Elizabeth Minchilli's Blog, page 10

mushroom + pine nut pasta

I made this mushroom and pine nut pasta during the  first real trip we made after our lockdown ended. Our first road trip was to drive to Puglia to see Domenico’s mother. We hadn’t seen her since Christmas! She weathered the lockdown just fine since, basically, she’s been on lockdown for the past 2 years. Since she is not that mobile anymore (she’s 98!) the farthest she walks is down her long hallway to the window to look out at the sea.

When I first married Domenico we would go to Bari and Nonna would of course do all the cooking. I’ve learned a great deal over the years, but slowly, without even really realizing it, the cooking has shifted to me when we are there. Sometimes I make things that I learned from Rosa, but more often I am inspired by the amazing produce that I find in the market and take it from there, creating new dishes from what I find.

Puglia has some of the best vegetables in Italy and in fact, when you go to any market anywhere in Italy, many of the fruits and vegetables are actually grown there. Not only do they taste better at the source, but there are some quirky local things that never make it out of the region. Cardoncelli mushrooms are one of those.

Cardoncelli mushrooms are a type of mushroom that, when grown in the wild, can be found near a type of wild cardoon (that is wear the name comes from ) in the very dry and wild areas in the center of Puglia. These days though, most of cardoncelli are cultivated, but they are still some of my favorite mushrooms to cook with. So when I saw them at the market, I decided to make us pasta for lunch. I also picked up a bunch of argula. Again, I’ve only ever seen this type of super spicy wild arugula in Puglia.

This mushroom and pine nut pasta comes together really quickly, but the trick is cooking the mushrooms correctly. You want to let them brown before wilting and the only way to do this is over high heat without stirring. See this little video I did for a demo.

You’re most likely not going to be able to find cardoncelli, but don’t worry. Any kind of mushroom will do. And while I love the spiciness of arugula, a handful of any green (spinach, swiss chard, or even parsley) is just fine. I also sometimes add a chopped scallion at the end (the whites and a bit of green). Please don’t skip the toasted pine nuts. They really do bring the dish together.

Print
Mushrom and Pine Nut Pasta

Yield 4

I made this dish with local cardoncelli mushrooms from Puglia, but you can substitute regular button mushrooms.

Ingredients

700 grams/ 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch arugula, trimmed and roughly chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
500 grams/ 1 pound orecciette



Instructions

Add the olive oil to a large pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced mushrooms and let them cook without stirring. When you stir them they release liquid, which you want to avoid. Let them cook, browning. If you are worried it’s burning, just give the pan a shake to move them around. Let them cook until tender then add the garlic, season with salt and pepper and let cook another 5 minutes until the garlic is cooked through. Turn off the heat and add the arugula, stirring it to wilt.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving a cup of pasta cooking water.

Heat the mushrooms if they have cooled off, and add the pasta to the pan with the mushrooms, stirring to combine. Add half the water and continue stirring for another minute. Turn off the heat, add the cheese and a bit more water, and stir well to combine. If it seems dry add more water. Add the pine nuts, and stir.

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Zucchini Ricotta Tart

One of the things about being ‘stuck’ in Umbria during the last 3 months was that just when I was cooking so much, with so much time on my hands, most of my cookbooks were back in Rome. Especially the new ones that had just come out. I had especially looked forward to cooking from Melissa Clark’s newest, Dinner in French. The recipe that called loudest to me from across the divide that separated me from the book was the cover dish, a gorgeous goat cheese asparagus tart.

Well, I finally got around to making it, except that I still didn’t have the cookbook (stuck in customs? Stuck on a truck? Who knows) and asparagus season was just about at the end. So, inspired by the recipe (which I found online here) I kind of made up my own version. I didn’t have goat cheese, but did have ricotta, so used that. And while the end-of-season-asparagus I could find were too tough, I did have the first gorgeous zucchini from my own garden.

So here is a Ricotta Zucchini Tart. Kind of like this cake, feel free to make any substitutes you’d like. Asparagus of course, if you can still get them, but I’m thinking of trying it again with eggplant. And while I love the geometry of the vegetables cut into strips, I’m even thinking I might try one with fresh peas.

I used a mixture of ricotta, goat cheese and mascarpone for this version, but feel free to mix that up too. I added the grated goat cheese, which was pretty strong, because I wanted that gamey flavor. The base should be some sort of creamy cheese, but the rest you can play around with. I may try a version with blue cheese, pairing it with red onions. Or pecorino and cherry tomatoes.

I used mint but literally could not make up my mind whether or not to add basil too. Or chives. Any fresh herbs will do.

Definitely use a pre-made puff pastry crust for this one. Not only is it light, it’s also EASY, which is the charm of this recipe. It works great as a main course for lunch, but also small slices with salad would make a nice starter for dinner.

Print
Zucchini Ricotta Tart

Yield 6-8

This recipe is based on Melissa Clark’s Goat Cheese Asparagus Tart recipe from her book Dinner in French.

Ingredients

1 cup full fat ricotta (drained if very wet)
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup grated hard goat cheese (or parmigiano or pecorino)
1/4 cup whole milk yogurt
1 egg, beaten
1 clove of garlic, grated
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium zucchini
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmigiano
Salt and pepper



Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C

In a medium bowl whisk together ricotta, mascarpone, grated goat cheese, yogurt, egg, garlic, mint and salt. Mix until smooth.

Cut the zucchini lengthwise into eighths. If your zucchini are big, and the centers seem watery and spongy, trim that part out (you can freeze it and put it in a soup later). Toss the strips of zucchini with the olive oil

Lay out the pastry onto a baking sheet. Using a sharp knife score a line around the rim, about a 1/2 inch in from the edge.

Spread the cheese mixture onto the pastry, within the scored rim. Artfully arrange the zucchini strips. Season with salt and pepper.

Place in pre-heated oven and bake for about 25 minutes. The cheese and crust should be golden. Take out of oven and let rest at least 20 minutes. It’s best at room temperature, which gives the cheese a chance to set. If you’d like, scatter some fresh herbs on top before serving.

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Week in Abruzzo with Evan Kleiman

Like many of you these past few months, I’ve been dreaming of traveling. While of course I’ve been thinking about very specific places I’d like to go (Lisbon and Copenhagen were at the top of my list before this all started) I’ve also been thinking about travel in general. You know. The Big Picture stuff.

If you follow me at all you know that I talk a lot about the perils of over-tourism. How places like Venice, Rome and Florence have been over run to the point of destruction by way too many tourists. Well. Now we’ve seen exactly how low cost ‘fast’ tourism has effected the literal health of not just these cities, but the world. A lot of people are now talking about the flip side that is now popping up: the perils of under tourism. Communities that have previously relied upon precious tourist bookings to help preserve a way of life in danger of dying out.

But under tourism is nothing new. In fact, it’s always been my guiding light in planning any sort of week long tour. I much prefer to go to a destination that is off the beaten track (Sicily, Puglia, Umbria) and then dive deeply into the culture, avoiding the obvious in favor of meeting the people who are keeping traditions alive.

As we move into 2021 I think that this type of travel will be the kind that most people choose. My friend, cookbook author and radio host Evan Kleiman thinks so too.

We are very excited to announce our newest tour: A Culinary Retreat in Abruzzo. Abruzzo is one of the most under populated and wild regions in Italy. It is also one of the most beautiful. Because it is so far off the beaten track much has remained in tact, with life and food traditions continuing as they have for centuries. Join  Evan  and me during this unique 6 day tour as we slow down to have time to step into this world.

We’ll be based in the the small hamlet of Santo Stefano di Sessanio. Each day we will either head out to explore, or spend time in the village, diving into old traditions to learn about the people who live here, their culture and way of life. We will be staying in one of the most spectacular hotels in Italy: Sextantio Santo Stefano. The hotel is situated in the small town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, in one of the most rural, and isolated, areas of Italy. Like many small towns during the last century, Santo Stefano was abandoned when impoverished families left to seek their fortunes elsewhere, in the modern world. Yet it was precisely this abandonment that saved the precious architectural heritage from destruction or change.

Ten years ago the Danish entrepreneur Daniele Kihlgren fell in love with the abandoned town. But where others saw neglect, he saw possibility. Daniel had a vision. He decided that it could be a completely new kind of hotel. The focus was on restoring the buildings (with the help of local museums and universities) but just as importantly, preserving the artisanal, cultural and culinary traditions as well. “Many of the mountain villages in Abruzzo are so remote that some of the old ways are still preserved,” he said. “Until World War II many people here only spoke a local dialect. The people who remain here are the last generation to still use traditional cooking and building methods. They remember the old folk stories and songs.”

Most mornings we’ll be heading out of town, driving through incredible landscape, to discover delicious traditions: candy making in Sulmona; saffron harvest in Navelli and wine making in one of the oldest cantinas in Italy. We’ll also be exploring artisan crafts which are still practiced, visiting Castelli to learn about ceramics, and a workshop in Abruzzese weaving. And of course there will be cooking classes with Evan, and local nonnas, within the magically restored 16th century kitchen that is part of our hotel.

While there will be lots of activities, there will also be down time, to just walk, read, relax and enjoy this unique spot.

Details:
When:

June 6-12, 2021

September 5-11, 2021

Who:

Space is limited to 12 guests

Where:

We’ll be based in the hotel Sextantio in Santo Stefano di Sessanio.

What:

Our days will be full, with adventures both in and out of our small little village. But don’t worry, you’ll have some down time as well, to head off on your own to explore.

Some of the things we’ll be doing:

Welcome Dinner in the Locanda
Hike to a Medieval Fortress
Weaving Seminar
Candle lit Wine Dinner in the Cantina
Saffron workshop and lunch
Cooking Day with Evan
Folk Music and Dancing
Visit to Ceramic Museum and Workshop
And more…

Would you like more information? Just send me an email and I’ll send you the brochure which includes the pricing.

 

 

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week 8 lockdown menu + recipes

Sorry this menu update is a few days late. Actually I almost didn’t include it here. It’s been almost 2 and a half months now, and while the menu planning has been a life saver, I think that perhaps it’s coming to an end. While still useful, we find ourselves making so many changes to it over the course of the week, that we were wondering whether or not to continue.

It does help to have a plan though, and we might be changing it a bit, to more of an inventory and/or outline of ingredients to use during the week. In other words, leaving specific recipes to the last minute. Kind of like the way we cooked before this all started?

One of the reasons that things are changing is because, as we enter Phase 2 of the lockdown, with more freedom, our meals are changing. We are still here in Umbria, and plan to stay here for now, but Domenico went back to Rome for 3 days this week for work, and Sophie is going in this weekend. We are also allowing ourselves to go grocery shopping a bit more often. And I’ve now officially set up an office in the guest room, and am pretty much at my desk working from 9-5.

Other food related news is that there is lots of take out available from our beloved local restaurants. Thank god! Also, some of them might actually be starting to open for real after May 18. That’s all still a bit unclear as to how it could work, but we’re all hopeful. The nice weather also helps since many places will just set up tables outside.

Sophie continues on her quest to perfect her sourdough bread, and it getting really good at it! (As her bread gets better our walks get longer.)

I’m still having my martini at the end of the day, but since the days are getting longer and warmer, this means you can usually find us on out the terrace, watching the sun go down.

But in the meantime, here is what might be our next to last menu. With links as always.

Monday

Lunch: Pasta Aglio Olio with Bottarga

We’ve had a pack of bottarga in the fridge since forever, and so this seemed like a good time to use it. I made a simple aglio, olio and then just added the bottarga at the end. I also added a bit of tuna.

Dinner: Take away Umbria Style

OMG, we were so happy that our favorite trattoria out here finally started take out. We got our favorites. Stewed rabbit as a main course, but to start we ordered ALL the vegetables (eggplant, artichokes, chicory and peppers) along with a big plate full of hand cut local prosciutto. We also ordered Torta al Testo, a type of Umbrian flat bread that is very easy to make. You can find the recipe in my book, or else here.

Tuesday

Lunch: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Ever since I saw this recipe on instagram I was craving it. It was so easy and good. I also made grilled cheese using the leftover flat bread from the night before, and a load of pecorino.

Dinner: Fish, Asparagus and Herbed Couscous

Herbed couscous has become our favorite side dish, especially since I replanted the herb garden. I chop a mess of mixed herbs (parsley, chives, basil, marjoram) along with the zest of a lemon to end up with at least a cup. Add to cooked couscous along with some lemon juice and a bit of butter.

Wednesday

Lunch: Cacio e Pepe

We had cacio e pepe since we were all craving it and I also wanted to make a video showing how easy it is to make this foolproof version.

Dinner: Mushroom Soup

Sorry, not real recipe here, since Sophie kind of made it up. But she did use a mixture of fresh mushrooms along with dried funghi porcini. And the base was lamb stock we had in the freezer.

Thursday

Lunch: Vegetable Feast, Focaccia

This was mainly an excuse to gobble down Sophie’s focaccia. This time she used her sourdough starter and it was even better than usual. A simple salad of cherry tomatoes and another of celery and anchovies. Also, I bought mortadella just because.

Dinner: Mixed Grilled meat, Salad

Friday

Lunch: Pasta with Broccoli and Anchovies

Dinner: Squid and Beans

Great recipe from Alison Roman’s Dining In. We also added tons of arugula from the garden. You can find a version of it here, but I recommend you buy the book.

Saturday

Lunch: Salad (sorry but we have a LOT of lettuce in the garden)

Dinner: Take out pizza

Sunday

Lunch: Grain Bowl

Dinner: Stir Fry with Pork and Lettuce; Rice; Eggplant

We have SO MUCH lettuce in the garden that we’ve been cooking it. Romaine is great in a stir fry.

Desserts:

Cream Tart: Sophie had been craving a custard tart and so she made this one.

My neighbor made this lovely and easy strawberry tart. It’s simply a shortcrust she added cocoa powder to. She baked it, let cool, and then topped it with loads of whipped cream and strawberries. Easy and delicious.

And speaking of strawberries, Sophie whipped some mascarpone with sugar and egg yolks and put it in a cup with strawberries and called it dessert. She literally thought it up and made it while I was doing the dishes. It’s kind of like a strawberry tiramisu, but with no cookies.

 

For more Italian dinner inspiration buy my book The Italian Table

And you can find the previous menus from the lockdown here

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Week 7 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes

It’s been 58 days here in Umbria that we’ve been in one of the strictest lockdowns in the western world. Yesterday was May 4 and we are entering Phase 2. You can read more about the details here, but each region is slightly different. Turns out we were very lucky to be in Umbria, which has one of the lowest rates of infection in the country. And our small town of Todi has had zero cases for the last few weeks. So that’s good!

For now, for us, Phase 2 means a tiny bit more of freedom and the first steps towards a more gradual reopening of things.

One of the biggest changes to this weekly menu planning thing (because that is what you are here for right?) is that the local restaurants are finally reopening for take out!!! It’s not that I don’t mind cooking, but if you do the math 57 times lunch and dinner is 114 meals that Sophie and I have cooked in a row. Yes, there was one night of take out pizza, but other than that it’s been pretty much non-stop cooking (and cleaning!). While that won’t change drastically, we  already scheduled take out from our local trattoria for last night!!! And it was extraordinary! I have never been so happy to see tin take out containers in my life. We are looking forward to order from here, here and here soon.

For now restaurants are open for take out only, but that is fine. It’s incredible how much our expectations have changed over the last 2 months. Hopefully, after June 1 (tentative) the bars and restaurants will begin accepting customers.

For now I’m already planning on stopping by the bar in town later today to get an espresso to go, when I make my first trip to the nursery to pick up plants for the garden. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I can taste it already. Also, I can’t wait to pick up all the summer plants for our vegetable garden: tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers…because it looks like we are going to be here for the next few months.

And now back to our menu.

Lockdown Menu 7
April 27-May 3 , 2020

MONDAY

Lunch: Vignarola and Roasted Potatoes

Sophie did the daily shopping with a vision, and that vision was vignarola. This Roman spring stew is made of fave, peas and artichokes and that’s what she found at the market. A side of roasted potatoes and a few slices of prosciutto too.

Dinner: Salmon , Asparagus, Tiramisu

The salmon was gorgeous and I just popped it in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper and a few sprigs of fresh time. The asparagus were simply rinsed, coated with olive oil and roasted in a 350F oven for 20 minutes along with the salmon.

Sophie made the most incredible Tiramisu. We had been missing the one we get at Flavio, and so she tried to recreate it. I think she did the perfect job and the recipe and video will be coming soon!!

TUESDAY

Lunch: Carrot and Potato Soup, Green Salad

The soup was just a puree of Carrots and Potatoes, with a bit of onions and garlic. Topped with toasted linseed and a swirl of olive oil.

Dinner: Roast Chicken, Radicchio Salad with Blue Cheese

Roast Chicken my way: Always chicken with the skin and on the bone. Chop a ton of garlic and rosemary and mix with olive oil, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken and let sit, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. Bring back to room temp, and cook in a preheated oven, on a baking tray, for 50 minutes. Take out and let rest 10 mins before serving.

WEDNESDAY

Lunch: Pasta al Forno, Chocolate Coconut Cake

Pasta al Forno is Domenico’s favorite and since it was his birthday this is what he got. It was sort of like this recipe, but I used un-smoked cheese, and added some chopped salami to the mix.

Dinner: Shakshuka , Chicory, bread

We never really follow a recipe for Shakshuka, which is a middle Eastern version of what Italians call Eggs in Purgatory. You basically just make a chunky tomato sauce, then crack eggs on top to let set. Served with crusty bread, since the eggs should be runny.

THURSDAY :

Lunch: Insalatona

Insalatona just means big salad.And that is what I made for lunch. Tons of lettuce plus some of the leftover salmon, a hard boiled egg each, and various other tidbits.

Dinner: Beef Larb; Ginger Zucchini

We had originally bought thinly sliced beef to make involtini. But in the end we were craving something a bit more exotic, so I just ground up the beef in the food processor and made larb. We also got the chance to work through more of the abundant lettuce in the garden, since the seasoned meat and herbs gets wrapped up in a big lettuce leaf.

FRIDAY

Lunch: Pasta with Cauliflower and Breadcrumbs

This was Sophie’s invention and it was a good one. The recipe should be up on her Instagram Channel this week.

Dinner: Ginger Shrimp , Peanut Noodles, Salad with Japanese dressing

The shrimp were simply sauteed in butter and olive oil, with loads of garlic and ginger. The Japanese dressing was sesame oil, olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of soy.

SATURDAY

Lunch: Bean and Grain Soup, Herb infused Oil, Arugula Salad with Parmigiano.

The Soup I made was sort of like the one linked to above, but I made an herb oil to drizzle on top: Take one cup of chopped fresh herbs and 1/2 cup olive oil and whizz together in the blender. Drizzle on top of soups or anything else that needs some brightening. This is a great way to use up wilting herbs before they totally fade away. Keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge. Bring back to room temp before using.  And the salad is kind of like the one linking to above, but no zucchini and I added a handful of parmigiano shavings.

Dinner: Smoked Salmon, Radicchio Salad and Sophie’s First Sourdough loaf!!

Sorry, but there is no way I can share the sourdough recipe. Sophie began the starter about 10 days ago and finally it worked! She made the best loaf of bread, but the process was so complicated that this is not the place to share. There are tons of sites out there if you look. It was definitely worth the effort!!

SUNDAY

Lunch: Leftover Pasta al Forno, Green Salad

Dinner: Chicken Noodle Soup : I made broth a couple of weeks ago, and we just added some chopped carrots, celery and loads of broken pasta and called it dinner. Also a bit of shredded leftover chicken from the other night

Drinks:

I have to admit to being kind of boring these past 2 months on the cocktail front. All I’ve really wanted is a classic martini (some nights gin, some nights vodka) but over the last few days I’ve been dipping into my precious bottle of bourbon to make Manhattans. (2 oz bourbon, splash of sweet red vermouth, a few drops of bitters, shake and strain, garnish with a cherry or two).

Sophie usually doesn’t have a cocktail. She’s not a big drinker, and only occasionally will have a glass of wine with dinner. But the other night she had a live interview with AFAR and thought having a little something would be nice. And so I invented this version of spritz for her, with her favorite Cynar.

The Sophie Rose

1 oz Cynar (this is an artichoke based amaro)

2 oz Rose’ wine

Sparkling water

Ice

Pour the Cynar and wine into a wine goblet. Fill with ice and top up with sparkling water. Garnish with an orange slice if you want to, but it really doesn’t need it. Cheers!

To see what we’re cooking up in real time follow Sophie and me on Instagram:

Elizabeth’s Instagram (@eminchilli)

Elizabeth’s IGTV Channel

Sophie’s Instagram (@sminchilli)

Sophie’s IGTV Channel

And here are our past menus in case you missed them:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

For more inspiration see my latest book The Italian Table

And even though you can’t travel at the moment, you can plan and dream with my books Eating Rome and Eating My Way Through Italy (they also have recipes!)

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sardine + onion salad

During the last couple of months, especially in that first frenzy of stocking your pantry, I know a lot of people ended up with sardines in their cupboard for the first time. Maybe they were out of tuna? Maybe you’d been seeing a lot of them swim by on your Instagram feed? For whatever reason, here you are, with sardines and not a clue as to how to turn them into a meal, right?

I’ve always been a sardine lover and you can almost always find a couple of cans of them in my pantry. I put them in pasta all the time, with lemons, tomatoes or even during one inspired moment with pistachios and oranges. But mostly I just open a can and eat them for lunch.

No. I’m not a total heathen. I do put them on a plate and I do usually make them into some kind of salad. But it never really involves much more than cutting up some sort of fresh and crunchy vegetable. What ever’s in season. Tomatoes in the summer, fennel in the winter, or even just leftover cooked greens from last night’s dinner.

But by far my favorite way to eat them is atop a pile of red onions. This is my go to lunch, especially when I’m on my own. I feel sort of odd sharing this since it’s not really even a recipe and barely counts as a blog post. But I figured you may need this at the moment.

I actually made it as our main course for dinner one night, and served it with white beans and grilled radicchio. But you can just pile it on top of a piece of toast and call it dinner. Or lunch. Or a snack. Because who’s keeping track these days?

Note: Just like any kind of canned fish, there are many different varieties and qualities of sardines out there. When traveling (remember that?) I was always on the lookout for interesting cans. I came back from Paris last time with loads and Spain is well known for some of the best. But here I am in Umbria, and only have my local supermarket and so picked up this can, which was just fine. The thing to look for is for sardines packed in olive oil.

Print
Sardine and Onion Salad

Yield 2-3

I used cans of sardines that weight 120 grams net (drained) and that amount is good for one or stretching it  another half person. I used 2 cans and it was fine for 3, with two side dishes, for dinner. Also be aware that the red pepper flakes in the vinegar make it pretty spicy! The vinegar really becomes infused, so don’t over do it on the red pepper unless you want it super spicy. A little goes a long way

Ingredients

2-3 cans of sardines
3 medium red onions
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh marjoram, mint or parsley



Instructions

Peel and slice the red onions very thinly. Put in a smal bowl and top with the salt. Stir well, kind of bruising the onions with the spoon. Add the red pepper flakes and vinegar and stir again, smashing the onions a bit. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes, stirring ever so often. You want them to wilt completely.
When ready to serve drain the onions, reserving the very good vinegar for a later salad. Pile the onions on a small plate and top with the sardines. Scatter with fresh herbs and serve with bread.

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zucchini fritters

I’m usually not one to fry. Mostly for the same reasons as everyone else: too messy, too much oil, too much bother. But lately, with more time on my hands I’m happy to bring out the oil. Last week I made fried sage leaves on a whim since we have so much sage. Instead, this week’s zucchini fritters came about because of a surplus of ricotta. While we bought the ricotta originally to make this cake and this pasta, somehow that never happened. What did happen was an impending ‘eat by’ date on the ricotta and a half dozen zucchini that needed cooking.

After a lot of research I finally settled on this recipe, from Ottolenghi. Although of course, it being an Ottolenghi recipe, my Umbria-based location meant that I didn’t have many of the ingredients. But I made do. While he called for manouri cheese (I don’t even know what that is!), my ricotta worked perfectly. And no ground coriander meant I just added more fresh herbs. In fact his recipe didn’t call for any fresh herbs at all, but I ended up making them one of the main features. And of course, there is no such thing as self rising flour in Italy.

I rounded it out to a meal by making Roti, a flat bread recipe that my sister sent me the link to at the beginning of this lockdown and which is now on regular rotation. The only change I make to this recipe is to substitute a half cup of whole wheat flour for all-purpose.

I also made two salads which also show up regularly at our house:

Green Salad: I really feel like I need to do a whole post and/or video about making a salad. Here are a couple of tips:

-Thinly slice one small red onion or shallot and let soak in a bit of vinegar and half teaspoon of salt for 20 minutes. Add the marinated onion and infused vinegar to the salad.

-Fresh herbs: I ALWAYS add a bit of fresh herbs to any green salad. Even if all you have is parsley, it makes a huge difference. My favorite are fresh chives, but lately I’ve fallen in love with fresh marjoram.

Greek Salad: This is another salad which will turn the sorriest cucumbers and tomatoes into a side that goes with everything. Chop the cucumbers and tomatoes into chunks. Add a sliced red onion, and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and very little red wine vinegar. Add a sprinkling of dried oregano. Stir and serve. Make sure you prepare at the last minute, or it will get soggy. If you have a green bell pepper that’s good too.

I also made two sauces for the fritters:

Sour Cream and Lime:

This one was from Ottolenghi and it is simply sour cream, lime zest and juice and a bit of ground cumin and coriander. I added a half cup of chopped fresh dill.

Tahini Sauce: Thin out a 1/3 cup of tahini with about 3 tablespoons of water. Add fresh lemon juice, a teaspoon of garlic red pepper sauce and a bit of tomato paste. Chopped chives too. Keep tasting it and adjust. I ended up adding a bit of soy sauce and fish sauce too.

If you don’t have any zucchini this recipe will work well with carrots or even grated squash. And if you don’t have ricotta? I guess you could use Manouri (whatever that is) . (actually it’s kind of like feta which sounds really good to me!)

Print
Zucchini Fritters

Yield 12 fritters (serves 4)

Ingredients

1 pound / 1/2 kilo of zucchini
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
grated zest of 2 limes
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup ricotta, drained
1 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill, basil, marjoram, chives, etc)
ground pepper to taste
Oil for frying



Instructions

Preheat oven to 120C, just to keep the fritters warm
Grated the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Sprinkle with salt and let drain in a colander for about a half hour. Using your hands, squeeze as much of their water out as possible and then place in a medium sized bowl.Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Add the oil to a frying pan, coming up about 1/2 inch or so. I used olive oil, since that is what we had. But you can also use sunflower oil.
Let the oil heat over medium high heat. Using a soup spoon, scoop up some of the zucchini batter and gently put it in the hot oil. You can flatten them a bit with the back of the spoon. You should be able to fry about 4 at a time. Don’t crowd the pan.
Cook them for about 5 or 6 minutes, flipping them about half way through. They should be golden. When done, remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate, and place in oven to keep warm while you fry the rest.
Serve with lime wedges and handful of extra herbs and the two sauces mentioned above.

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Week 6 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes

It’s been a busy week! Sophie and I began a series of IGTV videos and our cooking schedule has entered a new dimension. While we always think a lot about what we cook and eat, these days – with each of us filming the other – life in the kitchen has become even funner. (you can find my videos here and Sophie’s here)

As we go into the 8th week of lockdown we have realized that our weekly meal plans have changed over the last 2 months. While at the beginning they were much more detailed and we never veered off course, these days we are a bit more schematic and end up improvising more. While we try to plan out the main course, we usually leave sides to inspiration based on the vegetables we managed to buy that week. We also make a lot more last minute changes if we just don’t feel like cooking or eating something. That said, we still really love having the meal plan as a base to start from.

I see this as signs that maybe, just maybe, we are heading back towards normal? You know, the days when having such tight control over our meals and grocery shopping wasn’t quite so essential to our mental health? Or, on the other hand, maybe we’re just getting used to the whole thing? Who knows??!! in the meantime our ‘wall of menus’ is filling up fast. Will it just keep going for months, and fill up the whole kitchen?

More news from our kitchen is that Sophie now has 2 separate sour dough starters going. One is named Faustina, and seems to be going well. We’re not quite sure when Faustina will be up to making bread, but we’re ready for her. Sophie was able to get some locally milled flour during last week’s shopping expedition.

The other big piece of news is that we were able to order take out pizza. I know this doesn’t seem huge, but since we are in the middle of the countryside, about a 15 minute drive from town, it was an extremely big deal. Also? They delivered Gelato too, since the same people own one of the best gelaterias in town. We’ll definitely be doing this again!!

And finally, our vegetable garden is really going well. We have tons of salad, which we have been loving.

Sophie also finally figured out how to forage for wild chicory, so yay to that!

We’ve also developed a love affair with our leftovers and our freezer. Rather than save leftovers to eat the next day or later in the week, we immediately freeze them, no matter how small the amount. For instance, we had half about half a pizza leftover from take out pizza night. So we froze it! It was perfect heated up and served with salad one day for lunch. And  three small pieces of leftover grilled steak got unfrozen, marinated and added to our stir fry on Sunday. And we were all thrilled to have that Easter Lamb again after 2 weeks.

Lockdown Menu 6
April 20-26, 2020

MONDAY

Lunch: Farro Soup (sort of like this one) ; Homemade Black Bread; Salami

Dinner: Pizza Delivery! Plus salad from our garden and foraged chicory. And gelato too!

TUESDAY

Lunch: Pressed Potato Terrine, Eggs, Anchovies, Steamed Vegetables; Salsa Verde

Sophie used the recipe for the Terrine from Rachel Roddy’s book on Roman cooking, but you can also find it here. As it turn out it’s not very Roman but it is very good. We ate it as she suggested with anchovies, boiled eggs and salsa verde. I also steamed a couple of carrots and zucchini, which paired perfectly.

Dinner: Octopus Carpaccio and Marinated Anchovies (bought prepared from the fish vendor); Baked Orata; Green Salad, potatoes

We always have fish the day that Sophie does the shopping because it’s so fresh. Again she managed to pick up a beautiful Orata (sea bream) which I roasted whole. She also bought prepared seafood antipasti from the fish vendor: Octopus Carpaccio and Marinated Anchovies. A real treat!!

WEDNESDAY

Lunch: Penne alla Vodka, Green Salad

When we have pasta we always have it for lunch. This is pretty much an old fashioned Italian tradition when the big meal of the day was lunch. Penne alla Vodka is one of those old fashioned recipes that I love. It’s super easy and everyone loves it. You can see just how easy it is here in the video I made.

Dinner: Fried Sage Leaves: Grilled Steak , Funghi Trifolati (Mushrooms)

I’m not one to usually just fry up something for antipasto, but sage leaves are just so easy. Also, they are looking especially beautiful these days in our garden. We have 3 or 4 different kinds of sage growing, and I chose one variety since the leaves are huge. They are perfect for frying.

One thing we buy every week are mushrooms. They are always available at the supermarket and usually make a great addition to soups, stews or pasta. This week I decided to cook them on their own, as a side to the grilled steak, and made a video of the recipe, which will be posted later this week here.

THURSDAY

Lunch: Focaccia Barese , Cheese, Salad

Focaccia day has now become an official weekly tradition.  Sophie will be posting a video of how to make it here this week.

Dinner: Lentils, Sausage

While lentils usually end up in our soups, for dinner last week we had them as the main dish, topped with a sausage. Sophie will be posting her recipe for lentils here.

FRIDAY

Lunch: White Focaccia, Prosciutto, Cheese, and Salad from the Garden

When ever Sophie makes Focaccia Barese (which is topped with tomatoes and olives) she also makes a second one, topped just with rosemary. We can then eat it the next day, or freeze it to eat later on. We had it with prosciutto, cheeses and a huge green salad from the garden.

Dinner: Leftover lamb, Roasted Peppers, Strawberry Ricotta Cake, Creme Fraiche

What a treat to have the leftover lamb from Easter that we had frozen! As a side I just roasted some padron peppers. I also made this amazing Strawberry Ricotta cake with creme fraiche I learned how to make from Domenica Marchetti.

SATURDAY

Lunch: Artichoke Salad; Celery and Cheese Salad

These are two of my favorite salads and while I’ve linked to the recipes above, I’ll also be adding videos to my IGTV channel

Dinner: Pasta with Peas and Pancetta, Salad

During our walk on Saturday Sophie dreamed up this pasta. She cooked fresh peas with onions and then pureed them into this bright green sauce. The crispy pancetta on the top was perfect!

SUNDAY:

Lunch: Zucchini Fritters, Tomato Cucumber Salad; Green Salad with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds; Tahini Sauce; Sour Cream Herb Sauce; Roti

Our original Sunday lunch plan was supposed to be very Italian: Involtini with sauce that I would use on pasta. But I just wasn’t feeling it. I was craving something Ottolenghi-ish. And so made Zucchini Fritters. It was kind of based on this recipe, but I used ricotta instead of feta. I’ll be posting my recipe later this week. I also made the Roti that have become an easy staple for this kind of meze meal, as well as two kinds of sauces. One was sour cream based (with chives and lime) and the other was more lemony tahini. Both salads were full of fresh herbs from our garden. The green salad was loaded with marjoram, and the tomato salad with oregano.

Dinner: Asian Eggplant: Bokchoy with Steak ; Rice

Our version of Chinese has also become a Sunday tradition. The only change was that instead of pork or other ground meat I used the left over grilled steak from the other night. I based both on this recipe and this one.

Here are the previous menus from our time in Lockdown:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

The post Week 6 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes appeared first on Elizabeth Minchilli.

Strawberry Ricotta Cake

I’m not usually a very fancy baker. When making desserts I definitely tend towards the rustic. A jam-filled crostata is my go to dessert, especially when I’m having people over here in Umbria. But when I wrote The Italian Table I realized I would have to include at least a few desserts that were out of my comfort zone.

One of my favorite recipes from the book is the fruit-topped cake that I had over and over again at Masseria Potenti in Puglia. The version in the book is topped with figs and is (in my opinion) the perfect cake all day long. At Masseria Potenti they put it out as part of the breakfast buffet (because in Italy cake for breakfast is a totally normal thing). But I love it in the afternoon with a cup of espresso, and for dessert after dinner with whipped cream or gelato.

The version in my book calls for just a bit of milk in the batter, but I also love a richer version of this cake from Ina Garten, that calls for a full cup of ricotta. And since I happened to have ricotta on hand this week, I went for Ina’s version.

And since we are nowhere near fig season I dove into the pints of strawberries Sophie has picked up at this week’s market and I have to say that I think I like this version even better than the fig one

Print
Strawberry and Ricotta Cake

Prep 20 mins

Cook 40 mins

Total 60 mins

Yield 8

This recipe is based on one by Ina Garten. While hers calls for figs, I used strawberries. Any juicy soft fruit will do: plums, peaches or even kiwis.

Ingredients

1¼ sticks/ 140 gr unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup fresh whole milk ricotta
2 tablespoons whole fat plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated lemon zest (from one lemon)
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12-14 large strawberries, stem removed and cut in half
2 tablespoons light brown granulated sugar



Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/ 180C.
Butter and flour a 9-inch spring form pan
If you have a stand mixer it makes things easier.
Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one in.
Next add the ricotta and the yogurt and mix well.
Mix the dry ingredients together, then add them to the wet mixture, just folding them in until mixed. Don’t over beat.
Pour the dough into buttered cake tin, and level it out with a spoon. Place the strawberries on top of the batter, cut side up, pressing them in a bit. Sprinkle the cake with the sugar and bake for 40 minutes.
Let cool, remove from pan and serve with whipped cream or creme fraiche.

This recipe is adapted from one by Ina Garten. 

If you don’t have any ricotta, there  is a similar recipe in my book The Italian Table, which uses milk instead. You can find that recipe here.

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Pasta Puttanesca

At the top of the list of pasta recipes you can probably make right now with items in your pantry is Puttanesca. It is the classic of pantry pastas, using capers, anchovies, olives and tomatoes. All ingredients from a jar or can. Yes, you can add some fresh parsley if you want to get fancy, but since your next grocery shopping trip or delivery might not be for a while, you can do without. And if you don’t have the other ingredients? You can go ahead and make it, and while it may

Puttanesca is always on rotation at our house, so it was no surprise that Sophie decided she wanted to share it on a video on her IGTV channel. You can see it here, where she explains step by step how to do things. But I thought it would be nice to throw the recipe up here as well, so you can have it handy. Enjoy!

Print


Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil plus more
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup black olives, pitted
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
6 anchovies
2 cans tomatoes (about 4 cups
1 pound / 500 grams pasta (I prefer penned, Sophie prefers spaghetti)
1/4 c chopped parsley



Instructions

Pour the olive oil into large saute pan, big enough to hold all the pasta later. Add the garlic, and let cook for 2 minutes until softened. Don’t let it brown. Add the red pepper flakes, olives, capers and anchovies. Let cook another 3 minutes, until the anchovies dissolve. Add the tomatoes, along with their juices, and let bubble for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a bit. Taste and adjust for salt (since the anchovies are pretty salty, you probably won’t need to add any more) Turn off heat until pasta is about ready.
In the meantime bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and add the pasta to the saucepan, stirring over medium heat, to coat well. Turn off heat, toss with parsley and a drizzle of your best olive oil. Serve.

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