KITCHEN-SINK PASTA

Sometimes cooking is precision, measuring set amounts or cooking at exact temperatures.  Cooking is also a mercurial art.  It's the jazz of dinner made without a recipe's restrictions.  It's the alchemy of mingling what's left in your pantry. This dinner was  born from want -- basically, I had no desire to walk to the food store.

Looking around the kitchen, I eyed a bunch of parsley and a few cloves of garlic.  Rummaging through the pantry, I came across a bag of breadcrumbs, a tin of anchovies and some spaghetti.  I decided to do a greener take on aglio, olio e peperoncino.  A satisfying mix of browned garlic, spicy peperoncino and tons of clean-tasting parsley dresses the pasta.  The anchovy adds a savory -- but not fishy -- under note.

INGREDIENTS

* 8 oz spaghetti, cooked

* 4-5 anchovy filets 

* 3 cloves of garlic (or more)

* 1/2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley 

* 1-2 chopped peperoncini or 1/2 tsp. of red chile flakes

* 3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

* 1/2 cup of panko, toasted 

Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. While the water is boiling, roughly chop the parsley leaves and slice the garlic cloves into thin slivers. Then, heat 2 tbs. of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the anchovies to the warmed oil and let them cook for 1 minute.  With a wooden spoon, stir the anchovies around the skillet. They should begin to break down and dissolve in the oil.  

At this point, add the peperoncino and the garlic slices to the oil.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  The garlic will become aromatic and then begin to brown.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Light-brown is good.  Dark brown is bitter.  Once the garlic has started to brown, turn off the heat.

 

In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining 1 tbs. of oil oil.  Stir with a fork to ensure that the oil is evenly coating the crumbs.  Heat a different skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the breadcrumbs and toast for 2 minutes.  They should sizzle and turn a golden-brown.

Remove the pasta from the boiling water with a pasta spoon.  Put it straight into the pan with the garlic-anchovy-oil mix.  Toss the pasta, making sure that the flavored oil coats all of it.  At this point, add the rough-chopped parsley and the breadcrumbs.  Toss once or twice more to evenly distribute all of the ingredients.  Serve immediately.

AGLIO, OLIO, PEPERONCINO

Photo credit

Italian food is a normally a slow cuisine. Hand-shaped pastas. Stove-top braises. Day-long sauces.  But, when I was studying in Florence, my friend Antonio introduced me to one of Italy's easier recipes: aglio, olio e peperoncino. Garlic (aglio) and chili (peperoncino) get sauteed until fragrant in olive oil (olio).  This trinity is then tossed with a heap of hot spaghetti.

Purists will make this sauce with just those three ingredients. To jazz it up, you can also dress the oil-slicked spaghetti with a handful of chopped parsley or pan toasted breadcrumbs.  This is flavorful food for the kitchen clueless.

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 cloves of garlic (or more to taste), roughly chopped

* 3 dried peperoncini or 1/2 tsp. or red chili flakes

* 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

* 16 oz of dried spaghetti

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS:

* 1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

*1/3 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano 

OR

* 1/3 cup of  pan-toasted breadcrumbs

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Pour in the spaghetti once the water boils,  cooking for 9-10 minutes until al dente.  Meanwhile, roughly chop the peeled garlic and peperoncini.  While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium.  After 2 minutes of heating, add garlic to the oil. Stir frequently, sizzling the garlic until it starts to brown.  This will take around 2 minutes.

Mix in the peperoncini or red pepper flakes into the oil.  Cook the garlic and chili for another 30 seconds -- no stirring.  Before straining the pasta, pour 1 ladle-ful of starchy pasta water into the garlic-chili-oil slurry.  Turn the heat to medium-high and bring this liquid to a boil. When it begins to bubble, lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the liquid for 5 minutes, allowing the browned garlic and chili to hydrate and soften in the water.  Remove the liquid from the heat after 5 minutes

Strain the spaghetti and then pour it into the skillet with the garlicky water.  Toss the pasta and the liquid, coating all of the spaghetti.  If you'd like, you can add the chopped parsley or grated cheese at this point.  Be sure to re-toss the pasta if you add herbs or parmigiano. Let the pasta sit at room temperature for 3-5 minutes; this will give the pasta time absorb some of the flavored liquid. (If you'd prefer to add a bit of crunch, dress each bowl of pasta with a tablespoon or two of toasted breadcrumbs; you can read about making pant-toasted breadcrumbs here).

FRIED OLIVES

Sicilian cooks bake them until the flesh has softened.  Neapolitans make a pasta sauce out of black ones, tomatoes and anchovies.  Bars will serve bowls of them alongside boozy drinks. Olives.

Grown from regional varietals, Italy's olives differ in color, shape and size.  Some are large and emerald green. Others are peanut-sized and eggplant purple. Olives canned in the U.S. tend to taste like salt -- having been drowned in brine.  Mediterranean olives, though, get cured in herbs, salt and extra virgin olive oil. You can still taste the olive.  

Fried olives are a classic appetizer in central Italy.  Some recipes call for stuffing the olives with grated cheese and prosciutto.  Others keep things simple -- dredging them in breadcrumbs and then frizzling in hot oil.   

INGREDIENTS

* 1.5 - 2 cups pitted green Mediterranean olives

* 2 eggs, whisked

* 3/4 cup of bread crumbs

* 1/4 cup of grated parmigiano or pecorino cheese

* Oil for frying -- olive or sunflower oil

Whisk the 2 eggs in a bowl until frothy.  Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Then, mix the 1/4 cup of grated cheese into the breadcrumbs.  Dip the pitted olives in the egg and then dredge in the cheese-breadcrumb mix. Repeat this process a second time to ensure that the coating sticks to the olives during frying.  

Heat 3 cups (at least) of oil over medium high heat. Use a tall and sturdy stockpot -- this will prevent the oil from splattering on your stove and give you enough depth for frying.  Olive oil begins to burn at 375F. So, if you want to fry in olive oil, be sure it hovers around 350F.  For frying, it is better to use a lower grade -- ahem, cheaper-- olive oil. Keep your extra virgin for another time. (For more on frying, see this New York Times piece).

Using a candy thermometer, test the oil's temperature. When it reaches 350F, it's ready.  Fry the olives in batches until golden brown: 2-4 minutes per batch.  Remove the fried olives to a paper towel.  Serve immediately. Can you eat just one?

PASTA SALAD

The other night, I wasn't sure what to make.  I didn't have much time.  I had no desire to walk to the grocer.  Looking around, I spotted a box of cherry tomatoes, some parsley and a head of garlic.
 
Then, I remembered a lunch my friend made - penne with pomodorini, basil and milky mozzarella. Tossed with a glug of olive oil, this quick pasta salad was served room temp.  Since the ingredients mix when the pasta is hot, the mozzarella melts and the tomatoes release their tart-sweet juice.

Sans cheese or basilico, I tweaked the original dish -- omitting the mozzarella and substituting parsley for basil.  To give the pasta some mmmph, I drizzled the dish with syrupy balsamic vinegar.

INGREDIENTS:

- 8 oz penne, cooked al dente

- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped

- 1 container cherry tomatoes, halved

 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar

- Salt & pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water. While the penne is boiling, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and rough chop the parsley and/or basil. Once al dente, strain the pasta. Do not run the penne under cold water. We want the pasta hot. 

In a large  bowl, toss the penne with the  tomatoes and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the olive oil over the pasta mixture. Let the pasta sit at room temperature and "muddle" for 20 minutes.  Juice from the tomatoes will ooze out, creating a "sauce." Before serving, drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Re-toss.

ITALIAN FLATBREAD

The Middle East has pita. Indians nosh on naan.  Italians have piadina.  Denser than a pancake but lighter than its leavened cousins, piadina is the carb of choice in Italy's Romagna region.

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Locals lunch on wraps made of this griddle-puffed flatbread.  Whether filled with  prosciutto or grilled veggies, piadina can sate  the most bread-o-philic palette.  Sweeter wraps, schmeared with nutella, are also common.

Accounts mentioning the piê go back to the 14th century.  Originally made at home by poor cooks, this flatbread has turned into a quick on-the-go meal --  Italy's answer to the burrito.

Malleable, this dough uses no yeast. No need for it to rise. Just pulse the flour, fat and wine together. Rolled into tortilla-sized circles, the piadina is ready for the griddle.

* In Italy, piadina tends to be made with lard, which is far more common in Romagna region than olive oil.  This recipe swaps out the piggy fat for a mix of olive oil and cold cubed butter.

http://annaincasa.blogspot.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups flour
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• circa 1/3 cup cup dry white wine

Pan-"toasted" piadina

First pulse the flour, salt and baking soda together in a food processor.  Once the dry ingredients have been mixed, turn on the food processor and pour a steady stream of olive oil into the flour.  The flour and oil will turn into a sand-like mixture.  Add the cubed cold butter and process.

Pour the dry white wine in bit by bit.  The dough will be granular in texture and, unlike a pie crust, should NOT form into a ball in the mixer.  When larger clumps start to form in the mix, dough is ready.  Put the floury mix onto a flat surface.

Using the warmth of your hands, press the loose dough together into a ball.  Knead the dough until pliable.  If the mix is too "crumbly" and won't come together into a workable dough, pulse with a bit more liquid in the mixer.  With the palm of your hands, roll dough into a log and cut into 1.5 inch rounds.  Use a rolling pin, flatten the rounds into tortilla-shaped circles.

Heat cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium high heat.  Cook the piadina in the ungreased pan for 3-4 minutes on each side.  It will puff up slightly over the heat and start to brown.  After a minute, spin the piadina 180 degrees to ensure that it won't burn on the bottom.   Stuff with cured meats and cheeses; serve hot.

RECIPE NOTE:

Making piadina is an inexact art -- sometimes you may need a little more oil or a little more liquid. The consistency you're looking for, though, is pliable but not sticky.   

SPAGHETTI & CLAMS

     

Photo from: http://cosacucino.myblog.it

Italy is touched on most sides by the sea.  Unlike more landlocked countries, no one region lays claim to seafood preeminence; all prize fish, squid and shrimp.  It's not the presence of seafood that sets these regions' cuisines apart.  It's how that seafood gets prepped.     

While Venetians steep sardines in vinegar and onions, Sicilians stew them with raisins.  Neapolitans slow-cook octopus in tomatoes but, moving north to Liguria, you find the eight-legged critter boiled with potatoes and a squirt of lemon.

In Naples, spaghetti with clams is a classic dish - clams, olive oil and garlic.  Fresh clams are the key to a tasty sauce.  Once cooked, the clams open and release their juice; this liquid adds an "oceany" complexity to the final sughetto.  Spicy red pepper compliments the mollusks' briny taste.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1.5 - 2lbs of live manilla clams, in their shells

* 8 oz spaghetti, cooked al dente

* 6 tablespoons of olive oil

* 2 garlic cloves (or less; depends how "garlicky" you want it), sliced thin

* Red pepper flakes, to taste 

* 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped

Scrub the clams, removing any sand still on the shells. Place the clams in a bowl and cover with water.  Let the clams sit in the water for 20 min.  The clams will expel whatever sand is inside, guaranteeing your meal is not a gritty mess.  

Heat a dutch oven over medium.  Do not add any oil yet.  Put the clams in the hot pan and cover for 3-4 minutes.  During this time, the clams should open up and begin releasing their juice.

Clams with shells open after cooking. Photo from: http://savourbcn.files.wordpress.com

When they've opened, you can either keep the clams in their shells or toss out the shells.  Remove the clams / juice from heat and set aside.  If you choose to pull the meat from the shells, do not pour out the liquid they have emitted. Pour 6 tablespoons of olive oil into a separate skillet and heat over low.  Toast the garlic / red pepper flakes the skillet until aromatic.  

Photo from www.buttalapasta.it

Once the garlic sizzles, add the conserved clams / juice to the pan with the garlicky oil.  Cover and cook the clams for 15 minutes. Cook on very low heat.  As a final step, toss the al dente pasta in the skillet with the clams, sprinkling with the chopped parsley.   

PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower needs more love.  Americans tend to damn it to side-dish oblivion.  Boiled to a bland mush, cauliflower loses most of its flavor.  Sadder still, what little taste is left then gets entombed in molten cheese sauce.  This recipe aims to lift cauliflower out of its Velveeta-drowned purgatory.

When pan-fried, cauliflower caramelizes.  High heat salvages the florets' crunch, drawing out the sweetness sapped by boiling.  If you hate cauliflower, give this recipe a whirl and see if you still find it icky.

In much of Rome, the cavolfiore romanesco is a comical and common sight.  Looking like a mad botanist's creation, it's sort of broccoli and sort of cauliflower. Bright green, the romanesco variety first emerged in Italy during the 1600s.  Its texture is spongy like cauliflower but, once cooked, presents a greener taste more akin to everyday broccoli.

This dish combines market-variety cauliflower and the more alien-looking romanesco.  If you can't find romanesco, plain old cauliflower is more than up to the task. Porous florets happily sop up the oil, vinegar and lemon juice dressing. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small head of white cauliflower
• 1 small romanesco cauliflower
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (optional)
• 6-8 pitted olives, chopped
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 - 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 8 oz of penne

Wash and core the cauliflower, keeping the individual florets intact as much as possible.  For instructions on coring a cauliflower, go here: how to cut a cauliflower.  Slice the florets in half or in quarters.  Cauliflower browns best when cut with one or more flat sides.  The flat surface will touch the hot pan and caramelize.  Uncut florets will may turn soggy and be hard to brown.

While the water is boiling, heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in a flat skillet over medium-high. Depending on size, you might need more oil.  When the pan is hot (but-not-smoking), add cauliflower slivers.  Quickly stir the so that all the pieces are coated in oil.  :: Stop stirring ::.  In order to brown, the cauliflower needs to be in sustained direct contact with the hot pan.  Wait 3-4 minutes or until the cauliflower has begun to brown.  Continue cooking until browned all over.  Remove the florets and set aside.

Cook the penne in 3 quarts of salted water.   In the same pan that you cooked the cauliflower, heat another 2 tablespoons of oil.  Add the garlic, olives, capers, red pepper flakes and anchovy, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.  Cook over medium heat for another 2 minutes -- you will begin to smell the aromatic garlic and the vinegary tang of the capers.
 

When the garlic starts to caramelize, return the browned florets to the pan.  Lower heat and gently mix together, making sure that the garlic and olives and capers get evenly distributed.  Dress the florets at this point with the lemon juice and balsamic.  Keep cooking for 2-3 minutes over low heat -- or until the juice and vinegar have been absorbed.  Toss the cooked pasta together in the pan with the dressed cauliflower. Serve hot.  

SWEET & SOUR EGGPLANT

In Italy's boot and heel, eggplant reigns supreme. Whether fried, char-grilled or teamed with red sauce, this ink-purple verdura is at the heart of countless rustic recipes.

Historically, Italy's south was poorer and more rural than the north.  Its cuisine reflects this reality -- rich in  local vegetables and seafood but short on more expensive red meats.  Carne -- beef, pork and lamb -- was a pricey treat reserved for Sunday dinners or dry-cured as salami.

In southern Italian kitchens, eggplant fills the role that cutlets or steak play in richer regions.  People make eggplant meatballs (polpette di melanzane) throughout the south, substituting ground meat with eggplant and bread crumbs.  

Melanzane in agrodolce is common in Sicly, Calabria and Campania.  Grilled or pan-fried eggplant are dressed in a tangy slurry of red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic and herbs.  Porous eggplant will sponge up the tart marinade.  Because the glaze is vinegar-based, the dish will last up to a week in the fridge.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

SUPERMARKET TIP:

Italian eggplants are thinner, longer and all-around tinier than American supermarket varietals.  If possible, look for either "Italian eggplant" or "Japanese eggplant."  Gigantic eggplants can have a bitter taste.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 or 5 eggplants, cubed
• 1 sweet onions, diced
• 1 cup of good red wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon capers
• Fresh mint or flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt & pepper

Cut the eggplants into cubes. For tips on cubing an eggplant, go here: How to cube an eggplant

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In a large frying pan, heat 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.  Olive oil has a low burn temperature, so be careful not to get it too hot.  It will smoke and taste bad.  Pan fry the cubed eggplant until each cube has softened and is golden brown / lightly caramelized on all sides -- about 8-10 minutes.  Cook the eggplant in batches. You won't be able to cook it all at once.  

Fry about 20 cubes at a time.  You may need to add more olive oil after cooking a batch.  Remove the browned eggplant and place it in a large mixing bowl.  Then, cook the onion on medium-low heat in the same pan until translucent. Add the cooked onion to the bowl with the caramelized eggplant.
Photo: www.ideericette.it

When the eggplant is done, make the marinade.  Whisk the minced garlic, red wine vinegar, fresh herbs, capers and sugar together in a bowl.   If you are cooking large eggplants, you will need to double the marinade proportions.  Taste the marinade and add salt and pepper.  Pour the marinade over the pan-fried eggplant and onion, tossing the mixture.  Let the eggplant sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes to ensure that the marinade is evenly distributed.  
This photo is from www.mondodelgusto.it

GARLIC BREAD TUSCAN STYLE

There are easy recipes. And, there are easy recipes --  food that  folks who struggle with Kraft Mac can make. And, make well.  Literally meaning an oiled up slice of bread, fettunta is Tuscany's bare-bones take on garlic bread.  (My high school English teachers would be horrified -- two sentences in one paragraph that start with "and").

For most Americans, just mentioning garlic bread conjures images of oven-toasted loaves doused in butter, parsley and mountains of minced garlic.  Some garlic bread leaks yellow. Some ooze gooey cheese. Others make you wonder why the bread looks like orange Kool-Aid.

While not straying far from the grease + bread + garlic equation, fettunta might better be called garlicky bread.  If American garlic bread showcases the zing of garlic and the stringiness of mozzarella, the star of fettunta is the bread.  To be sure, garlic is still here.  It's just not the main attraction -- one note in a choir rather than that voice that makes you forget all others. Since garlic won't overpower the bread, it's key that you get your hands on a quality loaf.

Raw garlic is rubbed right on top of toasted or grilled bread.  The warm surface absorbs just a hint of the garlic's punch.  You taste the bread. You taste the fruity olive oil. You taste the garlic.  No one flavor kills the others.  Served hot, this is easy and light finger food.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 loaf crusty bread
• Olive oil for drizzling (1/2 cup)
• 6 or so peeled garlic cloves
• Salt & pepper

Slice the crusty Italian loaf into thick "bruschetta-sized" slices. Each slice should be about 1 to 1.5 inches wide.  Once sliced, flash toast (on high) the slices. If you have a grill pan or a grill, grilling the bread is the way to go.  This will endow the final dish with a rich, smoky aftertaste.  

When toasty, take a clove of garlic and rub it into the bread's rough surface.  The garlic will rub off.  Garlic up each hot slice this way.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  If the bread is already salted, only use a smidgin of salt. As a final step, pour a big glug of extra-virgin olive oil over each garlicky piece.  The warm bread will absorb the oil. Serve hot.

                                               This photo is from http://theitaliandish.blogspot.com