Tag: Peas

FRITTEDDA (A sauté of spring vegetables)

Frittedda: A Traditional Sicilian Sauté of Spring Vegetables

Frittedda is one of Sicily’s finest celebrations of spring. This traditional Sicilian dish combines the season’s first artichokes, broad beans and peas, gently sautéed so that each vegetable retains its own distinctive texture and flavour—the sweetness of the peas, the slight bitterness of the artichokes and the delicate, nutty taste of the broad beans. Rather than a heavily cooked vegetable stew, frittedda is closer to a warm salad that showcases the freshness of the ingredients.

The Tradition of Frittedda in Sicily

In Sicily, frittedda is traditionally prepared in early spring (primavera), particularly around the Feast of San Giuseppe (19 March), when peas and broad beans first come into season. Although the dish is most closely associated with the north-west of the island, especially Palermo and Trapani, variations are also found in the farming districts of Caltanissetta, Enna and Agrigento, each reflecting local ingredients and traditions.

My Version of Frittedda

Because frittedda celebrates the arrival of spring, I enjoy adding fresh asparagus, although this is not part of the traditional recipe. I also occasionally add a small amount of good broth to deepen the flavour. Sicilian cooks rarely use stock, preferring to let the quality of their sun-ripened vegetables speak for themselves.

I think frittedda is best served at room temperature, much like caponata, where the flavours have had time to develop. It makes a wonderful antipasto with crusty bread, but it is equally delicious spooned over pasta for a simple spring meal.

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Broad beans and small purple artichokes
Frittedda
Regional Variations

Like many Sicilian dishes, frittedda changes from one province to another.

In Palermo, cooks often finish the dish with a light agrodolce of caramelised sugar and vinegar, like in the flavours of caponata.

In Enna, in the heart of Sicily, wild fennel is commonly added during cooking, giving the dish an aromatic flavour that reflects the island’s rural traditions.

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White asparagus

 

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Shelled fresh broad beans

FRITTEDDA

Ingredients

artichokes, about 3 young, tender
peas, 750g (250g, shelled weight)
broad beans, young, 1kg (these will result in about shelled 350g) The broad beans should be young and small — if they are not, (remove the outer peel of each bean)
asparagus (250g). Snap the bottoms from the asparagus and cut the spears into 2cm lengths
spring onions, 3-4, sliced thinly (including the green parts)
lemon, 1 for the acidulated water
extra virgin olive oil, about ½ cup
salt and pepper
white wine vinegar, ½ tablespoon or the juice of ½ lemon
sugar, about a teaspoon
fresh mint leaves, to sprinkle on top before serving

PROCESS

  1. Prepare the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves. Young artichokes can be difficult to find in Australia, so you may need to discard more leaves than you would in Sicily.
  2. As you clean the artichokes, place them in acidulated water (the juice of 1 lemon added to water) to prevent discolouration.
  3. Quarter each artichoke, then slice each quarter thinly. Don’t discard the stems—peel away the tough outer layer and slice the tender centres.
  4. Heat a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan. Add the sliced artichokes and sauté gently for 5–7 minutes, tossing the pan rather than stirring to keep the slices intact.
  5. Taste the artichokes. If they need further cooking, add about ½ cup of water, cover the pan and cook gently for another 10 minutes, or until they are just tender when tested with a fork.
  6. Add a little more olive oil, then the spring onions, peas and broad beans. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss the vegetables gently so they cook evenly without breaking up. Cook for 5–7 minutes, adding a splash of water (or a little stock, if using) if the pan becomes too dry.
  7. Add the asparagus and cook for another 2–3 minutes, just until tender but still bright green.
  8. Transfer the frittedda to a serving bowl to prevent the vegetables from continuing to cook in the hot pan.
  9. Season with the white wine vinegar or the juice of ½ lemon. The acidity balances the natural sweetness of the vegetables. If desired, add a small pinch of sugar to enhance the sweet-and-sour balance.
  10. I sometimes grate in a little fresh nutmeg, which complements the sweetness of the peas and broad beans. Scatter fresh mint leaves over the frittedda just before serving, as mint discolours if added too early.

Serving suggestion: Frittedda is best served at room temperature, allowing the flavours to develop fully.

Variations

As with many traditional Sicilian dishes, frittedda varies from one part of the island to another.

In Palermo, cooks often finish the dish with a light agrodolce (sweet-and-sour) dressing made from caramelised sugar and vinegar, much like the seasoning used for caponata.

In Enna, in the heart of Sicily, wild fennel is added during cooking, giving the dish a distinctive aromatic flavour that reflects the island’s inland traditions.

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Wild Fennel in Sicilian market

Similar spring recipes:

PASTA e FAVE (Pasta with broad beans; a wet or dry pasta dish)

FAVE (Broad beans)

PASTA ALLA FAVORITA (Pasta with artichokes, broad beans, peas alla favorita)

PASTA WITH SARDINES AND PEAS (PASTA CA NOCCA – PASTA COI FIOCCHI)

 

Pasta ca nocca, a traditional Sicilian dish made with peas and fresh sardines. In Sicilian, nocca means a ribbon or bow — something decorative, something meant to catch the eye. Likely named at a time when a bright ribbon in your hair was considered the height of charm.

Anche l’occhio vuole la sua parte” — even the eyes deserve their share.
It’s an Italian saying I love, especially when it comes to food. Presentation matters, and language often reflects that.

The dish itself is visually striking — the fresh green peas scattered among the pasta are a simple, beautiful contrast. It demands admiration before the first bite.

I like to make it even more charming by using farfalle — butterfly-shaped pasta that, to me, resemble tiny bows. A playful take on the name and a feast for both the eyes and the palate.

INGREDIENTS
pasta, 500g, short pasta (such as farfalle , fusilli or shells)
sardines, 300g fillets
peas, 400g fresh, green, young and shelled
parsley, a small bunch, cut finely
onion, 1 cut finely
extra virgin olive oil, ¾ cup
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
grated pecorino, to taste

PROCESSES

Soften the onion in the extra virgin olive oil.
Add the peas, seasoning and the parsley. Without the lid, stir the contents gently over medium heat until the peas are well coated with the oil and the parsley has softened.
Add a splash of water (or white wine or vegetable stock), cover and cook gently until the peas have softened.
Add the sardines and continue to braise the contents uncovered until the sardines have cooked (only a few minutes) and broken up in the sauce.
As an alternative, I like to lightly fry the sardines separately and then add them to the cooked pasta and the peas. This is not the traditional method for this recipe, but I particularly like to taste individual flavours.
Present with grated pecorino.
VARIATIONS
In some households a little tomato salsa is added to the peas.
Others add wild fennel.
Some use anchovies instead of fresh sardines.

 

Other Sardine recipes:

LAYERED SARDINES (CROSTATA DI SARDINE)

PASTA CON LE SARDE (SARDINES)

 

TONNO E PISELLI (Tuna and peas)

Finally, Albacore tuna is available again in one stall at the Queen Victoria market. This tuna is sustainable, it is a lean fish and it can be quite dry if served without a sauce.

You can buy albacore tuna cut as a fillet or as slices from the centre of the fish – this cut will include the spinal bones and if you are braising the fish the bones will contribute to the taste. In Sicily this cut of tuna is called a ruota (wheel); the bones can then be easily removed at the time of serving. The wheel of tuna will have the skin still on make sure that the scales have been removed and make splits into the skin to stop it curling. Or you can remove the skin altogether.

Tuna and peas is a very common combination for Italians. I remember so vividly my maternal grandmother cooking wheels of tuna in very crowded saucepans, bubbling away on her stove in Catania, Sicily. Sometimes she also added tomatoes to the braise and studded the tuna with cloves of garlic.

Peas are sweet, hence the cinnamon stick. Sometimes I add nutmeg instead (for the same reason). Both the cinnamon and the nutmeg are optional; if using nutmeg, add it at the final stages of cooking.

Once cooked, you can also remove the centre bone, break up the tuna and serve it as a pasta sauce.

For 4 people

INGREDIENTS
1 slice of albacore tuna (about 700g)
1 onion,
400g of shelled peas
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil,
salt and pepper
2-3 fresh bay leaves
1tbs tomato paste for colour (optional)
1 cup of white dry wine
1-2 cinnamon sticks or some grated nutmeg (optional)

PROCESSES
Sauté the chopped onion lightly in the oil – use low heat.
Add the tuna and seal on both sides.
Add seasoning, bay leaves, wine and cinnamon stick.
Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the peas 10 minutes into the cooking and If adding nutmeg add it at this time. Do not let the braise get dry and add a little more liquid (water and or wine) if necessary.

 

If using it as a pasta sauce:

Use 400 g pasta, short shapes.
Leave the fish in the pan while you cook the pasta.
Drain it.
Remove the central bones from the tuna (if there are any) and return them to the pan.
Dress the pasta and serve.
Unlike the rest of Italy, Sicilians include grated cheese with fish.

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CALAMARETTI IN TEGAME – in Sicilian it is CALAMARICCHI ’N’TIANU (Small calamari braised with tomatoes and potatoes)

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Calamaretti is the diminutive of calamari and Italians do mean small. This is a common recipe for braised calamaretti. In Australia it is often difficult to purchase small sized squid or cuttlefish, but do your best.  A tegame, is a shallow pan.

The photo of this squid was taken in the fish market in Catania, however I have been extremely pleased with the squid from my fish vendor (Happy Tuna stall in the Queen Victoria Market) and I have been buying it frequently.

I particularly like char grilled calamari with a salmoriglio dressing (oil, lemon, parsley, oregano). However, a simple braised calamari is also a good alternative, especially in winter.

For a main course you will need 3 kg of young calamari or more because they shrink. Potatoes and peas are often included in this dish.

INGREDIENTS
small squid, 3 kg
white wine,1 cup
flat leaf parsley, chopped, 1 cup
extra virgin olive oil,  ½  cup
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
onions, 2 chopped
potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes or chunks (estimate for 30mins cooking time)
tomato salsa, 1 cup

TOMATO SALSA: fresh, peeled, ripe, chopped tomatoes or a can (with the liquid), a little extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves left whole, fresh basil or dried oregano and a little seasoning. Place all of the ingredients into a pan together and evaporate until thickened. Add a little sugar, more olive oil and some extra leaves of fresh basil.

PROCESSES
Prepare the squid by removing the head with a sharp knife. Open the body and remove the internal organs. Retain the ink sacs and freeze them if you wish to use them at another time (see recipes……..).
Wash or wipe the squid and cut into strips.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the peeled chopped onions lightly.
Add the squid, stir for 3 minutes, and pour in the white wine, salsa and potatoes, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook gently for 30 minutes.
 VARIATIONS
Add 4 chopped anchovies, to above recipe.
When in season add peas, (2 cups shelled).
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CANNULICCHI A LA FAVURITA – CANNOLICCHI ALLA FAVORITA (pasta with broad beans, peas and artichokes alla favorita)

Cannulicchi a la Favurita – Cannolicchi alla Favorita is a Sicilian pasta dish that celebrates three of spring’s finest vegetables: fresh broad beans, peas and artichokes.

In Sicily, as in much of Italy, these vegetables arrive at much the same time and are natural companions. Their flavours are different but complementary: broad beans are slightly earthy, peas bring sweetness, and artichokes add their distinctive gentle bitterness. Together, dressed generously with extra virgin olive oil and pecorino, they make a particularly good sauce for pasta.

In Melbourne, spring brings the same opportunity. Broad beans and fresh peas appear in the markets, along with beautiful fleshy artichokes, and this is the time to make the dish while the vegetables are young and tender.

Cannolicchi alla Favorita and the Charleston

The recipe, and its intriguing name, came to me from the menu of the Charleston, a celebrated restaurant in Mondello, the seaside resort on the outskirts of Palermo.

Mondello, Palermo’s famous seaside resort and the setting for the Charleston restaurant.

The Charleston was known for presenting Sicilian ingredients and traditional dishes with considerable elegance. Its setting by the water added to its glamour, and it had a reputation as a place frequented by pezzi grossi – literally “big pieces”, but colloquially important or influential people.

I have never discovered precisely why the restaurant was given the name Charleston. Perhaps it was intended to suggest the glamour and exuberance associated with the Charleston and the fashionable dance halls of the 1920s. Whatever its origins, the name certainly suited such a grand seaside restaurant.

Its cooking drew strongly on Sicilian tradition but presented familiar ingredients in a more refined and contemporary way. Cannolicchi alla Favorita is a good example: simple seasonal vegetables transformed into an elegant pasta dish.

What Are Cannolicchi?

There is a little linguistic complication here because cannolicchi can refer to different things depending on context.

In this recipe, cannolicchi refers to the pasta: short, smooth, hollow tubes, generally about 5–6 centimetres long. Their cylindrical shape is particularly suitable because the pieces catch the vegetables, cheese and olive oil.

If cannolicchi pasta is unavailable, another reasonably large tubular pasta can be substituted.

The name cannolicchi has also been used in Sicily for certain artichokes, which makes the title of the dish particularly interesting when both pasta and artichokes appear on the same plate.

Broad Beans, Peas and Artichokes. A Sicilian Pasta for Spring

This is not a pasta dish with a heavy sauce. I think of it more as a warm spring vegetable salad combined with pasta.

The vegetables are cooked only briefly so that they remain fresh tasting and retain their beautiful variations of green. For this reason, I prepare the vegetables while the pasta is cooking and bring everything together at the last moment.

For the artichokes, use the tender inner heart and the fondo (the fleshy base beneath the leaves). I also use the peeled stalks because they have excellent flavour and there is no reason to waste them.

Large, fleshy artichokes are particularly suitable. You will need to strip off the outer leaves to reveal a fresh looking crisp heart .When they are in season, I find excellent ones at the Queen Victoria Market.

Large, fleshy artichokes
Fresh Herbs and Ricotta

The original combination is already full of flavour, but I like to add fresh herbs towards the end of cooking.

Mint is particularly good with broad beans and peas. Tender fennel fronds are another very Sicilian choice, while basil works beautifully when it is in season.

I also sometimes place a spoonful of fresh ricotta on each serving. It is not essential, but its mild creaminess is a lovely contrast to the pecorino and the slight bitterness of the artichokes.

The important thing is not to overwhelm the vegetables. This is a dish about freshness, simplicity and the flavours of spring.

What appeals to me most about Cannolicchi alla Favorita is its restraint. There is no elaborate sauce and no need for long cooking. Its success depends almost entirely on the quality and freshness of the vegetables.

Cannolicchi alla Favorita Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients
  • 400 g cannolicchi or another tubular pasta
  • 5 large artichokes, depending on size
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 kg young broad beans, in their pods
  • 1 kg young peas, in their pods
  • 1 large fresh white onion, finely sliced
  • 100 g pecorino, freshly grated
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • fresh mint, fennel fronds or basil, finely chopped
  • fresh ricotta, optional, for serving
Shell the broad beans
Prepare the Vegetables

Shell the peas and broad beans.

If the broad beans are very young and tender, I leave their pale green outer skins intact. With larger beans, remove the tougher outer skin.

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Peel the broad beans if necessary

Prepare a bowl of cold water acidulated with the juice of the lemon.

Trim the artichokes generously, removing the tough outer leaves until you reach the tender centre. Cut away any fibrous parts and remove the choke if one has developed. Retain the tender fleshy base and peel the stalks.

Slice the artichoke hearts, bases and stalks finely and place them immediately into the acidulated water to prevent discolouration.

Cook the Pasta and Vegetables

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, salt it generously and add the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, make the vegetable sauce.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan. Add the sliced fresh onion and cook gently until softened and lightly golden.

Drain the artichokes well and add them to the pan with the peas and broad beans. Season with salt and toss the vegetables over medium heat for about 7–10 minutes, or until just tender.

The exact cooking time will depend on the age and size of the vegetables. Avoid overcooking them — they should retain their freshness, colour and individual character.

Add the finely chopped herbs towards the end of cooking.

Bring Everything Together

Drain the pasta when it is al dente, reserving a little of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the vegetables and toss gently so that the olive oil and vegetable juices coat the pasta. If necessary, add a small amount of the reserved pasta water to loosen the mixture.

Serve immediately with freshly grated pecorino and plenty of black pepper.

For an extra touch, add a spoonful of fresh ricotta to each plate.

The complete dish is a reminder of something fundamental to Sicilian cooking: when produce is at its best, very little needs to be done to it.

FAVE ( Broad beans)

RISI E BISI (Risotto with peas)


Today in Venice, Venetians are celebrating the feast day of their patron saint (25 April, the date of the death of San Marco).

Risi e bisi the classic Venetian dish was traditionally offered to the Doge (do not know which one) on April 25, the feast of Saint Mark. This is not surprising, it is spring in the northern hemisphere and peas are one of the symbols of the season.

It is a public holiday in Venice and all sorts of events take place.

Although Venetians celebrate his feast day they also celebrate Liberation Day (liberation from the Nazis at the end of 2nd World War) and Festa del Bòcolo (is a rose bud) and it is customary for all women, not just lovers, to be presented with a bud. The very old legend concerns the daughter of Doge Orso Partecipazio, who was besotted with a handsome man, but the Doge did not approve and arranged for the object of her desire to fight the Turks on distant shores. The loved one was mortally wounded in battle near a rose bush. There he plucked a rose, tinged with his heroic blood and asked for it to be given to his beloved in Venice.

I grew up in Trieste (not far from Venice and in the same region of Italy) and risi e bisi is a staple, traditional dish.

The traditional way of cooking it does not include prosciutto but prosciutto cotto, what we call ham in Australia. Poor tasting ingredients will give a poor result; use a good quality smoked ham. As an alternative some cooks in Trieste use speck, a common ingredient in the region (it tastes more like pancetta). Some of the older Triestini use lard and only a little oil.

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My mother also added a little white wine to the soffritto of onion and the ham, but this also would have been a modern addition. The butter is added last of all for taste. Use parmigiano – parmigiano is the cheese used in the north of Italy, pecorino in the south.

The secret is in using good produce, preferably organic, young and freshly picked peas (for their delicate taste) and a good stock.

My mother made chicken stock. If she had no stock, she used good quality broth cubes- very common in Northern Italian cooking. Use as much as needed.

INGREDIENTS

peas (young, fresh), 1 kilo unshelled
rice, 300g vialone nano preferably,
ham, cubed 50-70g,
onion,1 finely cut (I like to use spring onions as well)
parmigiano (Reggiano), grated
50g
extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup
dry white wine, ½ glass (optional),
parsley, finely cut, ½ cup
butter, 2 tablespoons
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 
PROCESSES
Shell the peas.
Heat the olive oil, add ham and onion and over medium-low heat soften the ingredients. Do not brown.
Add the shelled peas, parsley and when they are covered in oil, add very little stock (to soften the peas), cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the rice, and stir, add the wine (optional) and evaporate.
Keep on adding the hot stock, stirring the rice and adding more stock as it is absorbed. End up with a wet dish (almost soupy and all’onda as Italians say) and with the rice al dente. In fact, the dish should rest for about 5 minutes before it is served so take this into consideration (the rice will keep on cooking and absorb the stock).
Add parmesan and butter, stir and serve.
 
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