Читать книгу: «Bill’s Italian Food»

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Introduction

Pantry

Instant

Weekday

Slow

Dinner

Party

Sweets

List of Recipes

Credits

Notes

Dedication

Bill Granger

Copyright

About the Publisher

ITALIA.

‘These people really know how to live,’ I decide every time I visit Italy. Italians look as if they’re thoroughly enjoying life as stylish extras on the set of Roman Holiday. They don’t suck coffee from disposable sippy-cups on the bus; they lean against marble bars and drink tiny grown-up espressos. They don’t dash down takeaway burgers over computer keyboards; they unwrap paper parcels of spiced salami or creamy cheese in shaded parks. And, while much of the world hums with anxiety in rush-hour traffic, the Italians dress up for the daily passeggiata before zipping off on a shiny red Vespa to eat gelato with a glossy-haired Audrey Hepburn ... My imagination has run away with me, but Italians do seem to have made some great lifestyle choices – just don’t mention politics, please! Sitting down to eat well with family and friends takes high priority, yet no stress accompanies that expectation and there’s a refreshing lack of artifice about what is put on the table. This country is the home of the slow cooking movement, yet no Italian would waste time faffing around with already-perfect fresh ingredients (how they must sigh at our foams and deconstructions). The regional dishes are as old as the hills they come from, yet the freshness of the ingredients gives them modernity. Rich and poor, all are able to eat well in Italy. It’s this joy of life and respect for food that I resolve to take home with me every time I visit. Yes, the Italians really know how to live.

If you need to cheat (and, goodness knows, there are plenty of times when that way sanity lies) you can buy all these bits and pieces at a deli or supermarket. But, if there’s ever a lovely slow empty afternoon when you’re in the mood for pottering in the kitchen and stocking the fridge, here are some ideas to work with. They’ll give you the basic foundations for many Italian dishes and take the pressure off during the week. None of these are complicated, but all will lift any meal from basic to bellissimo. Home-made focaccia can make a meal out of anything – in the best possible way. And, while pasta with supermarket pesto isn’t a dish that generates much excitement, home-made pesto certainly does.

SOFFRITTO IN OLIVE OIL

Making soffritto in advance is a time-saving revelation. This finely chopped flavour base can be kept under a thin layer of olive oil in a jar in the fridge, or even frozen (without the oil). So if, like me, you’re often left with a couple of slightly less-than-crunchy celery stalks or carrots in the vegetable crisper, quickly dice, cook and keep.

Garlic, onion and celery make up the ‘holy trinity’ of much Mediterranean cooking and a finely diced soffritto is the base for just about any soup, stew, sauce or braise created on an Italian stove. I’m a bit of a rebel here: I tend to chop my ingredients a little less finely than the average Italian cook.

MAKES 1KG

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for storing

5 carrots, sliced

4 onions, sliced

5 celery sticks, sliced

6 garlic cloves, sliced

Heat the olive oil in a large deep-sided saucepan. Add the carrot, onion and celery and season generously with sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 25–30 minutes, or until the vegetables soften and turn a light golden colour.

Add the garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Spoon into sterilised jars and cover with a layer of olive oil. Alternatively, pack the soffritto into small plastic containers and freeze until ready to use.

ROASTED TOMATO PASSATA

Roasting is the best way to haul flavour from not–so–perfect tomatoes and give them some punch.

MAKES 750ML

1kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 tablespoons thyme leaves

½ teaspoon crushed chilli

½ teaspoon caster sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Spread the tomato on a baking tray, sprinkle over the garlic, thyme, chilli and sugar, and season with sea salt. Drizzle with oil and roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and tip into the bowl of a food processor. Whiz to a purée.

The passata can be used immediately, or kept chilled for up to 3 days and reheated before using.

NO-COOK TOMATO SAUCE

This sauce is perfect when you have decided to grow tomatoes and are feeling rather smug about your new-found green thumb (sorry to shatter your illusions, but even I can grow tomatoes). Stir it into pasta, perhaps with torn mozzarella or capers, spread on toasted crusty bread or spoon into bottling jars for friends.

MAKES 1 LITRE

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

1kg very ripe tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

4 tablespoons olive oil

Toast the fennel seeds in a frying pan over low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the fennel releases its aroma. Tip into a mortar and pestle and coarsely grind. Set aside.

Whiz all the ingredients together in a food processor or, if making the sauce by hand, grate the tomatoes into a bowl then crush in the garlic and stir in the olive oil and ground fennel. Season with sea salt and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle.

BASIC FOCACCIA DOUGH

MAKES DOUGH FOR 1 LOAF

7g sachet instant yeast

500g strong white bread flour

115g strong wholemeal bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Mix the oil and 300ml tepid water in a jug and pour into the well, stirring until the dough is soft. If the dough is too dry add a little more liquid; if too wet, a little more flour.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes–1 hour.

Tip the risen dough onto the floured surface and knock back to its original size by punching it gently. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and stretch out to a square roughly 28cm × 28cm. Cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

Years ago an Italian girl invited us over for lunch: just rotisserie chicken, salad and store-bought pesto. Then she opened the oven and lifted out a freshly baked focaccia. Sprinkled with olive oil and sea salt, that bread turned a simple meal into one I haven’t forgotten.

ONION, ARTICHOKE AND BLACK OLIVE FOCACCIA

MAKES 1 LOAF

basic focaccia dough

1 red onion, cut into wedges

6 artichokes in olive oil, drained and halved

handful pitted black olives

olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Make dimples in the dough with your fingertips. Gently push the topping ingredients into the dimples, then drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Serve warm.

ROSEMARY AND POTATO FOCACCIA

MAKES 1 LOAF

basic focaccia dough

knob of butter

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

315g small new potatoes, halved

3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked

Start making the topping once the dough has been shaped and set aside for its second rise.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Tip in the potatoes and rosemary, and cook for 15–20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the potatoes are just tender and lightly golden. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Make dimples in the dough with your fingertips. Top with the potato and rosemary mix, pushing the topping into the dimples. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over a little sea salt. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Serve warm.

VEGETABLE BREAD ROLLS

These are inspired by my daughters Inès and Bunny, who sneak away with tiny handfuls of dough when I’m cooking any sort of bread. Later, on the edge of my baking tray, I discover lovely little twisted rolls stuffed with morsels of vegetables, herbs or cheese. Serve with soup or an antipasto platter.

MAKES 12 ROLLS

basic focaccia dough

6 slices grilled aubergine in olive oil, drained and halved lengthways

6 roasted red peppers in olive oil, drained and halved lengthways

3 rosemary sprigs, broken up

olive oil, for greasing and drizzling

Make the dough by following the instructions in the basic recipe but only leave it to rise for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 balls and roll each into 6cm × 12cm rectangles. Lay a slice of aubergine and red pepper over each one, add some rosemary and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roll up into scrolls and transfer to an oiled baking tray. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Drizzle the scrolls with olive oil and bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.

EASY RAVIOLI

SERVES 4–6

400g ‘00’ flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten, plus 2 eggs for glazing

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 quantity ravioli filling (see recipes)

semolina, for dusting

60g butter, to serve