Category: Summer

Crudaiola (a glorious raw tomato sauce for pasta)

~ stefano arturi ~ 11 Comments
Crudaiola sauce
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Crudaiola is one of the most delectable and simplest Summer sauces for pasta or rice. Diced fresh tomatoes, plenty of basil, a little garlic, a generous glug  of olive oil and a pinch salt – a delicious no-brainer. Actually, there is one more crucial ingredient the cook must not forget: time. For the magic to happen, crudaiola must be made in advance, the early morning for lunch, for instance. During this time, the ingredients interact with each other and the sauce is transformed from good to excellent. Continue reading “Crudaiola (a glorious raw tomato sauce for pasta)” →

Erbazzone o scarpazzone emiliano (Chard and pancetta tart from Emilia Romagna)

~ stefano arturi ~ 16 Comments

Erbazzone is a chard tart with an impeccable pedigree. It comes from Reggio Emilia, a charming town in Emilia Romagna, the land of Parmigiano, balsamic vinegar, tortellini, mortadella, prosciutto di Parma, i.e. one of Italy’s culinary heavens.  It used to be a typical spring dish (when  young, tender chards were available), now it can be prepared almost all year round, because leafy greens seem to be always available (and rather “local” too). I have made erbazzone with spring chards, with older, winter chards, with chards only, with chards and spinach and also with cabbage: it never fails.  Continue reading “Erbazzone o scarpazzone emiliano (Chard and pancetta tart from Emilia Romagna)” →

Giardiniera rossa piemontese (Sour-sweet vegetable chutney from Piemonte)

~ stefano arturi ~ 7 Comments

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Giardiniera is the classic Italian mix of assorted, pickled vegetables, preserved either in  vinegar or in extra virgin olive oil. It is traditionally made in late spring and summer, when lots of good vegetables are at their best and abundant- giardiniera being  a clever way of preserving the bounty from the vegetable patch (orto, in Italian).  It is generally used as an antipasto, to accompany salumi (charcuterie) but it also goes well with lesso (mixed boiled meat) and it can be used in panini (sandwiches). 

This one here is slightly different though: it is a mix of summer vegetables cooked in a thick, unctuous, sour-sweet tomato sauce, flavoured with bay leaves and cloves – a sort of Italian chutney, beautiful to look at and to eat. Continue reading “Giardiniera rossa piemontese (Sour-sweet vegetable chutney from Piemonte)” →

Zucchine ripiene con ricotta e amaretti (Courgettes stuffed with ricotta and amaretti)

~ stefano arturi ~ 6 Comments

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A delectable recipe from one of the best books about Italian food written in English Secrets from an Italian kitchen, by the wonderful Anna Del Conte. If you want to learn how to cook Italian, grab any book from Del Conte, one from Marcella Hazan and you are sorted for life. Continue reading “Zucchine ripiene con ricotta e amaretti (Courgettes stuffed with ricotta and amaretti)” →

Ricotta al caffè (coffee ricotta cream and tips on home-made “ricotta”)

~ stefano arturi ~ 16 Comments

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Update 2023: here in London, we can now buy fairly good cow ricotta, freshly made every day from Eataly, in Bishop’s gate. I can also recommend sheep ricotta made in Yorkshire by Yorkshire Pecorino (they deliver nation wide). If you live in London, you can order sheep ricotta from Sicily (giving plenty of notice)  from my local Italian deli  in Highbury Barn, called Da Mario. Having said all this, I still prefer to make my almost ricotta when I need it and occasionally I succumb to the supermarket variety.

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One of the foods I miss most from Italy is fresh ricotta – the real deal of course, not the  industrial type which I can get also here, a tasteless and pappy substitute. Fresh ricotta is another thing altogether: sweet, milky and light, creamy and yet not insubstantial: with a sprinkle of sugar or with a drizzle of olive oil, it is culinary nirvana. Here in the UK, even in London, fresh ricotta is still very hard to come by: I tried the Neal’s Yard’s one (made in England) and I was not impressed, but I also saw beautiful looking Italian fresh ricotta at Gastronomica, in Borough Market (I was told it is flown in every few days).

Because it’s so hard to find good ricotta in the UK, many years ago I started making “home made ricotta” – though it is actually nothing more than fresh cheese: milk coagulated with some acid (lemon juice, vinegar, rennet, citric acid the most common) . Continue reading “Ricotta al caffè (coffee ricotta cream and tips on home-made “ricotta”)” →