roasted poblano peppers with corn / peperoni poblano arrosto e mais dolce

September 30, 2025December 30, 2025 | Simona

roasted poblano peppers with corn and fromage blanc — smells comforting
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the memoir Coming to My Senses by Alice Waters¹ chef and cookbook author, whose name is associated to the renowned restaurant Chez Panisse² in Berkeley, CA, which she opened in 1971 (with Paul Aratow), the farm-to-table movement and the Edible Schoolyard Project.³

I listened to the audio book, narrated by Waters. I enjoyed learning about certain aspects of what makes Chez Panisse special, like the beautiful menus. Listening to Waters’s stories, it’s important to remember that ideas like farm-to-table restaurants, now mainstream, were new when she started implementing them. I don’t share any of her experiences in terms of “food awakening” as I grew up in Italy and with strong connections to food producers.

Waters describes her travels to France and other parts of Europe. She writes off Italy, where she had an unpleasant experience. Initially I was irritated by her words, then realized that I have done the same with France, after an unpleasant experience in Paris. Indeed, first impressions leave a lasting mark.

I don’t have any of Waters’s cookbooks, but I share her focus and delight in cooking with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients (ingredienti freschi, di produzione locale e di stagione). This is the season of peppers, sweet corn and fresh onions (cipolle), including sweet Walla Walla. I was inspired by a recipe from Saveur magazine: Creamy Poblano Rajas With Corn by Fatima Khawaja.⁴ In my version, I oven roast poblano peppers and sweet corn, the balance of ingredients is more towards the peppers, and I use fromage blanc rather than Mexican crema or crème fraîche. The result is drier, to be served as a side dish.

People who follow me on Instagram know that I celebrate farmers and their products by creating still lifes like the one below, which include two of the recipe ingredients.

tomatoes, peppers, oregano — from the farmers’ market, including a poblano pepper and fresh oregano

In the spirit of a Chez Panisse menu, below are the sources of the ingredients used in the various rendition of this recipe, purchased at local farmers’ markets or farm stands:

poblano peppers: Happy Hearts Farm, Luna Farm, Shakefork Community Farm
sweet corn: Earthly Edibles, Flood Plain Produce, Shakefork Community Farm, The Corn Crib
Walla Walla onion: Neukom Family Farm
garlic: Happy Hearts Farm, Luna Farm
fresh oregano (origano): Woven Hearts Herb Farm
Foggy Morning (fromage blanc): Nicasio Valley Cheese Company

roasted poblano peppers and corn, garlic clove and sliced onion on cutting board — ready to start cooking

When sweet corn and peppers are in season, roasting them is a kind of ritual I follow once I get home from shopping.

Simona Carini (briciole)

Roasted Poblano Peppers with Corn

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Time to roast corn and peppers 1

Total Time 1 32

Servings: 4

Course: Side Dish

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

4 ounces / 112 grams roasted sweet corn (from 1 medium ear)
1 pound / 450 grams poblano peppers
1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil
10 ounces / 280 grams Walla Walla onion thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves minced
1 large garlic clove minced
2 ounces / 56 grams fromage blanc
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste

Equipment

1 10-inch / 25-cm deep sauté pan or large skillet

Method

Heat the oven to 450 F / 230 C.
For efficiency's sake, I recommend roasting at least 2 fresh ears of corn, still in their husks and with silks attached (otherwise wrap them in foil before roasting).
Place the corn on a baking sheet leaving a bit of space between the ears and roast for 20 minutes. Let the ears cool briefly, then remove the husks and silks (or foil).
Working in a shallow bowl or dish, stand the corn vertically and use a knife to cut the kernels and scrapings from the cob. (Save the empty cobs to make stock or broth.) Weigh the necessary amount, toss with a fork to separate the kernels, and set aside. Refrigerate (or freeze) the rest.
Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C.
Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the peppers 180 degrees.
Roast for 15 more minutes, then turn the peppers. Repeat after 10 minutes. The peppers are ready when their skin has turned dark and is detaching in places. If necessary, continue roasting for a few more minutes.
Put the peppers in a sealed container or paper bag to steam, then peel off the skin, discard the stem and seeds, and the liquid they release.
Cut the flesh into strips ½ inch wide x 2 inches long (1.25 cm x 5 cm) and transfer to a bowl. Transfer the corn to the same bowl.
In a 10-inch / 25-cm deep sauté pan or large skillet, warm up the olive oil and butter (if using) over medium heat. Add the onion, stir well, turn down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes or as needed. Add the oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant, less than 1 minute.
Add the poblano peppers and corn and stir well, then add the fromage blanc in small dollops and stir to blend.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle the sea salt, taste and adjust, then serve.

Notes

Roast the sweet corn and poblano peppers ahead of preparing the dish.

¹The book’s page on the publisher’s website
² Chez Panisse
³ The Edible Schoolyard Project
⁴ Recipe for Creamy Poblano Rajas With Corn by Fatima Khawaja from Saveur magazine. In reference to food, rajas means strips of a food item, most commonly poblano peppers.

Click on the Play button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

Cook the Books logo This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Claudia of Honey From Rock. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own

shishito peppers with cheese / peperoni shishito col formaggio

July 31, 2024December 25, 2025 | Simona

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shishito peppers with cheese — sweet and crunchy with a note of cheese
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Family Tree by Susan Wiggs¹. The novel follow Annie as the life she thought was perfect shatters (physically, as she is the victim of a major accident, and emotionally, as the accident happens on the heels of her discovering her husband’s infidelity) and is slowly rebuilt. I don’t think the publisher’s description “powerful, emotionally complex story” applies. However, if you enjoy stories about second chances, family and small towns you may like this novel.

shishito peppers — pretty in bright green
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

At the beginning Annie is the producer of a TV cooking show called The Key Ingredient, starring her husband. At the end, she produces and stars in a food webcast called Starting from Scratch. I don’t watch television nor webcasts, so have no experience of either genres. Still, I played a game in my mind, imagining what I would do if I were given the chance to host a food-centric show. I decided that I’d probably roam farmers markets and interview farmers and also stop at farmstands and do a live version of the still lives with produce I’ve been composing and photographing for some time². (I usually publish them on Sunday afternoon.)

little wing farm stand — Little Wing Farm stand near Point Reyes Station is a must stop

When I ride my bicycle, if I encounter a farmstand, I usually stop. One place where I like to do so is the Little Wing Farm‘s unmanned stand just outside Point Reyes Station in Marin County. The last time I stopped there, a couple of weeks ago, it had gorgeous bunches of flowers, which I could not look at too closely, since I couldn’t carry one on my bike. I focused on the baby arugula (rucola) and shishito peppers: I purchased a bag of the former and a basket of the latter and tucked them into my light backpack (which also contained an oat bran date pecan muffin from Bovine Bakery³, in Point Reyes Station, my fuel for the longish ride).

After Point Reyes Station, my ride brought me to the charming village of Nicasio, home of the Nicasio Valley Cheese Company⁴. Given the warm temperature and the fact that I’d be on my bicycle for at least another couple of hours, I didn’t stop to purchase cheese at the creamery (caseificio), but did so the following morning at the San Rafael farmers’ market and went home with some of their tomino.

The baby arugula brightened my dinner salad for several days. As for the shishito peppers, the most common way of preparing them is described also on the sign at the farmstand: cooked in a cast-iron skillet until blistered. Quick and easy, it gives an excellent result. The blistered peppers can be served as appetizer or side dish (antipasto o contorno). I wondered how the small, thin-skinned peppers would taste when paired with the tomino and went to work to find out. I liked the result and made the dish several more times, using shishito peppers from the farmers’ market.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Shishito peppers with cheese

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil
5 ounces / 140 grams shishito peppers
1 ounce / 30 grams Nicasio Valley Cheese Company tomino or similar cheese
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

Warm up a 10-inch/25-cm cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Drizzle the olive oil and use a cooking brush to oil the skillet evenly.

Add the shishito peppers and spread them in a single layer. They should sizzle slightly in the hot skillet. Turn down the heat to medium-low.

Cook for 3 minutes, until the peppers are blistered in spots underneath.

In the meantime, slice the cheese thinly and quarter each slice. Distribute the cheese on the bottom of a serving plate.

Flip the peppers and cook 2 minutes until they are blistered in spots and tender, but still a bit crunchy.

Sprinkle the sea salt on the peppers and quickly transfer them to the prepared serving plate.

Serve immediately.

Eat the peppers with a fork, making sure to scoop up a bit of the softened cheese along the way from plate to mouth.

Serves 1-2.

a batch of shishito peppers included yellowish and reddish ones
(small bowl by Lily Haas5, placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

This dish has become a favorite. My husband does not care for peppers which gives me an excuse to eat a whole basket by myself.

¹The book’s page on the author’s website
² My Instagram account
³ Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station
⁴ Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, makes tomino
⁵ Lily Haas (Instagram feed)

Click on the Play button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

The roundup of the event.

savoy cabbage with egg and cheese / pipetto (verza con uovo e formaggio)

February 17, 2024March 5, 2026 | Simona

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versione in italiano

savoy cabbage with egg and cheese — version with purple savoy cabbage
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Pipetto¹ is a comforting side dish from Crema (a city in Lombardy, northern Italy): savoy cabbage with a mix of spices (noce moscata, pepe nero, cannella, chiodi di garofano), egg and cheese, perfect for winter. I found different recipes for it and below is my rendition.

As the photo shows, I have made the dish with both green and purple savoy cabbage and both were excellent.

I steam the savoy cabbage before cooking it with the egg and cheese, frittata-style, and like I do with frittata, I finish cooking it under the broiler. The original recipe calls for Grana Padano cheese, which is hard to find here and rather expensive, so I substitute it with cave-aged Gruyère.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Savoy cabbage with egg and cheese

Ingredients:

1 pound 9 ounces / 700 grams savoy cabbage (weighed after removing, if necessary, the external leaves)
1 large egg, possibly from pastured poultry
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 1/2 ounces / 100 grams Grana Padano cheese, freshly grated (I used cave-aged Gruyère)
1 ounce / 2 tablespoons / 30 grams unsalted butter
1 garlic clove

Quarter the savoy cabbage and cut away the tough central core. Halve each quarter lengthwise, then slice each eighth into 1/4 inch strips.

Steam the savoy cabbage until tender (8-10 minutes), if necessary, half at a time to ensure even cooking. Transfer the savoy cabbage to a large bowl.

Break the egg into a small bowl, whisk it with a fork to blend yolk and white, then add the salt and all the spices and whisk briefly. Add the cheese and stir, then pour onto the savoy cabbage and stir well to incorporate. Let rest for 2-3 hours.

Warm up a 10-inch / 25-cm skillet. Add half the butter and, when melted, add the garlic clove, peeled and halved. After a minute, remove the garlic and swirl the butter to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Transfer the savoy cabbage to the skillet and distribute it evenly. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, turn on the broiler. (In a broiler drawer, use the low setting. In a regular oven, place the rack lower than the middle.)

Melt the remaining butter and drizzle it on the savoy cabbage. Place the skillet in the oven for 3 minutes, leaving the door ajar.

Take the skillet out of the oven (don’t forget that the handle is hot) and let rest for a few minutes, then slide the savoy cabbage onto a serving plate, cut and serve immediately.

Serves: 4-6

¹A version of this recipe (as Spiced cabbage with egg) can be found in the cookbook La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy by the Italian Academy of Cuisine

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting the product on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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pipetto (pipèto o nusèt): verza con uovo e formaggio

Ho trovato la ricetta per questo piatto, tipico della zona di Crema, a base di verza sul sito dell’Accademia Italiana della Cucina.¹ Poi ne ho trovate altre² e quella che vi presento è la mia versione, basata sulle ricette e sui miei esperimenti. Sulla versione in inglese del post potete vedere la foto di una varietà di verza con le foglie screziate viola che mi sembra di capire non si trovi in Italia (e che non va confusa con il cavolo rosso).

Sulla pagina di Wikipedia dedicata a questo contorno³ il nome pipèto deriva dal metodo di cottura (stufatura lenta) e nusèt dall’uso della noce moscata per insaporire il piatto.

Ingredienti:

700 grammi di verza (pesata dopo aver rimosso, se necessario, le foglie esterne)
1 uovo codice 0
1/2 cucchiaino di sale fino
1/4 cucchiaino di cannella in polvere
1/4 cucchiaino di chiodi di garofano in polvere
1/4 cucchiaino di pepe nero macinato fresco
1/8 cucchiaino di noce moscata in polvere
100 grammi di Grana Padano grattugiato fresco (io ho usato Gruyère stagionato poiché qui non trovo Grana Padano di qualità ad un prezzo accessibile)
30 grammi di burro
1 spicchio d’aglio

Tagliate la verza in quarti e rimuovete il torsolo. Tagliate ogni quarto a metà per lungo e poi ogni ottavo a listarelle larghe mezzo centimetro. Cuocete la verza al vapore fino a quando sia tenera (8-10 minuti) metà per volta se necessario. Trasferite la verza in un’insalatiera.

Rompete l’uovo in una ciotola e sbattetelo leggermente con una forchetta, poi aggiungete il sale e le spezie e mescolate. Aggiungete il formaggio versatelo e mescolate. Infine, versate il tutto sulla verza e mescolate bene per incorporare. Lasciate riposare per 2-3 ore.

Scaldate su fuoco medio una padella di 25 cm di diametro. Mettete metà del burro nella padella e, quando è fuso, aggiungete l’aglio tagliato a metà. Dopo un minuto, rimuovete l’aglio e distribuite il burro sul fondo della padella.

Versate la verza nella padella e distribuitela in modo da formare uno strato uniforme. Cuocete su fuoco basso per 10 minuti.

Nel frattempo, accendete la parte alta del forno. Posizionate la griglia al di sotto alla metà.

Fondete il resto del burro e distribuitelo sulla superficie della verza. Mettete la padella nel forno, lasciando lo sportello socchiuso, per 3 minuti.

Tirate fuori la padella (fate attenzione: il manico scotta) e fate riposare un paio di minuti, poi trasferite il pipetto su un piatto, tagliate e servite subito.

Porzioni: 4

¹ La ricetta del pipetto dell’Accademia italiana della cucina
² Un’altra ricetta e una terza
³ Wikipedia: pipèto

Un mondo d'ingredienti logo Contribuisco la mia versione del pipetto, contorno a base di verza della tradizione cremasca (Lombardia), alla lettera V di Un mondo d’ingredienti evento creato dall’instancabile Aiu’ di Trattoria Muvara

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

farrecchiata: polenta di roveja

November 25, 2023March 5, 2026 | Simona

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versione in italiano

farrecchiata / roveja — a personal take on a traditional Umbrian dish
(dish by @fem_pottery, placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller¹. The novel tells the story of Olivia Rawlings, pastry chef in an exclusive club in Boston, who, after losing her job, takes refuge in the town of Guthrie, Vermont. The connection to Guthrie is her friend Hannah, who lives there with her husband.

Olivia is hired as pastry chef at the local inn and quickly gets involved in town’s activities. She also meets a number of residents, a colorful cast deftly described by Miller. Adventures ensue, some in the professional field, others in the personal one. The seasons, particularly winter, play a role as well, with the traditions tied to them. The novel is an easy, pleasant read, possibly something to immerse yourself into during the upcoming winter Holidays.

As you can imagine, given Olivia’s job, there is a fair amount of food in the book, mostly desserts. I don’t have a sweet tooth and we don’t eat dessert at home, so I looked for inspiration elsewhere, namely in the weather: it’s cold in Guthrie in the winter, and it snows a lot. Growing up, my father would describe a cold day as “polenta day,” a not-so-subtle hint to my mother to prepare one of his favorite dishes.

roveja and its flou — rovejaa *(Pisum arvense)* and its flour
(dish by @fem_pottery, placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Traditional polenta is made with cornmeal. In Valtellina, a splendid valley in the Italian Alps, polenta taragna² is made with a blend of cornmeal and buckwheat flour (farina di grano saraceno). In my home region of Umbria, the local legume roveja³ (Pisum arvense) is ground and cooked into a nutritious type of polenta called farrecchiata.

I brought the ingredient back from Italy and the reading inspired me to prepare the traditional dish, which I never ate at home as my parents were originally from the neighboring region of Lazio, so farrecchiata was not part of their culinary heritage. Neither was roveja, but I was introduced to it some years back and wrote a post about it.³

I make farrecchiata with my usual method for making polenta. According to recipes I read, the traditional way of serving farrecchiatia is with a simple sauce of garlic-infused olive oil and anchovies (alici). Much as I like anchovies, I did not enjoy the result. Farrecchiata has a slightly bitter note to be balanced, so for my next experiments I used my favorite polenta pairing: cheese (formaggio). That made my taste buds happy, particularly when I used fresh chèvre (caprino fresco).

Fundamentally, polenta of any type is a blank canvas that invites the cook to choose their preferred pairing. This is also the case for leftover polenta, which is firmer than the freshly cooked one, can be sliced and pan-fried, grilled or baked and enriched with the topping of choice.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Farrecchiata with cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups / 480 ml cold water
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup / 3 ounces / 85 grams roveja flour
cheese of choice, to taste, crumbled, cut into small pieces or grated, depending on consistency
- I use crumbled Cypress Grove Meyer Lemon and Honey⁴: 1 ounce / 28 grams mixed in at the end of cooking plus to taste as topping on individual servings
Pour the cold water into a saucepan and add the salt. Slowly add the roveja flour in a thin stream, while whisking. Place the saucepan over medium heat. Continue whisking as the water warms up. As soon as the water reaches boiling point, turn down the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Keep stirring with the whisk for the first 10 minutes or so, then switch to a wooden spoon as stirring implement.

Cook the farrecchiata for 35-40 minutes, stirring often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to avoid the build-up of steam that results in bubble explosions.

Add the chosen cheese to the farrecchiata at the end of the cooking time, and stir to incorporate it. Serve immediately, possibly with additional cheese as topping or on the side.

Makes 1 1/2 cups. Serves 3-4 as a side dish.

I have served and eaten farrecchiata as a side dish, together with roasted or stewed vegetables. A particularly pleasant pairing is with roasted winter squash, whose sweetness complements farrecchiata‘s pleasant bitter note.

¹The book’s page on the publisher’s website
²From briciole’s archive: polenta taragna
³ From briciole’s archive: roveja
⁴ Cypress Grove Meyer Lemon and Honey

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post
http://pulcetta.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/farrecchiata-polenta-roveja.mp3

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Claudia of Honey from Rock. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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farrecchiata (polenta di roveja)

una tradizione della mia regione d’origine (ceramica di @fem_pottery, tovaglietta di La FABBRICA del LINO)

Arrivati alla lettera R del nostro viaggio nel mondo degli ingredienti ho scelto di preparare un piatto umbro: la farrecchiata (polenta di roveja). Della roveja, dal 2006 Presidio Slow Food dell’Umbria, ho scritto in passato.¹ Confesso che non ho mai mangiato la farrecchiata in Umbria. I miei genitori erano originari del Lazio e mia madre faceva la polenta classica di mais. Durante una recente visita ho comprato della farina di roveja e finalmente ho preparato la farrecchiata.

la roveja (Pisum arvense) e la sua farina (ceramica di @fem_pottery, tovaglietta di La FABBRICA del LINO)

Le ricette che ho consultato descrivono una salsa di olio infuso d’aglio e alici sciolte per condire la farrecchiatia. Le alici mi piacciono, ma non ho gradito il connubio con la farrecchiata. Questa ha una nota amarognola da bilanciare. Quindi successivamente ho usato il mio condimento preferito: il formaggio (polenta taragna² docet). Il mio palato ha apprezzato, in modo particolare quando ho usato del caprino fresco di produzione locale.³

un piatto nutriente e che riscalda (ceramica di @fem_pottery, tovaglietta di La FABBRICA del LINO)

Ingredienti:
- 480 ml di acqua fredda
- 1/4 cucchiaino di sale fino
- 85 grammi di farina di roveja
- formaggio a scelta, in quantità a piacere, sbriciolato o tagliato a pezzetti o grattugiato, a seconda della consistenza
  - io uso caprino fresco sbriciolato: 30 grammi mescolati alla farrecchiata al termine della cottura, più a piacere sopra le porzioni individuali
  Versate l’acqua in una pentola e salate. Aggiungete lentamente a filo la farina di roveja, mescolando col frullino a mano. Mettete la pentola su fuoco medio e portate l’acqua ad ebollizione, sempre mescolando, poi abbassate il calore al minimo che mantiene un leggero bollore. Continuate a mescolare col frullino per 10 minuti poi passate ad usare un cucchiaio di legno.
  
  Cuocete la farrecchiata per 35-40 minuti, mescolando spesso per evitare che si attacchi al fondo della pentola e anche che accumuli vapore e poi provochi piccole esplosioni vulcaniche.
  
  Al termine della cottura, aggiungete il formaggio scelto e mescolate bene per incorporarlo. Servite immediatamente la farrecchiata, magari con dell’altro formaggio da aggiungere a piacere.
  
  Porzioni: 3-4 come contorno.
  
  Servo la farrecchiata come contorno insieme a verdire arrosto o stufate. Una combinazione che apprezzo in modo particolare è quella con la zucca, la cui dolcezza si bilancia bene la nota amarognola della farrecchiata.
  
  ¹Dall’archivio di briciole: roveja (in inglese)
  ² Dall’archivio di briciole: polenta taragna (in italiano, oltre che in inglese)
  ³ Cypress Grove Meyer Lemon and Honey (in inglese)
  
  Contribuisco la mia farrecchiata (polenta di roveja) dall’Italia alla lettera R di Un mondo d’ingredienti evento creato dall’instancabile Aiu’ di Trattoria Muvara
  
  FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.
  
  Copyright © 2007 – 2026 Simona Carini. All rights reserved.

quinoa atamalada / quinoa “tipo tamale”

November 4, 2023February 21, 2026 | Simona

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[versione in italiano]

quinoa atamalada — flavorful quinoa served in a ceramic dish by @fem_pottery
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

In looking for a recipe that features quinoa¹ I found one with an intriguing name: atamalada² “tamale-like.” What I like about this dish is that the quinoa is flavorful but not strongly so and accompanies well other dishes, like roasted vegetables, which I am preparing often these days.

a plate of quinoa atamalada and vegetables — perfect as accompaniment to roasted vegetables
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

I was also intrigued by the use of aji amarillo paste³ and set about making my own.

some of the ingredients of my version of quinoa atamalada
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Since I could not find aji amarillo (yellow chili pepper), I used aji cristal (also spelled “crystal”)⁴. I omit the evaporated milk (latte evaporato) and use a local Monterey Jack cheese flavored with a hint of garlic and parsley⁵ instead of queso fresco.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Quinoa atamalada

Ingredients:

1/2 cup / 3.5 ounces / 100 grams quinoa, any color or blend
1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces / 112 grams red onion, minced
1 teaspoon aji amarillo paste, or to taste (I use 1/2 tablespoon of aji cristal paste, recipe below)
1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 cup / 240 ml water + 1 cup / 240 ml vegetable broth
2 tablespoons / 30 ml evaporated milk (I don’t use it)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ounce / 30 grams queso fresco, diced (I use Monterey Jack)
1 packed tablespoon of minced fresh parsley

To make the aji paste: blanch the peppers for 5 minutes, then drain and place in ice-cold water to cool. Peel the peppers. I also deseed them. Put the peppers in a blender with a small amount of liquid and blend until you have a smooth paste. Transfer the paste to a small glass jar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Put the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer (make sure it is fine enough that the quinoa does not go through the mesh). Rinse under cold water while rubbing the quinoa with your hand, then drain.

Warm up the oil in a saucepan on medium heat, add the onion, and stir well, then add the aji paste and stir. Cook over medium-low heat for 4 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Add the garlic, stir, and continue cooking for 1 minute.

Add the quinoa, stir well, then add the liquids. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer until cooked to a creamy consistency (22 minutes or so), stirring every now and then.

Pour the milk, if using, and stir well. Add the salt and stir. Distribute the cheese and parsley on the quinoa and stir well. Serve.

Serves 4 as side dish.

¹ Wild Rose Farm
²One recipe for quinoa atamalada, another one, and a vegan version
³ Aji amarillo paste recipe
⁴ Aji cristal

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

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quinoa atamalada (“tipo tamale”)

Arrivati alla lettera Q del nostro viaggio nel mondo degli ingredienti ho scelto di preparare un piatto del Perù¹ a base di quinoa, che, vale la pena ricordare, è nutriente e naturalmente priva di glutine. Mentre il piatto viene da lontano, la quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) che uso in cucina viene da un’azienda agricola locale.² A me piace comprare quella “arcobaleno” ossia un misto di semi di diversi colori.

La quinoa è perfetta come accompagnamento, per esempio di verdure miste al forno che preparo spesso in questi giorni.

La ricetta utilizza la crema di peperoncini aji amarillo³ e io ho preparato la mia versione di questo condimento.

Dal momento che non ho trovato aji amarillo, ho usato aji cristal (un altro tipo di peperoncino)⁴. Non uso il latte evaporato e invece del queso fresco utilizzo del Monterey Jack insaporito con aglio e prezzemolo di produzione locale.

Ingredienti:

100 grammi di quinoa di qualunque colore, o mista
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva
112 grammi di cipolla rossa, tritata
1 cucchiaino di crema di peperoncino aji amarillo, secondo il gusto (io uso 1/2 cucchiaio di crema di aji cristal, ricetta a seguire)
1 spicchio d’aglio piccolo, tritato
240 ml d’acqua + 240 ml di brodo vegetale
2 cucchiaio / 30 ml di latte evaporato (io non lo uso)
1/4 cucchiaino di sale fino
30 grammi di queso fresco, tagliato a dadini (io uso del Monterey Jack)
1 cucchiaio di prezzemolo fresco tritato

Per fare la crema di peperoncino aji: sbollentate i peperoncini per 5 minuti, scolateli e bloccate la cottura mettendoli in acqua ghiacciata per qualche minuto. Pelate i peperoncini e rimuovete i semi. Mettete i peperoncini in un frullatore con una piccola quantità di liquido e frullateli fino a formare una crema. Trasferite la crema in un barattolino di vetro e mettetela in frigorifero fino al momento di utilizzarla.

Mettete la quinoa in un colino a maglia molto fine. Sciacquare sotto il getto dell’acqua fredda mentre muovete i chicchi con la mano, poi scolare.

In un pentola bassa, scaldate l’olio a fuoco medio, aggiungete la cipolla e mescolate bene, poi aggiungete la crema di peperoncino e mescolate. Cuocete a fuoco medio-basso per 4 minuti, mescolando quasi di continuo. Aggiungete l’aglio, mescolate e continuate a cuocere per 1 minuto.

Aggiungete la quinoa, mescolate bene, poi aggiungete i liquidi. Portate a bollore, poi abbassate il calore e sobbollite, mescolando di tanto in tanto, fino a quando la quinoa è cotta ed ha una consistenza cremosa, tipo risotto.

Versate il latte, se lo usate, e mescolate bene. Aggiungete il sale e mescolate. Distribuite il formaggio e il prezzemolo sulla quinoa e mescolate bene, Servite.

Porzioni 4 (piccole, come contorno)

¹ Wild Rose Farm: azienda agricola produttrice della quinoa
²Una ricetta per quinoa atamalada, un’altra, e una versione vegana (tutte in inglese)
³ Ricetta per crema di aji amarillo (in inglese)
⁴ Aji cristal

Un mondo d'ingredienti logo Contribuisco la mia quinoa “tipo tamale” dal Perù alla lettera Q di Un mondo d’ingredienti evento creato dall’instancabile Aiu’ di Trattoria Muvara

cauliflower Cavour / cavolfiore alla Cavour

March 18, 2023March 17, 2026 | Simona

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versione in italiano

cauliflowr Cavour — a pretty dish to bring to the table

While searching for a traditional Italian dish using cauliflower, I found a recipe from Piemonte, whose name references the first prime minister of Italy, Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour (count of Cavour, usually referred to simply as Cavour¹). In reading the details, I was intrigued by the combination of cauliflower, cheese, egg (uovo) and anchovies (acciughe) and decided to try it.

cauliflower at the farmers' market — beauties on display

Cauliflower Cavour has an interesting flavor, the cheese, egg and anchovies all providing a note, without anyone being overwhelming, is fairly easy to prepare and uses a widely available vegetable.

The recipe I read in Il cucchiaio d’argento (and other online sources)² is rich for my taste, so I prepare a lighter version inspired in part by Marco Bianchi’s rendition³ using olive oil instead of butter and only one egg instead of two. I also steam the cauliflower rather than boiling it.

the sauce for cauliflower Cavour — the sauce
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

If you taste the sauce, you’ll probably taste the strong flavor of anchovy. When you add the sauce to the cauliflower dressed with olive oil or butter, and cheese, the flavor is more balanced.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Cauliflower Cavour

Ingredients:

1 medium cauliflower, possibly organic (1 pound 2 ounces / 500 grams clean weight)
2-3 tablespoons / 30-45 ml extra-virgin olive oil (original recipe: 3 1/2 tablespoons / 50 grams unsalted butter)
2 ounces / 56 grams Grana Padano, freshly grated (see Note below)

for the sauce:

1 hard-boiled egg (original recipe: 2 eggs)
2 small anchovy fillets in olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (OR fresh dill, my idea)
1/2-1 tablespoon / 7.5-15 ml extra-virgin olive oil (original recipe: 2 tablespoons / 30 grams unsalted butter, melted)
1 teaspoon / 5 ml fresh lemon juice

Note: it’s hard for me to find Grana Padano, so I use a locally made cheese.

Hard-boil the egg and set it aside.

Trim the cauliflower and cut it into bite-sized florets. Steam the florets for about 10 minutes, until just tender. (The tender, inner leaves and the stalk, peeled and cut crosswise into coins can be used in other recipes.)

Heat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

Heat up the olive oil or butter in a skillet and add the cauliflower. Sauté for a few minutes stirring constantly.

Transfer the cauliflower into a baking dish a sprinkle the cheese on top.

Bake for 9-10 minutes.

In the meantime, peel the hard-boiled egg, mince it in a small bowl, then add the anchovies, minced, and the parsley or dill. Drizzle the olive oil or melted butter, season with the lemon juice and stir.

Take the dish out of the oven and distribute the sauce on the cauliflower. Serve immediately.

Serves 3.

¹ Wikipedia entry for Cavour
² “Cavolfiore alla Cavour” in “Il cucchiaio d’argento”
³ “Cavolfiore alla Cavour” by Marco Bianchi on the Umberto Veronesi Foundation’s site [the recipe is no longer accessible on this site]

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cavolfiore alla Cavour

Alla ricerca di una ricetta italiana per il cavolfiore, ho incontrato questa, il cui nome mi ha incuriosito per il riferimento storico. Leggendo poi i dettagli, ho deciso che volevo assaggiare il connubio formaggio, uovo e acciuga.

Un articolo che ho letto¹ parla di Cavour come buongustaio e fa riferimento al libro “Il gastronomo moderno” di Ernesto Borgarello (1904), che a pagina 52² cita ben 5 piatti “alla Cavour” (nessuno dei quali però è il cavolfiore).

Origine a parte, il cavolfiore alla Cavour è un piatto gustoso e non complicato da preparare, che utilizza un ortaggio facilmente reperibile.

La ricetta su “Il cucchiaio d’argento” (e altre pagine web)³ è molto ricca per i miei gusti, quindi io ne faccio una versione più leggera ispirata in parte alla versione di Marco Bianchi sul sito della Fondazione Umberto Veronesi,⁴ utilizzando olio d’oliva al posto del burro e diminuendo le uova. Inoltre cuocio il cavolfiore al vapore invece di bollirlo.

Importante: se assaggiate la salsina probabilmente sentirete forte il sapore dell’acciuga. Quando però la aggiungete al cavolfiore condito con olio o burro e formaggio, il sapore si attenua.

Ingredienti:

1 cavolfiore medio, possibilmente bio (500 grammi puliti)
2-3 cucchiai / 30-45 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva (ricetta originale: 50 grammi di burro)
60 grammi di Grana Padano grattugiato (vedi Nota in basso)

per la salsa:

1 uovo sodo (ricetta originale: 2 uova)
2 piccoli filetti di acciuga sott’olio
1 cucchiaio di prezzemolo fresco tritato (oppure aneto fresco, idea mia)
1/2-1 cucchiaio / 7,5-15 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva (ricetta originale: 30 grammi di burro fuso)
1 cucchiaino / 5 ml di succo di limone fresco

Nota: dove sono il Grana Padano non lo trovo facilmente e quando lo trovo non è buono come in Italia, quindi io uso un formaggio di produzione locale.

Preparate l’uovo sodo e mettetelo da parte.

Mondate il cavolfiore e tagliatelo a cimette. Cuocetele al vapore per circa 10 minuti finché siano appena tenere. (Potete utilizzare in altre ricette le foglie tenere interne e il gambo, pelato e tagliato a rondelle.)

Scaldate il forno a 180 gradi.

Scaldate l’olio o il burro in una padella e aggiungete il cavolfiore. Fate dorare le cimette per qualche minuto mescolando continuamente.

Trasferite il cavolfiore in una pirofila e cospargete con il formaggio grattugiato. Mescolate delicatamente e brevemente.

Infornate per 9-10 minuti.

Nel frattempo, sgusciate l’uovo sodo, tritatelo e ponetelo in una ciotolina con le acciughe sminuzzate e il prezzemolo o l’aneto. Versate l’olio a filo o il burro fuso, insaporite con il succo di limone e amalgamate bene.

Tirate fuori dal forno la pirofila e condite il cavolfiore con la salsa. Servite immediatamente.

Serve 3.

¹ “La cucina che tanto piaceva a Camillo Benso” su Piemonte Top News
² “Il gastronomo moderno” di Ernesto Borgarello (1904), pagina 52
³ “Cavolfiore alla Cavour” su “Il cucchiaio d’argento”
⁴ “Cavolfiore alla Cavour” di Marco Bianchi sul sito della Fondazione Umberto Veronesi [la ricetta non è più accessibile sul sito]

Un mondo d'ingredienti logo Contribuisco il mio cavolfiore alla Cavour dall’Italia alla lettera C di Un mondo d’ingredienti evento creato dall’instancabile Aiu’ di Trattoria Muvara

radicchio and leaf lettuce salad with carrot, microgreens and persimmon / insalata di radicchio e lattughino con carota, micro verdure e cachi mela

November 29, 2022 | Simona

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flavorful and brightly colored
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The novel Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson¹ is our current Cook the Books Club selection, hosted by yours truly. I chose the book from a list of food-rich ones because the title intrigued me. Fernet-Branca is a popular digestivo (digestive liqueur) in Italy, not a cooking ingredient. A splash of it can be added to an espresso to make a version of caffè corretto. A Fernet caldo (warm) is meant to help digestion.

While I don't know what Fernet-Branca tastes like, I remember well how much I liked its TV ads when I was a kid. The ads² featured ever-shifting shapes made with modeling clay.

"An opera buffa with recipes" is how the NY Times review¹ describes the novel, and I agree. The story and the events are somewhat outlandish and hilarious. The protagonists, Gerald and Marta, whose voice and perspective we hear in turn, keep the reader's attention and so does their turf war — fought in a corner of Tuscany, which for both of them is a foreign country.

Gerald, a British ghost writer, is also a creative cook. His recipes, like the book's plot, are — shall we say — unusual and often enriched with Fernet-Branca (to which Marta introduced him). The inspiration for my salad came not from Gerald's creations, but from a connection I made between bitter liqueur (amaro) and its digestive properties, and bitter greens, like beloved radicchio.

group photo: salad ingredients (minus the microgreens)
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Last month, I spent a few days in Venice (Venezia) and ate radicchio every day, raw or cooked. All the varieties were available at the store where I usually shop for vegetables, which made me happy. In recent years, I have been able to obtain radicchio from some vendors at farmers' markets in California,³ and when that happens I always make a point of thanking the farmer for growing a beloved vegetable.

While the round, wine-red radicchio di Chioggia is the most common salad variety, I sometimes find the burgundy-flecked variegato di Castelfranco.

before the final tossing
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

With their delicate sweetness, Fuyu persimmons, now in season, and great in salads, provide a lovely contrast to radicchio. The other ingredients contribute to the salad's flavor and texture profile.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Radicchio and leaf lettuce salad with carrot, microgreens and persimmon

Ingredients:

2 ounces / 56 grams radicchio (variegato di Castelfranco or radicchio di Chioggia)
2 ounces / 56 grams leaf lettuce
1 ounce / 28 grams carrot (1 small carrot), clean weight
1 ounce / 28 grams microgreens⁴ of choice (sunflower, kohlrabi, arugula)
1 ounce / 28 grams Fuyu persimmon (about 1/2 of a medium persimmon)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
A splash of sherry vinegar + 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, possibly homemade OR 2 tablespoons vinaigrette
1/2 ounce sweet blue cheese, crumbled

Chop the clean radicchio and leaf lettuce and place into a bowl.

Scrub the carrot and scrape its surface to remove a thin layer of skin. Grate the carrot using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater. Add the grated carrot and the microgreens to the bowl.

Core and thinly slice the persimmon, then add to the bowl.

Sprinkle the salt on the salad then distribute the mayonnaise or vinaigrette on the surface. Toss gently and thoroughly.

Sprinkle the blue cheese, toss again, plate and serve.

Serves 2

¹ The book on the publisher's website and a review of the book on the NY Times.
² Fernet-Branca website, one ad and another one
³ From briciole's archive: Savoy cabbage and radicchio and radicchio and sweet corn
⁴ This page explains the differences between sprouts and microgreens.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di radicchio e lattughino con carota, micro verdure e cachi mela

or launch the insalata di radicchio e lattughino con carota, micro verdure e cachi mela audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

salad,leaf- lettuce, carrot, radicchio, mayonnaise, microgreens, persimmon

red beet, carrot, apple and egg salad / insalata di barbabietole rosse, carote, mela e uovo sodo

March 30, 2022 | Simona

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Colorful salad: the view from above
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the spy novel Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews¹. I chose this book for our Club in early June 2021. I had no idea that by the time I started reading it, it would feel like current events. It was hard to believe the book was published in 2013².

While I am an avid reader of mystery novels, this was my first experience reading a spy novel. I was attracted to it because each chapter ends with a short recipe (ricetta): more a list of ingredients and a sketch of the preparation than a real recipe. Still the contrast is intriguing.

The author is a former officer of the CIA’s Operations Directorate, so he wrote the novel from a place of personal experience. I was interested in the language (acronyms and some spy jargon) and the window the novel opens on the mechanics of some secret operations. I found the main characters in the novel interesting, in terms of how they end up doing what they do and also with respect to the question: how do they keep their humanity? How do they maintain friendships, marriages? Those relationships are rooted in trust, openness, sincerity, and yet the spy’s main role is to dissimulate and violence, some of it quite brutal (torture, murder) is part of the job.

salad ingredients ready to be tossed together
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

As the story travels to different countries, the recipes span a number of culinary traditions. When the novel moved to Helsinki, I looked for Finnish recipes, since an important part of the novel takes place in the Nordic capital: that’s where Dominika meets and falls in love with CIA operative Nate, and befriends fellow Russian Marta, whose disappearance pushes Dominika to step over to the other side. In my search, I read about rosolli, a salad

made of cooked, diced root vegetables, especially beetroot, carrot and potato, often combined with one or more of pickled cucumber (of either the vinegar or brine type), raw onion and apple. Variations may also include additional ingredients such as pickled herring or boiled egg…³

Then in chapter 40, I read:

On the way back to Tallinn, Benford stopped at a highway café grill, to see how the Lada would react. Surveillance proceeded two hundred meters and waited on the side of the highway. Benford made himself stretch out a lunch of boiled sausages, pickles, herring, Baltic rosolje salad, black bread, dark loamy beers.

and a recipe for Estonian Beet Salad—Rosolje appears at the end of the chapter, signaling that various versions of this dish are typical of the larger Baltic region. In fact,

Similar dishes are found throughout northern Europe, from the Low Countries across Scandinavia to Russia. Especially the Russian vinegret is very similar to the Finnish rosolli.³

The salad I made is a free interpretation: I roasted red beets and carrots, omitted potatoes, pickles, herring and the “cooked beef or pork” mentioned in the book’s version, used my homemade mayonnaise (maionese) as dressing and added blue cheese (formaggio erborinato). The combination is quite nice: sweet, tender vegetables, crisp apple, egg, a hint of sharpness in the cheese. You can roast the vegetables ahead of time, then assemble the salad right before the meal. I imagine preparing the ingredients and allow the guests to make their own salad, which can be served also as an appetizer (antipasto).

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Red beet, carrot, apple and egg salad

Ingredients per person (to be multiplied as needed):

2 small red beets
2 small carrots
1 large egg, from pastured poultry
1/2 medium apple
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
A splash of sherry vinegar, to taste
1-2 tablespoons / 15-30 ml mayonnaise, possibly homemade, to taste
1/2 ounce / 15 grams Point Reyes Bay Blue⁴ OR other sweet blue cheese

Note: I recommend you purchase a bunch of red beets with their greens. Cut off the greens about 1 inch / 2.5 cm from the root and consume them as soon as possible like you would other types of dark leafy greens.

Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C.

Scrub the red beets well. Scrub the carrots well and scrape the surface with a blade to remove a thin layer of skin. Wrap each in foil and place them on a baking sheet. Put in the oven and roast the vegetables until easily pierced with a blade. Check the carrots after 30 minutes and the beets after 45 minutes and gauge the cooking time remaining for each.

Let the carrots cool until easy to handle, then slice them (half the slices if the carrot is wide) and set them aside. Let the red beets cool until easy to handle, then slip off the skin. Cut the beets in bite-sized pieces and set them aside.

In the meantime, hard-boil the egg, let it cool, then peel it and dice it. Crumble the cheese. Just before assembling the salad, dice the apple (peeling optional).

Compose the salad using the vegetables, apple and egg. Season with salt, pepper and vinegar and toss. Add the mayonnaise and toss, then add the blue cheese, toss one last time, and serve.

¹ The book’s page on the publisher’s website
² A review of the novel on the NY Times
³ The wikipedia article about rosolli and a recipe for rosolli on the Finlandia Foundation website
⁴ Point Reyes Bay Blue cheese, “a rustic-style blue cheese with a natural rind. It is known for its mellow flavor and sweet, salted caramel finish.”

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di barbabietole rosse, carote, mela e uovo sodo

or launch the insalata di barbabietola rosse, carote, mela e uovo sodo audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by me, Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

red beet, apple, carrot, egg, salad

red Napa cabbage and winter squash with applesauce / cavolo napa rosso e zucca con salsa di mele

November 29, 2021 | Simona

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red napa cabbage and winter squash with applesauce / DSCN0120

a personal take on the cabbage and apple pairing

The current Cook the Books Club selection is Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown:

The year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by the ruthless pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot. He will be spared, she tells him, as long as he puts exquisite food in front of her every Sunday without fail.¹

There's the pirate ship's colorful cast of characters — Mr. Apples, the knitting thug; mysterious twins Feng and Bai; and Joshua, who can neither hear nor speak and becomes a sort of adopted son to Wedgwood — plus buried family secrets aplenty and a thorough condemnation of the inhumane trading of tea, slaves and opium.²

The novel offered a change of time and scenery to my usual reading: I sailed on the Flying Rose, met the characters, followed their adventures and on Sundays I sat down with Captain Mabbott and Chef Wedgwood to savor his dishes and their conversation. As you can imagine from the premise, there was a fair amount of food in the book, some intriguing dishes, some less so, all providing to the reader a chance to think about the limitations of cooking on a ship that spends a lot of time sailing and does not have refrigeration on board.

During a visit to an island, Wedgwood encounters lemongrass (citronella) and that gave me the idea of using it, something I have never done. However, I could not find fresh lemongrass where I have been recently, so I found inspiration in the episode where Wedgwood gets hold of fresh cabbage and makes sauerkraut (crauti) with it. Some years ago I made sauerkraut at home and realized that I am not wild about it. I do like cabbage, though, all the various types. The variety that caught my attention at recent farmers' markets is pretty red Napa cabbage.³

red napa cabbage and winter squash with applesauce / IMG_4181

beauties on display at the farmers' market
(brought to you by Luna Farm)

I became better acquainted with Napa cabbage a few years ago when I worked on my rendition of the Indonesian dish Orak Arik Wortel (Napa cabbage, carrot and egg scramble)⁵ for the cookbook Risikitchen.⁶ It was time to develop another recipe with it and here it is.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Red Napa cabbage and winter squash with applesauce

Ingredients for the vegetables:

9 ounces / 255 grams winter squash, to obtain a clean weight of 8 ounces / 225 grams
6 ounces / 170 grams red onion
3 tablespoons / 45 ml extra-virgin olive oil
13-14 ounces / 370-40 grams red Napa cabbage
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon berbere (Ethiopian spice mix)
3 tablespoons / 45 ml lukewarm water
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
Roasted applesauce (recipe below) or your favorite applesauce (unsweetened), to serve

Remove seeds and strings from the squash (a grapefruit spoon is my favorite tool to do this). Use a sturdy swivel vegetable peeler to peel the squash, then cut it into small cubes.

Peel the onion, halve it and thinly slice it lengthwise.

Warm up the olive oil in a 10-inch deep sauté pan or large skillet on medium heat. Turn down the heat to medium-low, add the onion, stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Add the squash, stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.

In the meantime, separate the Napa cabbage leaves and slice them 1/4-1/2 inch / 0.6-1.25 cm thick.

Add the garlic to the pan, sprinkle the berbere and stir well. After 1 minute, add the cabbage and the water, stir slightly (this first stirring will be a bit awkward, given the cabbage volume) and cover. Cook on low heat until the Napa cabbage and squash are tender (20 minutes or so), stirring often. Should the pan become dry, add another tablespoon of water.

Sprinkle salt, stir, taste then adjust as needed. Remove the pan from the heat.

Serve with roasted applesauce on the side. Spoon some applesauce on the portion of vegetables, stir it in and enjoy.

Serves 5.

Ingredients for a batch of roasted applesauce:

3 pounds / 1.36 kg apples (se Note below)
A generous pinch of fine sea salt

Note: Since they are left unpeeled, organic or pesticide-free apples are strongly recommended. In terms of varieties, mix sweet and tart varieties to get a balanced flavor.

Heat the oven to 500 F / 260 C.

Rinse well, quarter and core the apples. If an apple is large, cut each quarter in half lengthwise. Distribute the apples in a 3 quart / 3 liter pyrex baking dish or similar baking vessel, sprinkle the salt and stir briefly. Cover with aluminum foil and seal around the edges. Bake 30 minutes or until the apples are soft.

Remove the foil carefully to let the steam out and transfer the apples into a bowl. Purée the apples with an immersion blender. At the beginning, pulse and move the blender to start breaking the apples, then reduce them to a fairly smooth purée.

Spoon the applesauce into sterilized jars, put the lid on and store in the refrigerator.

my idea of comfort side dish
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

My side dish is not at the level of the delicacies Chef Wedgwood developed for Captain Mabbot, but it is greeted with enthusiasm at the dinner table and that, for me, is the best reward.

¹ The book's page on the publisher's website
² A review of the book on NPR's website
³ Napa cabbage is known also with other names
⁴ From this blog: roasted apple sauce
⁵ Article on (and recipe for) Orak Arik Wortel (Napa cabbage, carrot and egg scramble)
⁶ Risikitchen: Ricette vincenti da tutto il mondo (in Italian, edited by Eloisa Vargiu)

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

cavolo napa rosso e zucca con salsa di mele

or launch the cavolo napa rosso e zucca con salsa di mele audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Claudia of Honey form Rock . (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

Napa cabbage, side dish, winter squash, applesauce

roasted eggplant and tomatoes with cheese / melanzane e pomodori arrosto con formaggio

July 31, 2021 | Simona

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roasted eggplant and tomatoes with cheese / IMG_3927

I wish I could also share the smell
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The current Cook the Books Club selection is 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman. While a couple of articles about the book had made me curious, the reading turned out to be totally engrossing. Using five immigrant families as points of departure, Ziegelman paints a rich historical and social picture of New York City:

They are German, Italian, Irish, and Jewish (both Orthodox and Reform) from Russia and Germany—they are new Americans, and each family, sometime between 1863 and 1935, lived on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Each represents the predicaments faced in adapting the food traditions it knew to the country it adopted. From census data, newspaper accounts, sociological studies, and cookbooks of the time, Ziegelman vividly renders a proud, diverse community learning to be American… Through food, the author records the immigrants’ struggle to reinterpret themselves in an American context and their reciprocal impact on American culture at large.¹

There is a lot of material in this relatively small book and it is impossible to summarize: from a description of the tenement itself, example of a style of densely populated apartment building that became common to house immigrants, to the birth of a long series of food traditions and eating establishments, to the struggles immigrants faced to rebuild their lives in the new country, Ziegelman brings into the book disparate elements and weaves them into a profoundly human story. Period photographs bring the people alive and recipes enrich the narrative. A truly satisfying read.²

A good part of the book's appeal is due to the fact that I am an immigrant myself and have direct experience of, and perspective on, the process of transplanting one's culinary traditions into another country's soil. The Baldizzi family, with solid Sicilian roots, is featured in the book's last chapter. Some of the themes covered were known to me, like:

More than other groups, Italians arrived in this country with the firm knowledge that they were unwanted. (page 192)

Interestingly, on the same page, Ziegelman talks about Madison Grant, who appeared as a character in the Cook the Books Club's previous selection Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor. Prior to reading Taylor's novel I didn't know who Grant was, but right afterwards, I read about him in Ziegelman's book and also in the local newspaper³ where I learned that he was a founder of the Save-the-Redwoods League. Ziegelman describes how his ideas on race (he promoted eugenics) contributed to laws restricting immigration.

The chapter about Italian immigrants talks about a number of foods, including tomatoes and eggplant, which feature in famous dishes of the Sicilian cuisine, like caponata⁴ and pasta alla Norma. Probably the most famous Italian dish made with those two ingredients is parmigiana di melanzane (a.k.a., melanzane alla parmigiana). For years I have been making a dish inspired by the rich parmigiana and below I am sharing the recipe. On page 217 of the book there is a recipe for Eggplants in the Oven (melanzane al forno) by Maria Gentile, author of The Italian Cook Book (published in 1919) "among the earliest Italian cookbooks published in the United States" (page 206). Besides eggplant, tomato sauce and cheese, the recipe uses an egg.

the whole display is beautiful, not only the individual vegetables
(Shakefork Community Farm)

For this dish I choose globe, Italian or Listada de Gandia (a.k.a., graffiti, shown in the photo at the bottom of the post) eggplant and in terms of tomatoes, I look for Early Girl. I make this dish with whatever I find and adjust the quantities as needed. You can roast eggplant and tomatoes when you have time and assemble the dish close to mealtime. It is nowhere near as rich as a parmigiana, because the eggplant is roasted rather than fried and I use cheese with restraint.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Roasted eggplant and tomatoes with cheese

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds / 24 ounces / 680 grams globe, Italian or Listada de Gandia (a.k.a., graffiti) eggplant
1 1/4 pounds / 20 ounces / 570 grams tomatoes, Early Girl or similar
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (thyme, winter savory, basil)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
2 ounces / 56 grams fresh chèvre
1/2 ounce sweet cheddar (or other cheese of choice that melts well like fontina or gouda)

Heat the oven to 400 F / 200 C.

Line two baking sheets (or one baking sheet and one cookie sheet) with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Cut the eggplant crosswise into slices 1/2 inch / 1.25 cm thick. Drizzle some olive oil over the slices and toss them with you hands. Distribute the slices on the prepared sheets, leaving 1 inch / 2.5 cm of space around each slice.

Place the sheets in the oven next to each other or one on a rack above the other. Roast for 20 minutes.

Take the sheets out of the oven. With a fork, flip the eggplant slices. Put the sheets back in the oven, switching their position. Bake for 10 minutes. Take the sheets out of the oven. Let the eggplant cool for a few minutes, then transfer onto a plate.

Heat the oven to 350 F / 177 C. (If you roast the tomatoes after the eggplant, let the oven cool while you prepare the tomatoes, then turn it on again when they are ready for it.)

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and place them on the prepared sheet, cut side up. Drizzle some olive oil on the tomatoes and sprinkle the herbs (making sure they land on the tomatoes).

Roast for 30 minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven. Let the tomatoes cool for a few minutes, then transfer them gently onto a plate.

Heat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

Assemble the dish in a 7.5 inch /19 cm soufflé dish.

Crumble the fresh chèvre. Grate the sweet cheddar (or other) cheese.

Distribute 1/3 of the eggplant slices in the soufflé dish to make a layer. Sprinkle a pinch of fine sea salt. Place 1/3 of the tomatoes on the eggplant slices. Distribute 1/2 of the fresh chèvre on the tomatoes.

Repeat the previous steps one more time to make the second layer.

Make the final layer of eggplant. Sprinkle a pinch of fine sea salt. Make the final layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the tomatoes.

Ready for the oven
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the vegetables are hot throughout and the cheese melted.

Take the soufflé dish out of the oven and let the vegetables rest for a few minutes, then cut them and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Together with a salad (lettuce leaves from my garden, tomatoes and some fruit, like a peach or a fig or morsels of melon), this for me makes a full meal. Granted, I don't stop at one serving.

A quick look at my Instagram account provides evidence of my love for eggplant and tomatoes.

¹ From Publisher's Weekly
² An interview with the author aired on NPR of interest and a review on the NY Times
³ Removing a Monument to a Eugenicist Nazi Collaborator
⁴ From briciole's archive: post and recipe for caponata di melanzane

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

melanzane e pomodori arrosto con formaggio

or launch the melanzane e pomodori arrosto con formaggio audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by me, Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

eggplant, tomatoes, goat cheese, side dish, Italian cuisine

briciole

Simona Carini serves recipes and Italian words related to food

Cheese & Dairy

roasted poblano peppers with corn / peperoni poblano arrosto e mais dolce

Roasted Poblano Peppers with Corn

Ingredients

Equipment

Method

Notes

shishito peppers with cheese / peperoni shishito col formaggio

savoy cabbage with egg and cheese / pipetto (verza con uovo e formaggio)

pipetto (pipèto o nusèt): verza con uovo e formaggio

farrecchiata: polenta di roveja

farrecchiata (polenta di roveja)

quinoa atamalada / quinoa “tipo tamale”

quinoa atamalada (“tipo tamale”)

cauliflower Cavour / cavolfiore alla Cavour

cavolfiore alla Cavour

radicchio and leaf lettuce salad with carrot, microgreens and persimmon / insalata di radicchio e lattughino con carota, micro verdure e cachi mela

red beet, carrot, apple and egg salad / insalata di barbabietole rosse, carote, mela e uovo sodo

red Napa cabbage and winter squash with applesauce / cavolo napa rosso e zucca con salsa di mele

roasted eggplant and tomatoes with cheese / melanzane e pomodori arrosto con formaggio