Caponata

This very tasty dish originates from Sicily and is a mixture of chopped and fried vegetables. Eggplant (Aubergine), Tomatoes, Celery, rRed Onion and Green Olives are the main ingredients. The vegetables are prepared and served in an agrodolce sauce, so sweet and sour. Although we’re not keen on using sugar in a salad, in this case the combination of sugar and vinegar is perfect.
Perhaps the ingredients make you think of Ratatouille. Caponata and Ratatouille are very different dishes. Capanota is about fried vegetables, about crunchy celery, about sweet and sour.

Food and Wine Pairing

We served our Caponata with a roulade of pork with sage, rosemary, pancetta, black olives and black garlic. A dish we enjoyed with a glass of Barbera del Monferrato 2022, produced by Livio Pavese. In general, we suggest a full-bodied red wine with perhaps a touch of oak. Some acidity to balance the caponata and dark fruit (plums, blueberries).

The next day we served the Caponata with a roulade of chicken with pancetta, Parmesan Cheese and sage. A dish we enjoyed with a glass of Spätburgunder from the Pfalz area in Germany. In general, we suggest a medium bodied red wine with aromas of red fruit. Medium tannins and balanced acidity. Its taste dry, aromatic, fruity, juicy with a touch of strawberry.

You could also add some canned tuna and serve the Caponata with crusted bread as a starter, perhaps accompanied with charcuterie and a glass of Crémant or Prosecco.

What you Need (recipe for 4)
  • 2 Aubergines
  • 400 grams excellent ripe Tomatoes
  • 10 Green Olives
  • Capers
  • 30 grams Tomato Puree
  • 4 gloves of Garlic
  • 4 small Red Onions
  • 3 stalks Celery
  • Tablespoon of Caster Sugar
  • Tablespoon of White Wine Vinegar
  • Black Pepper.
What You Do

Best to prepare Caponata one day ahead.
Wash the vegetables. Slice the eggplant lengthwise in 8 and then in chunks. Drizzle with salt and mix. Put the chunks in a sieve and let rest above a bowl for one or two hours. Coarsely chop the onion. Quarter the tomatoes. Remove the internal hard bits and the pits and put these aside. Slice the outer part of the tomato lengthwise in three. Roughly cut the remainder of the tomatoes, add to a sieve and use the back of a spoon to capture the juices. Coarsely chop the garlic. Halve the olives. Use a knife to peel the back of the celery stalks, or ribs. Slice. Combine the tomato puree, black pepper, the caster sugar, the vinegar and the tomato juice. Set your oven to 140 °C or 285 °F. Discard the liquid of the eggplants, wash of the salt, dry with kitchen paper and fry the chunks in a generous amount of olive oil until golden. Transfer to a baking tray in your oven. Fry the onions and the celery until somewhat translucent. Add these to the baking tray. Now add the olives, the capers, the garlic, the tomato mixture and the tomatoes. Mix. Perhaps add a splash of water. Cover the baking tray with aluminium foil. After 20 minutes it’s time to mix the vegetables. Check if you need to add extra water. After another 20 minutes, remove and discard the foil, mix and increase the temperature to 160 °C or320 °F. Now you need to keep an eye on the mixture. It may take 10 to 20 minutes for the liquid to somewhat evaporate, but you don’t want the dish to become dry. When ready, let cool and transfer to the refrigerator.

Small Artichokes (Carciofo Violetto)

The season of artichokes depends on the variety and where you are based. In Italy it’s from mid-winter until early spring, in other countries from March to June, or September and October.
An artichoke should feel heavy, look fresh and the leaves should be closed. If the leaves are wide open, the artichoke is older and it could be dry with lots of choke (the hairs) and dry inner leaves.
The artichokes we use in this recipe are special. Not only are they vibrant purple, they are also small with hardly any choke. In Italy they are called Carciofo Violetto. Tasty as you would expect from an artichoke and easy to eat because the texture of the leaves is not stringy.

Wine Pairing

It’s not straightforward to pair artichokes with wine. According to various researchers this is due to cynarin, a chemical especially found in the leaves of the artichoke. When the wine and the cynarin meet in your mouth, the natural sweetness of the wine is enhanced, making it taste too sweet. Pair artichokes with a bone-dry, crisp, unoaked white wine with clear, present acidity. For instance, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner or Albariño.
The Carciofo Violetto artichoke in combination with the olive oil, Parmesan cheese and browned garlic (bitter, nutty) is less demanding when it comes to wine. We enjoyed it with a nice glass of Côtes de Provence rosé.

What You Need
  • Small purple Artichokes
  • Olive Oil
  • 2 Cloves of Garlic
  • Parmesan Cheese
What You Do

Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F. Cook the artichokes for 5 minutes in boiling water. Allow to cool and remove the outer leaves. Be generous, it’s better to remove too many! Halve the artichokes and place them in a shallow oven dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Transfer to the oven for 5 minutes. In the meantime, grate Parmesan cheese, chop the garlic and mix. Spread the mixture on top of the artichokes. Wait for the cheese and the garlic to colour, perhaps 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

PS

Other recipes with artichokes you may like:

An invitation to Indian Cooking

Recently we reviewed An invitation to Indian Cooking (published in 1973) by Madhur Jaffrey as part of the ongoing cookbook review project by Bernadette. When we leaved through the book we were looking for something special, something new and exciting to prepare. Dal soup (the classic Indian soup made with red lentils, onion, various spices and perhaps ginger or orange) was not on our radar, until we read her recipe. Interesting! Yellow Split Peas? Cloves? Croutons? Let’s start cooking!
The soup was very tasty and uplifting. The split peas brought structure to the soup, making this soup different compared to lentil-based dal soup. The combination of peas and cloves is one to remember. 

Dal Soup ©cadwu
Dal Soup ©cadwu

Asafoetida

We’re always interested in new ways to prepare mushrooms, so when we spotted a recipe with cumin and asafoetida (asafetida) we immediately knew we wanted to prepare this dish. But what is actually asafoetida and where to buy it?
The first thing to know about asafoetida is that it has an extremely powerful aroma. Its taste and smell are a combination of onion and garlic. We bought 25 grams at Jacob Hooy which is Amsterdam’s premium shop for spices. The Dutch name is Duivels Drek and the German name Stinkasant. Both names are a clear indication of its pungent smell.
Mushrooms, tomatoes, various spices and asafoetida: we didn’t know what to expect of the dish. The result was delicious, aromatic (in a subtle way) and a tribute to the tomatoes and mushrooms, with a long-lasting taste. We loved it. Mrs. Jaffrey suggest serving the mushrooms with chapatis or pooris. Recipes are included in her book, obviously!

Mushrooms with Cumin and Asafetida ©cadwu
Mushrooms with Cumin and Asafetida ©cadwu

The Book

An invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey is a comprehensive introduction to the Indian kitchen, one with reliable, easy to follow, tasty recipes and useful background information. The book includes chapters on meat, chicken, fish, dal, soups, vegetables, chutneys, breads and desserts. Which reminds us of our plan to make Kulfi (ice cream with milk and cardamon pods).
An invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey is available via your local bookstore or the usual channels for 15 euro or 18 US$.

Recipes can be found on Bernadette’s website.

Scallopini

A very tasty and simple dish from the Italian cuisine: Scallopini. It’s been popular for decades (a recipe is included in La Scienza in Cucina e l’Arte di Mangiar Bene by Pellegrino Artusi, published in 1891) and for very good reasons. A dish like Scaloppine al Limone is rich, refreshing and very tasty.

Scallopini is about thin slices of meat (veal preferred). The meat is dusted with flour and then fried (not browned) very briefly in oil and butter. Transfer from the pan, keep warm and make a sauce in the pan (with lemon and parsley for instance). Transfer the meat back to the pan, coat with the sauce and serve.

Unfortunately, you will find lots of recipes for Scallopini that suggest keeping the meat in the pan while making the sauce. If you do so, your sauce is not sufficiently reduced and the meat will be rubbery because it’s overcooked.

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking 

In 1992 Marcella Hazan published Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, a comprehensive overview of the Italian Cuisine. To quote Nigella Lawson: “If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” The recipes are well written, clear and helpful. In her book she includes several recipes for Scallopini. One combines veal, ham, anchovies, capers and grappa. Intriguing, but wouldn’t that be a bit too much?
It turned out to be delicious. The veal was tender, juicy and delicious. The sauce had a long, rich intense but subtle taste, one that worked very well with the veal. We balanced the Scallopini with an aromatic fennel mash.

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is available via your local bookstore or the usual channels for 25 euro or 30 US$.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Scallopini with a glass of Bardolino, made by Monte del Frà from Italy. The grapes used are Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. It is a well-balanced, vibrant ruby red wine with lots of fruit and a hint of spices. Medium acidity. In general, you’re looking for a refreshing red wine with lots of fruit that should be served slightly chilled.

What You Need

  • Buy the book is probably the best option!
  • Butter
  • 2 anchovy fillets
  • 2 Veal Cutlets (flattened)
  • 75 grams Pancetta or Guanciale
  • 1 tablespoon Capers (in brine)
  • Grappa
  • Black Pepper
  • Double Cream

What You Do

As with all Scallopini, make sure you have first class veal, nicely flattened, similar to a schnitzel, but perhaps even thinner (but not torn).
In a small pan combine butter and mashed anchovies. Warm gently, creating a warm mash. Dice the pancetta or the guanciale. Fry for a few minutes in a separate pan. Transfer the pancetta to the butter and anchovy combination. Discard the fat. Drain (and somewhat dry) the capers. Chop and add to the mixture. Fry for a minute on relatively high heat and then set aside.
Preheat a heavy iron skillet, medium heat is fine. Add olive oil and butter to the pan. Dust the veal with flour and fry for 30 seconds. Transfer to a dish and keep warm. Remove most of the fat from the pan, deglaze with grappa. Now add the anchovy mixture, juices from the meat (if any) and the cream. Reduce. Add the Scallopini and warm them through and through in the sauce for perhaps 2 minutes. Add some black pepper. Serve immediately on warm plates.

Fennel Mash

Chop the fennel and cook in vegetable stock. Reduce. Add butter, crème fraîche and white pepper. Coarsely blender the mash, perhaps add a drop of Pastis.

Vegetable Stock

It’s all too familiar, you’re reading a recipe, you like what you read until it says, “Use 250 ml home-made broth or dissolve a bouillon cube in 250 ml water”. Hm. The cube is not an option because it’s salty and salty only. Perhaps open a jar of (organic) fond made by Jürgen Langbein? Or make your own?

You only need four ingredients to make a very tasty vegetable stock: onion, leek, carrot and celery. The result is full of flavours, with a touch of sweetness, saltiness and length.

The combination of onion, carrot and celery is known as mirepoix in the French cuisine and as soffritto in the Italian kitchen. A classic when making a stew, a ragu or the aromatic base of a sauce. Adding leek to the combination makes it more complex and tastier.

The celery could be a bit confusing: should it be celeriac, the root (knob) or celery, the fibrous stalks? Some suggest using the root in winter and the stalks in summer. We suggest using the stalks in all cases. They are very aromatic and they bring saltiness to the stock, different from the root.

The stock freezes very well. We have two versions in our freezer, as ice cubes for sauces and small 250 ml containers for risotto, soup, a stew etcetera.
Problem solved!

What You Need

  • 1 Large Onion
  • 3 Celery Stalks
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1 Leek
  • 1 Bouquet Garni (Parsley, Bay Leaf, Chives)
  • Black Pepper Corn

What You Do

Clean and chop the celery, the carrot and the onion. Add all ingredients, some crushed pepper corns and the bouquet garni to a pan with cold water and allow to simmer for one hour or so. Pass through a sieve, taste and decide if you want to reduce the liquid. Use immediately or transfer to your freezer.

PS

Three stalks of celery, you think, but what to do with the remaining ones? The answer is simple, chop the stalks, add to boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes, cool in ice water and freeze. They will be perfect for months. Ready to use as accompaniment with fish, with pork or as an ingredient of your mirepoix or soffritto. Or your vegetable stock, of course.

Potato, Mushroom and Dill Omelette

Last week we bought some St. George’s Mushrooms, a very tasty spring mushroom. In Germany it’s called maipilz because they grow in May only. The English name obviously refers to St George’s Day, April 23rd, by which date it can be found in the UK.

Its aroma is very specific. In an earlier post we described it as overripe zucchini or even gee that is a bit offish. Not very attractive, but fortunately the aroma disappears when you heat the mushroom. Its taste is also specific and will remind you of autumn with a hint of earthiness. Intense but not overwhelming. 

We combined the St. George’s Mushrooms with a light, airy omelette with a potato bottom. It tasted delicious and the combination of the three ingredients worked very well.

Given the short season and the limited availability we thought about an alternative with button mushrooms.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Omelette with a glass of Verdejo-Sauvignon Blanc made by the Spanish Bodegas Piqueras. This is a fresh, aromatic, dry wine, one that works very well with the earthy flavours in the dish and the dill.

What You Need

  • Waxy Potatoes
  • Button Mushrooms or Champignon de Paris
  • Eggs
  • Fresh Dill
  • Black Pepper
  • Olive Oil

What You Do

Start by cooking or steaming the unpeeled potatoes until nearly done. Let cool. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper. Heat a small non-stick pan with olive oil. Slice the mushroom and fry for a few minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan. Slice the potatoes and cover the bottom of the pan with one layer of potatoes. Add the mushrooms and spread evenly. Add a generous amount of fresh dill. Add some fresh black pepper. Beat the eggs until just a bit fluffy. Add the eggs on top of the mushrooms and dill and allow to become baveuse (perhaps 10 minutes) on low/medium heat. The idea is to fry the potatoes very gently, but not brown the omelette.

Pork with Clams

A delicious classic dish from the Portuguese Alentejo region. A region known for its long coastal line, its beautiful nature and very small villages. Loved by sun seeking holiday makers and those who want to escape from busy metropolitan areas. A region not known for its culinary tradition except for Porco Alentejana, a very tasty combination of pork and clams, supported by red bell pepper paste, white wine and onion. Forget about those unlikely surf and turf combinations and enjoy Porco Alentejana!

Wine Pairing

Combining clams (and shellfish in general) with red wine is not the best idea. The tannins in the red wine can cause a metal-like taste, which is not very pleasant. Best is a full-bodied white wine with some acidity. We opened a bottle of Chateau Mourgues Du Gres Rosé. A wine with an intense pink colour, aromas that made us think of strawberries and lemon and with a fruity, long taste with a hint of pepper. The wine is made from syrah, grenache en mourvèdre grapes.

What You Need (for 4 persons)

  • 800 grams of Organic Pork with lots of lovely Fat (Tenderloin or Sirloin)
  • 1 Large White Onion
  • Red Bell Pepper Paste
  • White Wine
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 800 grams of Clams or Vongole
  • Cilantro
  • Olive Oil

What You Do

Cut the pork into 2-centimetre cubes. Finely chop the garlic. In a bowl combine the garlic, four tablespoons of red bell pepper paste, white wine, bay leaf and pork. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator for 24 hours. Gently mix every 2 – 4 hours.
The next day coarsely chop the onion. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the marinade. Heat olive oil in a large pan and fry the meat until nicely brown. Remove the meat and add the chopped onion to the pan. Glaze.  Return the meat to the pan, add the marinade and leave to simmer for two or three hours, depending on the meat. Taste and perhaps add more red bell pepper paste. When the meat is ready, check the clams, discard broken ones and ones that remain open. Take a large pan, add some water and a tablespoon of red bell pepper paste. When the water is boiling, add the clams to the pan, close the lid and cook until the clams are open, perhaps 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the clams to the other pan. Use a large spoon to add some of the cooking liquid of the clams to the stew. Taste carefully; the liquid could be very salty and you don’t want to ruin the stew by adding too much. Decorate with cilantro and serve with crusted bread. We enjoyed a carrot salad with fennel seeds as a side dish.

Pork with Clams ©cadwu
Pork with Clams ©cadwu

Guineafowl with Morels

Finally, it’s spring! The time of year to buy fresh Morels and White Asparagus. One of our local greengrocers charged 34 euro per 100 grams for the Morels and 29 euro per kilo for the White Asparagus. That’s clearly too much for our budget! Let’s wait for a few weeks and hope for more reasonable prices. In the meantime we will enjoy dried morels. In general dried mushrooms are expensive and not very tasty. Fortunately dried morels are the exception to the rule: they are as tasty as fresh ones. 

Preparing guineafowl can be a bit of a challenge.  Cooking guineafowl requires some liquid (oil, butter, wine, stock) but not too much. Don’t try making Pintade au Vin and don’t spit roast it. Guineafowl is easily overcooked. You must watch the cooking process carefully. 

This dish is about a full and rich taste, with the guineafowl at the heart of it supported by morels, cream and potato.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our guineafowl with a glass of Bergerac, Château De La Vaure. This is a full bodied red wine with some oak, dark fruit and great flavours overall. Made from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. In general you’re looking for a full bodied red wine with flavours of ripe fruit and oak and with a lasting taste

What You Need

  • 2 legs of Guineafowl
  • 10 grams of Dried Morels
  • Butter
  • Olive Oil
  • Chicken Stock
  • Mustard
  • Cream
  • Black Pepper
  • Gnocchi

What You Do

Pre-heat the oven to 180 ˚C or 355 ˚F. Add the two legs of guinea fowl to a shallow dish with butter and olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes. In the mean time add the morels to hot water. Soak for 15 minutes. Turn the legs upside down after 10 minutes. Cook for another 10 minutes. Turn them a second time, skin up. Add the morels to the dish, leaving the skin free. In parallel start preparing the sauce using chicken stock and some morel water, but not too much. Taste the water before adding. The legs should be ready after 30 minutes. Add the cooking juices to the sauce, grill the legs quickly if the skin is not yet nicely coloured and keep the morels warm. Add mustard and pepper to the sauce, stir well, add some cream and allow to heat through and through for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and if necessary add more mustard or morel water. 
Serve with gnocchi.

Classic Beef Stew

Wintery weather, sunny and cold, the best time of year to enjoy a beef stew. We decided to cook an old-fashioned version, with red wine, bay leaf, mustard and black pepper. And patience of course, because it will take hours.

Regardless if you want to cook a Flemish Stew, Bœuf Bourguignon, Daube à la Provençale or this beef stew, you must use fatty, structured meat. The idea to use lean meat because fat is unhealthy or altogether wrong is one to forget quickly. Fat, structured meat is the key to a delicious stew. In general you’re looking for meat from the neck or the shoulder (beef chuck roast, sucadepaleron). When in doubt, ask your butcher.

Most recipes suggest dicing the meat. We didn’t want to do that. When cutting the meat before serving, we followed the structure of the meat, which gives the plate a rustic feel.

We served the beef stew with a beet root salad and cranberry compote.

Drink Pairing

A rich beer or a full-bodied red wine will be a great accompaniment with the stew. The dish comes with some sweetness (the stew, the salad and the compote, obviously) so the wine should have some acidity and tannins. A robust wine with aromas of dark fruit (plums, blackberries, cherries), a touch of oak and a long taste will be perfect. 

What You Need

  • 400 grams of excellent Fat, Structured Beef
  • 50 grams of organic Bacon
  • Butter
  • Shallot
  • Mustard
  • Red Wine
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • Bouquet Garni (Thyme, Parsley, Sage)
  • Black Pepper
  • Water

What You Do

Heat a heavy iron skillet, pat the meat dry with kitchen paper, add butter to the pan and fry until golden-brown. Reduce the heat and remove the meat from the pan. Add the sliced bacon and fry until golden. Add the shallot and glaze. Return the meat to the pan, add red wine, some water, mustard, bay leaves, bouquet garni and crushed black pepper. Allow to simmer for 6+ hours. You could close the pan with a lid. We prefer to cook it without a lid. The meat will take longer to become tender and soft. Our impression is that a stew prepared in a skillet without a lid is more moist. In all cases check the pan every 30 minutes, turn the meat and add water if required.
You could reduce the jus or turn it into a sauce, but you could also keep it as is.

What You Need – Beet Root Salad

  • One Beet Root
  • Excellent Olive Oil
  • White Wine Vinegar
  • Shallot
  • Black Pepper

What You Do – Beet Root Salad

The day before wash the beetroot and wrap in aluminium foil. Leave in the oven on 180° Celsius or 355° Fahrenheit for 45 – 60 minutes depending on the size. Cool and store in the refrigerator.
The next day peel the beet root and use a vegetable slicer (or mandoline) to make ridges. This will not only make the dish look more inviting, it will also enhance the taste given there is more coated surface and more air when chewing it. Make a simply, relatively acidic dressing with olive oil and vinegar. Finely chop the shallot and add to the dressing. Test a small slice of beet with the dressing and adjust when necessary. Perhaps some fresh black pepper? If you’re happy with the combination, toss the slices with the dressing making sure everything is nicely coated.

Choucroute

A classic choucroute is a tribute to winter food. You could go for a rich version with confit de canard or pheasant (Choucroute d’Alsa­ce) or for an unexpected combination with fish (Choucroute de la Mer). We decided to make a simple but very tasty version with pork sausages, bacon and pork meat.
The choucroute is moist and soft, the meat comes with some nice fat and a light smoky aroma, the juniper berries are full of flavours. Ah, it makes you love winter.
Preparing choucroute can be done in various ways, including cooking in water. We prefer the slow approach in an oven at 80° Celsius or 175° Fahrenheit during four to six hours.

Some add goose fat to the choucroute to enhance the taste, but that’s too much for us. We actually prefer a light version of the vegetable, allowing the meat to bring fat to the dish and a velvety mouthfeel.

Wine Pairing

The obvious choice is probably a white wine from the Alsace region in France. Which is exactly what we did. We were looking for a refreshing, round white wine and decided to drink a glass of Pinot Gris as produced by Cave de Beblenheim. Perfect with the present flavours of the choucroute.

What You Need

  • 400 grams of Sauerkraut
  • One Shallot
  • Juniper Berries
  • Caraway seed
  • 4 strips of Bacon or Pancetta
  • Dry White Wine
  • Olive Oil
  • Two Bay Leaves
  • Various Sausages and Pork Meat (all organic)
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Optional: a mash made with Parsnip and Parsley Root

What You Do

Taste the sauerkraut. If too much acidity, then squeeze and remove some of the liquid. Peel and slice the shallot. Crush the juniper berries and the caraway seed lightly. Slice the strips of bacon or pancetta in 6 or 8. Combine the sauerkraut with the shallot, the caraway seed, the berries and the bacon. Add some white wine, a splash of olive oil and two bay leaves. Transfer the mix to a heavy (iron) oven dish. Put some aluminium foil on top of it, making sure you press it on the sauerkraut (as if it’s a cartouche). Leave for 4 – 6 hours in the oven on 80° Celsius or 175° Fahrenheit. Check the choucroute every hour to make sure it’s sufficiently moist. Also move the slightly browned choucroute at the edge to the centre of the dish. One or two hours before serving add the meat to the dish. Serve with some Dijon mustard.