Pasta Sauce with Pork Ribs: Tomatoes & Cranberry (Borlotti) Beans with Sage

 

Traditionally this is a summer sauce made when the borlotti beans & tomatoes are fresh but it's so heavy we prefer it in the fall and winter using our jarred tomatoes & frozen beans. Locals add pork ribs to the sauce adding extra flavor and resulting in a side dish of stewed meat! This is a stick to your ribs sauce perfect for a cold Sunday! Pairs great with any pasta shape/size but I prefer cavatelli for a full fledged nap inducing lunch!

Le Tagliatelle con i fagioli freschi
Borlotti & Tomato Sauce with Sage

serves 4+

2-3 handfuls of borlotti beans (preferrably fresh) dried
1 large jar or 2lbs/1 kilo of tomatoes, crushed, passed (seeded & skinned) or pureed
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 onion
5-6 pieces of bone (whatever type you like) I normally use pork ribs that the butcher cuts in half
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 clove of garlic
sage
sprig of rosemary if you like
pasta of your choice
extra virgin olive oil for finishing the dish

This recipe calls for two pots: 1 for the beans, 2 for the tomato sauce. Make sure the pot for the tomato sauce is larger as we will add the beans into the sauce later in the recipe.

Place the beans (either fresh or dried & then soaked) and sage in a pot with plenty of water, in large pieces add: half the carrot, half the leg of celery & half the onion. Bring everything to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Allow to cook until the beans are tender. (Do NOT add salt during this process.)

Finely dice the other half of the celery, carrot & onion. In the larger pot, heat a few glugs of olive oil and add fine diced vegetables, along with the garlic & a little salt & pepper. Sweat 10-12 minutes on low-low heat or until very soft without browning.

Next, raise the heat, add in your bones and brown on all sides, keep ’em moving in the pot so they don’t burn.

Add in your tomatoes, rosemary and another leaf of sage if your feeling sporty. Bring up to a good simmer and then lower to a low slow simmer. Allow to simmer for 30-35 minutes until it reduces by about a third and becomes nice and thick. Stir it occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.

Now here’s where the magic happens. Remove the chunks of vegetables from the pot with beans. Add the cooked beans to the larger pot SAVING the bean water. Bring the tomatoes & beans up to a simmer, adding a little of the bean water to thin it out. Cook about 10 minutes on a low low simmer, adjusting with a little bean water if it seems too thick.

To serve; fish out the rosemary sprig, garlic clove & sage leaves if you can find them. Remove the meaty bones from the pot. (These can be served alongside the pasta or as another course entirely.) Adjust your seasoning with salt & pepper and toss with hot pasta. We pair it with tagliatelle or cavatelli and finish with a drizzle of good finishing oil - this is when you use the good stuff!

Garden Vegetable Stew

 

This is one vegetarian dish that even the die-hard meat eaters will enjoy! The quality of your veggies will turn this from ordinary to amazing and full of flavor. Its filling and incredible versatile based on the vegetables and herbs you use. This veg stew is perfect over a boiled potato or polenta. With the eggs from our hens, we love poaching an egg and placing it atop this gorgeous garden stew, adding a little protein and making it into more of a meal. Plus, eggs are hot right now!! Which just cracks us up (who comes up with these things?! By the way kale is out and cauliflower is in!) 

Remember with simple dishes like this its important to use the best quality ingredients. This is just the base for the veggies - use what you've got /like/grow. Add in potatoes if you want, etc.

Garden Vegetable Stew
serves about 6

This is just the base for the veggies - use what you've got/like/grow. Add in potatoes if you want, etc.

1 long eggplant
1 onion
1 pepper
1 zucchini
1 bulb of fennel
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper
a couple of large tomatoes, diced or 1 jar of whole crushed tomatoes
herbs of your choice (rosemary, thyme, bay leaf etc)
optional: capers, olives

Dice all your vegetables in a large dice, keeping them separate. Since its a stew the sizing isn’t exact. But don’t mix all the veggies together in a bowl.

In a large heavy pot, with a little bit of olive oil on medium high heat, sauté the onion for a few minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Then remove from the pot. We are just looking to start the onions cooking.

Repeat the same process, a little bit of olive oil, salt & pepper, sauté for 2 minutes or so and then remove, with each of the remaining vegetable except the tomatoes.

Keep an eye on your pan heat - you don’t want it too hot or too cool: too hot and they will burn your vegetables, too cool and you’ll sweat instead of sauté the vegetables.

Then return all the vegetables to the pot, together, along with the tomatoes and your herbs (and capers/olives if you like). Bring the pot up to a simmer and let slowly simmer until all the vegetables are tender. OR I like to pop it in a 375 F/190 C degrees oven, uncovered for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has reduced some.

Check your seasoning, remove the herb stems and finish with good extra virgin olive oil on top.

If you like, poach an egg and place atop or serve with boiled potatoes or grilled polenta. Makes a great hearty vegetarian dish. It will get better as it sits in the fridge. Change up the vegetables as you like or play with the spices.

Make this Sauce in the time it takes for your water to boil: "Sauce of the Moment"

Sauce of the Moment
Sugo al Momento

This is literally one you use with whatever you have - and/or the vegetable that looks good/in season at the moment.  Change it up with the season - you can add pine nuts, leave out the tomatoes, leave out the white wine and use a different acidic ingredient. Use this as an outline and make it your own.

For this recipe, we will use peas as our ‘veg of the moment.'

2 handfuls of fresh peas, shelled
small handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons of white wine
4 tablespoons of chicken stock or pasta water
handful of parmesan cheese
clove of garlic, kept whole
olive oil
salt & pepper

In a pan, over low heat, warm about 4 glugs of olive oil and gently brown the garlic on all sides. In the bowling salted water you have going for your pasta, blanch your peas until they are half cooked. Remove from water and add to the pan with garlic & olive oil.

Raise the heat to med-high, add in your handful of cherry tomatoes. Give a stir, season with salt & pepper. Once your tomatoes start to cook down and slough the skin, add in 2 tablespoons of white wine. Allow the wine to cook out for 1-2 minutes, add in the chicken stock and allow to cook down. Shut off the heat. Give the sauce a taste and adjust your salt & pepper. Its now ready for your pasta.

Once the pasta is near cooked, return the pan to med heat. Drain the pasta directly from the bowling water into the pan with the sauce. With a spoonful of pasta water, incorporate the pasta into the sauce. Remove from the heat, make sure there is a little bit of moisture in the pan, adjust with pasta water. Now add a handful of parmesan cheese and incorporate into the pasta. Serve.


Change it up with the season - you can add pine nuts, leave out the tomatoes, leave out the white wine and use a different acidic ingredient. Use this as an outline and make it your own.

Sauce of the Moment - A Pasta Sauce in the Time it Takes the Water to Boil

Sauce of the Moment
Sugo al Momento

This is literally one you use with whatever you have - and/or the vegetable that looks good/in season at the moment.  Change it up with the season - you can add pine nuts, leave out the tomatoes, leave out the white wine and use a different acidic ingredient. Use this as an outline and make it your own.

For this recipe, we will use peas as our ‘veg of the moment’ since it’s Spring.

2 handfuls of fresh peas, shelled
small handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons of white wine
4 tablespoons of chicken stock or pasta water
handful of parmesan cheese
clove of garlic, kept whole
olive oil
salt & pepper

In a pan, over low heat, warm about 4 glugs of olive oil and gently brown the garlic on all sides. In the bowling salted water you have going for your pasta, blanch your peas until they are half cooked. Remove from water and add to the pan with garlic & olive oil.

Raise the heat to med-high, add in your handful of cherry tomatoes. Give a stir, season with salt & pepper. Once your tomatoes start to cook down and slough the skin, add in 2 tablespoons of white wine. Allow the wine to cook out for 1-2 minutes, add in the chicken stock and allow to cook down. Shut off the heat. Give the sauce a taste and adjust your salt & pepper. Its now ready for your pasta.

Once the pasta is near cooked, return the pan to med heat. Drain the pasta directly from the bowling water into the pan with the sauce. With a spoonful of pasta water, incorporate the pasta into the sauce. Remove from the heat, make sure there is a little bit of moisture in the pan, adjust with pasta water. Now add a handful of parmesan cheese and incorporate into the pasta. Serve.


Change it up with the season - you can add pine nuts, leave out the tomatoes, leave out the white wine and use a different acidic ingredient. Use this as an outline and make it your own.

Pasta all' Amatriciana

Amatriciana is a simple, delicious sauce you can make while the water for your pasta is boiling! Move over regular old ragu because this savory porky tomato sauce is my favorite go-to winter sugo (pasta sauce)!  For centuries it has been prepared with guanciale di maiale (cured pigs cheek) and grated local pecornio (sheep’s milk cheese).  The sauce is originally from Amatrice (at the intersection between Le Marche, Abruzzo and Lazio). Of course the recipe varies slightly depending on what region you are in, a big debate is with onions or without. While tomato-less version Gricia is still prepared in some parts (especially Lazio), it is the tomato-enriched Amatriciana that has become a “classic” sauce all over Italy.

For any of you that know Dr. Gaggi & his wife Rossana she always reiterates the importance of the pasta you choose with your sauce. "For amatriciana, you should use only bucatini or spaghetti no. 5!" She would be horrified to see the photo above since we tossed the sauce with fresh homemade tagliatelle - call the pasta police! (I still ate every last bite.)

I am a huge fan of guanciale di maiale (so much so I sing a song about it every time Jason uses it in a recipe), it is basically the best bacon ever! Here is another mouthwatering recipe using cured pig's cheek as a simple antipasto/appetizer:  Crostini di Guanciale di Maiale

 Amatriciana with Bucatini

 Amatriciana with Bucatini

4 oz./120 g cured pig's cheek (guanciale di maiale) or fresh pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic
glug of olive oil
12 oz./325 g puree tomatoes (freshest, highest quality as possible) or jarred tomatoes passed through the food mill
grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
salt
chili flakes
bucatini or spaghetti pasta

In a heavy pot heat the olive oil, add the clove of garlic & onions on low heat season with salt & chili flakes as you like. Sweat slowly without color for 10 minutes.
Add guanciale or pancetta cook for an additional 5 - 6 minutes without browning.
Remove garlic clove & add tomatoes. Bring up to boil, then lower the heat to a slow simmer for 30-35 minutes. Stir occasionally. Check seasonings.
Toss with fresh cooked pasta (bucatini is best) & fresh grated pecorino or parmesan and a little pasta water.

Carpaccio of Zucchini

 
Carpaccio of Zucchini
Fine Fine Zucchini

zucchini
salt
pepper
olive oil
lemon
parmesan

handful of cherry tomatoes, radishes, zucchini flowers, arugula (optional)

Use mandolin or slicer, slice zucchini very very thinly - paper thin.

Lay out one layer on a plate or platter.

Crack of pepper, crack of salt, drizzle olive oil, squeeze of lemon. Let sit for 15 minutes.

 

If you have cherry tomatoes and/or radishes toss a small handful ontop as well as zucchini flowers, arugula or celery hearts, etc to give it a little extra bite & color. Finish with shaved parmesan over the top. Serve

Classic Italian Ragu: Age-old, Tried & True

Classic Italian Ragu, everyone has their favorite, a family recipe passed down scribbled on scratch paper. "No one made it like Grandma" - well until now! Here's our classic ragu (meat & tomato) sauce that is easy & delicious, perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, tagliatelle .... the list goes on!

Ragu

1 small carrot, finely diced
1 med onion, finely diced
1 rib of celery, finely diced
1 clove of garlic
quarter pound of sausage meat
half pound ground veal
1.5 pounds peeled, seeded, pureed fresh tomatoes or 1 large can of peeled tomatoes
olive oil
salt & pepper

In a pot add a couple glugs of olive oil & sauté clove of garlic until brown then discard.

On medium heat sauté veggies slowly for about 10 minutes - so they are not brown but translucent. Raise the heat slightly & add in meat - breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon.  Season with salt & pepper.

Add tomatoes & half a glass of water. Bring up to boil.  Lower to a very low simmer for 2.5 hours stirring occasionally.

Toss pasta with a few ladlefuls of sauce  (just enough to coat) and a ladleful of pasta water as well. You can finish with a dollop of sauce ontop if you like. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan or Aged Pecorino.

Mouthwatering Roasted Tomato & Bread Soup {Pappa al Pomodoro}

Make your kitchen smell outright divine with this Tuscan-based slow roasted tomato bread soup, Pappa al Pomodoro. Home-grown tomatoes, in-season, peasant cooking (using stale bread)- a perfect example of Slow Food. Our tomato plants are thriving in this long warm summer in Italy, the colors deepening & the flavors intensifying as the days go by. Originating in Tuscany (about an hour away) we can't resist sharing this mouthwatering recipe at our farmhouse using our plump andjuicy homegrown piccadilly & cherry tomatoes!

(I've posted this recipe before, but since today we started jarring the first batch of jarred/canned tomatoes it was only fitting to post a delicious tomato recipe & this is what's cooking for dinner & one of my absolute favs!!)

Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe

Tomato Bread Soup Recipe

Serves 4
1/2 kilo of ripe cherry tomatoes
few cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced
large bunch of basil, set aside soft stems for later (chopped)
good extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
2 medium cans of good quality tomatoes
2 big handfuls of good stale bread, crusts removed
olive oil for cooking

Preheat oven to 375 F / 190 C
Toss cherry tomatoes with oil, 1 clove of garlic chopped, 1/3 of your basil, salt & pepper. Place on a cookie/baking sheet. Place in oven for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes burst open.

In a heavy bottomed pot, heat a couple glugs of olive oil SLOWLY cooking your garlic & basil until soft for a couple minutes. Turn up heat, add tomatoes & 1 can of water. Break up tomatoes with back of a wooden spoon. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Tear bread into bite size pieces, mixing well.
Season with salt & pepper.

Turn down heat, cooking for another 10 minutes.
When cherry tomatoes are done cooking add them to the soup. Make sure to scrap all the good, caramelized juicy bits from your pan into the soup.

Stir & taste check. You are looking for a thick soup. If it is too dry, adjust with water. When you are happy with the consistency remove from heat. Stir in 7-8 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil and torn basil leaves.

Serve warm or hot.

Savory Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Filet of Anchovy

It's tomato season,  so keep it simple while cooking.  No need to make heavy sauces with all those gorgeous tomatoes that are bursting with flavor - try a simple 5 ingredient recipe with slow roasted tomatoes, herbs, loads of olive oil and topped with a filet of anchovy! This recipe is straight from the seaside of Le Marche, where we first devoured this delicious antipasto in Numana.

On a hot summer's day, we keep the kitchen oven off & make these in our outdoor wood burning oven!

Roasted Tomatoes with Anchovies

Pomodori al forno con le acciughe

serves 4
4 round tomatoes (we grow & use grappolo for this dish)
small handful of any fresh herbs you like, chopped - we use oregano but you can also use basil, thyme, etc.
salt & pepper
good quality extra virgin olive oil
8 high quality anchovy filets, (we use anchovies from Sardegna packed in salt)

Preheat oven to 150 C or 280 F

Cut the top 3rd off the tomatoes & discard top.

Place tomatoes on a baking tray, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper & herbs. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil.  Place in the oven for 4-6 hours depending on the size of your tomatoes. Every once in a while as you pass the kitchen, baste the tomatoes in the juices & olive oil in the pan.

Once the tomatoes shrivel up a bit & start to look sun-dried, they are ready. They should still hold their shape & not become mush.

Remove from oven, top each tomato with a whole anchovy filet. Serve warm or room temperature with olive oil from the baking pan drizzled over the top.

Pasta with Raw Tomatoes & Lemon Infused Olive Oil

  In the height of tomato season try this light and refreshing summer pasta sauce of raw uncooked tomatoes with lemon infused olive oil tossed over fresh pasta. The lemon compliments the tomatoes creating a bright & flavorful dish that's quick & easy.  On a hot summer day all it takes is to boil the pasta & you're done!

We first tried this pasta at our friend Daniela's house for lunch in Cassero, (Le Marche) and have been making it with our bounty of tomatoes ever since!

Tomato Lemon Pasta Sauce

Pasta di Daniela

serves 8
1 cup (250 ml) of extra virgin olive oil
zest of 3-5 unwaxed lemons, depending on the size
1 kilo or 32 oz, passed tomatoes, the best fresh tomatoes you can find or canned
salt and chili flakes to taste
handful of aged pecorino (sheep's milk cheese) or parmesan freshly grated

A day or so before you would like to use the sauce combine lemon zest and oil in a bowl, cover and allow to sit out.

The next day, strain out zest from oil and drizzle slowly into passed tomatoes as you constantly stir.  When all the oil is incorporated, season with salt and pepper.  Allow the sauce to sit once more for a bit to allow the flavors to come together.

To serve: Give the sauce a good stir as it will have surely separated and toss with hot thin pasta and a sprinkle of grated aged pecorino (sheep's milk cheese) or parmesan.

Stuffed Lemons Cooked in the Oven - Limoni Cotti al Forno

Stuffed lemons with tomatoes, anchovies, basil & mozzarella is a delicious antipasto and perfect example of balancing flavors. We first tried this mouthwatering two-bite bit of heaven on the Amalfi Coast and have been recreating it ever since. Even though it is not a traditional dish of Le Marche, Jason likes to use it in his cooking classes to teach how to balance flavors in the kitchen: fat, acid, sweet, salty & aromatic. The creamy mozzarella subdues the tartness of the lemon; sweet cherry tomatoes go perfectly with the aromatic basil; and salty anchovies round out the dish.  All five of these ingredients work together harmoniously so that none of them are overpowering creating a balanced flavor.

This dish is also fantastic because you can make it your own very simply. Don't like anchovies? Try some capers or olives instead,  better yet go meaty and throw in a little prosciutto to get that salty component that is needed.  In Autumn, when the basil is gone and the frost have taken the tomatoes use the ingredients of that season to substitute (Gorgonzola, pear and walnuts sound good to me).   Be creative!  Keep this philosophy in mind and you can adapt any recipe to fit the season.

Lemons Cooked in the Oven
Limoni Cotti al Forno

2 Large unwaxed lemons
1 or 2 balls of buffalo mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch  or 1/2 cm thick pieces
4 fresh basil leaves
2 anchovy fillets
2 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 F / 215 C

Remove the ends of the lemons & discard them (don’t cut in to deep - you want to keep a closed bottom). Then cut the lemons in half crossways, giving you little lemon bowls.

Using a small knife, remove the lemon flesh, leaving you with 4 hollow lemon rind bowls. (Again you don’t want to break-into the rind)

Cut a piece of mozzarella to fit inside, then lay a basil leaf, half an anchovy fillet and half a cherry tomato on top with a pinch of salt & pepper and a little drizzle of good olive oil. Put another slice of mozzarella on top - the lemon should now be filled up. Do the same to the rest of the lemon bowls.

Place on a baking sheet & cook in a preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes, until golden & bubbling.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately. To eat: scoop the mozzarella out and eat with the bread to soak up any juices!

Cranberry Beans, Cherry Tomatoes & Cucumber Salad

Garden Salad

Cranberry Bean Salad

Picnic perfect! A garden salad with fresh borlotti or cranberry beans, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers goes great with everything from fish to grilled meats or eaten by itself with toasty bread & a wedge of pecorino (sheep's milk cheese).

(All the produce for this salad is grown in our organic farm with homemade red wine vinegar.)

Cranberry Bean Salad

Insalata di Fagioli Borlotti 

serves 4

2 cups fresh borlotti or cranberry beans
couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, peeled & sliced

fresh herbs of your choice, chopped: marjoram, oregano or basil work well
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive
salt pepper
vegetable scraps

In a pot with plenty of water, bring the beans to a boil with vegetable scraps: the bits from the fridge such as celery tops, the bendable carrot destined for the garbage, half an onion sitting in your fridge that doesn't look so great - toss it in! (The veggies give the beans a bit more flavor.)
Bring to boil then lower to simmer 20-30 minutes until the beans are tender.
Drain & discard the vegetables.
In a bowl combine the beans, tomatoes, onion, cucumber. Add in the herbs.
Combine the oil & vinegar then toss with the salad.
Season with salt & pepper.
Let stand 10-15 minutes to let the flavors come together. Recheck your seasonings (taste it) and adjust.  Serve.

Fresh picked cranberry beans from our garden

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes & Basil

This is a sauce you can make while you wait for your water to boil. Use this as a base & add any other vegetables to it you like. It is best when the tomatoes are ripe and sweet.

Super Simple Sauces:
Pasta Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes

2 big handfuls of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 onion med yellow
1 garlic clove
3-4 glugs of olive oil
chili flakes
2-3 slices of pancetta, prosciutto, bacon or ham
salt & pepper
basil, handful to top (optional)

In a frying paying on low heat sauté garlic and onion slowly for 10-15 minutes.
Add in a pinch of chili flakes as you like.
Toss in the tomatoes and pancetta, raise the heat to medium - medium/high.
Allow the tomatoes to cook down about 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes have melted down and made a sauce.
(It may be necessary to add a spoonful or 2 of water if too thick)

Taste and check seasonings, add salt & pepper.
Toss with fresh pasta and drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and top with fresh basil.

Pappa al Pomodoro - Slow Roasted Tomato Bread Soup

Slow roasted cherry tomatoes

 Make your house smell outright divine with this Tuscan-based slow roasted tomato bread soup, Pappa al Pomodoro. Locally grown tomatoes, in-season, peasant cooking (using stale bread)- a perfect example of Slow Food. Our tomato plants are thriving in this long warm, Indian summer in Italy, the colors deepening & the flavors intensifying as the days go by. Originating in Tuscany (about an hour away) we can't resist sharing this mouthwatering recipe at our farmhouse using our plump & juicy homegrown piccadilly & cherry tomatoes!

Pappa al Pomodoro

Tomato Bread Soup

1/2 kilo of ripe cherry tomatoes.
few cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced
large bunch of basil, set aside soft stems for later (chopped)
good extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
2 medium cans of good quality tomatoes
2 big handfuls of good stale bread, crusts removed
olive oil for cooking

Preheat oven to 375 F / 190 C
Toss cherry tomatoes with oil, 1 clove of garlic chopped, 1/3 of your basil, salt & pepper. Place on a cookie/baking sheet. Place in oven for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes burst open.

In a heavy bottomed pot, heat a couple glugs of olive oil SLOWLY cooking your garlic & basil until soft for a couple minutes. Turn up heat, add tomatoes & 1 can of water. Break up tomatoes with back of a wooden spoon. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Tear bread into bite size pieces, mixing well.
Season with salt & pepper
Turn down heat, cooking for another 10 minutes.
When cherry tomatoes are done cooking add them to the soup. Make sure to scrap all the good, caramelized juicy bits from your pan into the soup.
Stir & taste check. You are looking for a thick soup. If it is too dry, adjust with water. When you are happy with the consistency remove from heat. Stir in 7-8 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil and torn basil leaves.
Serve warm or hot.

Panzanella - Tuscan Bread Salad

A summer staple in Central Italy is the Tuscan bread salad Panzanella, a classic example of cucina povera (peasant cooking), transforming stale bread into a flavorful dish with fresh tomatoes, basil & anchovies.

Panzanella 

Tuscan Bread Salad

3 bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeds removed cut into strips
500 gr or 1 lb loaf of good quality stale bread
2 lbs or 1 kilo of ripe cherry tomatoes, (small sized) halved or quartered
6-8 anchovy filets
1 small handful of capers, washed & drained
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 celery heart, thinly sliced
large handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
couple cloves of garlic, peeled
red wine wine vinegar
good quality extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

In a colander place tomatoes and sprinkle with a generous spoonful of salt. Toss the tomatoes a bit. Put a plate or another flat object on top of the tomatoes then a heavy jar or container ontop of the plate to allow them to be pressed & drained.

In a bowl place the garlic cloves, anchovy filets & capers. Now place the colander into the bowl, allowing the tomato juices to drip onto the garlic, anchovies & capers. Allow this to sit for 20 minutes of so.

Meanwhile, in another bowl combine your onion, celery heart, grilled peppers & cucumber. Once the tomatoes have had a chance to sit, add the tomatoes to these vegetables and give it a toss.
For the dressing, use the bowl with the anchovies, tomato juice, etc. - remove the anchovies & garlic, chop the garlic & return to the bowl with the tomato juice. Add 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and about 10-12 good extra virgin olive oil. Stir well. Add a little salt & a good crack of fresh black pepper. Toss this dressing with the tomatoes & vegetables. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or so while you tear up your bread.

Remove the innards of the bread, tearing it into small pieces (leaving the hard crust). Add a about 2 handful of torn bread as well as 3/4 of your basil leaves to the salad. Stir and adjust the seasoning giving the bread time to soak up the juices. If after 10 minutes it looks a little watery, add another handful of the torn bread.

To serve: Adjust your seasonings. Place in a big bowl garnish with the remainder of your basil leaves and the filets of anchovies. Give a good drizzle of olive oil atop before it goes to the table.

Baked Vegetables with Bread Crumbs - Verdure Gratinate

Now this is home cooking in Italy. Verdure gratinate (baked vegetables with bread crumbs) can be found on many tables here in our area, always delicious - warm & toasty or packed up for a pot-luck.  The thick slices of onions are my favorite and are basically the best onion rings ever! They come out soft & warm inside with perfectly light & crispy crunch. To top it off this healthy dish is incredibly simple to make & can be served as an antipasto or at the end of the meal with your meat as a contorno.

Baked Vegetables with Bread Crumbs

Verdure Gratinate

serves 4

ingredients:

(Below are suggested veggies, you can use any kind of vegetables you like, cut in half, lengthwise so they have a large flat surface)
1 tomato

1 small zucchini

1 eggplant

1 onion (thickly sliced)

1 pepper

small handful of fresh herbs of your choice (we use: oregano, parsley or marjoram), chopped
salt & pepper
olive oil
about a cup of plain bread crumbs

Season plain breadcrumbs with fresh herbs.
Place veggies on cookie sheet, (covered in parchment paper) drizzle with olive oil, add salt & pepper.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over vegetables, covering them completely (but don't go crazy with a half an inch of breadcrumbs).
Finish with another drizzle of olive oil.
Bake 375 F / 190C degrees oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until vegetables are soft & breadcrumbs are browned on top.
Serve warm or room temperature.

Sauteed Radicchio with Cherry Tomato Crostini

Ok so what is radicchio? Its an ancient leafy vegetable in the chicory family. It has a bitter and spicy taste, which mellows when it is grilled or roasted. Its commonly found throughout Italy & we grow it on our farm too! Radicchio is such as versatile ingredient - eaten raw, grilled with olive oil or in risotto. Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Tardivo

Here's a quick & easy recipe to enjoy this under rated leafy veg, you can use this topping as crostini, atop grilled chicken or try it in a frittata.

Radicchio Crostini

Radicchio, core removed, sliced

4-5 Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Soft cheese (we use stracchino a soft cows milk cheese)
Toasty bread

In a frying pan heat 3-4 glugs of olive oil and gently fry the clove of garlic. Once brown, remove garlic.

Raise the heat, add radicchio, season with salt & pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes as the radicchio will cook down a bit.

Add the cherry tomatoes and lower the heat to medium-low. Gently cook everything down, letting the tomatoes wilt about 10 minutes. It may be necessary to add a spoonful or two of water if it looks like its drying out.

Taste & check your salt & pepper.

Turn off heat & allow to cool. Add a healthy drizzle of extra virigin olive oil over top & mix in.
Toast your bread slices. Spread layer of soft cheese & spoonful of radicchio mixture.

Enjoy!

Radicchio crostini

Peperonata ~ Stewed Peppers and Grilled Sausages ~ Perfect for the Game

This year we had over 80 pepper plants in the ground yielding hundreds of pounds of peppers!! Needless to say we ate A LOT of peppers this summer & fall! They have such a great flavor & we used them in tons of dishes. But everyone's favorite is peperonata or stewed peppers. They are delicious piled on crostini to soak up the juices or even better with grilled sausages - awesome! (Not to mention - this is THE perfect lunch or dinner to feed a hungry crowd for a football game!)

Stewed Peppers
Peperonata

4-5 bell peppers, cut into large pieces, cleaned
a big handful of whole cherry tomatoes
1 yellow onion sliced
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil

• In a large skillet or pot , heat 1/3 cup of olive oil.
• Saute garlic until golden brown & then discard.
• Reduce heat to low & slowly saute the onion 12 - 15 minutes until well cooked. but do not brown it.
• Raise heat & add peppers.
• Season with plenty of salt & pepper.
• Allow peppers to cook, stirring frequently 10 minutes until the ends start to shrivel.
• At this point, throw in your cherry tomatoes & allow to cook another 10 -15 minutes until the peppers are soft & not mushy and the cherry tomatoes have let their juices out.
• Taste to check the seasonings.
• Serve hot, warm or cold.

a perfect pepper from our garden

Lasagna

Lasagna ahhh, a classic meaty cheesy mess. But it doesn't always have to be - This recipe however is one of my favorites & not that cheesy Italian restaurant cliche'. The key is to use fresh pasta in this recipe - for a lasagna that is light & delicate. If possible use your own tomatoes, we use jarred tomatoes from the garden - you just can't get that kinda flavor from a store bought jar.

Lasagna

Ragu (see recipe)
Bechamel
Parmesan cheese
4 sheets of pasta to cover your dish

In your casserole dish ladle a little of the ragu.

In plenty of boiling salted water, cook your pasta until a bit further than al dente. Cook only 1 -2 sheets at a time (otherwise they will stick & it will be a mess)

Lay down the sheet of pasta in your dish, ok if it comes up over the edge of the dish (that will make for the good crunch bits!)

Add a ladle of ragu - cover completely but don’t over do it - less is more.

Dot bechamel.

Now a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Repeat these steps ending with sauce on the top layer of the pasta

Bake at 375/190 C oven for 15-20 minutes until the top is brown & bubbly!

Classic Italian Ragu

Everyone has gotta have one - here is our classic ragu (meat & tomato) sauce. Perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, tagliatelle .... the list goes on!

Ragu

1 small carrot, finely diced
1 med onion, finely diced
1 rib of celery, finely diced
1 clove of garlic
quarter pound of sausage meat
half pound ground veal
1.5 pounds peeled, seeded, pureed fresh tomatoes or 1 large can of peeled tomatoes
olive oil
salt & pepper

In a pot add a couple glugs of olive oil & sauté clove of garlic until brown then discard.

On med heat sauté veggies slowly for about 10 minutes - so they are not brown but translucent.

Raise the heat slightly & add in meat - breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon.

Season with salt & pepper.

Add tomatoes & half a glass of water.

Bring up to boil.

Lower to a very low simmer for 2.5 hours stirring occasionally.

Toss with your favorite pasta.

If sauce becomes too thick, add a little pasta water.