Verdure – vegetables

Sedano al pomodoro – celery braised with tomatoes

~ stefano arturi ~ 20 Comments

braised celery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until few yrs ago, I never though much of celery. Of course, it is one of the key ingredients of the classic battuto (generally equal quantities of chopped onions, chopped carrots, chopped celery), the basic of so much Italian cooking (fried in some fat, it becomes soffritto) and it is often served raw in pinzimonio, that is to say with other raw vegetables, to be dipped in the  best olive oil. Apart from this,  edano (celery) was a stranger to me. Moreover, I had always associated celery with the cold months only. Continue reading →

Pomodorini scattarisciati – crackling cherry tomatoes (Puglia)

~ stefano arturi ~ 12 Comments
pomodori scattarisciati
pomodori scattarisciati

It is now summer, or at least this is what the calendar says; it has been raining for days here in London and the sky is grey, an elegant pearly shade of grey, but grey nonetheless. Not fun. To raise my endorphins, I decided to make this Apulian tomato sauce, pomodorini scattarisciati, literally crackling tomatoes (in the local dialect) — vibrant, intensely tomatoey and uplifting.

The cherry tomatoes are fried in a rather indecent amount of oil, on high heat,  uncovered until they start bursting. Continue reading →