Frittata di Zucchine e Parmigiano

Frittata di Zucchine

This is the ultimate corner shop low carb classic. Heat up your grill. In a small non-stick saute pan fry off half a sliced red onion until soft (slowly), then add sliced zucchini (2 large cut into 3 mm rounds) and cook until browned. Meanwhile mix six eggs with three handfuls of parmigiano and some chopped parsely, season with black pepper. Pour mix into the pan, cook for about 5 mins on medium hob until it looks as if it is firming up, then brown under the grill for two mins. Serve with salad and a glass of white.

Antipasti di vedure

Four different antipasti tonight. Take three zucchini, one melanzana and four portabello mushrooms, thinly slice (3mm-5mm),  brush on both sides with olive oil infused with parsley and garlic and then grill on a very hot pan. The melanaza was grilled and dressed with more chili.  The whole effort took about an hour while listening to the radio. Easily enough for four.

The mozzarella di bufala was marinated in olive oil, basil and chili for an hour or two and served with some very sweet tomatoes. Dress with chopped herbs and more olive oil.

Piselli alla romagna

The Italians are a peas loving people, and if you want a classic contorni, this takes peas (piselli) a step forward beyond minting and stirring in some butter. It is sweet and savory. Serve on the side of anything you like,  I could happily eat a bowl of this.

Cut your pancetta into a nice dice (cubetti)…and your medium onion…

Pancetta

Boil 300gm or however many peas you need for about three minutes.

Meanwhile render and brown your pancetta on a high, then on a medium heat, throw in your chopped onion, soften, then add the piselli. Cover and saute until cooked through and the peas take on the flavour of the pancetta (insaporire), season and serve. A squeeze of lemon is great.

Parmigiana di melanzane (Campania)

According to the Accademia Italiana della Cucina there are three official versions of Parmigiana di melanzane (Aubergine). One from Campania – which is the basic and most famous version, another from Puglia – which has crumbled sausage meat in it, and a version from Sicily which uses hard-boiled eggs. There are also some other regional varieties which include breadcrumbing the melanzane and shallow frying in olive oil, but I think this makes the dish too heavy. Let’s face it you can think like a French chef and cook the melanzane in goose fat, mount the tomato sauce with butter and make a cream bechamel. But this is Italian food, and this is the classic Neapolitan version.

Parmigiana di melanzane

Cut 5 or 6 aubergines into long slices about 7mm thick.  Salt them and let them sweat some water for 20-30 mins, wipe them down and then griddle them in pan wiped with a little olive oil.

While you are doing this chop a medium onion and fry it softly in oil. Add two tins of tomatoes and a few basil leaves. Reduce over a slow heat. A pinch of sugar is good. Blitz when it is reduced enough.

Grate a cup of parmigiano, and cut up a ball of mozzarella (Confession: I prefer to use the grated stuff as it does not have as much water in it and it almost emulsifies in the sauce rather than turning into rubber).

Once you have griddled the aubergine, you can assemble the dish. Tomato sauce in the base, then a layer of aubergines, a sprinkle of the two cheeses, and then a few leaves of basil. Build about three or four layers, finish with the rest of the cheese. Bake in a 200 degree oven until the top is browned/crisped. Serve with a salad.

Minestra di asparagi e zucchine

Minestra di asparagi e zucchine is one of those dishes you know is doing you some good. You feel better just looking at it. Everything is green. Apart from the grated cheese on top, I forgot about the grated cheese on top. Anyway – it is much healthier than eating sausages covered in grated cheese.

Minestra di asparagi e zucchine

I made lots – so I blitzed the rest, which turns it into different soup, but still v. nice.

Minestra di asparagi e zucchine - blitzed.

2 bunches of thin asparagus
2 large zucchini
1 leek (or a bunch of mini leeks)
50 grams of greens or broccoli
200 g frozen peas
1.2 l chicken broth
40 grams of Grana Padano cheese
20 g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper

Peel the leeks by removing the green and outer leaves, then cut into thin strips lengthwise, and wash the cavalo/broccoli or whatever into thin strips. Washed, and slice the zucchine, peel the asparagi removing the woody part of the stalk, wash them in cold running water, then cut into pieces.

Heat the butter in a pan with oil and sweat the leek (porro), then add the rest of the veg, cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes and then pour in the broth. Cover, bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes over a medium heat. When cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve generous sprinkling/shaving of grana padano and a pour of olive oil.

Patate con salvia e timo

This potato dish is very similar in style to dauphinoise and boulangeres. There is no stock in this of any kind, just thin layers of potato, breadcrumb and herbs (and butter) combing to make a herby, buttery fondant. It is delicious, easy to make and one of those dishes which causes silence at the table. It is a side dish (contorno), but would be good enough on its own with salad.

Patate con salvia e timo

It is pointless telling you how many potatoes you need. Slice as you go using a mandoline. You only need 5 layers.

Find a square of rectangular dish, butter it, and sprinkle breadcrumbs (pan grattato).

Put on your first layer of potatoes, sprinkle some of your finely chopped herbs, dot with butter and sprinkle more breadcrumbs, some salt. Repeat for another five layers. On the top layer, finish with the rest of the butter. Use no more than 50gms of butter for this. Bake for an hour at 180 degrees. When it is done sprinkle with more fresh herbs to serve.

Zuppa di Zucca

Zuppa di Zucca or Squash Soup is the simplest but most luxurious of all vegetable soups. For this one I roast the squash for extra flavour, then finish the soup with fresh sage crisped in butter. You can use any squash or pumpkin. It is up to you whether you want to make it light or heavy. I prefer to use butter rather than cream to finish the soup.

Zuppa di Zucca

Ingredients for 4 servings: 1 kg pumpkin or squash (zucca), 1 medium onion (cipolla), 30gms of butter (burro) or 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sage (salvia) stock, salt and pepper.

Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds and filaments, taking care to remove any green parts. Cut the flesh into cubes. Roast in the oven for 25 mins. Make sure it doesn’t brown.

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the chopped onion, without letting it brown. Combine the pumpkin and let this dry for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a teaspoon of salt at this stage.

Cover with the broth: better a good meat broth, otherwise vegetable broth is fine or even just plain water.

Simmer for about 25minutes, then blitz.

While the soup is resting, crisp up some sage leaves in hot butter. Drizzle over the soup. Some crushed amaretti biscuits are superb sprinkled over also.

Zuppa di Zucca with fried sage

Fried Broccoli – Broccoli soffritti

This is a recipe from Campania – which is also a classic accompaniment to sausage, or any kind of grilled meat . It turns out nutty, savory, with an air of garlic and a slight kick of chili. Use purple sprouting broccoli – as this is the nearest in spirit to Broccoli Rabe or the legendary Friarielli. You can also use turnip tops for this or any greens at all as the cooking style is the same. There are very few ways of eating broccoli which taste as good as this. I just at a whole plateful, so I should know.

Yep, I ate all of this.

So this is very simple. You want two pans on for this. One frying pan, one pot for boiling.

First – the frying plan – a good glug of olive oil, on a medium heat. Throw in half a clove of garlic (whole) and a good pinch or two  of chili flakes. Fry until the garlic is just turning brown. Remove the garlic once it takes on a bit of colour, keeping the chili flakes in the oil.

Now the broccoli – get 10 spears or so – or as many as you want. Chuck them in some fast boiling, lightly salted water until they go dark green. This should take a minute or two. At this point casually drain off the water, but leave it slightly wet, tipping the lot into the garlic flavoured chili/olive oil in the frying pan. It should spit for a bit – but keep the heat up and it will calm down. Keep the broccoli frying for about three minutes until the water has been absorbed, you want it to get it nicely fried off. Season with some sea -salt just before you take it off the heat.

This is a great contorno (side dish). And you can serve it with Saltimboca, or again with sausages.  A classic way is on a pizza with some mozzarella and sausage (Salsiccia con friarielli is a classic combo – if you see it on a menu – order it).