recipe – John's Tastes Of Italy

Pasta with Brocolli and Sultanas / Pasta con broccoli e uva sultanina

This is a typical recipe made in many regions of Southern Italy; Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata and Sicily. The regions have been for a long period in Italy’s history, the poorest part of the country; in the past, much of the population subsisted on an almost exclusively vegetarian diet, eating greens and bread or pasta.

Pasta with Broccoli and Sultanas

Pasta con broccoli e uva sultanina

Adapted from recipes by The Good Housekeeping Institute in their book: “Good Housekeeping Step-By-Step Vegetarian Cookbook”– published on 4 Sep 1997, and from the blog by Jacqueline Debono at https://www.the-pasta-project.com/

“Broccoli pasta is very traditional in Southern Italy. You can find different versions of it in most of the South Italian regions particularly Sicily, Puglia, Calabria and Campania. It is most often made without meat.” Jacqueline Debono

Pasta with Broccoli and Sultanas Download the recipe – MS Word

Ingredients: Serves 4

50 g sultanas
200 g broccoli spears
300-350 g dried pasta penne, rigatoni, fusilloni or spaghetti
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
100 ml good olive oil for cooking
75 g white breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed with tines of a fork
25 g pine nuts
40 g hard vegetarian pecorino cheese, finely grated
A handful of finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Put the sultanas in a bowl; pour on a little boiling water to cover and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, trim the tough, fibrous ends off the broccoli and then slice the stems into short, ½ inch (1 cm) lengths. Break the broccoli into small florets. Transfer the broccoli to a steamer, sprinkle with salt and cover and steam for 7 minutes. Then remove the pan from the steamer and hold under running tap water for 2 seconds and set aside, covered.
In the meantime, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan on a low heat; add the garlic and fry, stirring to coat with oil for 1-2 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs to the garlic and stir to mix. Cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are golden brown and crunchy, about 5 minutes, until they begin to crisp. Add the pine nuts and continue to fry, stirring, until the pine nuts begin to colour. Add the broccoli and sultanas, a pinch of salt and gently stir over the heat until it is thoroughly heated, and everything is mixed through. Transfer to a bowl, cover and set aside.
Cook the pasta in the large stock pot of boiling salted water until al dente or follow packet instructions.
Drain the pasta in a colander, return it to the hot, dry pan you cooked it in and add the broccoli mixture. Gently stir to mix thoroughly.
Tips and serving suggestions: Serve into warmed bowls, add the grated cheese over the bowl, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with flat leaf parsley.

Produced by John Fletcher at http://www.johnstastesofitaly.com

20/02/202208/04/2022

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Penne Pasta with Aubergine and Tomato Sauce / Penne con Melanzane e Salsa di Pomodoro

Penne Pasta with Aubergine and Tomato Sauce

Penne con Melanzane e Salsa di Pomodoro

This recipe has been created in Umbria, the fifth smallest region in Italy. The region has no coastline but has borders with three other Italian regions; Tuscany, Marche and Lazio.

penne pasta with aubergine and tomato sauceDownload recipe – MS Word

Adapted from a recipe by Ursula Ferrigno in her book “Truly Italian – quick and simple vegetarian cooking”.

Penne are tubes of pasta that resemble small quill pens. They are either ridged or smooth and can vary in length (pennette are slightly smaller than penne). This recipe was devised by the Lungarotti family who own a charming vineyard and wine museum in Torgiano, Umbria, very near where I teach. Many people believe that it isn’t necessary these days to salt or ‘degorge’ aubergines, but I think it’s still vital. The aubergines are tenderer, have more flavour and do not absorb so much of the cooking oil.” Ursula Ferrigno

Ingredients: Serves 4

1 medium, firm and ripe aubergine
freshly ground fine sea salt and black pepper
4 tablespoons best-quality olive oil for cooking
3 tablespoons red wine, good enough to drink
1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
I x 400g can Italian chopped tomatoes
200 g Italian passata
275g Italian dried pennette or penne (quills)
2 tablespoons double cream
I tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons freshly grated vegetarian pecorino sheep’s cheese

Method:

Cut the aubergine into small cubes, spread out on a kitchen paper lined tray, sprinkle with fine salt and cover with more paper. Leave for 15 minutes. Rinse the aubergine cubes to remove the salt, and pat dry with fresh kitchen paper.

Heat half of the olive oil in a frying pan, add the aubergine and fry for 5 minutes until golden. Add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

In a separate frying pan, over a medium heat warm the rest of the olive oil and add then add the onion and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent but not burnt. Stir frequently.
Add the aubergine to the onion and garlic and mix together. Add the tomatoes and passata to the frying pan, stir to mix and bring up to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes (add a little water if necessary). Stir occasionally.

Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water, bring back to the boil and cook for about 12 minutes or according to the packet instructions, stirring occasionally.
Just before serving the sauce, stir in the cream, oregano and parsley (leave some for a garnish) to the sauce, and taste to check the seasoning.
Turn the heat off under the pasta. Use a perforated spoon and transfer the drained pasta into the sauce and mix it into the sauce thoroughly.

Serve immediately into warm dishes. Drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil, grate the pecorino cheese over the top and garnish with the rest of the parsley.

Produced by John Fletcher at http://www.johnstastesofitaly.com

This is a panoramic view of Perugia in the north of Umbria. It is the regional capital city.

19/02/202212/04/2022

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Aubergine Fritters / Polpette di melanzane

These Calabrian aubergine polpette are perfect as an appetizer or for an aperitif, an easy and tasty second course and ideal for everyday lunch and dinner with a rich salad.

The ingredients needed to make them are few and simple, containing a simple mix of aubergines, bread, eggs and pecorino cheese. One of the many examples of simple Calabrian home cooking, they are addictively delicious. Make sure the cheese you are using is made with vegetable rennet to make this dish vegetarian.

Aubergine Fritters

Polpette di melanzane

Adapted from a recipe by Valeria Necchio at this website: https://www.greatitalianchefs.com/recipes/polpette-di-melanzane-recipe-aubergine-fritters

“This Calabrian polpette (meatball) recipe doesn’t actually contain any meat, containing a simple mix of aubergines, bread and pecorino cheese instead. One of the many examples of simple Calabrian home cooking, they are addictively delicious, simple to make and grace the vast majority of the region’s dinner tables every Sunday. Make sure the cheese you’re using is made with vegetable rennet to make this dish vegetarian. Some recipes, including this one, use parsley, while others use fresh basil. Feel free to stir basil into the mix if you like.” Valeria Necchio

Ingredients: Serves 6

250g of stale white bread
500g (about 3 aubergines) of large aubergines, peeled, sliced, and chopped into chunks
100g of vegetarian pecorino, finely grated (or use a similar cheese using vegetarian rennet, if preferred)
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (a small bunch will do)
1 garlic clove, grated
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
fine sea salt, as needed
freshly ground black pepper, as needed
100 g fine breadcrumbs
extra virgin olive oil, for deep-frying

Method:

To begin, soak the bread in a bowl of water and set aside for 10 minutes, until softened. Drain the bread, squeezing out the excess liquid, and crumble into a large bowl. Set aside.
Cook the aubergine in a steamer for 10 to 15 minutes until tender all the way through. Drain and leave to cool on a plate. Squeeze out any excess liquid with your hands over a bowl. This is crucial, you want them just barely wet at the end of the squeezing process, then mince very finely with a sharp knife or potato masher.
Place the minced aubergines in a large bowl with the bread and mix thoroughly. Add the grated pecorino, parsley, grated garlic, eggs, salt and pepper and mix until evenly combined. Shape the fritters using your clean hands, giving them a flat round or oval shape. If the dough is too sticky, do not hesitate to add a handful of breadcrumbs to obtain an easily workable consistency.
Spread the breadcrumbs over the base of a deep flat-bottomed bowl. Place the fritters onto the breadcrumbs and sprinkle more breadcrumbs over the top until they are completely covered.
Finally, add the extra virgin olive oil to a frying pan or wok to a depth of 2 to 3 cm, and set over a medium heat. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs into the oil. When the oil is hot enough (170–180°C) the breadcrumbs will begin to bubble and fry. Carefully add the fritters to the olive oil and fry in batches until dark-brown and cooked through, for about 4-5 minutes. Turn them over to fry the other side until dark-brown and cooked through, for about 4-5 minutes. Drain with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Tips and serving suggestions: Allow to cool slightly, then eat while still warm.

Aubergine~Fritters Download the Recipe – MS Word

Produced by John Fletcher at http://www.johnstastesofitaly.com