Category: Home Cooking

RICETTE per capretto (e capra) – Recipes for slow cooked kid and goat

Here is another recipe to add to the collection of:  RICETTE per capretto (e capra) – Recipes for slow cooked kid and goat. Perfect for any occasion but especially at Easter and New Year.

Slow Cooked Goat with Mushrooms

Slow Cooked Goat with Mushrooms is a rich, slow-braised ragù inspired by Sicily, where Marsala is not reserved only for desserts but is also used to add depth and fragrance to savoury dishes.

Many Italian goat stews are cooked with red or white wine, but in western Sicily it is not unusual to cook meat with Marsala, the island’s famous fortified wine. For this recipe I used Marsala Fine (semi-secco) both to marinate the meat overnight and to enrich the braising liquid.

The finished slow cooked ragù was served with fresh egg pappardelle, whose broad ribbons are perfect for capturing every spoonful of the rich sauce.

Fresh pappardelle dressed with slow-cooked goat and mushroom ragù, finished with Pecorino and fresh mint
Marsala

One of the distinctive Sicilian touches in this dish is the generous use of Marsala, the island’s famous fortified wine. Outside Sicily, goat is more commonly braised with red or white wine, but Marsala has long been used in Sicilian kitchens to enrich both sweet and savoury dishes. In this recipe, I use Marsala Fine (semi-secco) to marinate the goat overnight and again during the slow braise. As it cooks, the wine loses its alcoholic edge, leaving behind a subtle sweetness and remarkable depth of flavour that beautifully complements the richness of the goat and the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Choosing the Meat

I bought a leg and shoulder labelled capretto, the Italian word for kid goat. Traditionally, capretto refers to a young, milk-fed animal prized for its delicate flavour. Judging by the size of these cuts, however, I suspect this was from a more mature goat (capra), which is no disadvantage for a slow-cooked dish. Older goat develops a fuller flavour and becomes wonderfully tender when gently braised for several hours.

The Overnight Marinade

The flavour begins the night before.

I cut most of the meat from the bones, but left the bones in the marinade. They release valuable flavour during the slow cooking and enrich the finished ragù.

The marinade consisted of:

  • Marsala Fine (semi-secco)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Bay leaves
  • Rosemary
  • Cloves

To these classic Sicilian flavours I added sage and nepitella (calamint), these herbs more commonly associated with central and northern Italy, but ones that work beautifully with goat.

Below is the photo of the marinade:

Goat marinating overnight in Marsala, herbs and extra virgin olive oil.

I cut most of the meat off the bone but kept the bones in with the meat to marinade overnight.

The flesh removed from the bones
Building the Ragù

The following day, drain the meat, reserving the marinade.

Brown the goat and bones in batches in extra virgin olive oil until well coloured.

don’t overcrowd the pan, brown meat a few pieces at the time

Removing the meat between batches ensures it browns rather than steams.

In the same pan prepare a soffritto of finely chopped onion, carrot and celery.

The soffritto- onions, carrots and celery

Cook the onion first until softened, then add the carrot and celery and continue sautéing until fragrant.

Return the meat and bones to the pan.

Return all the browned meat to the saucepan

Pour over the reserved marinade, add the herbs, season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add enough good-quality meat stock to almost cover the meat. I also added another splash of Marsala for extra richness.

Add drained marinade, Marsala and more fresh herbs

Cover and cook gently over low heat for about 4 hours, checking occasionally and adding more stock if necessary.

Slow cooking will do this: By the end of the cooking the meat should be very tender and the bones almost clean.

Add the Mushrooms

When the meat is almost cooked, remove the bones and stir in the sliced mushrooms.

Cover again and cook for another 20–30 minutes, allowing the mushrooms to absorb the rich cooking juices without losing their texture.

The result is a deeply flavoured ragù with tender goat and earthy mushrooms balanced by the sweetness of the Marsala.

Flesh with bones removed and mushrooms – cooked
Serving

Cook fresh egg pappardelle until al dente and toss it through the ragù so every ribbon is coated with the sauce.

Serve with grated Pecorino cheese and a scattering of fresh mint leaves, whose freshness lifts the richness of the slow-cooked goat.

This is generous country cooking—perfect for sharing around a large table with family and friends.

Quite a bit of work, but Perfect!

See:

RAGU` DI CAPRETTO Goat/ kid ragout as a dressing for pasta

SPEZZATINO DI CAPRETTO (Italian Goat/ Kid stew)

SLOW COOKED LEG OF GOAT WITH HOT MINT SAUCE

KID/GOAT WITH ALMONDS (SPRING IN SICILY, CAPRETTO CON LE MANDORLE)

SICILIAN SEAFOOD COOKING, ITALIANICIOUS and READER’S FEAST Bookstore. Recipe for Slow cooked goat in Nero D’Avola

Melbourne – August: Winter Artichokes in risotto and stuffed

It is August and winter in Melbourne, and I am on the lookout for artichokes.

Fresh produce has always been essential to my cooking, and I am fortunate to live very close to Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market, where seasonal ingredients are always within reach. Before the lockdown restrictions, I also shopped at various Farmers’ Markets, but for now, QVM is my main source of beautiful winter produce.

Last weekend I found these exceptionally green artichokes—local, in season, and noticeably different from the varieties available earlier in the year. Their freshness was unmistakable.

Fresh winter artichokes from the Queen Victoria Market, bright green and in season.

A few days later I purchased a handful of baby artichokes. These appear when the artichoke plant is nearing the end of its season. The plant no longer has the energy to produce full-sized globes, so it sends out smaller offshoots. They are often used for pickling. Unlike the bright-green mature artichokes, these babies are tinged with purple.

And what is the bunch of greens sitting beside them? Cime di rapa—a welcome surprise this late in the season, and still in excellent condition.

Baby artichokes and late-season cime di rapa

Stuffed Winter Artichokes

With the large artichokes, I made a classic stuffed version. I filled the centres with fresh breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil, then braised them in a mixture of white wine, stock and more olive oil.

Potatoes help keep the artichokes upright as they cook, and they absorb the braising liquid beautifully. The liquid should reach below the top of each artichoke. The potatoes are delicious as they soak up the flavours of the artichoke braising liquid.

Artichokes stuffed with breadcrumbs, Parmesan, herbs and garlic, ready to braise.

Artichokes should fit snugly in the pan. Sometimes the stems help keep them secure; other times I use potatoes to prop them up.

And what did I do with the baby artichokes?

Baby Artichokes in Risotto

The baby artichokes were braised in stock, white wine and extra virgin olive oil. Once cooked, I used their fragrant braising liquid as the base for a delicate risotto.

For the risotto:
Sauté garlic and onion in extra virgin olive oil.

Add the rice and stir until well coated.

Warm the artichoke braising liquid and add it gradually, as you would for a traditional risotto.

Stir through parsley halfway through cooking. Add the cooked baby artichokes and a small knob of butter during the final absorption of the stock.

The risotto should be served all’onda—soft, creamy and rippling like waves.

Finish with grated Parmesan, if you wish, though I often prefer tasting the natural sweetness of the artichokes without cheese.

Risotto made with baby artichokes and their aromatic braising liquid.

Carciofi and Carciofini

In Italian, carciofi are artichokes and carciofini are baby artichokes.
My blog contains many artichoke recipes; here are a few you might enjoy:

 

CARCIOFI IMBOTTITI (Stuffed artichokes)

CARCIOFINI SOTT’ OLIO (Preserved artichokes in oil)

CARCIOFI (Artichokes and how to clean them and prepare them for cooking) 

CARCIOFI FARCITI (Stuffed artichokes: with meat and with olives and anchovies)

There are also recipes on my blog for Cime di Rapa.

MINESTRA from Trieste – borlotti, pearl barley, sauerkraut

MINESTRA from Trieste with borlotti and pearl barley – Minestra d’Orzo e Fagioli is a traditional Triestine soup with sauerkraut (capuzi garbi) as an optional ingredient.

It is one of the most comforting soups and is wonderfully brothy, nourishing and deeply satisfying.

It is a meal I enjoy cooking during Melbourne’s cold winter months.

These are three ingredients I almost always have on hand. Together they produce a soup that reflects the culinary heritage of Trieste, a city where Italian, Austrian and Central European food traditions meet.

Borlotti beans, pearl barley – humble ingredients that define this Triestine minestra/ soup
A Taste of Trieste

My love of this soup comes from having lived in Trieste as a child. Sauerkraut, known locally in the Triestino dialect as capuzi garbi (“sour cabbage”), was a familiar ingredient in many homes throughout winter.

Even today I always keep jars of sauerkraut in my pantry. I also cook dried borlotti beans and pearl barley separately in batches, storing them in their cooking liquid in the refrigerator or freezer. This makes preparing a wholesome soup easy —simply combine the cooked ingredients, warm them together and dinner is ready.

Like most Italian home cooking, this recipe is flexible rather than prescriptive. Adjust the proportions according to your taste and what you have available.

Trieste, Ponte Rosso
Every Family Makes It Differently

Like the majority of the way Italians cook, the quantity of ingredients is only an estimate…use more or less of any ingredient to suit your taste and there are many versions of this soup throughout Trieste and this is important to acknowledge.

Some cooks leave out the sauerkraut altogether, while others enrich the broth with potatoes, smoked pork or lard making it a closer version to Iota, another Triestine favourite. Potatoes create a thicker, heartier soup, but I prefer a lighter broth where the flavours of the beans, barley and sauerkraut remain distinct.

The Role of Lardo

Many traditional Triestine recipes begin with lardo affumicato (smoked pork fat) or speck, which gives the soup remarkable depth and richness.

Lardo affumicato or speck adds traditional richness to Trieste bean and barley soup.

It is worth noting that the Italian word lardo can refer to different products:

  • Lardo affumicato is smoked pork fat used for cooking.
  • Lardo is rendered pork fat is also called lardo in Italian and simply “lard” in English.
  • Lardo is also a celebrated Italian salume made from cured pork back fat, traditionally seasoned with herbs and spices. Perhaps the most famous is Lardo di Colonnata, matured in marble basins in the Carrara region.

Lardo as a salume is eaten (sliced very thinly) and widely used in Italian cuisine especially in northern Italy; it is made from the thick layer of fat from the back of a pig and cured and no additives or preservatives are used.

Lardo does make a big difference if used – it will enrich the taste and the texture of the soup.

I generally do not have Lardo in my fridge but I can easily purchase it if I wish.

No lardo? I finish each bowl with a generous drizzle of excellent extra virgin olive oil and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Dried Beans or Canned?

I almost always cook dried borlotti beans because they are inexpensive, delicious and produce a wonderfully flavoursome cooking liquid that becomes part of the soup. If I drain borlotti, for example in a sale, I keep the borlotti broth and use it as stock.

However, if you prefer to use canned beans, simply cook the barley separately and add the drained beans towards the end of cooking.

You will need additional vegetable or chicken stock because you will not have the rich bean broth that develops naturally when cooking dried beans.

Ingredients
  • 250 g dried borlotti beans
  • 250 g pearl barley
  • 1–3 garlic cloves
  • 2–4 bay leaves
  • A handful of chopped parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Optional
  • 80–100 g smoked lardo or speck, finely diced
  • 2–3 potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 150–200 g sauerkraut (capuzi garbi), drained and gently squeezed.

*** I have a recipe to make Iota, see below.

Method
  1. Soak the borlotti beans and pearl barley separately overnight in plenty of cold water.
  2. Drain the beans and place them in a large saucepan with fresh water, the garlic and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then simmer for approximately 30 minutes.
  3. Add the soaked pearl barley, parsley, salt and pepper.
  4. If using potatoes or sauerkraut, add them at the same time as the barley.
  5. Continue cooking for another 20–30 minutes, or until both the beans and barley are tender.
  6. If using diced smoked lardo or speck, add it with the beans at the beginning of cooking so its flavour slowly enriches the broth.
  7. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Serve hot with a generous drizzle of good-quality extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

I have always loved the Triestine word for bread—pan. Short, strong and wonderfully direct, it perfectly suits the rustic loaf that belongs beside this soup. A thick slice of good pan is all that is needed to complete the meal.

A bowl of  brothy Minestra d’Orzo e Fagioli

IOTA

IOTA recipe for SBS ITALIAN (a thick soup from Trieste)

Pork Hock, Polish Wedding Sausage, Borlotti and Sauerkraut =IOTA (a lean version)

IOTA (Recipe, a very thick soup from Trieste) Post 1

IOTA FROM TRIESTE, Italy, made with smoked pork, sauerkraut, borlotti beans 

Moulinex – vellutate (veloutés), baby food and Pappa al Pomodoro

Moulinex vellutate, baby food purées and Pappa al Pomodoro evoke memories for many of us who grew up with a trusty Moulinex on the kitchen bench. This simple tool—so effective at making velvety soups and smooth—remains part of Italian kitchens and traditions.

A friend’s husband recently underwent surgery for a hiatus hernia and is now following a gradual recovery diet: first liquids, then purées, and eventually soft, mushy foods. But this doesn’t have to be dull. The pale beetroot Borsch I made recently was silky, nourishing and full of flavour—proof that puréed food can still feel comforting.

MOULINEX FOR BABY FOOD

This slow return to solids reminds me of the way Italian babies begin their food journey. When my younger brother was born, I was eight and watched my mother cook with care and delight. Years later I followed the same steps with my own children.

The gradual progression of the density of food and the complexity of ingredients seems very much like what babies experience when they are introduced to solids.

We began with minestrine, gentle broths with light vegetables, and pappe made with bread. Then came purées and small pastine, followed by semolina in brodo. My mother added puréed chicken, veal liver, fine minced chicken breast or a little white fish to broth with overcooked rice. Her vellutate—a broth blended with one or two vegetables—was enriched not with cream but with an egg yolk to keep it light and digestible. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and finely grated parmesan were introduced early.

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The traditional Moulinex rotary mill, perfect for velvety soups and purées.

The heart of the operation was always the Moulinex (or Mouli)—a rotary vegetable mill that made perfect baby-food textures. Unlike blenders, which pulverise everything including tough skins, the Moulinex purées vegetables while leaving behind skins and fibres.

Vegetables like zucchini, green beans, carrot, pumpkin and potato were considered the easiest for babies to digest, with spinach added later. For brain-building, as my mother liked to say, she often made minestrine with white fish, sometimes enriched with puréed potatoes or tiny stelline pasta.

Stelline pasta

My brother and my son adored pappa di pane—simple bread simmered in water or broth until soft and creamy, then enriched with olive oil and eventually a little parmesan.

Later, stewed tomato (often cooked with a basil leaf) was added, and the Mouli came out again to remove skins and seeds. No wonder Italian babies develop such an early love of flavour.

My daughter always preferred broth with pastina.  The broth was made with meat and a carrot and a piece of celery, but not onion – this is too heavy for babies. The meat was removed and the carrot and celery were puréed once they were cooked and returned to the broth.

USING THE MOULINEX FOR ADULTS

The Moulinex made beautiful vegetable vellutate for the whole family. The mushroom vellutata was pretty good and made some with pulses – dried peas, lentils and chickpeas.

Basically, you can turn  any left over vegetables into a good looking, tasty vellutata and some good broth.

Adults, especially in Tuscany, never lose the taste for pappa. Pappa al Pomodoro, thickened with stale bread, remains a timeless dish. Although simple, every cook and region has its own variation. What matters most is the quality of tomatoes, bread, basil and olive oil. You can keep the tomatoes rustic, or use your Moulinex to create a smoother version.

You can see why Italian babies develop a palate – a taste for flavour!

Adults, especially in Tuscany, never lose the taste for pappa. Pappa al Pomodoro, thickened with stale bread, remains a timeless dish. Although simple, every cook and region has its own variation. What matters most is the quality of tomatoes, bread, basil and olive oil. You can keep the tomatoes rustic, or use your Moulinex to create a smoother version. And although this is a rather simple recipe, you can find various versions of it across Tuscany and some other regions of Italy.

Good produce, gentle cooking and simple tools like the Moulinex are at the heart of Italian comfort food—whether for babies, convalescing adults or anyone who loves nourishing, flavourful dishes.

Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 1 kg fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 800 g good-quality canned
  • 200 g day-old white bread, crusts removed, cut into chunks
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or water)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh basil

Method

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook until reduced and thickened, like a salsa.

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Add stock, bread, seasoning and basil. Simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring to break down the bread.

Serve the pappa warm or at room temperature topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil leaves.

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CUCINA POVERA; REDISCOVERING SOUP

RED PEPPER (Capsicum) SOUP

MACCU (a thick, broad bean soup, made at the end of winter to celebrate spring)

 

 

 

AUTUMN FRUIT and baked quinces

Autumn Fruit in Victoria offers a stunning variety of fruit, characterised by its vibrant colours, enticing fragrances and rich flavours.

This week, my basket included quinces: golden, firm and wonderfully aromatic.

Last week’s haul was just as tempting — figs and persimmons, two of my favourite autumn fruits.

The figs were luscious and sweet, perfect eaten fresh or cooked in countless ways.

 

A few weeks earlier, prickly pears were still around too, marking the slow transition from summer to autumn.

Prickly pears

A Week of Unexpected Gifts

One friend dropped off a bag of pomegranates, and the next day another neighbour left a surprise on my doorstep — a bag filled with feijoas (the small, egg-shaped green fruit) and strawberry guavas, those deep-magenta gems that smell of strawberries and roses.

All things considered, it was not a bad week for autumn fruit.

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Strawberry guavas

The Joy of Simple Fruit

Pomegranates are now well established in Australia. Their ruby-red seeds can be eaten fresh, scattered over savoury dishes, or used in desserts.

Persimmons are equally versatile — both the crisp vanilla variety and the soft, custardy ones — but like pomegranates, I often prefer them simply sliced and enjoyed raw.

The attraction of Quinces

Quinces, on the other hand, need to be cooked to reveal their true magic. Though I must admit, I always nibble a piece of raw quince while cutting them. Their transformation from pale yellow to a deep rosy colour is one of autumn’s quiet pleasures.

In Australia quince paste (cotognata) has become familiar and some make quince jelly, but I prefer making baked quinces.

Every batch is different because I rarely follow a strict recipe — I take inspiration and then do my own thing.

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My Way of Baking Quinces

Some elements are essential:

  • Sweetener – sugar, honey, or leftover bits of jam or jelly from the pantry.
  • Acid – wine, orange juice, lemon, or lime.
  • A splash of something alcoholic – perhaps a half-finished bottle of liqueur, spirit, or aperitivo.
  • Fragrance – cinnamon, star anise, cloves, mace, bay leaves, black peppercorns, or fennel seeds.

For this latest batch, I used water, white wine, feijoa jelly (a gift from a friend), cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon slices, and bay leaves.

Scrub the quinces well, quarter them, and leave everything in — skin, seeds, and membranes. These help the syrup turn beautifully jelly-like. The liquid should reach halfway up the fruit.

Bake covered with foil at 170°C for about two hours, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes.

The result? Jewelled, tender fruit in a fragrant syrup that perfumes the kitchen for days.

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Fresh quinces ready for baking

The result? Rich coloured, tender fruit in a fragrant syrup that perfumes the kitchen for days.

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More recipes for Quinces:

A Tale about QUINCES

AUTUMN FRUIT Cumquats (Kumquats) and Quinces

MOSTARDA and COTOGNATA – Sweets in Moulds

PRICKLY PEARS Fichi d’India and a paste called Mostarda

CHICKPEAS and simple food

Let’s make the most of simple, healthy food — chickpeas.

We do not need perfectly stocked pantries to cook satisfying meals. Some of the best dishes come from using what we already have on hand and allowing simple ingredients to shine.

I always keep chickpeas and other pulses in my pantry and freezer. I soak dried pulses overnight, change the water, add bay leaves, or rosemary, or sage, or thyme and then cook them slowly over low heat.THe different herbs will impart a different taste.

Once cooked, I transfer the surplus into glass jars, cover them with their cooking liquid and store them in the freezer. They are nutritious, economical and always ready to use.

Chickpeas have long been central to Mediterranean cooking, especially in Italy, where they appear in soups, pasta dishes and rustic contorni. They are humble ingredients, but deeply satisfying.

Here are  some very different dishes using chickpeas — both simple, improvised and full of flavour.

Would these dishes belong to particular Italian regions? Perhaps not directly. But the ingredients and cooking methods certainly sit comfortably within Italian and Mediterranean traditions. The cauliflower pasta especially feels connected to the type of food my mother would have cooked — practical, seasonal and deeply nourishing.

Pasta with Cauliflower and Chickpeas

This pasta dish came together with ingredients I already had at home: chickpeas, cauliflower, passata, herbs and chilli.

The herb I used was nepitella, which grows abundantly on my balcony at this time of year. Oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram or parsley would all work beautifully.

The cauliflower was the common white variety — inexpensive, easy to find and a vegetable that keeps well in the fridge. I prefer spring onions to regular onions for their gentler flavour, but either can be used. There was also garlic and homemade stock involved, because there are always jars of broth in my freezer.

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The method was straightforward and very Italian in spirit. I began with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and spring onion gently sautéed. The cauliflower followed, then stock, herbs, seasoning and just enough passata to lightly colour the dish. Everything simmered slowly until tender and fragrant.

I cooked the short pasta separately, though I could easily have added extra stock and cooked the pasta directly in the sauce. I wanted this to be a softer, slightly brothy pasta dish — comforting and rustic.

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Chickpeas with pasta.

Chickpeas with Saffron, Mushrooms and Eggplant

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Chickpeas, saffron, mushrooms and eggplants.

The second dish was more improvised.There is no traditional name because it simply evolved from what I had in the fridge at the time. That is often how good home cooking begins.

I sautéed spring onion in olive oil, added whole mushrooms, then chickpeas and strips of eggplant. Saffron went in for warmth and colour, along with marjoram from the balcony garden. The liquid was the chickpea cooking broth itself — rich, earthy and too good to waste.

Before serving, I added fresh mint for brightness.

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Cooking with What We Have

Being creative in my kitchen gives me much pleasure. One of the reasons I enjoy camping or cooking in Airbnbs while travelling is that I cannot rely on having every ingredient or every kitchen tool available. There is creativity in limitation.

You adapt. You improvise. You cook with what is there.

And often those meals become the most memorable.

I MUST LIKE CHICKPEAS – RECIPES:

CECI (CHICKPEAS) IN SICILIA: Cucina Povera

PASTA con cavolofiore, salsicce di maiale e ceci (pasta with cauliflower, pork sausages and chickpeas)

MUSSELS WITH CHICKPEAS

VESPERS and a celebration of chickpeas in BACCALÀ CON CECI alla fiorentina (Salt Cod with Chickpeas as cooked in Florence)

CHICKPEAS SOUP WITH WILD FENNEL (Minestra di ceci con finocchio, erba selvatica)

CHICKEN WITH SAUERKRAUT, from the Carso, in north eastern Italy, near Trieste

Chicken with Sauerkraut is a simple dish with flavours from the Carso region of northeastern Italy, near Trieste. The Carso is a mountainous area between Slovenia and the Adriatic Sea, south of Monfalcone.

Cultural History

The recipe’s simple ingredients reflect the flavours of Hungary, Germany, Russia and Eastern European countries. These are also the flavours of Trieste: chicken, sauerkraut, onion, lardo and white wine. This is not surprising as Trieste was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

I first came across a version of this recipe in Fred Plotkin’s book, La Terra Fortunata, (published in 2001). I

I have previously made this dish using chicken with bones as the recipe suggests. However, I have used boneless chicken and some fatty bacon this time. Having lived in Trieste, I am well-acquainted with sauerkraut and cooking with smoked pork and pork fat. I always have jars of sauerkraut at home, particularly in winter for making dishes such as iota.

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Lardo

Lardo is an Italian salume that is eaten and widely used in Italian cuisine especially in northern Italy; it is made from the thick layer of fat from the back of a pig and cured with a mixture of salt, herbs, and spices;  the most esteemed Italian lardo is aged in the warm, fresh caves in the area of Carrara (famous for its marble) and no additives or preservatives are used.

Lardo Affumicato is Speck. This also is used widely in cooking of Trieste and Italian regions that used to be part of the Austrian- Hungarian Empire.

The rendered fat from the  lardo or bacon is the fat used in this recipe. (Pork fat, or rendered pork fat is also called lardo in Italian and is lard in English).

THE RECIPE: Chicken with Sauerkraut

INGREDIENTS

This recipe does not require specific quantities as it relies on estimations and personal preference. I used approximately 1 kg of chicken, 5 rashers of fatty bacon and 500 g of drained and squeezed sauerkraut.

Feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your taste.

Fry the bacon/lardo in a heavy bottomed saucepan

PROCESS

Gently fry the bacon or lardo in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and when there is sufficient melted fat in the pan sear the chicken pieces till golden.

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Fry the chicken in batches.

Fry the chicken in batches so as not to crowd the chicken pieces in the pan while searing.

Do not to crowd the chicken pieces in the pan while searing.

Once you have seared the meat, add a sliced small onion and cook it gently till softened and golden.

Seared Chicken, onion and sauerkraut .

Add some peppercorns , bay leaves and the sauerkraut and cook it gently for about 10 minutes.

Mix the ingredients together.

Add the chicken, some white wine (about 1/2 cup) and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and cook gently for about 20 minutes. If necessary add more wine or water to keep it moist while it is cooking,

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Add white wine, bring to a boil, cover and cook gently.

If you are using chicken with bones cook it for longer (30-40 mins, depending on the size of the chicken).

MONTALBANO’S FAVOURITE DISHES

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The Inspector Montalbano’s series of books and his favourite dishes were the brainchild of the  Sicilian director and author Andrea Calogero Camilleri, born 6 September 1925; died 17 July 2019.

The entire nation is in mourning: RAI 1 news, the state broadcaster, dedicated 80 per cent of its time slot to this news; writers, intellectuals and the highest representatives of the Italian state have expressed their condolences. Even his arch-enemy, Matteo Salvini, minister of the interior and leader of the xenophobic Northern League party — with whom Camilleri had several heated exchanges over the years — has paid tribute to the popular Sicilian writer.

The paragraph above is from an article published in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on July 20.  It is written by Barbara Pezzotti, a lecturer in Italian Studies at Monash University. She is the author of three monographs dedicated to Italian crime fiction and has extensively published on Andrea Camilleri. 

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Camilleri is the author of numerous books, but in Australia he is perhaps best known for his Montalbano novels and has become one of the most-loved crime fiction writers in the world. 

His books have been published worldwide and translated into 32 languages, including Catalan and Gaelic. The highly successful television series, inspired by Montalbano’s books, became an international success and was broadcast in Australia by SBS. The series’ depiction of beautiful Sicily has undoubtedly encouraged many travellers.

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Following the death of Andrea Camilleri last week, a relative from Ragusa, Sicily, sent me an article from Ragusa News. This online publication covers news and interest stories from the Ragusa Province and nearby towns, including Vittoria, Modica, Comiso, Scicli, Pozzallo and Ispica.

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The article is called Domenica a pranzo onoriamo Camilleri con la pasta ‘Ncasciata (On Sunday for lunch let us honour Camilleri with pasta Ncasciata).

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The house on the beach where Montalbano lives in the series.

Sunday lunch is still an important family occasion in Sicily and Pasta ‘Ncasciata is a Sicilian version of oven baked pasta; it is one of Montalbano’s favorite things to eat. It is prepared for him by his housekeeper, Adelina.

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In his Montalbano series, Camilleri describes almost every dish that the character consumes, all of which are traditionally Sicilian.

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Marzipan fruit.

Sicily has many variations of Pasta ‘Ncasciata, each with distinct ingredient combinations. The most notable is from Messina, and the recipe in this article appears to be the Messinese version. It is made with commercial, short-shaped pasta layered with tomato meat sauce, mortadella or salami, fried eggplant, caciocavallo cheese, salami and hard-boiled eggs.

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Sicilian Cassata.

Apart from Pasta ‘Ncasciata, Montalbano has other favourites, which I have also written about in my blog and first book, Sicilian Seafood Cooking.

Spaghetti con ricci di mare:

SEA URCHINS – how to clean and eat them (RICCI DI MARE)

RICCI DI MARE – Sea Urchins

SPAGHETTI CHI RICCI – SPAGHETTI CON RICCI DI MARE (Spaghetti with sea urchins)

Rice or Pasta with Black Ink sauce:

MONTALBANO’S PASTA WITH BLACK INK SAUCE

Pasta con le sarde:

PASTA CON LE SARDE, Iconic Sicilian made easy

PASTA CON LE SARDE, an iconic Sicilian recipe from Palermo. Cooked at Slow Food Festival Melbourne

Arancini:

GREAT BRITISH CHEFS, GREAT ITALIAN CHEFS, Feature articles by Marisa Raniolo Wilkins

ARANCINI (where else… but in Hong Kong!)

ARANCINI, Rice Balls at Caffé di Lido

Caponata:

CAPONATA Catanese (from Catania) made easy with photos

CAPONATA FROM PALERMO (made with eggplants)

A MOUNTAIN OF CAPONATA – two days before Christmas

Sarde a beccafico:

SARDE A BECCAFICO (Sardines stuffed with currants, pine nuts, sugar and nutmeg)

Cassata:

SICILIAN CASSATA and some background (perfect for an Australian Christmas)

SICILIAN CASSATA and MARZIPAN AT EASTER (Food and Culture in Sicily, La Trobe University)

CASSATA DECONSTRUCTED – a postmodernist take on Sicilian Cassata

CASSATA (It is perfect for an Australian Christmas)

CASSATA ( Post no. 2) Calls for a celebration!!!

 

 

 

 

MARINETTI Filippo Tommaso, futurist, frequented a bar in Bologna

In Bologna, I visited Café Marinetti, where Filippo Tommaso Marinetti who started the Futurist Movement, hung out with his futurist friends and discussed the evils of eating pasta.

Café Marinetti was once called a Bar.

In Italy, “bar” and “caffè” (only one f in the Marinetti Café ) are often used interchangeably. A bar is usually an informal place serving coffee, pastries and alcohol throughout the day, while a caffè may suggest a more traditional or elegant setting. Both are important social spaces where locals

Ironically, Marinetti’s attack on pasta helped make Futurist cooking famous. Although most of the culinary ideas were never widely adopted, the movement anticipated later interests in experimental gastronomy, food presentation and the idea that dining could be a form of artistic performance.

I did not expect to find Café Marinetti, to be part of a Grand Hotel.

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The towers in Bologna.
Grand Hotel Majestic  – Café Marinetti

Café Marinetti is located in the Grand Hotel Majestic “Gia Baglioni”. It is an 18th-century palazzo across the street from the Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro and only a 5-minute walk from the Towers of Bologna.

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The hotel is decorated with Baroque details, expensive paintings and photographs of famous visiting celebrities – Frank Sinatra, Eva Gardner, Princess Diana, Sting, Bruce Springsteen and others. It has continued to be famous.

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Famous personalities, guests in the Hotel.

The hotel is very luxurious  and when was entering there was a Bentley, a Ferrari and a sports BMW collecting and dropping off guests.

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Café Marinetti is frequented by well heeled guests as I imagine it was then during Marinetti’s time.

But who was Marinetti?

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876–1944) was an Italian poet, writer, editor and someone who loved to stir things up, best known for starting the Futurist movement—one of the most daring artistic and cultural movements of the early 20th century. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, to Italian parents, Marinetti went to school in Paris and made some pretty good connections with both French and Italian writers.

Back in 1909, he put out the famous Manifesto of Futurism on the front page of the French newspaper Le Figaro. This manifesto was all about celebrating speed, machines, technology, young people and modern city life, while saying goodbye to old traditions. Marinetti and the Futurists were big fans of cars, factories, electricity and movement, thinking that modern life needed a whole new way of making art. They loved trying new things in poetry, painting, sculpture, architecture, music and theatre.

Marinetti is still a pretty important person in modern European culture because Futurism really shaped modern art, graphic design, advertising, typography, architecture and avant-garde literature all over the 20th century.

Manifesto of Futurist Cooking 

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti gained a bit of a reputation for his pasta-bashing, seeing it as a symbol of Italy’s hold on tradition and what he thought was a cultural lull. In the 1930 Manifesto of Futurist Cooking, co-authored with a painter called Fillìa.

Marinetti claimed that pasta made Italians sluggish, gloomy and slow. He thought modern Italians should eat foods that mirrored speed, energy, machinery and innovation—the very essence of Futurism.

Marinetti suggested swapping pasta for more experimental dishes made from meat, veggies, essences, textures and dramatic presentation. Futurist banquets often turned into shows, with wild flavour combinations, tactile experiences and even scents designed to tickle all the senses. I have seen copies of this book  and can confirm that some dishes had intentionally strange names and presentations meant to shock diners and shake up culinary norms.

His pasta-hating campaign really stirred things up in Italy, where pasta was a big part of regional identity and everyday life. Many folks laughed at his ideas, especially in the south where pasta was king. Newspapers and cartoonists poked fun at the movement, and pasta producers were dead set defending their traditional food.

But it is interesting to see that pasta features on the menu at Café Marinetti.

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John McGrath  reviewed my book, Sicilian Seafood Cooking in the Adelaide Review. he mentions Filippo Tommaso Marinetti:

ADELAIDE REVIEW OF ‘SICILIAN SEAFOOD COOKING

The cuisine of Emilia

And when in Bologna (in the region of Emilia-Romagna) we must acknowledge the Bolognese Ragù.

This recipe can be found on The Great Italian Chefs Web Site.

N.B. My mother used to add cream rather than milk, and a little grated nutmeg. She also added a little rosemary.

BOLOGNESE RAGÙ

  • 300g of beef mince 
  • 150g of pork mince
  • 50g of unsalted butter
  • 50g of onion finely chopped
  • 50g of carrot finely chopped
  • 50g of  celery finely chopped
  • 125ml of red wine
  • 30g of  tomato paste, triple concentrated
  • 125ml of whole milk
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
Place a large thick-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Add the minced pork belly to the pot and cook until all the liquid from the meat has evaporated, then add the minced beef and cook until golden, stirring frequently. Transfer the meat to a bowl and set aside.
Add the butter to the saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until the onions are very soft and translucent. Finally, add the tomato paste and sauté for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
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Return the meat to the saucepan, turn up the heat and pour in the red wine. Cook over a high heat for 2 minutes, then cover the pan and turn the heat down to low
Leave the ragù alla Bolognese to simmer very gently for at least 3 hours. The meat must not be excessively dry. Pour in the whole milk and cook for a further 40 minutes just before serving
Ragù alla Bolognese is very tasty when just cooked, but is even better the next day. Reheat the sauce over a very low heat with a little bit of milk and use it to season pasta.

……or tortellini or to make a lasagna.

TORTELLINI, how made in Bologna

EMIGLIA ROMAGNA and their love of stuffed pasta

RABBIT, CHICKEN and Easter recipes

Recipes for rabbit and chicken consistently generate reader interest especially around Easter. This Ragusa, Sicily-style rabbit recipe coincides with the Easter season in Australia and is always popular.

For those who do not camp, rabbit is a suitable Easter recipe. Alternatively, home cooks are increasingly appreciating these traditional recipes for rustic meats.

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My last blog post was a recipe for rabbit:

SICILIAN CUNNIGHIU (RABBIT) AS COOKED IN RAGUSA, ‘A PORTUISA

But here’s the question I often get: Is rabbit considered a suitable Easter dish in Australia?

The answer is yes, but rabbit is not as common or inexpensive as it once was. If you find rabbit hard to source or expensive, you can easily substitute chicken in any of the rabbit recipes below, and vice versa. The flavours and techniques are quite adaptable.

The photos of some of my Sicilian dishes show how popular rabbit and chicken are in Sicilian cuisine.

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This post has links for many of my favourite Italian rabbit, hare and chicken recipes that are already on my blog, as well as a few recipes for an Italian Easter that include kid, lamb and pies that are very common in Ragusa, Sicily.

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Cooking with the Seasons

One thing that always fascinates me is how the seasons influence our cooking -especially when comparing Italy and Australia. While Italians are celebrating Easter in spring with tender lamb or kid, fresh artichokes, spring greens, and creamy ricotta that is at its best in spring, we in Australia are in autumn.

Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi voi. 

This is a common Italian saying that seems appropriate for Australia as well. Whether that’s friends, neighbours, or family, Easter is a time to gather around good food,  and that’s what these recipes are all about.

Easter in Ragusa, Sicily

If you happen to be in Ragusa with some of my relatives in Sicily, you might celebrate Easter casually with family and friends, sharing scacce or impanate -delicious pastries filled with vegetables or vegetables and meat wrapped in a golden, olive-oil pastry. (You’ll find links to my recipes for those below!)

If you decide to substitute rabbit for chicken in a recipe, just remember:

Rabbit is leaner and may need a little extra moisture while cooking.

Cook it longer and more gently — slow braises bring out its unique  flavour.

Rabbit and hare recipes:

RABBIT with cloves, cinnamon and red wine (CONIGLIO DA LICODIA EUBEA)

ONE WAY TO COOK RABBIT LIKE A SICILIAN

CONIGLIO A PARTUISA (Braised rabbit as cooked in Ragusa)

HARE OR RABBIT COOKED IN CHOCOLATE. LEPRE O CONIGLIO AL CIOCCOLATO (‘NCICULATTATU IS THE SICILIAN TERM USED)

PAPPARDELLE (PASTA WITH HARE OR GAME RAGÙ)

LEPRE ALLA PIEMONTESE (HARE – SLOW BRAISE PIEDMONTESE STYLE

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Chicken recipes:

POLLO OR GALLINA ALLA CONTADINA, ALLA PAESANA – BRAISED CHICKEN WITH OLIVES, SICILIAN STYLE.

POLLO AL GUAZZETTO (SARDINIAN CHICKEN BRAISED WITH SAFFRON)

ITALIAN DRUNKEN CHICKEN – GADDUZZU ‘MBRIACU OR GALLINA IMBRIAGA – DEPENDING ON THE PART OF ITALY YOU COME FROM

POLASTRO IN TECIA – POLLASTRO IN TECCIA IN ITALIAN (CHICKEN COOKED AS IN THE VENETO REGION OF ITALY)

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Easter food, Ragusa, Sicily:

SCACCE and PIZZA and SICILIAN EASTER

SCACCE (focaccia-like stuffed bread)

‘MPANATA (A lamb pie, Easter treat)

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Other Sicilian Easter dishes:

SFINCIONE DI PALERMO (A pizza/focaccia type pie)

EASTER SICILIAN SPECIALTIES …. Cuddura cù ll’ova, Pecorelle Pasquali

RAGU` DI CAPRETTO – Goat/ kid ragout as a dressing for pasta SPEZZATINO DI CAPRETTO

(Italian Goat/ Kid stew)KID/GOAT WITH ALMONDS (SPRING IN SICILY, CAPRETTO CON LE MANDORLE)

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EASTER (Pasqua) in Sicily

PASQUA in Sicilia – EASTER IN SICILY (post 2)

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And if you wish to be in Trieste:

Traditional Easter Sweets in Trieste in Friuli Venezia Giulia