Food for thought

Invitation to a Virtual Supper Party

Not that I want to compete with Jamie or Nigella....  Just that there isn't much else to do these days but eat and sleep....  

So come to supper with me.  Just a few things Italian that I have learned to live with, starting with Bruschetta (bruise - ketta, not brooshetta!) al pomodoro:

From a personal point of view, as a retired grouch, sitting at home rewatching The Sopranos (and sundry westerns) and listening to The St John Passion and John Prine, reading P G Wodehouse and other books I never got round to before (or rereading those I remember I liked)....  Yeah, from a personal point of view, this lock down is possibly just an advanced copy of life in the departure lounge.... nothing to get excited about.  

You know, if I had some hand cut prosciutto and fresh figs I'd be in seventh heaven.....

But, for almost everyone, it's a trial, I do understand.  And I understand because I am not alone.  Meadow (the cat) 

is oblivious to the situation out there....  And so is Amanda, 

my little wife.  So I have to cater/care/look out for her too, which is the cross I must bear....

So, what about food at these trying times?  It's not that there isn't any (yet), but we are all constrained to manage at home, and so sharing a few favourites may not go amiss?

The ideas below are, of course, not original.  They are also flexible. They are also multipliable, as I generally cook for one, giving a tiny portion to Amanda to go with her staple tortellini with frozen peas and cream....

So, here goes:

The first thing is don't be a slave to any recipe - if you don't have some (exotic) ingredient, don't fret.

The second thing is realise that cooking isn't rocket science.  If you can't eat it raw, then it needs to be cooked (i.e. processed with heat).....

Why?  Because heat helps break things down to make them digestible, and it helps bind flavours.  Raw pasta, for example, is not a great treat.  Pasta cooked al dente with a nicely heated tomato sauce with basil, however, is a feast.....  But then overcooked pasta with a burnt tomato mush, isn't worth talking about.....

And speaking of pasta, one of my favourite dishes is Pasta all Norcina.  Norcia is a small town in a fold between the mountains of central Italy, where Saint Benedict was born.  It has a tradition of great food, partly because centuries ago the monks there found that flowing water doesn't freeze, so they set up rice fields with constantly moving water and produced three harvests of rice a year.  Which then meant they had plenty to feed the pigs on....

So Pasta alla Norcina is basically a pork sausage dressing for pasta.  Traditionally short, tubular pasta, like rigatoni, is used, and coarse pure pork sausages are best (one per person is plenty) but you can use any.  All you need to do is melt an onion in some olive oil (or butter) and then crumble in the sausage meat.  Let this heat, then add a little white wine and cook for a while.  Then add some cream (double for preference) and ground black pepper, and keep warm while you boil the pasta in a large pan of salted water.  100g per person is about right, and follow the time indicated on the packet.  

When the pasta is done (and not overdone!) mix it all up and grate some cheese (preferably parmesan, but any hard cheese will do) over each serving......

For an alternative, without meat, we are having Penne con Pomodoro e Ricotta.  All you need for this is tomato sauce (warm up some garlic in oil, then add chopped tomatoes or passata and a little salt) then when the pasta is cooked stir in about 100g (per person) of ricotta and the tomato sauce and sprinkle with parmesan....

A third easy pasta I like - possibly the first I learnt to make - is Pasta al Tonno (pasta with tuna).  This again is best with short pasta, like penne or tortiglioni or sedani rigati, conchiglie or fusilli....  But it works with pretty much any pasta you may have.

Start, as often, with a chopped onion heated in oil, with garlic too, if you like (or just garlic and no onion will do as well).  Add some dry chilli flakes (or fresh chilli) here if you like it a little spicy.  Then add a tin of (drained) tuna -  a little tin for one, a bigger tin for two or three, and so on.  Let this heat through and then add tomato.  For a rich sauce start with a squeeze of tomato paste, then stir in some tinned chopped tomatoes - about 150g for one and so on up...  Add salt and pepper to taste and bring to a good heat.  Cook the pasta, drain and mix.  Add some fresh parsley if you have it, but no cheese. 

I have cooked this for myself, and frozen some of the sauce for another day, but I have also cooked it for twenty or more, and if the atmosphere is right, and there's some light red wine to go with, it pleases most people.....

Now for the contorni - side dishes.  I have three today: Zucchini al pomodoro, 

Fagiolini,

and Caponata in agrodolce.....

The first of these is quite straightforward - slice the zucchini (courgettes) and stew in oil with chopped garlic for a little while.  Then, adding salt and pepper, turn the heat up and fry until golden, at which point add chopped tomatoes, a little more salt and pepper to taste, and heat through for a few minutes.

I steam beans, but boiled is fine. Then when cooked al dente I add salt, a little balsamic vinegar and the best olive oil I have to hand.

The caponata in agrodolce is a little more complex. Start by cutting a Melanzana (aubergine) into cubes and leaving slightly salted in a colander for a while.  Then rinse and dry and fry in oil with a sliced onion and chopped celery.  When these are soft, add some chopped tomatoes, a spoonful of sugar, a slug of white wine vinegar and stew for a little. Then, when this is hot and amalgamated, add some pine nuts, some green olives (preferably without stones) a few capers, some soaked sultanas and salt and pepper.  When you think it's ready, top it with a few basil leaves if you have any and serve, or leave to cool and serve tepid.


By the way.  Don't forget, the cook may need a glass of something....

For dessert I have prepared two options.  A lemon ricotta tart:

And a lemon cheesecake.

I am not really a dessert person, so I won't describe the cooking processes - suffice it to say that I looked up recipes and made these, adapting to the ingredients I had to hand. 

I much prefer to conclude a meal with some cheese, like this pecorino with fig jam, although I also like any hard salty cheese with good honey drizzled over it.

And then, almost inevitably, there needs to be a small coffee and a little shot of digestivo - grappa, brandy, amaro - whatever.....

I love eating Italian, and am grieving for all the wonderful restaurants that are currently closed and which in some cases may never open again.  At least I am blessed with memories of trattorie all over Italy which have given me pleasure.....  Let's hope there is a future!

Anyway, it has been a pleasure dining with you.  Thank you for being with me, and let's meet up again soon....

Richard