Simple Italy

Celebrating Your Inner Italian

Bay leaf

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I was excited to find branches of bay leaf at the Farmers’ Market. Green and supple, they were nothing like the khaki-colored shards of bay leaf from the supermarket that appear to have been dried in a blast furnace.

I’m so envious of the hedges of evergreen bay laurel that grow with abandon in Italy. In the climate of southeastern Pennsylvania,  bay laurel plants can only be grown as an annual. I did grow a bay in a container for a couple seasons, wintering it over by letting it go dormant in the garage. (Trying to keep herbs going indoors just seems to be a non-starter for me.)

Bay leaf is such a wonderful seasoning that I’m always shocked by how under-used it is. The complex aroma of the leaves is like an intriguing blend of herb, wine, and allspice.

Since bay responds best to moist heat, I add a few leaves to almost every soup, stew, braise, and bean dish I cook. If the leaves have been only lightly dried, they emerge from the dish intact. Even if the recipe doesn’t call for bay leaf, throw in one or two or three. You won’t be sorry.

If you don’t have a garden or a farmers’ market, you can buy fine Turkish bay leaves at Penzeys Spices.

Have you successfully grown bay laurel? Share your gardening tips.

Panzanella

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I crave panzanella in August. This home-spun jumble of stale bread, succulent tomatoes, aromatic basil, olive oil, wine vinegar, cucumber and onion is restorative. Each refreshing bite perks me up, makes me feel more  like a budding flower and less like a scorched weed.

I first tasted panzanella in the countryside outside of Florence. Friends told me that the dish evolved as thrifty country cooks combined stale bread with juicy seasonal produce to create a quick, inexpensive salad.

These days, the challenge to putting together a good panzanella is in obtaining ingredients that will give the dish a genuine flavor and the proper texture. The keys are the bread, the tomatoes, and the olive oil.

Bread

Panzanella requires a rustic whole-grain loaf–with no fat or sweeteners–that won’t dissolve into goo when moistened. (LaBrea Bakery whole grain loaf is one commercially-produced example. To find a store near you, go to La Brea Bakery.) Many so-called Italian breads are made from white flour and dough enhancers and are just too fluffy to hold their crumb. If you’re a baker, you can prepare the Italian Wheat Berry Bread for the panzanella. If you think your bread won’t hold up to the water bath, I recommend skipping that process. Instead, simple toast the bread lightly and then cut it into cubes before tossing with the vegetables and dressing.

Tomatoes

Choose very ripe fruit that’s grown in your area. I like heirloom varieties which are like tomato-juice machines.

Olive oil
The fruity taste of extra-virgin oil is essential. When it’s mixed with the vegetables and basil, it produces a seasonal elixir.

While I prefer the classic simplicity of the following recipe, you can add protein or other vegetables to a panzanella to make it a one-dish meal. Add-ins include lettuce, radishes, celery, fennel, prosciutto, canned tuna, Parmigiano Reggiano, Gruyère, capers, artichoke hearts, hard-cooked eggs and roasted red peppers.

Panzanella (Tuscan Bread and Tomato Salad)

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 loaf (about 1 pound) rustic Italian Wheat Berry Bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, dried

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds ripe locally-grown tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 medium cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, sliced

1/2 medium red onion (about 4 ounces), halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup slivered fresh basil

Place the bread in a large bowl. Cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 30 to 60 seconds until bread is saturated. Test by squashing a piece between thumb and finger. Drain. Scoop the bread in cupped handfuls, squeezing out excess water but taking care not to pulverize the bread. Transfer to a platter. Continue until all the bread is squeezed.

In a large bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and basil. Toss. Add the bread and toss. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if needed.

What’s your go-to Italian summer dish? Tell us about it.

Gratinata di Zucchini

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Sure, the happy yellow blooms look pretty now.

Oh, and look, some of the flowers have baby zucchini growing out of them. How cute!

Ah, but in a a span of days, those diminutive veggies will explode to gargantuan proportions.

Act now! Pick your zucchini when they are no more than 1-inch wide. You’ll thank me later.

To prepare a gratinata, slice the zucchini very thin on the finest setting of a mandoline or with the slicing blade of a food processor.

This easy dish is always a hit because the cheese and olive oil not only add terrific flavor to the mild squash, they help to crisp up the texture. It’s equally delicious served warm or at room temperature.

Gratinata di Zucchini

Extra-virgin olive oil

3/4       cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2       cup plain dry breadcrumbs

2          pounds small zucchini (1-inch diameter) very thinly sliced

Salt

1/4       cup coarsely chopped pine nuts or almonds

Preheat a grill to 375°F. On a sheet of waxed paper, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan.

Oil the bottom of a 13 x 10 x 1-inch baking sheet with sides. Coat with one-third of the Parmesan mixture. Place one third of the zucchini slices in an even layer in the pan. Season lightly with salt. Repeat layering twice. Drizzle lightly with oil. Sprinkle evenly with the pine nuts.

Bake in the covered grill over indirect heat for about 40 minutes or until browned and sizzling. Remove from the grill to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

What’s your favorite way to cope with zucchini bounty? Leave a comment below.

Italian Rice Salad

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I always associate Rice Salad with summer in Rome. Even when it’s sweltering and your appetite is wilted, this refreshing dish will revive it.

Please look at this recipe as only a guideline. Rice salad is the type of preparation, like pasta, that is totally open to improvisation.  Vary it throughout the season with whatever vegetables are ripe. For instance, use chopped tomatoes instead of roasted bell pepper. And, if you have leftover cooked rice on hand, the dish takes only minutes to create.

You can serve it as is for a main-dish for a luncheon. Or, toss in 1 to 2 cups of drained tuna fish, cooked shrimp, or sliced cooked Italian sausage, for a more substantial salad.

As a side with dinner, serve with grilled meats, poultry, seafood, or vegetables.

Summer Rice Salad

Serves 8 to 10

2          cups medium or long-grain rice

2          cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 1/2    teaspoons salt

1          medium-large sweet or red onion, chopped

5          tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

1/3       cup extra-virgin olive oil

3          ribs of celery hearts, chopped

1 1/2    cups chopped sweet pea pods or frozen baby peas, rinsed

1/2       cup shredded Provolone, Swiss Gruyère, Parmesan, Tuscan Pecorino, or Spanish         Manchego cheese

1          roasted red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

3          tablespoons drained capers or slivered green or black olives

Ground black pepper

In a large pot, combine the rice, broth, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat so medium-low so rice simmers. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, for 5 minutes.

Coat a large tray with no-stick spray. With a fork spread the rice on a large tray. Stir occasionally to speed cooling.

In a small bowl, combine the onion, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and enough cold water to cover. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

In a large bowl, whisk 1/3 cup oil, 3 tablespoons vinegar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the celery, peas, cheese, pepper, capers or olives, and rice. Toss to mix. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill.

To serve, drain and rinse the onions. Add to the salad. Season to taste with black pepper. Toss the salad. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and vinegar if needed.

Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for several hours. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Market to Table

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Berks County, PA farmers Charis and Michael, opening day of the Emmaus Farmers Market 2010.

How do I get in touch with my Inner Italian when I’m not in Italy? For seven months of the year, I purchase just-picked produce at my local farmers’ market. It’s one of the best ways I know of to eat “Italian.”

Dinner possibilities sprouted before me.

Walter grilled onions and asparagus coated in olive oil while I cooked rigatoni.

I tossed in some cooked cannellini beans and sage for the first of many simple, satisfying summer meals to come.

Sprinkle on freshly grated Parmesan or breadcrumbs crisped in olive oil for a vegan dish.

How does seasonal produce inspire your meals? Share your story.

Cacciucco

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cacciucco

Every coastal region of Italy has a seafood stew. Tuscany— or more specifically the port town of Livorno—has cacciucco (ka-CHOO-ko). While the word is fun to pronounce, the dish is even more pleasurable to eat.

I yearn for cacciucco in the spring. It was in primavera that I first tasted cacciucco at Trattoria Benvenuto in Florence and I haven’t been the same since.

Some say the dish must have at least five types of seafood to correspond to the five Cs in the word. The more fish and shellfish, the better the flavor. And select good quality red wine and artisanal quality bread with good texture to soak up the amazing broth.

Choose the freshest fish available. Use one type or as many as three or four, to comprise 2 pounds. Sea bass, monkfish, cod, halibut, swordfish, shark, tilapia, turbot, catfish, or red snapper are all good choices.

As for the shellfish, in this recipe, I’m using littleneck clams and shrimp but baby calamari, octopus, mussels, or scallops may be substituted.

Cacciucco

Serves 6 to 8

3/4       cup olive oil
1          large red onion, coarsely chopped
4          large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2    teaspoons dried crushed red-pepper flakes
1           cup dry red wine
1        can (28 ounces) crushed plum tomatoes
1/2       cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
24       littleneck clams
24                medium or large unpeeled shrimp
2 to 2 1/2         pounds mild white-fleshed fish fillets, cut in 2-inch chunks
3          cups cold water
6 to 8 thick slices Rustic Bread, toasted

Heat the oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the wine. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook at a brisk simmer for 5 minutes or until the wine no longer smells of alcohol. Add the tomatoes, all but 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat until sauce simmers gently. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, for the flavors to blend.

Add the clams and shrimp; stir. Add the fish and stir gently. Increase the heat to high. Cook for 2 minutes or until liquid starts to bubble. Add the water. Cover and reduce the heat so the mixture simmers but does not boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until the clams open and the other seafood is opaque in the center. Discard any clams that will not open. Spoon over bread set in pasta plates or large shallow bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

What Italian seafood stews have you savored and where? Tell us!