Tag: Catalonia

SEASONAL WINTER VEGETABLES in Melbourne, Australia

I really like seasonal produce and winter vegetables are outstanding. The variety is immense, the quality eminent.

Winter vegetables include: artichokes, Asian greens, avocado, beans, beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cardoons, carrot, catalogna, cauliflower, cavolo nero, celeriac, celery, chicory, cime di rapa, cucumber, daikon, endive, fennel, kale, Kohlrabi, lamb’s lettuce, leek, lettuces, mushrooms, okra, onion, parsnip, potato, pumpkin, radicchio, radish, rocket, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, spring onions, swede, sweet potato, turnip, watercress and witlof.

Winter vegetables are truly a gift of the season. With their rich variety and exceptional quality, they bring such vibrant flavors to the table. From earthy root vegetables to crisp, leafy greens, there’s so much to celebrate.

The bounty of winter vegetables includes everything from artichokes and Asian greens to beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and celeriac. There’s also a lovely mix of leafy greens like kale, cavolo nero, and chicory, alongside hearty roots like carrots, parsnips, and swede. And of course, we can’t forget the starchy vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin, and potato, or the peppery hit from radicchio, rocket, and radish. The list goes on, from daikon and fennel to mushrooms and shallots—each one offering a unique flavor and texture to work with in the kitchen.

As I look at this  list, I realize there are still some vegetables I haven’t shared many recipes for on my blog, All Things Sicilian and More, specifically, daikon, okra, parsnip, shallots, swede, and possibly turnip. It’s not that I don’t use these ingredients—I do! I just tend to focus more on Mediterranean vegetables in my posts, reflecting the influence of my Italian background, both from Trieste and Sicilian, my childhood, and the foundation of my cooking. While the “More” in my blog’s title hints at a broader culinary horizon, Italian cooking remains the focus of my recipes.

That said, I’m always experimenting, and winter offers the perfect opportunity to revisit and reimagine old favorites. For example, I love cooking Asian greens, particularly mustard greens, and preparing them in the same way I cook cime di rapa (a type of Italian turnip green) with pasta. I also enjoy stir-frying Chinese leafy greens in olive oil and garlic, with a few anchovies or a sprinkle of chili flakes for a little extra punch. The marriage of Italian and Asian flavors is something I truly enjoy.

This winter, I’m diving back into some of my favorite winter vegetable recipes, and I’m starting with two of my go-to chicories: Cicoria and Catalogna. These hearty greens are perfect for the season, offering both depth of flavour and versatility.

Cicoria – Chicory

Catalogna is a variant of cicoria. In Italy is also called Puntarelle or cicoria di catalogna or cicoria asparago: asparago means asparagus and this name is very appropriate as the plant looks like a head of shoots.

Catalogna (Puntarelle) has leaves that look like large leaves of chicory and dandelions, but more pointy and narrower; its leaves and shoots have the same bitter taste. And I love bitter greens.

Like chicory, the young and tender shoots of Catalogna can be eaten raw in salads. It is common to soak the puntarelle shoots in ice water for a while so that they curl. and then to dress them with a vinaigrette with anchovies and garlic. They are delicious.

Dressing with anchovies: 500g- 1 kilo puntarelle, 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, 1tbs of vinegar, 3-4 anchovies, 1 clove of garlic. Pound the anchovies and garlic, add the oil and vinegar.

I have been writing about cicoria and puntarelle for a very long time.

This post was published on Nov 9, 2009 and it is worth looking at:

CICORIA and Puntarelle (Chicory)

There are other posts with recipes and information about chicory:

CICORETTA CON SALSICCIA (Chicory with fresh pork sausage)

WANT NOT WASTE NOT- Chicken livers and chicory, twice

 BITTER GREENS and AMARI (Aperitivi and Digestivi)

 

 

 

SALSA ROMESCO (Romesco sauce, this recipe is made with roasted peppers, tomatoes and almonds)

I had some left over cooked prawns I wanted to use up and thought that a sauce would liven them up.

Romesco+5-640x600

Salsa Romesco is said to have originated from Tarragona, a town close to Barcelona in north-eastern Spain. It is an old Roman town so you can be partly forgiven if you thought that the sauce originated from Rome.
I consulted many sources and there are so many variations to making this Catalan condiment, but the most common ingredients seem to be garlic, red peppers, tomatoes, white bread and almonds. Most interesting is that the recipes from respected food writers, e.g. in Honey From a Weed, (Patience Gray), Mediterranean Seafood (Alan Davison) and Mediterranean Food (Elizabeth David) the main ingredients are tomatoes and the peppers are either paprika or chillies or dried red pepper flakes.

Some recipes include sherry vinegar or wine (rather than wine vinegar). Some have hazelnuts or walnuts as well as the almonds.

There are a few recipes where the bread is first soaked in vinegar and then squeezed dry before it is added to the blend (like when making salsa verde) and others where the bread is toasted in the oven.

Those who are serious romesco – makers make it in a mortar and pestle and also roast or char the tomatoes. If peppers are used these are also charred. I have found references to small red peppers which are often referred to as romesco peppers in Catalonia, so perhaps this is why the name.

Because my grandmothers were Sicilian and this is a Catalan recipe, I cannot say that this is how it is made in my family, however I can give you what has worked for me. There is always room for improvement and I will keep on experimenting.

This sauce is usually associated as a condiment for shellfish and fish. It is also good with grilled and roasted vegetables (especially cold, left over ones that need dressing up the next day).

I usually add a couple of roasted tomatoes to my roasted pepper salads and I conveniently had some in the fridge left over from the night before. I keep roasted garlic covered in olive oil in the fridge, and using up ready made ingredients is often a strong reason why I make certain things in the first place.

INGREDIENTS
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 slice stale sourdough bread
2 large red peppers
1 cup blanched almonds
1 tsp smoked paprika (preferred) or sweet paprika
2 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 ripe medium size tomatoes
salt to taste
¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil and ½ cup when you blend the ingredients
water (a little) to thin down the sauce

PROCESSES
Prepare the ingredients before hand:
Roast/chargrill the peppers whole, peel, remove seeds and break them into strips. If using fresh tomatoes cut them into pieces. If you are roasting / chargrilling the peppers do them at the same time.
Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a fry pan sauté the bread until golden.
Roast the garlic whole (Preheat oven to 200 °C, wrap in foil and bake). An easier option is to sauté the peeled cloves of garlic in the same frypan after you have pan-fried the bread.
Toast the blanched almonds or alternatively sauté them in the same frypan.
Place the bread, and almonds in a blender and pulverize.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until it forms into a thick, smooth-ish sauce. If the sauce is a too thick, add a little water to thin it down.

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