Orecchiette and broccoletti

Christmas holidays are an occasion to find again that deeply christian spirit of rejoining and social union and to celebrate what for believers is one of the fundamental moments of religious life, and is also an occasion to prepare delicious meals. Generally speaking menus are full of meat and fish based dishes, but in the Italian tradition there gorgeous recipes can be found to prepare great dinner and lunches. A gentle lady from Apulia told me this one from her region.

Fresh made orecchiette pasta

Broccoletti (or green broccoli)

Extra virgin PDO olive oil (possibly from Southern Italy)

Salt

Chilli
Bread

Accurately clean the broccoletti or wash the broccoli and chop in approx. 3x6cms 'flowers', boil abundant salted water, put the broccoletti and almost at the same time the orecchiette, or the broccoli, cook for a few minutes and then the orecchiette. On a side warm some oil with chilli, lightly brown till crunchy cubes of bread of about 1cm, drain the pasta with vegetables and saute in the pan with the oil. Pour in a bowl cover and let stay for a few minutes before serving.

©2011.2021

Pasta Norma

Holidays approaching, and the preparation of the main meals of the festivities becomes the leit-motiv, in Italy are usually meat or fish based, even if looking into the regional recipes there are delicious vegetarian recipes for holidays menus that put together the entire BelPaese with all its peculiarities. In the South we find obviously many dishes vegetables based that remind us of the warmth of the summer and of Mediterranean generosity, such as aubergines (eggplants) with a dish named after an opera composed by the Catanese Vincenzo Bellini. Apparently the playwriter and 'uomo di teatro' from the very same Sicilian city, Nino Martoglio, commented 'this is a Norma!' when he tasted the pasta.

Pasta

Aubergines (Eggplants)

Extravirgin PDO olive oil
Light 'sugo', tomato sauce, or tomatoes
Onion
Basil
Chilli
Sicilian Ricotta salata al forno cheese

Wash and slice the aubergines, salt them and let them stay covered with something heavy to squeeze away the bitterness, fry. On a side, prepare a silmple tomato sauce (sugo), lightly browning the onion and the chilli and adding chopped tomatoes, salt and basil. Mince the toomatoes in the grinder add the fried aubergines, when almost ready the basil. Boil the pasta in abundant salted water, strain and saute in the sugo, add abundant Sicilian ricotta salata al forno cheese, garnish with basil blossoms and serve.

©2010.2021