2. Cut each trimmed artichoke lengthwise into 4 equal sections. Remove the soft, curling leaves with prickly tips at the base, and cut away the fuzzy “choke” beneath them. Cut the artichoke sections lengthwise into the thinnest possible slices, and squeeze the lemon over them to moisten them with juice.
3. Put the garlic and olive oil in a skillet, and turn on the heat to medium. Sauté the garlic until it has become colored a pale gold, add the sliced artichokes, the parsley, salt, and 2 or 3 grindings of pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, turning the artichokes over at least once completely to coat them well. Add ⅓ cup water, put a lid on the pan, and cook until the artichokes are very tender, 15 minutes or more depending on their youth and freshness. If the artichokes reach tenderness quickly, there may still be liquid in the pan; uncover and boil it away while moving the artichokes around. If, on the other hand, the artichokes take long to cook, the liquid may become insufficient, in which case you must replenish it with 2 or 3 tablespoons of water as needed. Tip the pan, push the artichokes toward the upended edge of the pan, and spoon off the oil that collects at the bottom. When drained of oil, transfer to a bowl until their heat abates.
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the artichokes, a pinch of salt, the grated Parmesan, and a few grindings of pepper. Melt the butter in the pan, and when it begins to foam, add the egg mixture and make the frittata following the basic method.
Frittata with Asparagus
For 4 to 6 servings
1 pound fresh asparagus
5 eggs
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
⅔ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1. Trim the spears, peel the stalks, and cook the asparagus as described. Do not overcook it, but drain it when it is still firm to the bite. Set aside to cool, then cut into ½-inch lengths.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the asparagus, 2 or 3 large pinches of salt, a few grindings of pepper, and the grated Parmesan. Melt the butter in the pan, and when it begins to foam, add the egg mixture and make the frittata following the basic method.
Frittata with Green Beans
For 4 to 6 servings
½ pound fresh green beans
Salt
5 eggs
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1. Snap the ends off the green beans, wash them in cold water, and drain. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil, add ½ tablespoon salt, and when the water resumes boiling, drop in the green beans. Cook, uncovered, at a moderate, but steady boil, until the beans are firm to the bite, but tender, 5 minutes or substantially longer, depending on how fine and young the beans are. Drain immediately and chop into coarse pieces. Set aside to let their heat abate.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the chopped beans, salt, a few grindings of pepper, and the grated Parmesan. Mix thoroughly Melt the butter in the pan, and when it begins to foam, add the egg mixture and make the frittata following the basic method.
Frittata with Pan-Fried Onions and Potatoes
THE ONION-AND-POTATO mix for this frittata is based on the potatoes from this recipe. They are diced very fine and when pan-roasted produce a wonderful, crackling crust. Here they are paired with sautéed onions, and the combination of the crisp and the tender becomes exceptionally pleasing. From 4 to 6 servings
The browned, diced potatoes made with ¼ cup vegetable oil and 2 cups potatoes, diced very fine, as described
1 cup onion sliced fine
5 eggs
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 tablespoons butter
1. When the potatoes have formed a golden crust all over, use a slotted spoon or spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack or a platter lined with paper towels.
2. Put the sliced onion in the same pan still containing the same oil used for cooking the potatoes. Turn the heat on to low, and cover the pan. Cook until the onion wilts and becomes greatly diminished in bulk, then uncover and continue cooking until the onion becomes colored a rich golden brown. Transfer to a bowl or plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula, to let their heat abate. Pour out the oil from the pan and wipe it clean so that you can use it for making the frittata.
3. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the potatoes and onion, salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Mix thoroughly. Melt the butter in the pan, and when it begins to foam, add the egg-and-potato mixture and make the frittata following the basic method.
Frittata with Pasta
THE MOST DESIRABLE kind of pasta to use in a frittata is the dry, factory-made kind, because of its firm body, and the most appropriate shape is spaghetti, because of the bond its strands form with beaten eggs. You must cook the pasta and sauce it before you can mix it with the eggs. The recipe below uses one of the purest of spaghetti dishes, one tossed with butter, cheese, and parsley; if you are making pasta frittata for the first time, you will find this a good one to start with, to get the feeling, look, and taste of the finished dish. On subsequent occasions you can improvise all you like, saucing the spaghetti with tomato and basil, with fried eggplant, or fried zucchini. Except for clams or other shellfish, which would become dry, any sauce that works well on spaghetti works well in a frittata. For 4 servings
½ pound spaghetti
Salt
Butter, 2 tablespoons for tossing the spaghetti, 1 tablespoon for cooking the frittata
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 eggs
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Drop the spaghetti into 3 to 4 quarts boiling, salted water and cook until very firm to the bite. It should be a bit more al dente—more underdone—than you usually cook it because it will undergo further cooking in the frittata. Drain, and toss immediately and thoroughly with 2 tablespoons of butter, the grated cheese, and the parsley. Set aside until its heat abates somewhat.
2. Add the tossed, sauced spaghetti, salt, and a few grindings of pepper to the beaten egg, mixing thoroughly to distribute the egg evenly over the pasta. Put the 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, turn the heat on to medium, and when the butter foam begins to subside, but before it darkens, put in the pasta and egg mixture.
3. Turn on the broiler.
4. Cook the frittata on top of the stove for 3 to 4 minutes without touching the pan. Then tilt the pan slightly, bringing its edge closer to the flame of the burner. Keep the pan in this position for about 1 minute, then rotate it a shade less than a full quarter turn, always keeping it tilted so that its edge is close to the flame. Repeat the procedure until you have come around full circle. Take a look at the underside of the frittata, lifting the edge gently with a spatula, to make sure it has formed a fine, golden crust all around; if it has not, cook a little longer where needed.
5. Run the pan under the broiler until the top side has formed a lightly colored crust. When ready, loosen the frittata with a spatula, slide it onto a platter, and cut it into serving wedges, like a pie.
Stuffed Spaghetti Frittata with Tomato, Mozzarella, and Ham
THERE IS a substantial and interesting difference between this frittata and the preceding one, as well as between it and every other frittata: Here there are two layers of frittata sandwiching a filling of tomatoes, mozzarella, and ham.
For 4 servings
½ pound spaghetti
Salt
Butter, 2 tablespoons for tossing the spaghetti, 1 tablespoon for cooking the frittata
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
½ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
½ cup mozzarella, preferably buffalo-milk mozzarella, diced very, very fine
3 eggs
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Cook, drain, and toss the spaghetti with butter, cheese, and parsley exactly as described in the preceding recipe.
2. Put the olive oil and onion into a small saucepan, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored a golden brown, then add the cut-up drained tomatoes and salt. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the oil floats free of the tomato. Take off heat.
3. When the tomatoes have cooled, mix in the diced mozzarella and ham. Tip the pan and spoon off most of the oil.
4. Add the tossed sauced spaghetti, salt, and a few grindings of pepper to the beaten egg, mixing thoroughly to distribute the egg evenly over the pasta. Put the 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, turn the heat on to medium, and when the butter foam begins to subside, but before it darkens, put in just half the pasta and egg mixture, spreading it uniformly over the bottom of the pan. Then over it pour the tomato and mozzarella from the saucepan, spreading it evenly, and stopping a little short of the frittata’s edge. Pour in the remaining half of the spaghetti and egg mixture and cover the frittata in the pan, spreading it out to the edges of the pan. Finish cooking the frittata, following the directions in the preceding recipe for Frittata with Pasta.
FISH AND SHELLFISH
Grilled Fish, Romagna Style
LONG BEFORE my native region of Romagna, on the northern Adriatic shore, became known for its string of beach towns and their all-night discos, it was famous for its fish. Romagna’s fishermen are unsurpassed in the art of grilling. Their secret, aside from the freshness of their catch, is to steep fish in a marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, rosemary, and bread crumbs for an hour or more before broiling it. It’s a method that works well with all fish, sweetening its natural sea flavor and keeping the flesh from drying out over the fire.
For 4 or more servings
2½ to 3 pounds whole fish, gutted and scaled, OR fish steaks
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
A small sprig of fresh rosemary OR ½ teaspoon dried leaves chopped very fine
⅓ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
OPTIONAL: a charcoal or wood-burning grill
OPTIONAL: a small branch of fresh bay leaves or several dried leaves
1. Wash the fish or the fish steaks in cold water, then pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
2. Sprinkle the fish liberally with salt and pepper on both sides, put it on a large platter, and add the olive oil, lemon juice, and rosemary. Turn the fish two or three times to coat it well. Add the bread crumbs, turning the fish once or twice again until it has an even coating of oil-soaked bread crumbs. Marinate for 1 or 2 hours at room temperature, turning and basting the fish from time to time.
3. If using charcoal or wood, light the charcoal in time for it to form white ash before cooking, or the wood long enough in advance to reduce it to hot embers. If using an indoor gas or electric grill, preheat it at least 15 minutes before you are ready to cook.
4. Place the fish 4 to 5 inches from the source of heat. Do not discard its marinade. If cooking on charcoal or with wood, throw the bay leaves into the fire, otherwise omit. Grill on both sides until done, turning the fish once. Depending on the thickness of the fish steaks or the size of the whole fish, it may take between 5 and 15 minutes. While cooking, baste the top with the marinade. Serve piping hot from the grill.
Grilled Swordfish Steaks, Sicilian Salmoriglio Style
WHEREVER IN THE WORLD you may be when having fish prepared in the salmoriglio style, you might think you are breathing the pungent summer air of the Mediterranean. Olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano make a beguilingly fragrant amalgam that is brushed on smoking hot fish the moment it’s lifted from the grill. The fish of choice is swordfish, as it would be on Sicily’s eastern shore, but other steak fish such as tuna, halibut, mako shark, or tilefish are acceptable alternatives. The Sicilian practice of using rather thin slices is ideal because it makes it possible to keep the fish on the grill such a brief time that it doesn’t have a chance to dry out.
For 4 to 6 servings
OPTIONAL: a charcoal grill
Salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano OR 1 teaspoon dried
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 pounds fresh swordfish OR other fish steaks, sliced no more than ½ inch thick
1. If using charcoal, light it in time for it to form white ash before cooking. If using an indoor gas or electric grill, preheat it at least 15 minutes before you are ready to cook.
2. Put a liberal amount of salt, about 1 tablespoon, into a small bowl, add the lemon juice, and beat with a fork until the salt has dissolved. Add the oregano, mixing it in with the fork. Trickle in the olive oil, drop by drop, beating it in with the fork to blend it with the lemon juice. Add several grindings of pepper, stirring to distribute it evenly.
3. When the broiler or charcoal is ready, place the fish close to the source of heat so that it cooks quickly at high heat. Grill it for about 2 minutes on one side, then turn it and grill the other side for 1½ to 2 minutes. It doesn’t need to become brown on the surface.
4. Transfer the fish to a large, warm serving platter. Prick each steak with a fork in several places to let the sauce penetrate deeper. Use a spoon to beat and, at the same time, to pour the salmoriglio mixture of oil and lemon juice over the fish, spreading it evenly all over. Serve at once, spooning some sauce from the platter over each individual portion.
Note Freshness is essential to the fragrance of salmoriglio sauce. Do not prepare it long in advance. It is so simple and quick to do that you can make it while the grill is warming up.
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
THERE IS no other way I have ever come across that produces grilled shrimp as juicy as these. The coating of olive oil-soaked bread crumbs is what does it. When preparing it, bear in mind that there should be enough oil to film the shrimp, but not so much to drench them, enough bread crumbs to absorb oil and keep it from running, but not so much to bread them and form a thick crust.
For 4 to 6 servings
2 pounds medium shrimp, unshelled weight
3½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3½ tablespoons vegetable oil
⅔ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
½ teaspoon garlic chopped very fine
2 teaspoons parsley chopped very fine
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
Skewers
OPTIONAL: a charcoal grill
1. Shell the shrimp and remove their dark vein. Wash in cold water and pat thoroughly dry with cloth kitchen towels.
2. Put the shrimp in a roomy bowl. Add as much of the olive and vegetable oil, in equal parts, and of the bread crumbs as you need to coat the shrimp evenly, but lightly all over. You may not require all the oil indicated in the ingredients list, but if you have a large number of very small shrimp you may need even more. When you increase the quantity, use olive and vegetable oil in equal parts.
3. Add the chopped garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper, and toss thoroughly to coat the shrimp well. Allow them to steep in their coating a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours, at room temperature.
4. Preheat the broiler at least 15 minutes before you are ready to cook, or light the charcoal in time for it to form white ash before cooking.
5. Skewer the shrimp tightly, curling one end of each shrimp inward so that the skewer goes through at three points, preventing the shrimp from slipping as you turn the skewer on the grill.
6. Cook the shrimp briefly, close to the source of heat. Depending on their size and the intensity of the fire,
about 2 minutes on one side and 1½ on the other, just until they form a thin, golden crust. Serve piping hot.
Grilled Shrimp, Cannocchie Style
THE PRAWN-LIKE crustaceans with a broad, flat body and mantis-like front claws that Italians call cannocchie, are found in the Adriatic, and nowhere else in the Western Hemisphere to my knowledge. (A closely related variety is caught off the coast of Japan, where it is known as shako.) The exceptionally tender, sweet, and salty flesh resembles that of no other shellfish. Restaurants in Venice serve cannocchie steamed, shelled, and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. The name of the dish, cannocchie con olio e limone, is one every visitor to Venice who cares about eating well should memorize before arrival.
The way the fishermen of my town prepare cannocchie is rarely if ever found on a restaurant menu. They split the back of the shell along its whole length, marinate the shrimp in olive oil, bread crumbs, salt, and a prodigal quantity of black pepper, and grill them over very hot charcoal or wood embers. But how they are cooked is only half the story, it’s how you eat them. You pick one up with your fingers, spread the shell open with your lips, and suck in the meat. In Romagna we call it eating col bacio, with a kiss. And a most savory kiss it is, as you lick from the shell its peppery coating of oil-soaked crumbs enriched by the charred flavor of the shell itself.
The shrimp in this recipe is prepared in the manner of cannocchie, and should be eaten in the same lip-smacking style. It’s advisable to serve it with a plentiful supply of paper napkins.
For 4 to 6 servings
2 pounds medium to large unshelled shrimp
Round wooden toothpicks
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 32