Summer in Italy! Farmers markets along with fruit and vegetable stalls are in their glory at this time of year when every type of fruit and vegetable are blooming! Sorrentini, pomodorini con lo spago, pomodorini del pennolo, zucchini and their fiori, eggplant, sage, basil and chili peppers are ready for picking and to be transformed into traditional recipes. Let us tempt you with a few of our recipes from Chef Eugenio and Signore Carlo as we celebrate summer in Italy.
Bucatini Alla Matriciana ~ Matriciana-Style Pasta
Courtesy of Chef Eugenio in our Roman Holiday cooking tour
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 60-80 g Guanciale, pork cheek, cut into thin slices
- 80 g Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 glass White wine
- 50 g Tomato purée
- 4 tablespoons Pecorino romano, grated
- 320-400 g Bucatini pasta
In a large pan, add the olive oil and the guanciale slices and heat. Sauté until the pork until it becomes a dark red color. Pour off most of the liquid, then add the glass of white wine. Don’t touch anything until the wine has completely evaporated (when you no longer smell wine). Add a ladleful of the tomato purée and reduce heat to a minimum. Cook until the oil takes on the red color of the tomato. Remove from heat and add the grated Pecorino (about 1 tbsp per person). Be careful to not add too much at once.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and add to the pan with the sauce. Toss together for a moment over high heat before serving.
Saltimbocca Di Vitello Alla Romana ~ Roman-Style Veal Saltimbocca
Courtesy of Chef Eugenio in our Roman Holiday cooking tour
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 600 g Veal, sliced thinly about 70 g to 80 g per slice
- 8 slices Prosciutto di Parma
- Flour, as needed
- 80 g Extra virgin olive oil
- Sage, several leaves
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 glass White wine
- 1 tsp Butter
Pound the veal slices with a meat mallet until they are about 5mm thick. Lay out the slices on a work surface. On each veal slice, place a sage leaf, a slice of prosciutto and use toothpicks to fasten together. Dust with flour on both sides. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. In a large sauté pan, heat extra virgin olive oil until very hot. Add the veal slices, prosciutto-side down, and a few additional sage leaves. Cook until you see the edges of the veal starting to turn light brown in color, then use a spatula to turn over and cook on the other side.
When the veal no longer sticks to the pan, add the glass of white wine, allow to evaporate completely and then add the butter. Reduce heat to low and allow to finish cooking another moment until the butter is fully melted.
Carciofi alla Giudia~Jewish-Style Artichokes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 globe artichokes
- 2 lemons, cut in half
- Olive oil for frying
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Prepare the artichokes by first peeling off the outer leaves that are tough and hard, beginning from the base, removing the leaves until you see they become tender. Once you’ve done this, with a small, sharp knife, begin trimming the top points of the artichoke’s remaining leaves, again working from the base up. When you reach halfway or so, cut the top half (or third, depending on how tender the artichokes are) of the artichoke completely off. Rub the artichokes all over with half a lemon.
Now trim the stem; chop the bottom off, leaving about 2 to 3 inches of stem and then trim it, peeling away the outer layer of the stem and the bottom of the artichoke so you have just the tender inner part attached. Place the artichokes in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon until they are ready for frying. Drain completely and pat dry with kitchen paper before frying.
Heat about 3 inches of olive oil in a saucepan over low-medium heat and fry the artichokes gently (if you have a candy thermometer, this should be about 300º F or 150º C) for about 10 minutes, prodding them with a fork every now and then, letting them roll around to cook thoroughly.
Remove and drain the artichokes on paper towels. When cool enough to handle (you can also pop them into the freezer for a couple minutes to do this quickly), help open up the artichoke carefully by teasing some of the leaves out and flattening the artichoke a little.
Turning the heat up higher (this time about 350ºF or 180ºC), deep-fry the artichokes, head down (tongs are handy for this) for a couple of minutes or until crisp and a deep, deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels then serve while still hot, sprinkled with sea salt and some pepper.
Carciofi alla Romana~Roman-Style Artichokes
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 8 artichokes
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup Mint, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil plus extra for finishing dash of dry white wine
Discard the tough outer leaves and chop the stems of the artichokes off just below the bases. Firmly press each artichoke upside down on the counter to make it “bloom.” Scoop out the choke (the hairy white part) and place the cleaned artichokes in a bowl of water with the juice of 1 lemon squeezed in. This prevents the inside of the artichokes from becoming an unappetizing greyish-brown when exposed to the air.
Mix together garlic, lemon, herbs, and olive oil. Take artichokes out of lemon bath, rub the mixture inside, spooning out any extra. Salt and pepper liberally. Place artichokes side by side, like soldiers at attention, upside in a heavy-bottomed pot with 1 1/2 – 2 inches of water and a dash of wine. You want the artichokes close enough together so that they can’t tip over and bob around.
Cover the top of the pot with a damp paper towel and place a tight-fitting lid over that – this is to prevent any steam from escaping. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. The artichokes are ready when a fork pierces them easily. Remove the artichokes from the pot and set on a plate to cool. Once they are lukewarm, drizzle olive oil over them. You want to wait to add the oil until the artichokes have cooled a bit so that they don’t immediately suck it up and become soggy.
Ciambelline al Vino ~ Wine Cookies
Courtesy of Signor Carlo from our cooking tour at Nonna’s Cucina In The Roman Countryside
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Sugar
- 2 cups White Wine
- 2 cups Seed Oil
- 3 1/3 lbs. Flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
Preheat oven to 225° F.
Mix all ingredients by hand until the dough is pliable and you can form it into a ball. Next, take off a small piece of the dough and roll it into a log approximately 12 inches long. Cut the log in half and join the ends of each to create a wreath shape.
Line the wreaths on a greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.