas were

¾ cup sugar

and the cooking medium, whether it’s water, broth,

enjoyed as a crisp and fresh-tasting condiment when

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed

wine or sauce. Just be sure to flavor and season

there was no fresh produce. I’d serve this with cooked

2 teaspoons kosher salt

your poaching liquid and let simmer at least 15

meats or with good ripe cheese as well as with fresh

¼ teaspoon peperoncino

minutes (or longer for water or broth) to develop

sheep’s ricotta. It keeps in the refrigerator for months,

the flavors.

so make a batch and enjoy it in all these ways.

Yield Serves 6

Yield Makes about 3 cups

Recipe Tear most (about two thirds) of the cherries in half.

Combine the wine, vinegar and dry mustard in a spouted measuring cup and mix until smooth. Pour

Ingredients

into a large saucepan and add the peaches, cherries, sugar, mustard seed, salt and peperoncino. Bring to

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

a simmer and cook over medium-low heat, stirring

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

occasionally (and more often towards the end, as it

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

thickens), until thick and the juices are syrupy, about

1 (28-ounce can) whole Italian plum tomatoes,

15 minutes. Cool and pack into sterilized jars. The

crushed by hand Kosher salt

mostarda will keep 3 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator, or longer if canned in a water bath.

½ teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian on the branch 6 large eggs 6 slices grilled country bread, for serving

Recipe To a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Once the garlic is sizzling, about 1 minute, add the red pepper flakes. Pour in the tomatoes and 1 cup water used to rinse out the tomato can.

Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and the dried oregano. Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Break one egg into a ramekin or small bowl. Gently slide the egg into the simmering sauce. Repeat with the remaining eggs, spacing them evenly in the sauce. Season the eggs with salt. Baste the eggs with a little sauce, cover, and cook until done, about 5 minutes for set whites with still-runny yolks. Serve in shallow bowls, with some sauce and grilled bread.

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113

Recipe

Stuffed Mushrooms

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Put the porcini in a

Funghi ripieni

soak until rehydrated, about 10 minutes. Remove the

small bowl and add 1 cup very hot water to cover. Let porcini and finely chop. Reserve the soaking liquid.

Stuffed vegetables are a great way to use up leftover ingredients—especially day-old bread. When bread

Put the bread in a medium bowl and add the milk. Toss

is no longer fresh enough to be eaten as is, you can

and let soak until the bread is soft, about 5 minutes

wrap and freeze it, and when you have enough, use it

(depending on the bread). Squeeze out and discard

to stuff mushrooms or just about any other vegetable

excess milk. Break up the softened bread into a large

you like—baby bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, onions

bowl.

and more. Leftover rice also makes a great stuffing.

You can add leftover cooked sausage or ham to these

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and finely

as well.

chop enough to make about 1 cup. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive

Yield

oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushroom stems and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 to 6 Cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add to the bread in

Ingredients

the bowl and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

⅓ cup dried porcini

Meanwhile, toss the mushroom caps in a large bowl

4 cups crustless day-old bread cubes

with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season

1 cup milk

with salt and pepper.

24 medium white or cremini mushrooms ½ small red bell peppers, finely chopped

To the cooled stuffing, add the scallions, eggs, grated

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

mix well. Stuff the mixture into the mushrooms and

4 scallions, chopped

place the mushrooms in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2 large eggs, beaten

Pour the reserved porcini liquid in the bottom of the

½ cup grated Grana Padano

dish and drizzle the mushrooms with a little olive oil.

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Tent the dish with foil and bake until the mushrooms have softened, about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until the stuffing is crusty and golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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115

It’s Always Dessert Time

A mid-morning or mid-afternoon espresso and dolci are as ingrained in the

lives of Italians as they are at the end of a meal. In other words, it is truly always coffee-and-dessert time, 365 days a year.

One of my very favorite summer desserts is the crostata made with seasonal

fruit. Unlike a piecrust, which has to be rolled and folded and crimped just so, the crust for the crostata is rustic and so easy to prepare. You simply fold a large round of dough around the fresh fruit filling of your choice, and bake. The result is a free-form, crisp, flaky crust enveloping beautifully caramelized fruit.

Cherry season is quite short, and I take advantage of it by including the

fruit in my crostate. I also have quite emotional reasons for choosing cherries.

When I was a girl, I would sneak up my grandparents’ cherry trees when the fruit was ripe, and grab and eat handfuls of the sweet, tangy Bings. The problem was, I wasn’t supposed to be up there, and certainly not “raiding” the crop, which they prepared and preserved for themselves and sold some at the market.

My grandfather caught me, and I was scolded, but the flavor of the cherries continued to tempt me to repeat my tree-climbing adventure. Plus, my friends and I enjoyed playing with the cherries— in a dress-up game we would twist the stems around our ears to make dangly “earrings.” Despite our limited budget for toys and extras, we were very resourceful!

Panna cotta is another perfect dessert for summer. Cool, creamy (panna

cotta literally means “cooked cream”), and gelatin-based, it is so refreshing. A plain vanilla panna cotta is lovely, topped with macerated berries, but I also like the combination of chocolate-hazelnut spread and a bit of hazelnut liqueur that I share with you here.

With coffee, especially in the afternoon, a cookie is just the right amount

of sweet. Ricotta cookies are tender and cakey, and the ricotta gives the cookie a nice moistness. In winter I sometimes add blood-orange zest and juice to the dough, and here I chose lemon to brighten the cookies, and added some poppy seeds for texture. A glaze is optional, but it does add polish and another layer of sweet citrus flavor to the cookies. If tea is more to your liking than coffee in the afternoon, don’t worry; these cookies are equal-opportunity sweets.

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117

Recipe For the dough, in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse just to combine ingredients. Drop in the butter pieces, and pulse until mixture is lumpy. With the processor running, pour in 6 tablespoons cold water. Process until the dough just comes together in a lump around the blade, adding a little more flour or cold water if it

Free-Form Cherry Crostata

is too wet or too dry. Scrape the dough onto your work surface, and knead a few times, just to bring it together. Flatten it into a disk, and wrap it in plastic.

Let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Crostata di ciliegie

Yield Serves 6 or more

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with a baking stone on the bottom rack, if you have one. For the filling, tear about half of the fresh cherries in half and put all of the cherries in a large bowl. Stir together the

Ingredients for the dough 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 3 tablespoons sugar ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into bits 6 tablespoons cold water, or as needed

Ingredients for the filling 1 ½ pounds fresh cherries, pitted 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon orange zest

⅓ cup amarena cherries in syrup, such as Fabbri ¼ teaspoon almond extract ¼ cup panko 5 tablespoons sugar 1 large egg, beaten

orange juice and cornstarch until smooth and add to the bowl along with the zest, amarena cherries and almond extract. Toss well to combine. Toss the panko and ¼ cup sugar together in a small bowl and set aside.

On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll the dough to a 15-inch circle. Trim the edges to make as round as possible, ending with a circle at least 13 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough on the parchment to a baking sheet, cutting the parchment to fit the sheet.

Sprinkle all but a tablespoon or 2 of the crumb mixture in the center of the dough in an 8-inch circle. Mound the fruit on top. Fold the edges of the dough over to make a crust. Sprinkle the fruit on top with the remaining crumbs. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Put the baking sheet in the oven on the stone and bake until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let cool on a rack at least 30 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

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119

Lemon–Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies

Chocolate–Hazelnut Panna Cotta

Biscotti di ricotta al limone e semi di papavero

Panna cotta al cioccolato e nocciole

Yield Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

Panna cotta is a perfect quick, no-cook summer dessert. You can garnish with fresh raspberries or enjoy this rich, creamy dessert on it’s own; either way this will become a summer entertaining staple.

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

You can serve these in the ramekins or unmold if

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, plus more for garnish if desired

you wish.

¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 1 cup granulated sugar 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 large eggs

Yield Serves 6

Ingredients

8 ounces fresh ricotta, drained

1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) powdered gelatin

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon,

½ cup whole milk

plus ¼ cup freshly squeezed juice 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped ½ cup chocolate-hazelnut spread

Recipe Sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup cold water in a small bowl and let bloom for 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine the cream and milk and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Pour half of the mixture into a large bowl. Whisk in the gelatin mixture to dissolve. Add the chocolatehazelnut spread, liqueur (if using) and salt. Pour the remaining hot cream mixture over and whisk until smooth and no specks of chocolate remain.

Pour into 6 ramekins. Chill until completely set, about 3 hours. To unmold, dip the ramekins briefly in hot water, run a butter knife around the edge then invert onto a plate. Shake the plate and ramekin or rap on the counter to release the panna cotta. Serve with hazelnuts and raspberries for garnish.

2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur (optional)

Recipe Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Sift together the flour,

Pinch kosher salt Chopped toasted hazelnuts, for garnish Raspberries, for garnish

baking powder and salt into a bowl, stir in the poppy seeds and set aside. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the sugar and butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at a high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, and add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Add the ricotta, vanilla, and lemon zest, and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture, and beat at low speed until everything is just combined—do not overmix.

Drop the dough in heaping tablespoons onto the sheet pans at 2-inch intervals. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are puffed, golden and cooked all the way through, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove them, and cool them completely on wire racks.

When the cookies are completely cool, make the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice to make a smooth glaze. Adjust the consistency if too dense by adding a little water; if too loose, add more confectioners’ sugar to make a glaze that will adhere to the cookies when dipped. Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze, sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.

Let the cookies dry on the racks.

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121

Ingredient of the Month

Sun-dried tomatoes are a wonderful ingredient

to keep in your pantry. Drying tomatoes in the summertime is an ancient tradition in Italy, especially in the southern regions of Puglia, Sicily and Calabria, and was a way to preserve tomatoes to enjoy them year-round. Italians would gather plum tomatoes from the garden and arrange them on their rooftops to capture the intense summer sun. The result is sundried tomatoes, pomodori secchi, with an intensified sweet and tart flavor. During the drying process, the acidity of the fresh tomatoes is reduced, and they take on a darker color and chewy texture.

In the summertime, when fresh tomatoes are

abundant in my garden, I like to make my own sundried tomatoes. It is quite easy, and I encourage you to try it at home. I like to make them the Italian-way, by leaving cut tomatoes in the sun for several days.

Another way to dry your tomatoes is to place them on a baking sheet in the oven at a low temperature, such as 250 degrees F for a few hours, or use a food dehydrator.

For those shopping

for sun-dried tomatoes in

From my family table to yours

the supermarket, you will find them either packed in olive oil or simply dry. Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes come in glass jars and are submerged in extra-virgin olive oil. This kind, which is typical of Southern Italy,

—Lidia Bastianich

is what I personally use in my kitchen. They are sold as whole tomatoes, julienned into strips or chopped.

American supermarkets also offer sun-dried tomatoes with oil, herbs or spices. I always drain the oil before using, while making sure the remaining tomatoes in the jar are still covered in oil. Do not discard the oil! It has a wonderful flavor that can be used for sautéing and in a salad dressing. Once the jar has been opened, it should be stored in the refrigerator.

Dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes are another variety.

Their chewier texture and tougher skins make them very similar to dried fruit. In Italy, sun-dried tomatoes are eaten as part of an antipasto or on toasted bread. They are also perfect in pasta sauces, salads, and on pizzas. I like to use them whole or sliced, and sometimes I purée them. You can make a sun-dried tomato pesto with drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, as well as a complex and flavorful marinade for meats.

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Polpette Polpette in Italy are smaller than their American meatball counterparts, and are typically made with grated cheese and breadcrumbs from day-old bread, which makes them tender. When very small, as in Abruzzo, polpette are served plain as an antipasto or in broth. When large, they become a main course and are accompanied by different sauces, depending on the region.

Poaching I enjoy peppering in some Italian words in

Poaching involves slowly and gently simmering

my recipes. I think it adds to the flavor of the

food. It is ideal for delicate, fragile foods such as fish,

recipes, and some words are truly difficult to

white-meat chicken, eggs, and fruit. Poaching liquids

translate. Using Italian words helps convey

include olive oil, water, stock and wine. Seasonings and

the culture’s charm and warmth.

vegetables can be added too. This technique is common in Italy, where cooks poach seasonal fruits, and serve

The language is a perfect mirror of the

poached vegetables simply with olive oil and salt.

complex identity of Italy and its different regions, each with its own special recipes and ingredients, but all of them united in thousands of years of tradition.

Here are some examples of words that are often used and have great depth to them.

Country Bread Country bread is baked in wood-burning ovens all over Italy. The region of Puglia is especially renowned for its breads made with durum wheat. Usually oval and a bit on the flatter side, Italian country bread has a thick, firm crust and a soft center with air pockets. With its absorbent and moist center, it is the bread of choice for bruschette, sandwiches, and puddings.

“One of the most unique privileges in the world is to be able to make wine and experience the life cycle of the vines.

It teaches humility, respect for life and the earth, gives us perspective and allows us to discover who we are.”

Winery and Tasting Room Via Darnazzacco 44/2 Frazione Gagliano 33043 Cividale del Friuli (UD) T +39 0432 700 943 www.bastianich.com

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winery@bastianich.com @bastianichwines

Winery and Vineyards Monte Civoli - Magliano in Toscana 58051 Grosseto www.lamozza.com @lamozzawines

Porcini

Aperol

Porcini, meaning “piglets,” are one of the most prized

Aperol was created in Padua, Italy, by the Barbieri

wild mushrooms. They have a meaty texture and a

brothers and is a light, refreshing non-distilled liqueur.

pungent, earthy flavor. Porcini are often found at the

It has a zesty, bittersweet flavor and is made from bitter

base of pine trees, but the best kind are picked from

orange, gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona. It has a low

chestnut trees. When the abundant harvest comes in

alcohol content of 11 percent and is typically mixed with

fall, mushroom foragers in Italy pick porcini and tend to

other drinks. Aperol became especially popular after

keep their hunting grounds secret from one another.

the creation of the cocktail Aperol Spritz.

Our Lidia’s family would love to host your family for an authentic Italian experience!

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Sanguinella

Zeppole

Sanguinella oranges (also known as blood oranges)

Zeppole, fried dough balls, are found all over Italy,

have a distinctive flavor, red-tinged skin, red juice, and

especially on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19. It is believed

an orange flesh with red streaks. They have less sugar

they originated in Naples, although some Sicilians

and more vitamin C than other oranges. Blood oranges

disagree. Sweet zeppole are served hot, dusted

produced in Sicily are widely regarded among the best

with confectioners’ sugar and filled with a custard,

in the world due to the favorable climate in the region.

ricotta cream or jelly. They are ubiquitous in Italian

Available in winter, these oranges are often enjoyed as a

neighborhoods around the US.

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drink of the fruit’s freshly squeezed juice.

Panna Cotta Panna cotta, translating to “cooked cream,” is a traditional Italian dessert made by slowly cooking cream, egg whites, gelatin, and vanilla together. It seems that it originated in the Italian region of Piemonte, in the

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Langhe area. Typically served with caramel sauce or macerated berries, you will find it served with melted

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Share your own recipe or make your own rendition of one of mine and then post an image on Instagram using the hashtag #lidiasitalyathome. I look forward to including some of your photos in the next issue of this magazine. Sharing food is so important, and I would love to read about what you are doing in the kitchen and see some photos of your techniques and final dishes.

Share your photos; I look forward to learning from you!

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