Eggplant, zucchini and peppers bring Italy to the plate. Here are three recipes that will whet your appetite for a holiday in Calabria.
Hardly anywhere else are dishes prepared with as much passion as in the kitchen of an Italian grandmother. Italy’s culinary traditions are world-famous and convey a bit of Italian joie de vivre with every bite. In his new cookbook, “Cucina della nonna,” food blogger and author Domenico Gentile shares tried-and-true recipes from his family’s scenic homeland, the southern Italian region of Calabria – known for its Mediterranean climate and aromatic ingredients, as well as vegetables like courgettes, aubergines and tomatoes. There are three recipes here.
Patata melanzane and pepperone
The tasty peperonata made from aubergines, potatoes and peppers can also be eaten cold, making it an ideal antipasti dish.
Ingredients: 2 medium aubergines, salt, 3 potatoes, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, 1 small red Tropea onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 sprig of basil, freshly ground black pepper
Preparation: Wash and trim the aubergines and roughly cut them into 2-3 cm pieces. Put in a bowl, salt and let rest for about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and roughly chop them into 2 to 3 cm pieces. Wash both peppers, deseed and also roughly cut into 2 to 3 cm pieces. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add the potatoes and peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Dab the excess liquid from the aubergines with paper towels. Add the eggplant pieces to the pan and fry for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. As soon as the potatoes are soft, remove everything from the pan and heat the remaining olive oil in it. Peel the garlic clove and fry the whole clove in it until golden brown. Remove from pan and discard.
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion. Wash the tomatoes, cut into small pieces, removing the stalks, then add to the pan with the onions and fry in the garlic oil for a few minutes.
Add the fried vegetables back in. Rinse the basil, shake dry, pluck off the leaves, add to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
Linguine al Aspromonte
In southern Italy, pasta is usually served as the “primo piatto” (first course). The delicious “Linguine al Aspromonte” are peppered with many of the delicacies found in the mountainous region of the same name, in the countryside and in the forests.
Ingredients: 2 medium-sized aubergines, salt, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 red peperoncino (chilli), 2 courgettes, 5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 onion, 4 peppers (green, yellow and red), 1 stick of celery, 150 g porcini mushrooms, 100 ml dry white wine, 300 g pelati (canned whole San Marzano tomatoes), 500 g linguine or spaghetti, 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, a few basil leaves, freshly ground black pepper
Preparation: Wash the aubergines, cut into 2 to 3 cm cubes, place in a sieve, sprinkle with salt and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
Peel garlic cloves. Wash the peperoncino, halve lengthwise and deseed. Wash and slice zucchini. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté whole garlic cloves and peperoncino until golden brown, remove from the pan and discard. Fry the aubergines in the flavored oil for 3 to 5 minutes while turning. Add zucchini and fry for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile peel, halve and thinly slice the onion. Wash all the peppers, deseed and cut into strips. Wash the celery, remove the leaves and cut into small pieces. Clean and slice mushrooms.
Place eggplant and zucchini mixture in a bowl and set aside. Heat the remaining olive oil in the same pan. Add onion slices, then add bell pepper, celery and mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Deglaze with white wine.
Once the wine has evaporated, add the canned tomatoes and the eggplant and zucchini mixture and simmer for about 20 minutes.
About halfway through the cooking time, bring plenty of water to the boil in a saucepan, add salt and cook the pasta a little more than al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
Rinse the parsley, shake dry, chop and set aside.
Rinse the basil leaves, tear them apart and add to the vegetable sauce. Stir in half a cup of pasta water and season with salt and pepper.
Lift the pasta out of the pasta water, add it directly to the vegetable sauce in the pan and mix well. Pour into deep plates and serve immediately.
Fiori di zucca in pastel
In the summer months, golden yellow zucchini blossoms shine in the gardens of the Calabrese. Deep-fried in batter, they are a treat.
Ingredients: 300 g wheat flour tipo 00 (alternatively wheat flour type 405), 1 packet dry yeast (approx. 7 g), 5 g salt, 12 – 15 zucchini blossoms, approx. 1 l sunflower oil, salt flakes
Preparation: Mix flour with yeast and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir in water with a fork, up to about 300 ml (the batter should resemble pancake batter). Cover with cling film and let rise for about 60 minutes until the dough has doubled in volume.
Meanwhile, remove the stalks and pistils from the zucchini blossoms, carefully rinse and drain the blossoms.
Heat the sunflower oil in a high-sided pan to about 170°C. Then dip only one blossom into the batter, let it drip off and fry in hot oil. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt flakes. Bake the remaining blossoms in the same way, making sure that the oil temperature always remains constant.