Italy – the land of our dreams: climate, culture, way of life! And the food! Far away from Venice, Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast, we try to cook “Italian” at home. Anna del Conte as well as Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi help us with many recipes and bring Italian flair to German kitchens.
We Germans are said to have a widespread longing for Italy. In any case, the old master Goethe sighed in one of his most famous poems, in “Mignon”: “Do you know the land where the lemons bloom?” So longing for Italy. I don’t exclude myself, in April it’s that time again. Far away from Bella Italia, I can also make my life more “Italian” in this country: Countless Italian restaurants and delicatessen shops, films and music – this is how the time between vacations in Italy can be bridged more or less well. With pasta, pizza and parmesan from the supermarket, we set about cooking Italian. To make this even better, I am presenting two cookbooks to you today: a comprehensive basic work for Italian cuisine and, as the icing on the cake, great recipes from southern Italy.
This book is a true guide, a standard work of explanation and instruction, and a wealth of recipes. The New York Times wrote of the original English edition: “An eye opener for anyone who thinks they know everything about Italian food.” At 320 tightly printed pages, Del Conte’s book is as comprehensive as the author should know, given that she is 98 years old! Anna del Conte comes from Milan, studied history there and came to England as an au pair in the late 1940s. Today she is considered the doyenne of Italian cuisine and lives with her family in Dorset.
Passionate and detailed like no other, she tells what it means to cook Italian. She describes over 20 different ingredients that Italian dishes cannot do without. Which vegetables and which meat for what, the variety of Italian cheeses, the importance of bread for the Italians, fish and seafood, fruit and nuts, garlic and herbs, legumes and salads – and of course – pasta, rice and polenta, wine and olives .
Recipes and stories – how life writes them
Love and good ingredients – that’s all an Italian dish needs, says Anna del Conte. But for those who don’t know how, Anna del Conte has written this encyclopedia. The recipes are created by her or come from collections of family and friends. In between there are always anecdotes, experiences, culinary journeys and tips. This is how misunderstandings about pasta are cleared up: Is dried pasta worse than fresh? And what about draining the pasta? I inevitably have to think of the long-ago attempts at cooking in my student digs – the road from a German noodle mush to a velvety Italian pasta is a long one.
Anyone who prefers rice to pasta and always tries to get a “decent” risotto and still fails, Anna del Conte will also help, because “risotto is not just a mixture of rice and other ingredients”. The author names five rules for this.
In the chapter on polenta, among other things, we learn the sad story from the 18th century, when the corn porridge, which was often the only source of food for the poor, was blamed for pellagra. However, this disease is not based on corn ingredients, but on a lack of protein and vitamins (especially B3), which was due to malnutrition. Here, too, there is a detailed description of how to make a polenta and what can be conjured up from leftover polenta – very far removed from the former food for the poor.
How many gears? Everyone decides that for themselves
In general, the suggested combinations are wonderfully suited to understanding the “Italian meal” and cooking the recipes. In an Italian meal, the two or three courses complement each other and harmonize in flavors. In this way, the meal is perceived as a unit. The best dishes of Italian cuisine are the varied first courses, the primi. I love this primi and usually do without further courses (for reasons). If you want it classic Italian, you can serve four courses: antipasti (starters), primo piatto (first main course), secondo piatto (second main course), dolci (sweet desserts). Finally, don’t forget the espresso and/or grappa!
But I probably still think in German when I cook Italian: Anna del Conte bases her menus around the vegetables that are in season and only then decides which meat or which fish to buy. I do it the other way around too often, but now I know how to do it. I have selected various things with lemons for you. There are a few recipes at the end, everything else is detailed in the excellent cookbooks.
While Anna del Conte deliberately avoids using photos, the Caldesi couple’s cookbook does not come without color photos. Because what kind of book about the Amalfi Coast, life and food there would be without colorful photos? The Amalfi Coast south of Naples is one of the most picturesque regions in Italy, breathtakingly beautiful: sun-drenched towns seem to be clinging to cliffs, and the scent of countless lemon trees wafts over everything. Photographers rave about the light and the colors of the costiera amalfitana: there are only so many different shades of blue here.
Magnificent color photos capture the special flair of the country and its people and invite you to take a pleasure trip along the southern Italian Mediterranean coast. The inclusion of the Amalfi Coast in the UNESCO World Heritage Site prevents people from building here at all costs. Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi run two restaurants and a cooking school in England, write cookbooks and are enthusiastic about various regional Italian cuisines. In “Amalfi Cuisine” the authors tell of the peculiarities and history of the coast and why the cuisine there is the way it is. The cooking culture on the Amalfi Coast is still based on the simple home cooking of times when money was tight and regional products were mainly used – “an extremely healthy diet”.
Amalfi Lemons – no others are like these
The hallmark of the Amalfi Coast are lemons, large and bright pale yellow, with thick, fragrant skins that are edible. The white inside of the peel also has little bitterness compared to other lemon varieties. Amalfi lemons (Sfusato Amalfitana or Limone Costa d’Amalfi) have been cultivated for 2000 years and are rightly considered the most aromatic lemons in the world. Since Amalfi lemons are untreated, they don’t last long in the fridge either. But they can be frozen at minus 18 degrees Celsius without hesitation and will keep well wrapped for up to nine months.
Of course, among the recipes you will find the lemoniest flagship products of the Amalfi Coast: For the famous lemon liqueur Limoncello and lemon jam (Marmellata di limoni). However, Amalfi also tastes wonderful without lemon, as the many delicious, lemon-free recipes testify to. All in all, a book that makes you make holiday plans.
Lemon Ravioli in Mint Butter (Katie
preparation
For the filling, season the ricotta in a bowl with lemon zest, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
For the ravioli, prepare the pasta dough according to the recipe on page 84, cut in half and wrap one half in cling film. Sprinkle the work surface with semolina, but not the dough.
Using the pasta machine (or a rolling pin), roll out the dough thinly so that your hand shows through (use the penultimate roller setting so that the dough is neither too thick nor too thin – the finest setting would be too fragile for the ravioli). Roll out the rest of the pasta dough in the same way and place the sheets of dough on the surface sprinkled with semolina.
Cut the pastry sheets into strips about 5.5 cm wide. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the filling at even intervals (ideally 2 fingers wide) on the first pasta strip. Cover with another strip of pasta dough and press it around the filling. Spread the rest of the filling over other pasta strips and cover as well. Using a pasta wheel (or a knife), cut the ravioli into squares about 5cm on a side. Place the ravioli on a surface dusted with flour or semolina (semolina is especially good as it won’t stick to the pasta).
In a large saucepan two-thirds full, bring generously salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli al dente for 4-6 minutes.
Meanwhile, to serve, melt the butter in a large skillet. Once the ravioli are cooked, drain them and add them to the pan with some of the cooking water and the butter. Shake the pan to mix the water and butter, then fold in the chopped mint. Serve immediately on preheated plates.
Chocolate Almond Cake (Katie
Roasted almonds add a little something extra to this chocolate-packed cake originally from the island of Capri. Store-bought blanched white kernels save a lot of time and effort, but if you can only find brown ones you can heat them yourself in boiling water for a few minutes and then rub the skins off very lightly between two dish towels.
preparation
Preheat the oven to 180°C for circulating air (or 200°C for top/bottom heat). Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Finely chop the almonds in the food processor until they have the consistency of coarse cane sugar.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water (or in the microwave). Remove from the stove and let cool down a bit.
Grease a 22 cm round springform pan with butter.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a stand mixer or in a food processor until the snow forms soft peaks. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until fluffy.
Add the chocolate and butter mixture to the egg yolks and mix well. Mix in the almonds. Fold in the egg whites, then pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when a crust has formed on the outside (a skewer inserted into the cake will never come out clean as the center will always be moist). To decorate, place a cake doily on top of the cooled and demoulded cake and sift in a fine layer of icing sugar, then carefully remove the doily. Serve at room temperature with orange ice cream (see page 227).
Lemon Risotto (Anna del Conte)
Del Conte owes this excellent recipe to her friend Romana Bosco, a talented chef who runs a culinary school in Turin. She, in turn, received the recipe from Giovanni Goria, a member of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. When I first tried it, my husband was quite skeptical at the idea of ??lemon risotto. To him it sounded rather “pale and insipid”. But he was already convinced after the first spoonful, and a little later he declared it his favorite risotto. Because this light and creamy risotto tastes simply delicious.
preparation
Heat half the butter, oil, shallots and celery in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook until the shallot and celery soffritto is tender, 7 minutes. [soffritto is the name for the finely chopped ingredients that have been slowly sautéed in fat.] Add the rice and stir-fry until the rice grains are well coated with oil and translucent on the outside.
Meanwhile, heat the broth and let it simmer while you prepare the dish.
As soon as the rice is shiny and slightly translucent, pour in 150 ml of stock. Stir well and cook until the rice has absorbed most of the broth. Pour in another ladleful of the simmering broth and stir in. Continue like this until the rice is done. All of the broth may not be needed. Good quality Italian risotto rice has a cooking time of around 20 minutes.
Meanwhile finely chop the herbs and mix with the lemon zest. Stir into the rice halfway through the cooking time.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, parmesan, double cream and a pinch of pepper with a fork.
Remove the risotto from the heat as soon as it is al dente. Add egg mixture and remaining butter. Put a lid on tightly and let rest for 2 minutes. Then stir the risotto vigorously, pour into a preheated bowl or bowl and serve immediately. Serve with a bowl of grated parmesan if you like.
I find that this risotto makes a good accompaniment to some meat dishes, e.g. B. to Costolette alla milanese (p. 77). It also tastes wonderful with one of our family recipes: pieces of chicken are sautéed in butter, then coated in a roasting pan with 200 g double cream and baked in the oven – an old Milanese recipe. Risotto should really be prepared to the minute. If this is not possible, take a look at the hints in the introduction to the Risotto chapter on page 41.
Lemon-tinged aubergine (Anna del Conte)
I don’t know of any other aubergine dish that comes across as light and fresh. Prepare the vegetable broth (see p. 319) ahead of time if you don’t have any in the freezer.
preparation
Wash the aubergines (do not peel!) and finely dice. (The cubes with skin later give a pleasant mouthfeel and keep their shape when frying.) Place the cubes in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let sit for a maximum of 1 hour, otherwise they will become too soft. Squeeze out the juice and pat the cubes dry with paper towels.
Heat about 100ml broth, lemon zest and juice, garlic and marjoram in a medium-sized pan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant cubes and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. If necessary, add more broth during cooking. When the aubergine is done, there should be almost no liquid left.
Remove and discard garlic and lemon zest.
Put the aubergines and the cooking liquid in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or room temperature.
This dish goes well with roasted or grilled meat or fish. It can also be served as a first course on its own, or as a vegetable dish after a hearty primo such as Spaghetti coi calamari (p. 95) or Riso e luganeghin (p. 114).
Heidi Driesner wishes you every success with “Dolce Vita” in your home kitchen.
