Herbs play an important role in Italian cooking. Their aromatic flavour adds depth and interest to what is essentially plain cooking based on fresh ingredients. It is impossible to imagine roast chicken or veal without sage or rosemary, or tomatoes or pesto without basil.

Many wild herbs grow in the Italian countryside, and these are often incorporated into Italian recipes.  Tuscany, in particular, is a paradise of herbs, for many species grow wild here, and those who live in towns insist on growing, at the very least, basil, sage and rosemary in window boxes or tiny earthenware pots, so they can have aromatic leaves and stems constantly available to use when cooking.

Basil with its intense aroma and fresh, sweet flavour is associated with Italian coking more that any other herb. The moment one touches it or pulls off its leaves, its characteristic fragrance pours forth. Basil is an essential ingredient of pesto. It goes well with salad, it also finds  its way into soups, and almost all dishes based on tomatoes.  There are over 20 varieties of this annual herb, but the one most commonly used in Italy is sweet basil, with ots fresh broad green leaves and wonderfully spicy aroma.

Buying, Storing, Cooking

In sunny climates, such as southern Italy, basil grows outdoors all through the summer. In other places is is available growing in pots all year round. Look for sweet basil with bright green leaves - the larger the better. If you have grown your own and have a lot, you can freeze basil leaves to preserve the flavour, but they lose their fresh texture and darken in colour. Alternatively, pit a bunch of basil in a jar and top up with olive oil for a fragrant flavoured oil for dressing. To store fresh cut basil, wrap it in damp kitchen paper and keep in the vegetable drawer of the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

Basil has a volatile flavour, so it is best added to dishes at the end of cooking. It is essential for dishes that contains tomatoes and is delicious sprinkled onto a pizza. It adds pungent, sweet note to almost all salads and is particularly good with white fish an seafood. It makes an excellent flavouring for omelets and is often added to minestrone soup. The most famous of all basil dishes is pesto, the fragrant Genoese sauce made by pounding together fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and olive oil.

Basil leaves are tender and bruise easily, so never chop them with a knife, but tear them lightly with your fingers immediately before using.

After Spain, Italy is now the second larger producer of olive oil in the world. Unlike other oils, which are extracted from the seeds or dried fruits of plants, olive oil is pressed from the pulp of ripe fruits, which gives it an inimitable richness and flavour. Different kinds and sizes of olives grow throughout Italy, and the oil they produce are very varied.

Liguria is the home of a particularly fine oil. Ligurian oil is very light, with a delicate, aromatic flavour. The main varieties grown in Liguria are Taggiasca and Lavagnina. The best olive oil comes from Lucca in Tuscany and it is very expensive. Tuscany olive oil is sometimes very tangy and bitter. It is made with slightly under ripe olives, which give it a luminous green colour. And olive oil from the South and Sicily are powerful and nutty.

The relatively small olive fruits are picked in December and January, when they are almost ripe. The whole families are involved in the harvest, they are forced to pick in the traditional manner here, because of the steep, narrow strips of land are unsuitable for the modern machinery that is normally used in flat areas. The team of pickers sets off for the olive grove with big nets and long poles and ladders. Firstly, they spread the nets out under the trees, then they carefully strike the branches with the poles, so that the ripe fruits fall. This method of harvesting is very labour intensive, and this is later reflected in to the price of the oil. But hand picked olives have one big advantage. The fruits are not damaged in the gathering, so the oily flesh does not oxidise with the air, which would considerably detract from the taste and quality of the oil.

The different colours of the freshly picked olives indicate different degrees of ripeness. The darker the fruit, the riper it is.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Why is it so expensive?
The best olive oil is extra virgin, which is strictly controlled and regulated like wine. This is made by pressing the olives to extract the oil, with no further processing. Extra virgin olive oil must have an acidity level of less than one percent. The distinctive fruity flavour of this oil makes it ideal for dressing and using raw. Virgin oil is pressed in the same way, but has a higher acidity level and a less refined flavour. It can be used as a condiment, but it is also suitable for cooking.

Buying, Storing and Cooking
The fruity flavour of Extra Virgin olive oil makes this oil ideal for dressing. This oil can be used for dressing fish, vegetables and salads. Virgin olive oil can be used as a condiment and it is suitable for cooking as well.

Once opened, oilve oil should be kept in a cool place away from the light. The best oil will soon lose its flavour, so use it within six months.

Olive oil can be heated to very high temperatures without burning or smoking. It makes it ideal for frying, sauce making and other cooking.

Although Le Marche region is still largely undiscovered by the tourist industry, from the culinary point of view, the character of this region is quite unique. While the cuisine in neighboring Umbria is for the most part simple, the people in Marche have expensive and sophisticated tastes, though they do not indulge these to excess. Even the most magnificent stuffing for suckling pig is invariably originated in the traditions of county cooking.

Even in Gioacchino Rossini’s time, cooking and eating well were considered important. This Fillet of Beef recipe is dedicated to the composer Rossini, who lived in the first half of the 19th century. After the composer and maestro of italian opera went into voluntary retirement, he devoted time to his hobby, the buona tavola. After his death, he left several recipes which he had invented himself. Furthermore, many cooks had dedicated their own creations to him. As the result, today there are more then a hundred dishes with names bearing the tag alla Rossini.

Ingredients:
2 beef fillet steaks
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons butter
1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 glass Marsala
salt and pepper
2 slices Gruyere
2 slices raw ham
1/2 cup Bechamel Sauce

Method:
Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy pan and fry the fillet steaks. When the meat starts to brown, dust with flour, sprinkle with the Marsala wine, the boil until the sauce thickens.

Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Braised the meat until it has absorbed the liquid, then remove and place in a flameproof dish.

Lay the slices of cheese and ham on top, pour over the Bechamel Sauce, and bake for a few minutes in an oven at 200C until the top is brown. Serve hot.

At this special moment I wish to share my favourite and delightful pastry recipe of both Italian and French cuisine. It’s a Almond Biscotti that perfect designed to be dipped into your best-loved cup of coffee.

Other Italian name of this biscotti is Cantucci. They are hard, high-baked lozenge-shaped biscuits. When moistened, they become deliciously soft and crumbly. In Tuscany, they are usually studded with almonds or other nuts and flavoured with vanilla or aniseed.

Cooking these biscotties I used the Bar method. Finally I got diagonally cut almond biscotti compare to round biscuit shape ones.

If you wish to make a very special salad to your festive Christmas table please see the Fruit Salsa recipe from my French Cooking Blog.

Ingredients:
150 g eggs (2 or 3 depends on weight)
275 g white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla power
3/4 tablespoon grated orange zest
425 g plain flour
1o g baking power
150g blanched whole almonds

Method:

Mixing:
Combine the eggs, sugar and salt. Stir over hot water to warm the mixture (a sponge method). Whip until thick and light.
Fold the vanilla and orange zest.
Sift together the flour and baking power. Fold in the egg mixture.
Mix in the almonds.

Makeup:
Shape the dough into log about 6cm thick. Dust your hands and the workbench with flour. The dough will be soft, sticky, and difficult to handle, but the log do not have to be perfectly shaped.

Baking:
Bake at 160C(325F) about 30-40 minutes , until light golden.

Finishing:
Let cool slightly. Slice diagonally about 12mm thick. Place slices cut side down on sheet pans. Bake at 135C(275F) until toasted and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Other ingredients can be added to lasagne, such as sliced cooked meatballs, sausages, zucchini, eggplant. It is best to add only one of two ingredients to lasagne. So there are three main types of lasagne -meat, seafood of vegetable lasagne.

Ingredients and Method of Lasagne:

Ricotta filling:
350g Ricotta cheese
30g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Egg
Salt
Pepper

Lasagne :
Fresh pasta or spinach pasta for lasagne
1,5l Meat sauce
350g Mozzarella cheese, shredded
60g Parmesan cheese, grated

Mix together the ricotta, Parmesan cheese and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the lasagne sheets in boiling salted water, drain, rinse in cold water.

Ladle a little meat sauce into the lasagne pan. Spread it across the bottom.
Arrange a lasagne layer in the pan. Then add a layer of the ricotta mixture, a layer of lasagne, a layer or meat sauce, and a layer of mozzarella.
Continue making layers of lasagne, ricotta, sauce, and mozzarella until all ingredients are used.
Top with lasagne layer and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 190C for about 45minutes. Cover lightly with foil at first to keep it from drying out, but remove the foil for the last 15 minutes of baking time.

Ingredients and Method of Meat Sauce for Lasagne:

500g ground beef, pork or a mixture of beef and pork
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 celery, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
125ml red wine
1l tomato sauce
500ml beef or pork stock
olive oil
parsley
basil
oregano

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot and celery and saute lightly for a few minutes. Do not let them brown. Add garlic and saute a little.

Simmer 1 hour, uncovered.

Add ground beef, cook for a few minutes. Then add red wine and later tomato sauce, beef stock, parsley, oregano and basil. Season to taste with salt.

Haricot beans (Haricot is the french word for ‘bean’) are another staple of Italian cooking. The most popular varities include the pretty red-and cream speckled borlotti, the small one cannellini and black-eyed beans. All these are used in stews, with pasta and in soups, and borlotti and cannellini are often served as a side dish simply flavoured with extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients and Method:
Borlotti beans, cooked or canned, drained
Asparagus
Shallots, chopped fine
Garlic, chopped fine
Olive oil
Fresh parsley, chopped fine
Fresh basil, chopped fine
Red wine vinegar
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt

Cook the asparagus in boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain, cool in cold water, and drain again. Cut the asparagus into pieces about 4cm long.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over a moderate heat. Add the finely chopped shallots and garlic. Cook until tender and lightly browned.
Add the drained beans to the pan. Toss over heat until the beans are hot.
Then add the asparagus and herbs. Heat another minute until the asparagus is hot.
Add salt to taste.

Just before serving, stir in the vinegar and add the Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Coming back to My-Italian-Cooking, I ‘m posting today a recipe of making flavoured sauce - Shallots with Rosemary Oil, that I used recently as a BBQ sauce for lamb. It’s a simple version of Italian sauces which can be used widely in Italian and French cuisine.

Flavoured oils make an interesting alternative to vinaigrette and other sauces when used to dress a wide variety of dishes. They can be suitable for steamed, sauteed and grilled dishes, but they can be used with cold foods as well. The simplest way to flavour an oil is putting some of the flavouring ingredients in the oil and let it stand until the oil has taken enough the flavour.

Ingredients and Method of Flavoured Shallots with Rosemary Oil:
Shallots, chopped
Flavourless oil such as canola, corn, grapeseed or other
Fresh rosemary, chopped

Combine the chopped shallots, rosemary and the oil in a jar, shake well. Let stand for 30 minutes in a warm place then refrigerate.
The oil is ready to use as soon as it has taken of the desired flavour, which may be in 1-2 hours.

I served shallots and rosemary flavoured lamb chops with a green salad dressed with the Italian Dressing.

Ingredients and Method of Italian Dressing:
Wine vinegar
Salt
White pepper
Salad oil or Olive oil
Minced garlic
Dried oregano
Chopped parsley

Mix together the vinegar, salt and white pepper until the salts is dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix well in the oil.

Original Ilalian name: Tiella Alla Barese
Place of origin: Puglia, Sourthern Italy

Coming back to the Italian blog,  I wish to share today one of the recently cooked main dishes. I would estimate this dish to the First course dishes category or Primi like said in Italy. However, this meal is slightly unusual for this group. Firstly, because it doesn’t include pasta as one of the main ingredients. Instead of pasta, here are rice and potatoes and even mussels. To be honest, I am not a fan of rice, and can’t eat it every day like pasta, but the result of my first experiment was a good-looking and good-tasting meal.

Tiella alla Barese recipe was born in Apulia, where the oven is essential to the rustic cuisine. Italian people used stone ovens to cook sweet to savory dishes in a tiella, an earthenware pot with a tin lid, and to bake a wide variety of breads. But the good, old, wood-fired oven is also essential for preparation of Apulian meat specialties until today.

Ingredients:
1 cup/200 g rice
800g mussels
300-400 g potatoes
1 onion, finely sliced onto rings
1 clove or garlic
1/2 cup Pecorino cheese
extra virgin olive oil
chopped parsley
Salt and freshly milled pepper

Method:

Cook the rice in water until almost cooked.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Prepare the mussels. Cook them in a pan with the clove or garlic for a few minutes. When the shells are open, strain the juice through a fine sieve or cloth and reserve. Remove the mussels flesh from the shells and set aside.

Peel and finely slice the potatoes.

Grease a ovenproof dish with a olive oil, then add a layer of potatoes. After that add layers of cooked rice, onion rings, Pecorino cheese, parsley and mussels. Repeat the process until all the ingredients have been used. The final layer should be potato.

Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, pour over the mussel juice, and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 45 minutes.

Original Italian name: Tonno Alla Palermitana
Place of origin: Sicily, Southern Italy

In Sicily, Southern part of Italy, The Mattanza is the traditional method of tuna fishing.  This event provides an occasion for the whole village to celebrate a folklore festival. This major tradition gets underway with an morning mass to bless the fishing boats before they sail out with nets. Singing old folk songs as they work, the fishermen start setting up the various corrals of netting in which the tuna will be trapped.

These corrals are anchored by heavy stones to the sea bed. Now, all they have to do is wait. Later the most experienced fisherman has the honour of signaling the actual start of the Mattanza. When the first shoals are sighted , the fishermen sail out early in the morning to start reducing the size of the corrals in which the tuna are now confined. To this day, food festivals are still celebrated in early summer in honour of this fish.

Tuna is a big fish of the sea and can grow up to 14 feet that is around 4 m long and weight several tonnes. Tuna fish can be cooked fresh or else the raw fish fillet can be eaten as carpaccio cut into small slices and sprinkle with a lemon marinade. Old traditional method is  preserved tuna fish in salt, mature for a month and then it can be used as an ingredient in certain salads. However, the most popular method is preserved tuna fish in oil and later used as ingredients for various salads.

For today dinner my choice was broiled tuna fish covered by sardines fillet to serving. This method of cooking tuna fish named in Italy Palermo style tuna fish.

Ingredients:

2 fresh tuna fillets (around 150g each) or 300-400 g tuna fish
1/2 glass of dry white wine
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 spring of rosemary
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 sardine fillets
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

To make a  marinade, combine the wine, lemon juice with the rosemary, garlic, a little salt and pepper. Slice the tuna fish into steaks, wash thoroughly, then leave into marinade mixer for several hours.

Remove the fish from the marinade, drain off excess liguid and broil on both sides, basting with the marinade from time to time.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in the skillet, add the sardines and mash into the paste. Spread this over the tuna fish and serve.

Original Italian name: Caponata
Place of origin: Sicily, Southern Italy

Caponata is a typical Sicilian name of one of vegetable dishes with a long and colourful past. Originally, this dish started life as a fish, served in the caupone in taverns around Sicily’s ports. It consisted of squid, celery and eggplants and served with a sweet-and-sour-cream. But nowdays, the Caponata is made exclusively from vegetables -eggplants, onions, celery and tomatoes. Some other vegetables as green olives and carpers should be added to this dish in order to enrich the flavour.

In fact, the most unusual variation of Italian dish is Caponata San Bernardo. It is eggplants combined with a sauce made from plain dark chocolate, almonds,  sugar, vinegar and toasted breadcrumbs.

I felt the chocolate version could be a bit extreme for the first time I cooked this dish so decided to keep up with the classical set of ingredients this time.

Ingredients:

300g eggplants, diced
300g onions, finely chopped
3 celery stalks
100g green olives
350g tomatoes
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1,5 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoon vine vinegar
1,5 tablespoon capers
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method:

Slice eggplants, sprinkle with salt and place in a sieve to allow the bitter juice to drain off.

Finely dice onions, blanch the celery and cut into small pieces. Cut the olives in half and remove the stones. (I would prefer to buy olives with stones everytime and pitted them on my own if necessary. I found the unpitted olives way more tasteful comparing to pitted ones). Blanch the tomatoes and pass them through a sieve. Rinse the eggplants in cold running water, drain them and pat dry.

Heat the vegetable olive oil in a skillet and saute the eggplants on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to remove any excess oil.

Put the extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and gently saute the onions. Add the celery, pitted olives and sieved tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the vinegar fumes have evaropated. Leave the vegetables to cool before serving.