Tag Archives: oregano di Pantelleria

Zucchini flowers!


June 6, 2013

The delicacy of fried zucchini flowers: those who have eaten them before love them, and those who have yet to try them can’t wait to fall in love with them. At the moment our zucchini plants are blooming, so now is the time to really enjoy them.

zobesk-CF034223

Harvesting the flowers must be done in the early morning when they are freshly open. As the sun grows stronger they close. By mid morning they have twisted themselves closed, making it difficult to fill them. If you are not an early riser, of course you can just brush them off, dip them into batter and fry and eat with a good salt like artisanal unrefined salt from Sale Natura http://www.salemarinoartigianale.it/index.html, then it doesn’t matter if they’re closed. If you are like me, you will love filling them with some goodies like cheese, almonds, anchovies and oregano. Remember stuffing the flower is MUCH easier to complete when they are harvested while open.

1zucchiniflowers2-Zucchiniflowera

Zucchini flowers with anchovies and oregano

Ingredients
20  large zucchini flowers
34-66 ounces (1 -2 liters ) of Extra Virgin olive oil ( frying medium)
(Make sure to choose a vessel /saucepan that has a thick bottom and sides that are high enough)
A baking sheet covered with paper towels or news paper for the flowers to drain upon after frying.
Tongs or a slotted spoon to turn the flowers over while frying and to remove them from the oil.
one clean dry pastry brush or brand new small soft paint brush

Filling
You can stuff the flowers with anything just make sure it doesn’t have a lot of liquid or oil in the content for the flower petal is very sensitive. Stuffed zucchini flowers is a great way to take leftovers and dress them up! Please omit the nuts from the filling below if you have nut allergies or if you are preparing the flowers to bring or serve at a gathering or party where you do not know if people are allergic to nuts.

30 raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1 good pinch pepperoncino (dried chile flakes)
7 ounces (200 grams) coarsely grated mozzarella
1.8 ounces ( 50 grams) coarsely grated Parmesan
20 basil leaves finely chiffonade (shredded)
2 pinches of dried oregano from Pantelleria
1 ounce (30 grams) of raw pine nuts
5 fillets of anchovies preserved in oil

Batter
5 Tablespoons all purpose flour (you can use a all purpose gluten free flour 1 to 1 exchange)
1/3 teaspoon baking soda or bicarbonate
10 Tablespoons soda water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

To serve
Salt flakes and fresh lemon wedges

Method
Using the pastry or clean paint brush clean the exterior of the flowers.
Optional: next you can gently take out the pistil using a tweezer or carefully use your hand.
Mix all ingredients for the filling together in a bowl excluding the anchovies
Separately cut the anchovies fillets each in 4 equally sized pieces.
Holding the flower gently, fill the inside using a small spoon or your fingers, work gently and careful for avoid the flowers you want the flower to remain intact. Only fill the flower 3/4 full.
With your finger make a little hole where you place the piece of anchovy.

Fold and close the petals gently. Finish with a twist of the petals to make a tight seal. Place aside on a tray. Repeat the process until all the flowers are filled and ready to fry.

 

Mix flour, bicarbonate and  whisk together with the sodawater and olive oil until smooth (should have the consistence similar to a pancake batter). Let the batter rest while heating the oil. Pour your frying oil to heat. Brush the flowers one by one with the batter attempts to reinforce the closure of leaf and on top with a little batter. Fry the flower until golden, let drain shortly on paper towels.
Serve with salt flakes to sprinkle and some fresh lemon.

zbesk-CF034994

Carlo and Pino, having a break after working all day with making a new barbecue construction in the garden.

1-obesk-CF0350272-obesk-CF0350443-obesk-CF0350114obesk-CF0351085obesk-CF0351126obesk-CF0350377obesk-CF035119

 

 

 

 

 

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca


December 4, 2012

Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a flavorful, spicy and delicious pasta. The original recipe is with anchovies, tomatoes, olives, garlic and capers. This pasta has become a recurring classic dish in my kitchen. You could easily exclude the tuna and replace it with a couple of more anchovies as the original recipe. Just make sure you taste as the sauce cooks so it doesn’t get too salty.

spaghetti puttanesca-CF022763

Spaghetti alla puttanesca
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lbs ( 450 gram ) of spaghetti (cook al dente according to the instruction on the package)
1 fresh red chili finely chopped or 1 tsp dried chili flakes
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/2 medium sized yellow onion finely chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
6 filets of anchovies roughly mashed in pieces using a fork
16 pitted and chopped black olives
3 Tablespoons of capers from Pantelleria! http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/  
(make sure you drain the capers first in cold water before adding to the sauce)
12-15 cherry tomatoes
1 can chunky style tomatoes
1/4 cup (0.6 dl) white wine
7 oz ( 200 grams) of good canned tuna in olive oil
2 Tablespoons of grind lemon zest
4 Tablespoons of finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Method
Heat a large pan and add oil, garlic, chili, onion and the anchovies. 
Sauté until it is soft and the ingredients have melted together. Add cherry tomatoes, white wine, canned tomatoes, capers and olives. Season with sugar, black pepper and salt as needed. Make sure you test the saltiness before you add any salt. Most likely, the anchovies and capers will provide all the salt you’ll need.

Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.
Let the sauce cook together for about 12-15 minutes, if it ends up a little dry add a little of your pasta water.
 One minute before serving, stir in the tuna and lemon zest and taste the seasoning.
 Mix the sauce with the spaghetti, sprinkle some parsley and serve right away.

Caponata


November 8, 2012

Caponata is a traditional Sicilian course.
The recipes vary but should contain eggplant, celery and have a sweet and sourness. In some parts of Sicily seafood is included. The ingredients I used for this Caponata are all local products from the island of Pantelleria. Serve the Caponata as an antipasto with bread, or as a side course to go with fish or meat. The Caponata can be saved in the fridge for up to 7 days.caponata-CF008660

Caponata
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) olive oil
3 aubergine, cut in large chunks
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped in bigger pieces
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, cut in pieces
8 large ripe tomatoes, cut in pieces and remove the seeds
2 tablespoons capers from Pantelleria (rinsed, soaked and drained)
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) of black olives (preferably sun or oven dried)
4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) of almonds (dry toasted and chopped in the pan)
5 tablespoons of tomato puree or concentrate
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
Optional:1 table spoon of fresh parsley to serve

Method
Use a large pan pour some olive oil, and place on the heat. Add the aubergine chunks and oregano, season with a little salt and toss around so the aubergine is evenly coated by the oil. Cook on a high heat until the aubergines are golden, then add the onion, garlic and celery stalks and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Add a more oil to the pan when it’s getting dry. Throw in the drained capers, olives, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes or until its tender. At last stir in the toasted almonds.Taste and season if you need with more salt, pepper, vinegar or sugar. Serve the Caponata room temperature sprinkled with almonds and parsley.

Dinner plate Anthropologie
Capperi di Pantelleria http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/capers
Origano di Pantelleria http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/origano-di-pantelleria