AUNTIE PASTA: Color Me Red

SARONNO, Italy – It’s been a busy week with little time to cook. Not only was Sunday Easter, but Monday was also a  holiday here, Pasquetta, little Easter. The tradition, at least it is a tradition in Rome, is that on Pasquetta you pack up the left overs from your Easter dinner and head for the countryside for a picnic.

All Purpose White Fish

I think that idea works better in Rome than in Milan because Pasquetta was no day for a picnic. After a few glorious weeks it has turned not really cold, but cold compared to what it was, and rainy. I know, I know, April showers bring May flowers, and I really shouldn’t complain because the weather has been wonderful, but still, after three days of rain you start to feel a little moldy.

Since I had company over the weekend one of the dishes I did prepare was an old Sicilian recipe for fish. As it turned out we went out to eat that night so the fish dish sat in the refrigerator. And it sat there the next day as well as we went out to eat again. So I decided to divide it into two containers and freezer it. Today, because I have an appointment in Milan and again no time to cook, I took out one of the containers of frozen fish, made some cous cous and abracadabra! lunch was ready.

Glorious Cherry Tomatoes

Freezing the fish didn’t alter its texture at all, which is what I was afraid of since the fish was frozen to start with.  You can use any white fish for this recipe, I happened to use codfish because I like it, especially for this recipe which is super simple and practically fool proof. This recipe feeds two people, for four people, just double it.

One trick I learned from a cook down in Tuscany was to pre-cook onions in the microwave until they are soft.  You have to add a little water to them, unlike other vegetables i.e. broccoli or carrots, because onions don’t contain water and they will burn.  I don’t know if there is a real name for this recipe, but I call it Sicilian Fish in Tomato Sauce.

Easy as 1,2,3

Sicilian Fish in Tomato Sauce

2 frozen codfish filets

1 can of peeled cherry tomatoes (you can use regular canned tomatoes, but I prefer cherry tomatoes)

¼ cup (more or less) water

1 clove of garlic (peeled and crushed)

1 onion, roughly chopped and partially cooked in microwave

1 teaspoon of capers (in brine)

1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of oregano or marjoram

In a frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are completely cooked. If the garlic turns brown, discard it, and turn the heat under the frying pan down. Add the can of tomatoes, juice and all, and the water. You can also add a little dry white wine instead of the water if you want. The fish will not complain. 

Let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes, about 5 minutes, and then add the frozen fish. They do not have to be defrosted. Cover the frying pan and let it all cook until the fish is soft. Add the capers and the oregano and let cook for another 5 minutes or so until the fish is thoroughly cooked. 

At this point you can turn off the heat and let it sit until you are ready to eat. Actually the longer it sits the better it is, even overnight is not too long – in the refrigerator of course. Just let it cool to room temperature before you put it in the refrigerator.

Serve hot over rice or cous cous or spaghetti or curly pasta, I think even mashed potatoes would work. 

This is a recipe my mother used to make, but instead of adding capers she added raisins and it was just as delicious. If you don’t have capers and you do have raisins, you might want to try her version.  

AUNTIE PASTA: Bella Bari

SARONNO,  Italy – All that reminiscing last Sunday about Bari and the trays of handmade orecchiette drying outside of the houses in the historic center got me hankering for a taste of Puglia.  

Bari, Italy

Pugliese food is simple to make and simply delicious. There are no complicated sauces or techniques needed, just some good Pugliese olive oil, a little garlic and the freshest ingredients available. You can find both fresh and dried orecchiette in the grocery stores in Saronno and I will often buy fresh orecchiette and freeze them. I like the texture of fresh pasta better (even after its been frozen) than dried. Probably because my grandmother used to make pasta and its a texture I grew up with.

There are beautiful, blood red pomodorini –  cherry tomatoes - in the markets as well, so it’s the perfect time to make Orecchiette with Pomodorini. 

The weatherman is promising a break in the 80 degree weather we are having, so I’m thinking about making soup over the weekend. I know 70 degrees isn’t exactly soup weather but this recipe for bean, barley and chickpea is so simple and delicious I’m anxious to fast forward the season.

The original recipe calls for dried beans and chickpeas, but it was obviously written by people who have more time on their hands than I have, so I find canned beans (you can use whatever kind you like) and canned chickpeas just as good. Barley cooks in 15-20 minutes and does not need to soak for hours like the beans and chickpeas.  

Orecchiette with Cherry Tomatoes

 Orecchiette with Pomodorini 

 Serves 4

400 grams of fresh orecchiette  

300 grams di arugula (sometimes called rocket)

10 mature cherry tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic spicchi di aglio

10 black olives  

1/2 of a hot chili pepper or red pepper flakes

50 grams  di aged ricotta  (or pecorino)

extravergin olive oil

salt

2 tablespoons of toasted breadcrumbs (optional) 

Wash the arugula under running water and dry. Boil it in salted water for about 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and let cool. Then squeeze well to remove excess water. Save the cooking water for the pasta.

Wash and peel the cherry tomatoes, cut them into quarters and place in a colander. Sprinkle with coarse salt and set aside. Peel the garlic and dice it, along with the pitted olives.

Heat 4 tablespoons of extravirgin olive oil in a saucepan, add the chopped garlic and olives, the drained cherry tomatoes, chili pepper, stir and cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the arugula, season with salt and turn off the flame. Cook the orecchiette in the same water that the arugula cooked in. When the pasta is cooked, (if you are using fresh orecchiette they cooked rather quickly), drain and put them back in the pot and add the sauce. Mix and cook together for 30 seconds. Turn off the flame. Serve with a grated ricotta or pecorino, a few drops of olive oil and a sprinkle of toasted breadcrumbs.

 Bean, Barley and Chickpea Soup

Bean, Barley and Chickpea Soup

Serves 4

100 grams of of dried beans

100 grams of dried chickpeas

100 grams of barley  

4 Porcini mushrooms (medium size)

1 onion  

1 clove of garlic 

½ liter of hot vegetable broth

Two liters of hot water

extravirgin olive oil 

sprig of fresh rosemary

salt

pepper

Put a little olive oil in a soup pot. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until the onions are translucent. 

Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth and cut off the tip of the stem. Then chop. Add the cleaned, chopped mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. 

Add the hot water and the broth, stir, and then add the barley. Let simmer for 20 minutes on a low flame, until the barley is cooked, then add the beans (drained) and chickpeas (drained) and fresh rosemary. 

Simmer for another 20 – 30 minutes over very low heat. Season with salt (if needed). Turn off flame and let sit for at least half an hour to develop the flavor, then gently reheat if necessary. This soup shouldn't be served boiling hot. Serve topped with a few drops of good extravirgin olive oil.

Buon Appetito