Archive

ITALIAN RECIPES

Cooking of Basilicata

PanCotto Soup

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons olive oil
A clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
4 eggs, well beaten
1/2 pound (225 g) stale crusty Italian bread, crumbled
Ground hot pepper to taste
A small bunch of basil, chopped
1 pint (500 ml) water

Preparation:

Set the water to heat, crumble the bread into 4 bowls, beat the eggs, and chop the basil.
Heat the oil in a pot big enough to contain the water as well, and saute the garlic and hot pepper to taste for a minute or two. Add the water, bring the mixture to a boil, and cook for a couple of minutes. Vigorously stir in the eggs and the basil and cook a minute more stirring all the while. Ladle the mixture over the bread and serve at once.
Again, you could use broth or stock to add substance, and as a variation, you could add some freshly grated Pecorino Romano.
Serves 4.

Tomato, Onion and Potato Tiella

Ingredients:

6 ounces (150 g) potatoes
6 ounces (150 g) tomatoes
6 ounces (150 g) Onions
Bread crumbs
Olive oil
Garlic
Salt

Preparation:

Begin by peeling the potatoes and cut them into disks as thick as your finger.
Peel and slice the onions, and slice the tomatoes into thick slices, discarding the seeds.
Oil a dish proportionate to the volume of ingredients, and begin by putting down a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with minced garlic, oregano, and salt. Another layer, onion this time, and more herbs, this time with tomato. Then a final layer with what remains, dust all with bread crumbs, sprinkle it with olive oil, and bake it in the oven for 45 minutes at about 380 F (190 C).
A wine? Castel Del Monte Bianco would be nice.

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

6 long zucchini (as opposed to the round variety)
1/2 pound minced beef
Day-old Italian bread stripped of crust and crumbled -- the same volume as the meat
Grated pecorino romano -- a half cup, or more, to taste
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
Minced parsley (a small bunch)
Olive Oil
Black pepper and salt to taste (keep in mind that pecorino romano is salty)

Preparation:

Wash the zucchini, split them lengthwise, and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, and use it to fill the zucchini shells (if the volume of the mixture looks low with respect to that of the shells add some of the zucchini pulp to it).
Put the stuffed zucchini in a lightly oiled baking tin, drizzle them lightly with oil, and bake them in a warm (375 F or 180 C) oven until they're done -- a half hour to 45 minutes.
The wine? A white, and I'd be tempted by a Falanghina, from Campania.
Serves 6.

Fava Bean and Beet Green Soup

Ingredients:

14 ounces (400 g) dried fava beans
8 ounces (500 g) beet greens (Chard)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Olive oil
Salt to taste.

Preparation:

Begin by rinsing the beans, removing any stones that may be mixed in with them, then put them in a pot with ample water to cover and leave them over night. Cook them the next day until tender and blend them; check seasoning.

Pick over the beet greens, discarding any really tough ribs, wash them very well, and heat them until the wilt completely in a large pot (the water left over from the rinsing will be sufficient). Squeeze out the excess moisture and chop them coarsely.
Reheat the bean puree.

Heat about a quarter cup of olive oil in a skillet, sauté the crushed garlic until it begins to darken (don't let it brown), and then stir in the greens. Cook briskly for a few minutes, stirring to keep them from sticking, and as soon as the greens are done combine them with bean puree. Check seasoning and serve hot.
Note: You can, if you want, use other greens as well.
A wine? A white, and i might go with a Verdicchio.

Lucanian Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound (450 g) potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound (450 g) canned plum tomatoes, drained and sliced
1 pound (450 g) onions, cut into rings
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
A pinch of dried oregano
Salt

Preparation:

Grease an oven dish and layer the vegetables into it, dusting each layer with a little cheese and some salt. The last layer should be tomato; sprinkle the bread crumbs and a little oregano over it. Drizzle the olive oil over the dish and set it in a medium oven (360 F, 180 C) for about an hour. Serve hot.

Buon appetito!

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