Salsa Verde

This 'green sauce' is traditionally from Piedmont but is used all over Italy and the herbs used change a little from region to region, and also depending on what you are going to serve it with.

This sauce is usually served with lamb at my house but really does have many applications.

Although it is traditionally made with parsley, I cant help but put some mint and a little tarragon in it as well.


4 anchovy fillets (preserved in vinegar)
Lemon juice to taste
2 tablespoon capers
3 cloves garlic
100 ml virgin olive oil
Parsley 100 grams
Mint 40 grams
Tarragon 30 grams
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Firstly wash your herbs and remove any thick stalks and discard. Using a sharp cooks knife carefully finely chop all the herbs-set aside.
Roughly chop the capers-you want to chop them quite fine but I think its nice to have the odd chunkier piece left in and then very finely chop the
garlic.
Now simply assemble all of the items together and bind with the oil. Now add you seasoning to taste baring in mind that both the caper's and anchovies will add a little salt any way.

Finally I like to squeeze a little lemon juice in to the mix to liven things up a little.

The sauce should be very slightly liquid.

This sauce is best eaten the next day or at least few hours after making it.
Serve at room temperature.

Salsiccie e fagioli

Salsiccie e fagioli (or Sausages and Beans!)

Regardless of how you say it this combination is a favourite in one form or another throughout Europe and indeed though the new world such as the United States and Australia where by European dishes were taken to the Colonies by settlers.

Here is one of my favourites that is often eaten at home for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

It is based on the tomatoey 'Fagioli all Uccelletto' from Tuscany that is traditionally served with pigs liver if my memory serves me well, and a little bit like the French cassoulet (but with out the duck!)

The list of ingredients are as follows, this is how I cook it but feel free to adapt, I use the rosemary and touch of chili combination, usually however it wouldn't have the chili and would have sage instead of rosemary....but i really would recommend lots of fresh crusty bread to mop up the juices with!

500 g Good Italian pork or Toulouse sausages

220 g Dried cannellini beans

Large tin (400g) of good chopped tomatoes

Glass of red wine

3 cloves of chopped garlic not too fine as its nice with a bit of body.

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon dried chili flakes

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Method:

Soak the beans overnight in cold water in a suitable container.

Drain the beans and rinse , simmer in fresh water for 35-45 minutes, drain and set aside for later use.

Saute the sausage over a low heat until nicely coloured all over-set aside

Add olive oil, garlic and rosemary to the saute pan and heat through gently so as not to colour the garlic (this will make it bitter if it does)

Now add the wine and the sausages back in to the pan and reduce the wine by half.

Now add the tomatoes and add a little bit of salt (depending on the sausages you do not want to over season in case the sausages are highly seasoned and spiced) and the drained beans.

Simmer for around 15 minutes until the sausages are cooked through and the sauce has thickened up a little.

Check the seasoning

Serve with chopped flat leaf parsley.

Nice!

Imqaret-Maltese Date Fritters

O.K. so I know that this is not strictly Italian at all. But I am a lover of all food and this dish is one that brings back happy memories of time spent in Malta.

If you ever visit Malta you will find that several cuisines shape the style of Maltese cooking. British, French, Italian of course and Arab or North African cuisine.



I have been to Malta quite a few times now and just simply can not resist these little sweet treats. They are usually sold from mobile or static 'kiosks' in the street and have a very good stall just out side the entrance to the walled City of Valletta the Maltese capitol.
Imqaret are basically date fritters. It doesn't sound as exciting when you put it like that.

But when you combine the small list of ingredients and spices this wonderful treat comes to life.

The ingredients for the imqarets are as follows:

400g Plain flour

2 tablespoons lard or margarine
1 Tablespoon caster sugar
1.250 kg pitted dates (soaked for an hour before in 1 tablespoon of anisette, and a little water)
Zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoon anisette, brandy or sambuca (1 tablespoon is for soaking the dates: see above)
1 tablespoon orange flower water
A small pinch of ground cloves

Method:

For the imqaret dough, rub the fat (lard or Marg) into the flour.
Add the sugar to the mix and rub in gently.
Moisten the mix with a little anisette (or Brandy or sambuca) and a touch of water so that a soft dough is formed.

Now for the filling:

Drain the dates. Combine the dates, cloves, orange zest, liquor and orange water.
Roll the imqaret dough out into a long wide strip and place the filling on the top of the dough to form a layer about 1.5 cm thick. leaving a small edge around the 'border' clear.
Moisten the edge of the pastry and fold over to cover the filling.
Press all edges well together to seal with the back of a fork.
Cut into diamond or rectangular shapes (about 4 x 3 inches.)
Fry in clean deep hot oil until golden and crisp.

Finally drain on absorbent kitchen paper and serve whilst still hot.

When I have made these at home I have served them with a little bit of runny honey and a few chopped pistachios.....and a dollop of ice cream. Try clotted cream ice cream if you can get it. But that is up to you. They are fine just the way they are!

Well there you go. This recipe works for me but If any one has got any other ways of making them then please do let me know. I am always willing to try new ways!

Enjoy.

Welcome lovers of Italian food!

Dear All,

Welcome to my little blog. My name is Shaun and although a chef by trade have left the industry (..more or less!) to pursue a different career path. I trained in both French and Italian kitchens and have a passion for both cuisines. The great thing about the Italian kitchen for me is the diversity that can be seen from region to region. The food available really does vary from the North to the South, and to the islands of course and the seasonality truly does reflect what will be on offer. I am a great lover of fish, game, vegetables and everything in between. Truffles of course are way up on the list and have been fortunate enough to work with them (and perhaps have a nibble or two as well along the way!)

I am always to keen to learn about others foodie experiences and look forward to discussing this topic with others.

Here I would really just like to invite fellow foodies to discuss and share our thoughts, recipies, debates and ideas about Italian cusine. I will try to include a few recipies from my Uncle Umberto who as a native to Rome and a chef by trade has promised to pass on a few of his tips, and of course my dear Mama's recipies also.

So if you have a passion for Italian food then please join us, post a question perhaps and we can try to help answer all our questions.

Happy cooking and Buon appetito!

Shaun