Category: Italian style food

CAMPING AND COOKING IN W.A.

For me, it is very important to eat well, wherever I am.

I have recently returned from a nine week trip in Western Australia. It was in a very simple campervan with a basic pull out stove, but as always, I manage to eat well even if some supplies were difficult to purchase.

I realize that the range of vegetables I am accostomed to where I live (Melbourne and previously Adelaide) were not to be found even in the larger towns I visited.  Supply and demand is important and I consider myself lucky to live in cities where the the different ethnicities have contributed to what is grown and available.

But maybe I am expecting far too much.

I need to acknowledge that much of the produce I bought was in small, often remote communities and, as in the rest of country Australia, what was mostly available was limited to pumpkins, iceberg lettuces, carrots, cauliflower, cabbages and tomatoes (not the greatest). Potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes were everywhere. Beetroot, sometimes – but without their leaves. the sort of vegetables that my family was able to purchase when we first settled in Adelaide and I was eight years old.

In some places I found broccoli, green beans, spring onions and sometimes boc choy and red cabbage. On rare occasions there was asparagus and, if I was lucky, there were good bunches of silverbeet. I made sure to buy bunches of this leafy green vegetable wherever I could and cooked it in various ways: braised with chillies and anchovies, sautéed  in butter with a final dash of lemon juice, sautéed and deglazed with vinegar and a bit of sugar, or mixed with other vegetables.

Sometimes, I found curly Kale, but never Tuscan Kale, the Italian Cavolo Nero. Having said that, I acknowledge that growing seasons may be different in the West, especailly the North West, but if there was Kale there was never Cavolo Nero/Tuscan Kale which grows in the same season. I saw and bought Brussel sprouts in a few places but they were extremely expensive.

Capsicums/ peppers were pretty abundant, especially red ones.

In the larger cities produce was more varied. One of the things that I found quite perculiar is that zucchini were were exceptionally large and old singly. I only once found small zucchini (the size they should be) which was in Albany and I bought all they had. Green grocers seem few and far between and people shopped in supermarkets, but perhaps, on reflection supermarkets don’t necessarily have a wide range  .

The produce in the Fremantle market was certaily fresh and excellent in quality and i stocked up there as much as I could. Occasionally, we’d pass through a place that had a Saturday Market but most of the stalls had a limited range, usually more of the same. On one rare occasion I found a market stall that had broadbeans and English spinach, fresh bunches of basil, coriander and parsley. Heaven! I’m an opportunistic shopper and while I do pine for leafy green vegetables, I know I can always make a meal of whatever I have in the pantry. The occasional tin of  borlotti, canellini or black beans came in very handy as a mixer.

Whenever I saw red, teardrops tomatoes, as I did in the market in Fremantle and Saturday Market in Carnarvon I bought plenty.

I made many salads using what vegetables I had. In one supermarket in Denmark I found a celeriac. I teemed this with beetroot and dressed it with a mustard vinaigrette.

I  bought fennel in Fremantle and on another occasion radicchio in Albany. As well as salad I braised some with leeks and chicken breasts. Pretty good with mashed potatoes.

I bought a 2k tub of bocconcini and a burrata in Margaret River.

That was a real find!

My pantry in the campervan is always well stocked with extra virgin olive oil, vinegars, capers, olives, nuts, anchovies and a farly generous supply of spices including different types of pepper. The only dry herb I use is oregano. I am a big consumer of fresh herbs and I picked fresh rosemary wherever I saw it and kept it fresh in a container in the small fridge in the van. In some places I was able to buy fresh basil. I make harissa – strong and fragrant and take this with me.

For camping trips, I also marinade feta in extra virgin olive oil, bay leaves and black peppercorns and store it in the fridge. Feta is very versatile and when it is marinaded it lasts for a long time. I add this to salads, dress pasta with it and spread it on bread.

I also use wine or one of the vinegars (cider,wine, balsamic, chinese brown) for deglazing.

I bought fish wherever I could and even made fish stock for a risotto with the crayfish shells.

Meat was pentiful and there was some grass fed and organic in the larger places. I even braised a whole chicken. And there was stock.

And with stock, there is risotto.

Pulses are also plentiful in my camp kitchen as are different types of rice and pasta of various shapes. I have quinoa and couscous as well.

So as you can see, not much is impossible to cook when camping and I do enjoy making do with what I have.

Harissa made with fresh Chillies

HARISSA (A hot chilli condiment)

CAMPING and COOKING

GLAM COOKING ON THE ROAD; Camping

EATING WELL, Camping in Tasmania, BBQ chicken-Pollo alla Diavola

 

CUCINA POVERA – REDISCOVERING SOUP

Cucina Povera is steeped in culture and tradition.

I have a friend who once said to me “Soup is for poor people”. I must have looked stunned, so he clarified: “Only poor people eat soup.”

Coming from an Italian background, and he from a Brazilian, I understand where he’s coming from. In Italy, we refer to it as Cucina Povera, or poor cuisine/peasant cookery that is deeply rooted in heritage and customs.

Soups were traditionally the sustenance of the peasant class, utilizing what was inexpensive or accessible. The motto – In the kitchen, nothing is thrown away – resonates deeply with this tradition.

In the last decade soups and rustic cooking have made a remarkable comeback, evolving into main meals as cooks rediscover their versatility. Unlike in the past, when my parents served soups as the Primo (first course) and always followed by a Secondo (second course/main) today’s focus on minimizing waste aligns beautifully with the philosophy of  – fare qualcosa fuori di niente – making something out of nothing.

The ingredients for traditional Cucina Povera depended on local produce. As Patience Gray notes in Honey from a Weed: The fact that every crop is of short duration promotes a spirit of making the best of it while it lasts and conserving a part of it for future use.

The contadini, or peasants, often relied on less desirable cuts of meat, seasonal or discarded vegetables, wild herbs, grains, and pulses, the produce that they couldn’t sell. Despite their limited resources, these simple ingredients resulted in nutritious and flavourful soups. When cooking, they also had to take into account practical considerations, such as the size and number of pots and the methods of heating.

In many Italian households, it is still common to add stale bread to soups that originally was used for sustenance and as thickening. For example, Pappa al Pomodoro, a pureed tomato soup is thickened with bread. Pappa means pap. I also remember Pappa di Pane (bread), being a favourite and often the first solid food for babies.

A more perfect example of the ultimate zero-waste soup of Cucina Povera is is Ribollita, a thick, Tuscan soup made with cannellini beans, vegetables (including cavolo nero) and bread.

Ribollita means “reboiled” and the next batch of Ribollita sees the leftover soup being used to make the new batch. More vegetables are added, and it is once again thickened with stale bread.

Coastal regions also have a rich tradition of fish soups and many famous Italian fish soups originated from peasant cuisine, often made from discarded fish that were simmered to make a flavourful stock.

Elisabeth Laud highlights that: The limitations imposed by a single pot, a single heat source, local produce, and little or no access to imports are characteristic of peasant cooking, giving it a distinct identity.

Cucina Povera encompasses more than just soup, it includes a variety of regional pasta, polenta, and rice dishes, all made with frugal ingredients.

Growing up, my family enjoyed a multitude of Zuppe and Minestre. And you may wonder about the distinction between them.

A Zuppa refers to a soup or broth served over slices of bread, allowing the bread to soak up the delicious liquid. In contrast, a Minestra typically contains rice or pasta, making it heartier. The Oxford Companion of Italian Food by Gillian Riley notes that: a pureed vegetable soup is classified as a zuppa.

The term Zuppa is thought to derive from a Celtic word that translates as “slice of bread.” Historically, wealthy nobles would serve extravagant dishes on large pieces of bread, using the bread as a base for their meals. The leftover soaked bases of bread would often be given to servants, who would then cook the soaked bread with simple ingredients to create soups.

Minestre, on the other hand, comes from the Latin ministrare, meaning “to administer,” perhaps demonstrating what happened in family gatherings where a figure of authority (the father) would serve from a central pot.

The Minestra, therefore, could imply “a thicker soup” with rice or pasta or polenta or some other cereal as a thickener. So, what are we to make of Minestrone, which is signifies a big, hearty soup, implied by the ending –one as distinct from Minestrina, the -ina indicates a little light soup. Usually a Minestrina is fed to babies or young children, or sick people. It is never heavy.

And what about Vellutate? It derives from the word velluto – velvet. One could have a good time guessing.

The terminology has become increasingly ambiguous over time. There’s much more to explore, such as Brodo (broth) and wet pasta dishes that don’t fit neatly into the categories of soup or Pasta Asciutta – pasta dishes that are dressed but remain dry.

I consulted a number of resources and this book: Grande Enciclopedia Illustrata della Gostronamia. It is written in Italian and therefore it is probably not surprising that it has more clarification about Zuppa and Minestra.

I like this quote from this book:

Ma benché sia così radicata nella tradizione italiana oggi non è affatto semplice definire che cosa sia esattamente una minestra. (But although it (minestra and zuppa) are so rooted in the Italian tradition, today it is not at all easy to define what exactly a soup is)

I love the Italian language!

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

CAVOLO NERO and three ways to cook it (Ribollita)

GLAM COOKING ON THE ROAD – Camping

In the last few months I have spent very little time at home and I have been on the road from one state to another (South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria) in a camper van but managed some “glam” cooking.

Always, even while camping and in some remote places,  I continue to cook.

Cooking whilst camping is all about simplicity and the following dishes (even the duck) may look glam but they were simple to prepare and cook.

FUNGHI AL FUNGHETTO (Braised mushrooms)

MELANZANE; eggplants AL FUNGHETTO or TRIFOLATE

PEPERONATA ; PIPIRONATA (Sicilian) Braised peppers

PEPPERS WITH BREADCRUMBS- PIPI CA MUDDICA – PEPERONI CON LA MOLLICA

CAMPING, Pumpkin risotto

South Australia in Goolwa

SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE (Spaghetti with cockles)

VONGOLE con FINOCCHIO (fennel) e Vermouth

The beauty  of Tasmania

MAIALE AL LATTE (Pork cooked in milk)

Even if it is pork, Maiale al latte (Pork cooked in Milk) is a light, delicate and sweet tasting dish, a classic recipe from the Veneto region of Italy.

This is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes for cooking a lump of pork, either the loin or the neck. I prefer it not to be a fatty piece of meat and I trim most of the fat off.

Many like to prepare a pork dish for Christmas. Pork braised in milk could make a pleasant  change!

About the Recipe

Maiale al latte – pork gently braised in milk until meltingly tender – is one of those old farmhouse dishes that several Italian regions claim as their own. Tuscan cooks link it to their classic arista roasts, in Emilia-Romagna it’s made with the local abundance of milk and Parmigiano, in Friuli it appears as purcit tal lat, and there are even Neapolitan and Campanian versions. Over time it has become a pan-Italian comfort dish: simple pork, plenty of milk, a few herbs, and a long, slow simmer on the stove.

I first discovered this recipe in Ada Boni’s books. Some classify maiale/al latte as a traditional dish of Emilia-Romagna (the land of Parmigiano Reggiano), and in Marcella Hazan’s books she describes the pork-in-milk roast as Bolognese in origin.

I always use full cream milk. The milk separates into flavourful and creamy curds that can be gently strained out and served on the side or under the succulent, cooked meat that has been sliced. The meat juices and whey are the fragrant sauce.

Pork cooked in milk.

Fresh sage, garlic and lemon rind are the flavours. I  also like to use quite a bit of black pepper.

I used a boneless loin of pork.

RECIPE FOR MAIALE AL LATTE

Ingredients for 1k.500g:

extra virgin olive oil and butter to seal the meat and brown
1 small head of  garlic,  cloves peeled and halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh sage,  about 10 large leaves
full cream  milk, a sufficient amount to cover up to three quarters of the meat.
lemon peel from one large lemon cut into thin, wide strips – use a potato peeler.

Processes

Trim the fat off the meat, rub salt and pepper all over the pork and leave for about 10 mins.
Use a heavy-bottomed pot that is large enough to hold pork and milk that will almost cover the pork.
Brown the pork on all sides in some oil and butter. Use medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until well browned on all sides.
Add garlic and sage and milk. Bring to a boil, add lemon zest, reduce heat to medium-low.
Cover and gently simmer the meat. Resist stirring. Turn over the meat a couple of times and cook for about 3 hours.  The milk will have reduced and golden curds would have formed. It will smell like caramel.

Transfer meat to a cutting board and let it rest while you lift off the curds gently and separate them from the liquid. The garlic will have dissolved into the sauce. Remove the lemon peel and the sage leaves. Skim off any fat (I did not need to do this as my meat was pretty lean).

Observe the thick caramelised milk sauce.

Slice the meat.  Serve  on a bed of curds and the caramel meat juices poured on top.

Present with asparagus for a taste of summer.

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

MUSSELS, three ways: in brodetto, with spaghetti and risotto

Victorian fresh mussels are always fabulous and wonderfully versatile. Here are three delicious ways to enjoy them: in a broth, with spaghetti, and as a risotto.

There are two of us in my household, and we usually buy 2 kilos of mussels. Sometimes we eat them all; other times I use the leftovers to create another meal. There’s usually some mussel broth left over from steaming them in a little white wine — I store this in glass jars in the freezer. I also save any cooking juices from other seafood dishes to use later as a base for soups, sauces, or risotto made with seafood.

My partner enjoys shopping at the Queen Victoria Market and off he goes with his list, his bag and his mask (during Covid) to shop.  on one occasion, he came home with 3 kilos of mussels. Since we were in lockdown, we couldn’t share them with anyone else, and so it was just the two of us. I don’t like freezing seafood either fresh or cooked so we consumed then in three days. By the third day, we were feeling a little “mussel-ed out but we managed three delicious meals from that single batch.Very frugal.

 MUSSELS IN THEIR OWN BROTH

For the first meal, I cooked the 3k of mussels steamed in their own broth. In Italian this is called:  In brodetto – brodo is broth…. brodetto is a small broth, nothing too fancy.

I begin with a soffritto of  heated olive oil chopped carrots, celery, onion and garlic, with the help of a little white wine, then add the mussels, put on a lid and let them steam open. I sprinkle a little chopped parsley towards the end. We ate these with good quality, home baked bread, rubbed with oil and garlic and toasted in the oven. Perfect for soaking up all that wonderful broth.

There were a little more of 1kilo of  mussels left left over and I left half of them whole and in their shell and I took the other half of them out of their shells.

I placed the shelled ones in a jar with some of their broth for a risotto and left the ones in their shells in a container to use the next day for a pasta dish.

MUSSELS WITH SPAGHETTI

On the second day we made some home made egg spaghetti. Home made pasta is not difficult to make, but we had more time during Covid. Obviously dry pasta is fine.

I made a salsa, first by dissolving a few anchovies in a little hot extra virgin olive oil, then I added a can of chopped tomatoes, a whole clove of garlic, a sprig of fresh oregano (because there is no basil growing on my balcony in this cold season otherwise I may have added both). I let the salsa cook with no lid, to reduce and thicken.

Add the mussels just before serving, letting them heat through in the sauce. Toss through the spaghetti and serve immediately. (I like to remove the whole garlic clove before serving — my partner prefers it left in!)

MUSSELS WITH RISOTTO

The final meal was a mussel risotto, simple but deeply satisfying.

This time I used the leftover mussels (removed from their shells in some of their juice) but because I needed more both/stock I took what I had in the freezer – a jar of some left over fish juices that has been cooked in tomato, white wine and herbs. Vegetable stock is OK as well.

There are three types of rice you can use for risotto: Carnaroli, Vialone Nano.  and Arborio. Carnaroli  has more starch as does Vialone Nano and these two varieties make a risotto creamier. Aborio is the easiest to find in Australia and works beautifully for seafood dishes because it keeps the texture lighter and lets the flavour of the fish shine through.

You might recall many recipes that suggest cooking risotto and gradually adding hot fish or mussel broth, one ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid between additions. This is the usual way  to make traditional Italian risotto. For many locals Sicilian rice dishes are unique and made differently. I’ve watched my  elderly Sicilian relatives cook rice and have read many Sicilian recipes where some stock (not necessarily heated) is added, the lid is put on, and it’s left to absorb. The liquid may be added twice or three times at the most.

Recipe for making the risotto, quick and easy.

Sauté 2 sliced spring onions and 2 chopped cloves of garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Cook gently by tossing it around in the hot pan and not letting the contents burn. 

Then I added one finely sliced fennel and some copped parsley and sautéed it gently by tossing it around till golden. 

I added 1 cup of rice (this is sufficient for 2 people but you can add more). Toss it around to coat.  Add a good splash of white wine and saffron (a generous pinch soaked beforehand in about 1/2 cup of water).

As you cook the rice, add the fish juices / broth, covering the pot with the lid to allow the rice to absorb the liquid between additions. I added liquid three times, but didn’t use the lid after the third addition to check if more was needed.

When it is nearly cooked add the shelled mussels. Cook the risotto until it is cooked all’onda…it should ripple like the sea, creamy yet loose.

I do not wish to eat mussels again for a couple of weeks.

THERE ARE MANY OTHER RECIPES FOR MUSSELS IN THE BLOG, here are a few:

MUSSELS WITH CHICKPEAS

COZZE (Mussels) GREEN LIPPED MUSSELS WITH TOMATO AND CANNELLINI BEANS

SAFFRON RISOTTO WITH MUSSELS (Risu cu Zaffaranu e Cozzuli is the Sicilian, Riso con Zafferano e Cozze is the Italian)

 

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.

IMG_2779

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)

 

 

 

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)

FREE RANGE PORK WITH NORTHERN ITALIAN FLAVOURS

These free -range pork chops bought at a Farmers’ Market were simply and quickly cooked and tasted delicious. The meat was very tender and extremely flavourful. I used sage, thyme and juniper berries and these are Northern Italian flavours.

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This Berkshire pork  comes from Brooklands Free Range Farms in Blamfield, in the central highlands of Victoria.

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If you live in Victoria, the pork is sold in some of Farmers Markets – see list on the photo below, it is on the back of their business card.

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WHY GIN OR DRY VERMOUTH TO DEGLAZE?

When I use juniper berries I like to deglaze the pan either with dry vermouth or gin rather than white wine. Juniper berries are a spice used in a wide variety of culinary dishes and best known for the primary flavouring in gin – you will not need much and it will enhance the taste of the sauce.

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Add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to a frying pan, then place the meat, a pinch of salt, herbs and juniper berries. I used approximately eight juniper berries. The pork is lean and pink, just how I like it.

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Turn them over when coloured on one side, cover and cook on low heat for approximately six minutes.

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Turn again, deglaze. Turn off heat, rest for a few minutes before serving.

Thank you Brooklands Free Range Farms for producing top quality produce and what i particularly like is that these pigs not only frolic on rich volcanic soils but that other local producers contribute to feeding these pigs- local grain, vegetables and whey. The pigs also eat seasonal acorns…very European.

Sicilian recipes for pork:
BRACIOLI DI MAIALI O’ VINU (Sicilian for Pork Chops Cooked In Wine)

PORK IN RAGUSA (I Ragusani mangiano molto maiale)

 

 

SICILIAN SUMMER SOUP – made with tendrils of a Sicilian squash

This information provides instructions for making a summer Sicilian soup using a Sicilian squash, the tendrils and leaves of the vine.

The tendrils of the Sicilian squash are called tenerumi and this soup is particularly easy to make if you have a Sicilian friend who grows this vegetable in her garden. I have bought some of this squash at a farmers’ market but it is only available for a short time in the season.

The squash is a long, light green trumpet-shaped squash. It is called a zucca lunga (long squash) or zucca trombetta (trumpet squash) or zucca serpente (serpent squash). she had no squash available  but she knew I had some zucchini to replace the squash, and the soup tasted delicious.

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simple ingredient_ tendrils with leaves, zucchini, basil leaves, garlic and tomatoes.

It is a summer dish, and red tomatoes, a little garlic (optional) and basil are also added ingredients. Broken spaghetti are used to thicken the soup…when in Sicily you are unlikely to eat soup without pasta.

PROCESS

Strip and use the soft tendrils and soft leaves off the long, hard curly stems.

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the tendrils and leaves stopped from the hard stalk.

Place the leaves and tendrils ( and some squash or sliced zucchini)  in some boiling water with a little salt.

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When they are nearly cooked add some broken spaghetti.

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These vegetables are cooked separately.

The tomatoes are left cut in half. Soften the tomatoes in a little extra virgin olive oil with some garlic and basil. It is just a tomato salsa!

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The half tomatoes- cut made into a summer salsa.

Add the tomato mixture on top of the pasta. Drizzle on some good extra virgin olive oil, more basil leaves and some chilli flakes if this is your want.

You will find more photos (including the zucca lunga) and information about this recipe and ingredients on previous posts:

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The Sicilian summer soup called Minestra di Tenerumi.

ZUCCA LUNGA SICILIANA – long, green variety of squash

MINESTRA ESTIVA CON ZUCCA LUNGA SICILIANA, Sicilian Summer soup made with the long, green variety of squash

TENERUMI (and I did not have to go to SICILY to buy it). The Melbourne Showgrounds Farmers Market

KOHLRABI and TENERUMI, shared between cultures of Sicily and Vietnam

MINESTRA DI TENERUMI (Summer soup made with the tendrils of a Sicilian squash)