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Italian recipes

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Orecchiette con le cime di rapa ……………………………………………….. 5

Parmigiana di melanzane (Eggplant Parmigiana) …………………………. 7

Peperoni al forno coi capperi (Rosted peppers with capers) …………….. 11

Caponata ……………………………………………………………………………. 14

Zucchine alla scapece ……………………………………………………………. 17

Melanzane ripiene ……………………………………………………………….. 20

Lasagne alla Bolognese …………………………………………………………. 23

La cianfotta ………………………………………………………………………….. 26

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Orecchiette con le cime di rapa

Le Cime di rapa

Cooking: 20 min

• Preparation: 30 min

• Serves 4

The orecchiette with turnip tops, also called "recchitelle" or "strascinati (dragged)", are one of the most representative dishes of Puglia, especially in the province of Bari.

I n g r e d i e n t s

Anchovies 4 anchovy fillets in oil

Garlic

2 cloves garlic Turnip Greens (cime di rapa)

500 grams (clean)

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Olive oil 6 tablespoons Chilli some

Orecchiette

fresh 500 gr - dried 400 gr

■ P r e p a r a t i o n

Take the tops of turnips already cleaned (the peeling is to remove the big leaves or damaged parts of the stem harder, taking precisely the most tender parts), cut into pieces and wash well in cold running water . Put a saucepan with salted water, and when the water boil, put in the turnip greens; after boiling, drain and keep aside the cooking water, in which you will need to boil the orecchiette.

Meanwhile in a frying pan, fry in oil with two cloves of crushed garlic (or sliced), and remove them when they are lightly coloured; add the anchovy fillets, until they are mushy ( do not fry too long, unless you want to become bitter), then add the broccoli and mix well. Drain the orecchiette and add them at the sauce in the pan, cook a few seconds, add the chilly and serve immediately.

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Parmigiana di melanzane (Eggplant Parmigiana)

Cooking: 60 min

Preparation: 15 min

Serves 6

I ng red i en t s :

Garlic 2 cloves garlic

Basil some leaves Caciocavallo cheese or mozzarella 300 g

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Onion 1/2

Eggplant 1,5 kg

oli ve oil 1 dl Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese 150 g Tomatoe sauce Two bottles 700 gr each

Salt enough

P repara t ion

To prepare the eggplant parmigiana first thing you need to prepare the red sauce in a pan by placing the onion and garlic, along with 4 tablespoons olive (1). Fry for few minutes, then add the tomato sauce (2) boil until sauce is thick (3) and, lastly, add salt and basil leaves with your fingers, then turn off the heat.

Tick eggplant (4), wash and cut into slices about 1 cm thick for the direction of length (5). Put them now, in a bowl (or colander), large enough to contain them all, arrange in layers and sprinkle each layer with salt (6). Leave your eggplant thi way for at least 1 hour, so they can expel a good part of the bitter liquid that characterizes them.

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After this time, remove them from the bowl, rinse under running water (7) and dry thoroughly. (8) Prepare, therefore, a pan with a little 'oil, fry the eggplant (9) until they are golden on all both sides and let them dry on a paper towel (10).

Anoint a baking dish (11), sprinkle the bottom with a little 'juice (12) and started to have a first layer of eggplant to be placed side by side without overlapping (13).

Pour a little 'sauce on the eggplant (14), spreading it evenly, and sprinkle with a little' grated Parmigiano Reggiano (15).

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Slice the caciocavallo cheese and deal a few slices on the sauce leaving them a little 'spaced from one another (16). Now prepare the second layer, arranging the aubergine in the opposite direction to the previous (17) (if you have arranged the first vertically, now arrange them horizontally), then the grated Parmigiano and finally the caciocavallo cheese, continue covering until the ingredients will be finished.

Remember that the last layer should be just tomatoes (20) and parmesan cheese (21). Put the eggplant parmesan in the oven at 200 degrees for 40 minutes until the tomatoes will not make the golden feature "crust". You can serve your Eggplant parmigiana hot, just pulled out of the oven, at room temperature ... which is good anyway, and even cold!

■ Cur ios i ty

It seems that the excellent eggplant parmigiana is a legacy of Arab rule and Greek: for the Sicilians this dish recalls very much the Greek Moussaka and Tiani Arabic. A really weird thing: in some cities in Sicily, people use add chocolate !

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Peperoni al forno coi capperi (Rosted peppers with capers)

The roasted peppers with capers are a side dish of intense and intriguing Sicilian flavour, which is accompanied with good meat dishes and fish such as swordfish rolls.

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I ng red i en t s

Garlic 2 cloves garlic

Basil some leaves Capers A handful Olive oil enough Breadcrumbs a handful Peppers 2 yellow e 2 red Salt Enough

■ P repara t i on

First clean the peppers, removing with a knife part of the stalk (1), then remove the seeds inside (2) and cut them in half lengthwise (3).

At this point, still using a knife, remove the seeds and filaments inside (5). Then cut into strips and put them into a baking dish (5-6).

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Then add the cloves of garlic finely chopped, salt and oil and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. Then add the capers (7) and cook for another few minutes, then add a handful of breadcrumbs (8), fresh basil, salt and mix well. Cook until it will have formed a golden crust on the surface (9).

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Caponata

Cooking: 45 min

Preparation: 20 min

Serves 6

Note: + 1 h standby

Caponata is a Sicilian dish known, very popular during Christmas, consisting of fried vegetables and served with sweet and sour sauce, there is a basic recipe and many variations, with slightly different names.

I ng red i en t s

Winegar 1/2 glass

Basil some leaves Capers Desalted 3 handful

Onions 2 big

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Eggplant 1 kg

Olive oil enough

Olives pitted olives in brine

Pine nuts 60 gr

Tomatoes four sauce 500 gr

Salt enough

Celery celery stalks 600 gr

Sugar 50 gr

■ P repara t i on

Wash, peel and dice (1), about 1.5 cm per side, the eggplant (the elongated shape), and arrange in layers in a colander or sieve, sprinkle with salt (2), to lose the bitter taste(3). So let it rest for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, cut the celery stalks into strips (4) and boil them in a pot with salted water, then drain, dry with paper towel (5) and brown in olive oil, low heat (6).

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In another pan, fry in olive oil, sliced onions (7), and, when they are dried, add the capers (8), pine nuts and olives pitted (9), fry all the ingredients for another 10 minutes.

Now add the chopped tomatoes or diced (10), and cook for about 20 minutes over high heat. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the eggplant, dry with paper towels (11) and fry them in olive oil in a large skillet (12), in which you combine all the ingredients you have previously prepared.

When the eggplants are well browned, add celery stalks, the mixture of tomatoes (13) and mix well together over low heat. Then sprinkle the ingredients in a pan with sugar (14) and add half cup of vinegar (15) cook over medium heat until the vinegar smell will be blurred. At this point your caponata is ready: let cool and serve with whole and chopped basil leaves.

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Zucchine alla scapece

Cooking: 20 min

Preparation: 15 min

Serves 4

Note: + 2 hours standby and 24 hours marinating

The term scapece of Spanish origin (escabeche) denotes a preparation based on the fry of this ingredient (usually fish or vegetables) and subsequent flavoring in vinegar. The preparation of “scapece” originally born to better preserve foods and recipes and then became traditional.

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I ng red i en t s

Winegar red wine winegar 1/2 glass

Water 150 ml Garlic 1-2 garlic cloves

Onions 2 big Mint a spring of mint

Salt enough

Zucchini 1 Kg

Prepara t ion

Wash and tick zucchini (1), then cut into slices approximately 3-4 mm thick (2). Place the zucchini slices in a colander (or on a clean tea towel) and sprinkle with salt (3), then let loose the water of vegetation for about two hours, with below a colander bowl that can collect water drain (4).

After the two hours quickly rinse the zucchini under cold running water (5) and pat dry thoroughly with paper towel (6).

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Fry the zucchini in olive oil (7) heat not too high and when they are golden, put them to lose the excess oil on kitchen paper (8). Put the fried zucchini layered into a bowl, adding every layer with the pepper and mint leaves (9).

Pour vinegar and water in a saucepan, add garlic slices and boil for 10 minutes (10), then add 2 or 3 tablespoons oil for frying (11) and pour the mixture over boiling vinegar zucchini (12). Cover zucchini with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 24 hours before serving.

■ Adv i ce

The acidity of the preparation “scapece” depends on the personal taste and on the type of vinegar used: if you prefer mild acidity use vinegar diluted with water until it reaches the desired acidity. If you love the strong taste of vinegar, dilute it less or replaced part of the water with other vinegar.

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Melanzane ripiene

Cooking: 60 min

Preparation: 30 min

Serves 4

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I ng red i en t i Garlic 1 garlic clove

Basil some leaves

Pork minced pork 400 gr

Onions 1 big

Eggplant 4

Olive oil 1/2 glass

Bread breadcrumbs 150 gr

Pecorino cheese grated pecorino cheese 120 gr

Pepper enough

Parsley Chopped parsley 2 tablespoon Salt enough

Tomatoe sauce 750 ml

■ P repara t i on

Start by cutting the ends of eggplant (1), wash, dry and cut in half lengthwise (2). Cut along the edge and extract the pulp from the eggplant using a spoon (3) and set aside.

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Then salt the inside of the eggplant (4) and then arrange with the hollow on a grill to miss the vegetation water for about 30 minutes (5). Prepare tomato sauce fry chopped onion in half oil and adding the tomatoes, cook it then add salt and basil chopped leaves (6).

Then chop the onion and brown it in a pan with a little oil and a clove of garlic (7), then add the pork chops and let brown (8). When the meat starts to brown, add the chopped eggplant, chopped and well drained (9) salt and cook for another 3 minutes.

Then add 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce and turn off the heat (10). At this point let it cool a bit the mixture, add the bread crumbs and previously soaked (11), mix well and fill the eggplants with this mixture. Arrange the eggplants side by side in an oiled baking pan, sprinkle each with a spoonful of tomato sauce (12) and sprinkle with grated cheese, bake the stuffed eggplant for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees. Serve your Stuffed eggplant very hot but after a few minutes of rest .... Buen Provecho!

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Lasagne alla Bolognese

Lasagne Bolognese is a typical dish of the cuisine of Emilia Romagna and, as the name suggests, the city of Bologna.To make a good lasagna Bolognese, what is fundamental is the right choice of ingredients: first of all the meat, which must be strictly, half beef and half pork to add flavor the recipe then the tomato pulp must be of good quality, and last but not least the lasagna would be better if you prepare at home.

I ng red i en t s Lasagne

500 g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

grated Parmigiano cheese 200 gr Bechamel

1 kg circa

■ A b i t o f h i s to ry

The history of this delicious recipe, rooted no little less than the Roman age. Obviously, at that time were not like lasagna we know them today, but consisted of some strips of dough cut into squares more or less regular, cooked in a pan or plate and served with vegetables and cheese. For many centuries, lasagne those were those invented by the Romans and were called "Lasana" or "lasanum" which meant "vase, container". This until the fourteenth century, when Francesco Zambrini discovered for the first time that these strips pulp could be left intact and could even create layers of stuffing with cheese. Over time, the lasagne dish became a very popular and loved, thanks to some restaurants in Bologna that made them know to their customers in early 900.

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■ P repara t i on

Start by preparing the broth. Prepare now, a chopped based on onion, carrots and celery and fry in a pan with oil and butter. Chop the bacon finely and after a few minutes, add it to the pan along with chopped meat, then fry together for a few minutes to heat. Add the red wine and let it evaporate while keeping the fire to flame. Now add the sauce (or tomato paste dissolved in a little broth), soup, pepper and a pinch of salt and let cook for half-covered pot for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding the remaining broth and finally the milk. While your sauce is cooking, prepare the bechamel following our recipe, remembering that for the white sauce lasagna should be fairly smooth.

Once the sauce is ready, you preheat the oven to 160 ° and start assembling your lasagna: Grease a roasting pan (1), spread a few tablespoons of sauce and line the bottom with the pasta (2), then cover with a few tablespoons of white sauce (bechamel) (3).

Then cover with plenty of sauce (4-5) and a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano (6).

Cover with another pasta (7) and proceed in the same way to achieve the second layer (8-9).

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Form many layers depending on the pan and continue until you finish all the ingredients (10- 11- 12)

Finish your lasagna with a thin, light layer of white sauce (béchamel) mixed with meat sauce (13-14) and sprinkled with plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano (15). Bake all at least 50-60 minutes, checking every now; the lasagna will be ready when they made a lovely color and a golden crust. Once ready, remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes, then cut them in the pan and serve hot.

■ Cur ios i ty

As you already know the lasagna is a dish of Roman origin, but do you also know that one of the greatest orators and politicians of the Urbe as Cicero was a great fan of this dish? It seems that the author of "Catilinarian" particularly loved the lasagna, as well as for their goodness, even for their softness that allowed him to enjoy into old age when he was a bit of trouble chewing.

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La cianfotta

I n g r e d i e n t s :

Eggplant 1

Zucchini 1 Peppers 2, one yellow and one red

Potatoes 4

Onions 2

Tomatoes 2 mature tomatoes

Salt A pinch

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Parsley Enough

Chilli ½ chilli

■ P r e p a r a t i o n

Wash and dry an eggplant and zucchini, cut into touch not very large.

Cut two peppers (1 green and 1 red) into strips, peel potatoes and cut into 4 slices, slice two onions.

In a large frying pan put a spoonful of lard. Once melted add the sliced onions and peppers and brown them.

Then add the potatoes, eggplant, courgette, 2 ripe tomatoes, a handful of chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and, if you like, 1 / 2 red chilli.

Cook over low heat and when the vegetables are brown, pour the "cianfotta" on a serving plate and enjoy this fragrant and tasty dish, while still hot. It 's a dish especially recommended in summer, so ... take all the flavours contained in vegetables of the season!