stocks: The unsung heroes
Homemade stocks, known as brodo, are the unsung heroes of the Italian kitchen. Whether you would like to make an authentic risotto, homemade soup, stew, braised meat or seafood recipe, having healthful stock on hand enhances the flavor of your recipes.
Health-wise, homemade stock can’t be beat. Purchased stocks contain a great deal of sodium (even the “low-sodium” varieties contain a hefty amount) and additives, but the homemade versions do not. Flavor-wise, fresh broth can make or break Italian recipes.
The recipes in this book call for homemade stock, and Chapter 5 gives ideas of how a few pantry ingredients can be transformed into a wholesome dinner with the addition of stock.
Beans and legumes provide boundless possibilities
Per the Mediterranean Diet, we should be consuming ½ cup of cooked (¼ cup dry) beans or legumes per day. Many Americans fall short on this requirement, but luckily there are many tasty Italian recipes — from minestre and bean, chickpea, and lentil soups to side dishes such as Cannellini brasati/Braised Cannellini Beans and classics such as Fave e cicoria/Fava Beans with Chicory.
Throughout the centuries, beans and lentils were often dismissed as “poor man’s food” and even nowadays are considered vegetarian protein sources that are meat substitutes. However, when we consider how good beans are for our health, how good they are for our environment, and the fact that they lend themselves to so many cooking applications, they should be enjoyed much more often.
In ancient times, lentils were actually a form of currency, and beans were used to count. The power of the ancient Egyptian empire depended upon revenue from lentils because it was the chief exporter of them to the Mediterranean. To this day, we eat lentils on New Year’s in Italy to signify prosperity. Whatever your reason for eating them is, having precooked beans on hand makes cooking a cinch.
When purchasing dried beans and lentils, be on the lookout for DOP and IGP Italian varieties, which signal genuine ingredients coming from specific areas with certification from the Italian government. (Chapter 5 talks more about product labeling). For example, you might see Fagioli Bianchi di Rotonda DOP, Fagiolo Cannellino di Atina DOP, Fagiolo Cuneo IGP, Fagiolo di Lamon della Vallata Bellunese IGP, and Fagiolo di Sarconi IGP or heirloom versions that are being re-introduced to the market for flavor and quality. Otherwise, use your favorite kinds. In Italy, borlotti (Roman), cannellini, and white beans are used most extensively.
Note that beans and lentils come in many varieties. All dried beans need to be soaked overnight (or covered in boiling water for an hour) before they can be cooked. Lentils come in red, green, brown, and black varieties and do not require soaking before cooking. The red varieties can cook up in as little as 5 minutes — making them one of the most ancient forms of “fast food.”
Fruits and vegetables for the healthy win
Having a multicolored selection of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand is paramount in an Italian kitchen. Frozen fruits and vegetables are a good plan B if getting to the market or store often is not an option for you. In addition, Italian cooks have turned to preserved vegetables, in extra virgin olive oil or vinegar, for years to help keep summer’s bounty available year-round.
You can combine many different kinds of vegetables with the stock, bean, or lentil recipes in this chapter to make savory soups, or sauté them to top bruschette and crostini. Tossing your favorite mix of fresh vegetables into a salad topped with fresh croutons from the Fresh Bread Crumbs recipe in this chapter can also be a fun way to add a personalized touch to a healthful meal. The Roasted Red Peppers recipe in this chapter provides the perfect topping for bruschette and crostini – perhaps atop a bed of mashed Braised Cannelini Beans (recipe also in this chapter). And turn some tomato purée into tomato sauce that can be used to coat pasta or combined with homemade stock to make an authentic and savory tomato soup.
Molliche di pane/Fresh Bread Crumbs
PREP TIME: 5 MIN | COOK TIME: 0 MIN | YIELD: 16 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
1 (8-ounce) loaf dense, day-old country-style bread
DIRECTIONS
1 Cut the loaf of bread into 1-inch cubes and, working in batches, if necessary, place them in a food processor, being careful not to fill it more than halfway. Pulse on and off until the crumbs are as fine as possible.
2 If not using immediately, freeze breadcrumbs in a plastic freezer bag for up to a month.
TIP: Try using leftovers from one of the bread recipes from this book to make breadcrumbs. If you are using store-bought bread to make this recipe, it may take a few days for the bread to get hard enough to process into breadcrumbs. If that’s the case, either leave the bread uncovered overnight to dry out, or place it in a 200-degree oven until it gets hard and begins to turn color. Allow it to cool, and then grind it.
Crostini
PREP TIME: 5 MIN | COOK TIME: 5 MIN | YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
1 (8-ounce) loaf dense, day-old country-style bread
DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat the broiler to high.
2 Cut slices of Italian-style bread into thin, ¼-inch-wide slices on the diagonal, and place on a baking sheet.
3 Place under the broiler, and toast until golden, 1–2 minutes on each side.
TIP: Crostini can be used as a base for appetizers, placed on the bottom of a bowl as a base for hot soup, or cut into cubes and used as croutons, depending upon your needs.
NOTE: Some people get crostini and bruschetta confused. The main difference between them: Crostini are usually smaller (hence the suffix “ini” at the end of the word) and thinner. They are toasted without the addition of extra virgin olive oil, which is drizzled on them once they are toasted.
VARY IT! The sky is the limit when it comes to the type of crostini toppings you can have. Leftover bits of meat, cheese, seafood, and vegetables make excellent crostini toppers. Chopped fresh tomatoes with garlic, basil, and EVOO are a classic, but marinated seafood, mascarpone cheese with sausage or grilled vegetables,
