Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Swordfish

For those interested in food and drink, autumn is probably the best time to visit Italy. From Trentino in the north to Sicily in the south, the entire country is filled with festivals and feasting, from September to November. These 'sagre', celebrating fantastic local produce, are usually held over a weekend and the whole town joins in the party atmosphere. The streets are filled with stalls and tables, with everyone cooking and selling typical dishes made with whatever they happen to be celebrating. There's always a glass or two of good wine from the area to accompany the food as well - I mean, you may be eating on the hoof, off paper plates but certain dining rules must be upheld!

If you are visiting Italy in the autumn, it's definitely worth finding out what's going on in the local area as I guarantee you'll be able to find something. There are sagre dedicated to almost everything: some are based around single ingredients such as chestnuts, olive oil, honey, wild boar; others focus on a typical dish like risotto, gnocchi or pesto. One of my favourite is held in September in Asti, Piedmont and it celebrates a variety of local produce so you can try delicious tagliatelle with the famous Alba white truffle, beef braised in Barolo, risotto with porcini... It's a wonderful way of trying excellent food without paying restaurant prices. Another great sagra celebrates the end of the wine harvest in Bardolino on Lake Garda. You pay a few euros at the beginning to buy a glass which you hang around your neck in a specially made box. You then use this glass to sample the different wines from various producers who thoughtfully also prepare some local dishes to accompany the wine. It's all great fun but obviously much better if you can make sure you don't have to drive at the end of the day.

This pasta dish is a recreation of something I tried in the Sagra del Pesce Spada (swordfish), held at the end of August in Gallipoli in Puglia. It's fresh and flavourful from the tomatoes and herbs, with chunks of meaty, succulent swordfish. It's a perfect dish for late summer but I thought I'd sneak it in before the weather gets too cold, using the last of the tomatoes from my parents' greenhouse.

This post is making its way over to the ever popular challenge, Cooking with Herbs. The challenge is created and hosted by Karen from the wonderful Lavender and Lovage.

I'm also sending it to Javelin Warrior's wonderful weekly challenge which encourages everyone to cook from scratch, Made with Love Mondays.

RECIPE
350g spaghetti

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

300g swordfish

1 garlic clove

half a glass dry white wine

250g cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped

a bunch of parsley, chopped

a teaspoon dried thyme

a pinch of dried chilli flakes

salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove any skin from the swordfish with a sharp knife and cut into chunky strips, about 2cm x 1cm. Lightly squash the garlic clove, making sure it stays intact and heat with the olive oil in a large frying pan. When it just starts to colour, discard the garlic and add the swordfish. Fry quickly for 2 minutes, then add the wine and let it evaporate for a minute or so. Add the cherry tomatoes and some salt and pepper and cook together for a further 2-3 minutes. Finally, add the parsley, thyme and chilli flakes.

In the meantime, cook the pasta in salted water according to instructions.

When the pasta is al dente, drain quickly and mix all together with the swordfish sauce.

Cod with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers - Merluzzo alla Livornese

While I think that traditional fish and chips has its place, I certainly don't think that deep-frying cod in this way shows off the firm, flaky texture to its best advantage. In this recipe for Livorno-style cod, the fish is simmered gently in white wine with fresh tomatoes, black olives and capers. The addition of garlic and oregano gives added depth of flavour. Like so many fish dishes, this is simple to prepare, healthy and full of flavour. The end result is a real taste of the Mediterranean with beautifully cooked cod, firm yet moist, and a wonderful, rich sauce from the wine, olive oil and herbs that develops while cooking. I tend to serve this with just a simple green salad and some crusty bread to mop up the delicious juices. 

This post is making its way over to one of my favourite challenges, Herbs on Saturday, created by Karen from the wonderful Lavender and Lovage.

I'm also sending it to Javelin Warrior's wonderful weekly challenge which encourages everyone to cook from scratch, Made with Love Mondays.

RECIPE - serves 2 

400-500g cod loin or fillet, as thick as possible

plain flour

2 teaspoons dried oregano 

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 onion

8 black olives, halved

1 tablespoon capers

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil

250 ml dry white wine

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, roughly chopped

Finely chop the onion and sweat gently in a large frying pan (one with a lid) for about 7 minutes in a tablespoon of the olive oil until translucent but not coloured. 

While the onion is cooking, you can prepare the fish. Cut the cod so that you have about 4 smaller fillets. Sprinkle the dried oregano over the cod, pressing it in slightly. Repeat on the other side. Put some flour onto a plate, season with salt and pepper, then flour the cod on both sides, knocking off the excess. 

When the onion is soft, remove from the frying pan with a slotted spoon. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and turn up the heat to medium. Add the cod and brown on both sides until a nice, golden colour. 

Put the softened onion back in the pan with the cod and add the wine, olives, tomatoes and capers. Put the lid on and cook over a low-medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the cod is cooked but still moist.

Add the fresh oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty bread. 

'Mpille - Puglian Olive and Chilli Bread

The return of these Siberian conditions has made me dream longingly of warm breezes, turquoise waters, the feeling of sun on bare skin so I find myself turning again to the quintessentially Mediterranean cuisine of Puglia. I've written before (here if you're interested) about the fantastic vegetables that form the basis of Puglian gastronomy and these take centre stage once more in this recipe.

'Mpille' can only be found in the Salento area of Puglia which is as far south as you can go down the heel of Italy's boot and not even in all places there. Originally from the small village of Sannicola where GL's mum grew up, you can also find them in Lecce, the beautiful Baroque provincial capital but there they go under the name of 'Pizzi' and don't include courgettes. If you are lucky enough to find a good bakery that makes their own, try and arrive when the mpille are just coming out of the oven - the smell of the baking bread mixed with the lightly cooked vegetables is simply mouthwatering and it's virtually impossible not to eat them straightaway, warm, crunchy on the outside, soft inside and bursting with Mediterranean flavours.

I have to describe them as bread rolls, the dough being mixed with lightly sauteed olives, onions, tomatoes, courgettes and chilli but this is woefully inadequate. You really just have to try them. Hopefully they'll bring a little Mediterranean warmth to brighten up these chilly days.



As you can see from the logo, the March One Ingredient challenge is Chilli so my post is on its way over to this month's host Laura  from How to Cook Good Food co-hosted with Nazima at Franglais Kitchen. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's ideas for this challenge.

I'm also sending it to Javelin Warrior's wonderful weekly challenge which encourages everyone to cook from scratch, Made with Love Mondays.

RECIPE

For the dough
450g strong white bread flour, plus more for kneading
7g (1 sachet) easy blend yeast
1 teaspoon salt
approximately 200-300 ml warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Vegetable mixture

about 10 cherry tomatoes

1 large onion

1 courgette

olive oil

a handful of black pitted olives

1-2 teaspoons of chilli flakes, depending on taste

salt 

Preheat oven to 240°C or as hot as it will go.

Start by preparing the vegetables. Wash, dry and finely chop the tomatoes, onion and courgette and cook them gently in a tablespoon or so of olive oil for about 15-20 mins until nicely softened. Add the olives, roughly chopped and as much chilli as you want. Season to taste. Remember that you'll need more salt and chilli than you expect because it's all going to be distributed throughout the bread dough. Leave to cool.

Put the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and pour in about 200 ml of the water, half the cooked vegetable mixture and the olive oil, mixing with your hands. You can add more water if you need to but the vegetables do add a lot of liquid and actually the mpille puff up more with a slightly drier dough. Start kneading by pushing the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, the fold it back and turn slightly. Keep doing this for about 10 minutes, it should feel smooth and springy when it's ready.

Form the dough into a ball and rub a little olive oil over the surface, so that it is lightly greased. Put it into a clean bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about 3 hours. After that time, knock back the dough and knead in the rest of the vegetable mixture. Leave to rise again for another hour. 

Divide the dough into about 12 pieces and form into balls - the dough will probably be quite sticky so dust each ball with flour before shaping roughly - remember these are meant to be rustic so no need for perfect spheres! Place on 2 baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space between them. 

Put into the hot oven and cook for about 35-40 mins. Leave them to cool slightly on a wire rack before devouring.

Chicken stuffed with goat's cheese and herbs

I dream of having a big kitchen, the kind where people can sit and chat, read the newspaper with a cup of coffee, lend a hand with the cooking without getting in the way... My kitchen is small. I'm not complaining (although it may sound like it) because it's perfectly formed and fulfils its function very well. It's just that when I have friends and family over for dinner I have two choices - I can either prepare everything in advance which allows me to take part in the conversation happening in the dining room or I can cook there and then which means that I miss out on everything else that's going on.

Needless to say, I usually prefer the first option, that of preparing most things in advance, thus maximising time spent with my guests. This chicken dish (the inspiration for which comes from an old Good Food magazine) fits the bill on many counts. Firstly, it can all be prepared ahead of time and simply put in the oven when needed. Secondly, the chicken is cooked on a bed of courgettes and tomatoes which means that you can dispense with a separate vegetable, leaving you with less to do in the kitchen and minimising the washing up. This method of cooking also ensures that the chicken stays nice and moist. Finally, and most importantly, it's delicious, with a great balance of flavours - crisp saltiness from the pancetta, creaminess from the cheese and mild sweetness from the vegetables.

The thyme and oregano used in this dish mean that it can be sent to one of my favourite challenges, Herbs on Saturday, created by Karen from the inspirational Lavender and Lovage and hosted this month by Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes .

I'm also sending this over to Javelin Warrior's weekly challenge, Made with Love Mondays which encourages us all to cook from scratch and provides a fascinating, eclectic mix of recipes to try every week.

 

RECIPE - serves two

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
100g firm goat's cheese
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 slices of pancetta (or thinly sliced streaky bacon)
2 courgettes, thinly sliced lengthways
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
250g tomatoes, any kind, thinly sliced


Pre-heat oven to 190°C.

Slice the chicken breasts almost in half from one long side and open them out like a book. Cover with cling film and bash with a rolling pin to  flatten them. Season on all sides. Put half the goat's cheese on each piece of chicken and sprinkle with some of the thyme leaves and oregano. Roll the chicken up to enclose the cheese, then wrap each one snugly in three slices of pancetta.

Lightly oil a shallow gratin dish, then arrange overlapping rows of courgettes and tomatoes over the base. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme sprigs. Place the chicken breasts on top.

Bake for 45 mins until the pancetta is crisp and golden and the courgettes are tender. Cut in half diagonally if you so wish and serve with new potatoes or good bread.

Tomato, basil and mozzarella pasta

Red, white and green, the Italian flag (and coincidentally, the colours of Y Ddraig Goch, the Welsh Dragon) on a plate. Yes, it's another dish based on my favourite Italian trinity of mozzarella, tomato and basil (for other recipes featuring these flavours have a look at Insalata Caprese and Baked pasta with mozzarella and tomatoes). I make no apology for this, I happen to think that the combination is simply perfect for the warmer summer weather.

The recipe below is for a standard, hot pasta dish. However, Italians often prepare this as a cold pasta salad in the hot summer months. If you want to try it like that, cook the pasta until just al dente, then drain it and refresh in cold water. Then simply toss the other ingredients with the pasta, without cooking them, omitting the onion and dressing with a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil.

As there's still time (just!), I'm sending this over to Laura (this month's host) at www.howtocookgoodfood.co.uk and Nazima of  Working London Mummy for the July One Ingredient challenge - Tomatoes.

RECIPE - serves 3-4

350g pasta (any 'short' kind, I used fusilli)
7-8 large tomatoes
125g ball mozzarella
half a small onion or 1 shallot
extra virgin olive oil
handful fresh basil

Chop the onion or shallot very finely. In a frying pan, heat enough olive oil to cover the base and add the onion/shallot. Cook gently until very soft, about 10-15 minutes. 

While the onion is sweating, prepare the tomatoes. First, you have to peel them, not a particularly pleasant job but worth doing for this dish. The easiest way is to score a small cross in the skin of the base of the tomatoes. Place in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave for a minute, then place the tomatoes in cold water and peel off the skin. After peeling, roughly chop.

Chop the mozzarella into small dice.

In the meantime, cook the pasta in lots of boiling salted water. When the pasta is almost ready, add the tomatoes to the softened onion and cook for a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. 

When the pasta is al dente, remove from the heat, drain well and toss with the tomatoes and onions and the fresh basil, roughly torn. Just before serving, scatter the diced mozzarella over the pasta and gently mix it in, drizzling over a little more olive oil.

NB: Don't be tempted to mix the mozzarella in any earlier because it starts to melt as soon as it hits the heat and instead of it being evenly distributed through the pasta, you end up with a mass of melted mozzarella that won't mix in! I speak from experience...

Insalata Caprese - tomato and mozzarella salad

Now, I know that you probably don't actually need a recipe for this salad but I include it more as a reminder really. It is an all-time favourite of mine, simple and yet utterly delicious, perfect for lunch at this time of year. It requires almost nothing of you in the way of preparation, ready to eat in less than 3 minutes, but in such a simple dish the quality of the ingredients is paramount. The basil has to be as fresh as possible and the tomatoes must be ripe and full of flavour (don't even think about making this in winter!). Make sure that they haven't just come out of the fridge either, the cold diminishes their flavour. Olive oil is used alone here so make sure it's the best - this is the time to use your single estate, cold pressed, unfiltered extra virgin stuff. Oh, and the mozzarella should be from buffalo milk (although I have to confess that I love this salad so much I even enjoy eating it with the bog-standard rubbery mozzarella from supermarkets).

As you can see from the photo, I don't go in for the classic 'Caprese' presentation as I find the overlapping spiral of perfect slices rather clinical and austere. I just tear the mozzarella, roughly chop the tomatoes and pile it up on a plate - so much more inviting and just begging to be devoured.

RECIPE (for one person)

a ball of mozzarella (buffalo if possible)
a handful of tomatoes (any size or variety as long as they've got flavour!)
fresh basil leaves, about 5 or 6, or to taste
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

Roughly chop the tomatoes and tear the mozzarella into chunks. Place on a plate, scatter over the basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. (I use black pepper too because I think it really enhances the flavour of tomatoes but you would never see it in Italy).
Serve and eat.

Pollo alla Cacciatora

This 'hunter-style' chicken dish originally comes from Tuscany but is popular all over Italy. As with any classic dish, every family has their own way of making it but the variations are usually minimal, an extra ingredient here, a different cooking method there. When I see this dish abroad, it sometimes seems to veer so far from the original that it is almost unrecognisable.

The recipe below is a standard one; if you wish, you can add some pancetta or maybe a few mushrooms to it. Just don't get too carried away.

RECIPE - serves 4

1 chicken, jointed (or 8 pieces)
1 onion
2 carrots
3 sticks celery
1 clove garlic
1 glass red wine
a few sprigs of rosemary
400g tin chopped tomatoes
olive oil
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Finely chop the onion, carrots, celery and garlic (or whizz together in a food processor for a few seconds). Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan (with lid) and add the vegetables. Cook over a low heat until soft, being careful not to let them brown. Remove to a plate.

Add a little more oil to the pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides, over a high heat. When the pieces are golden brown, return the vegetables to the pan, add the rosemary and pour the wine in.

Let the wine bubble up for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and some salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, cover with a lid and simmer over a medium heat for about 30-40 mins, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Give everything a gentle stir from time to time so that it doesn't burn on the bottom and add a little water if it seems to be getting too dry.

When the chicken is ready, sprinkle the parsley over and serve with mashed potatoes or soft polenta.

 

Pasta with tomatoes and mushrooms

This is an easy mid-week pasta, good for vegetarians or if you're trying to cut down on meat.

You can use any short pasta shape. My favourite is mezze penne (literally half penne); they're the same thickness as regular penne but about half the length. I just love them because they seem to work with all kinds of sauces and they make perfect little mouthfuls. The only problem is that we cannot find them in the UK (or at least not round here) so we come back from trips to Italy with our luggage and pockets stuffed with packets of De Cecco mezze penne, along with huge hunks of parmesan, coffee and slabs of prosciutto.

RECIPE

Serves 3-4

350g pasta
250g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
half an onion or one shallot, very finely chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
a pinch of chilli flakes, optional
extra virgin olive oil

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms over a high heat, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have lost their liquid and become golden brown.

At the same time, in a separate frying pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onion gently until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and chilli if using. Season to taste and continue cooking for about 5 mins.

Add the mushrooms to the tomato sauce and mix thoroughly.

When the pasta is al dente, drain well and tip into the tomato and mushroom sauce. Mix everything together and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a grating of fresh parmesan.

Baked pasta with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil

I've been making this baked pasta dish regularly for years although I do tweak the recipe from time to time. This is my current favourite but there are different versions of this eaten all over central and southern Italy. It's simple Italian cooking at its best, using few ingredients and no fancy techniques to produce a delicious, crowd-pleasing meal. It can be prepared in advance so it's extremely useful for feeding large groups of people; indeed, in Italy it often features as part of a celebratory meal.

I usually use penne but you can use whatever shape of short pasta you like.

RECIPE - serves 4

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
600g passata or chopped tinned tomatoes
2 balls mozzarella, roughly chopped
bunch of fresh basil
freshly grated parmesan
400g penne

Cook the pasta in the usual way, in a large pan of salted, boiling water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the passata. Add salt and pepper and simmer gently for a few minutes; you only really want the sauce to heat through, it shouldn't be reduced at all. Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh basil leaves, roughly torn.

When the pasta is 'al dente', drain it and mix with the tomato sauce, the chopped mozzarella and a good handful of grated parmesan.

Toss it all thoroughly and put in an ovenproof dish. Cover with another generous grating of fresh parmesan.

At this stage, you can either cook it straight away in a pre-heated hot oven (200°C) for about  20 mins or you can keep it in the fridge for up to a day and cook it just before serving. In the latter case, it will need about 30 mins in the oven. When it's ready it should be golden, crispy and bubbling.

Trout fillets with courgettes and cherry tomatoes

This is fresh and light, perfect for a sunny spring day.

I’ve used trout here but I often use salmon fillets and actually, I don’t see any reason for not using other types of fish either – sea bass and cod would be good variations.

RECIPE  - serves 2 people but quantities can easily be doubled

2 fillets trout (or other fish, see note above)

About 9 cherry tomatoes

1 courgette

Handful fresh basil leaves

Extra virgin olive oil

Cut the courgettes into quarters lengthways and then into about 2cm pieces. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add the sliced courgettes. Cook over a medium heat for 5 mins until they begin to brown, then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for a further 5 mins. Remove from the heat, add the basil leaves, roughly torn, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with a lid and leave to rest while you cook the fish.

Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and add the fish fillets, skin-side down. Cook over a moderately high heat for 4 mins so that the skin becomes crispy. I then put a lid on, turn the heat down and cook for another few minutes until done. I do this because I am not very adept at flipping the fish over in the frying pan and it usually breaks but you can obviously turn it over to cook it on the other side if you prefer.

When the fish is cooked to your liking, carefully remove to a plate and spoon the courgette and tomatoes over the top. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few more basil leaves. This is good served simply with some boiled new potatoes, lightly crushed with olive oil and sea salt.