Summer
Bagna Cauda
Hot Garlic and Anchovy Dip
The Piedmontese love garlic and anchovy, and this is a wonderful combination of both, to be served in a fondue dish in the middle of the table, or in little individual pots each with a candle underneath. My recipe is milder than usual-the garlic isn't too pungent-so that everyone can enjoy it.
The vegetables for dipping should be very fresh and tender. Choose from celery, Jerusalem artichokes, small globe artichoke, cardoons, yellow and red peppers, cucumber, fennel, radicchio and asparagus. Trim and cut into small pieces.
Caponata
Sicilian Vegetable Stew
This is a typical Sicilian dish based on vegetables, above all on aubergines. The vegetables are fried and then simmered in a sweet-and-sour sauce. The origins of the word caponata are unclear, although some say it is Catalan. It could derive from the Latin caupona, meaning osteria (bar), where you would always find a caponata ready to eat. Whatever its origin, this dish, served cold as an antipasto, is now popular all over Italy. It can be eaten warm as an accompaniment to meat and poultry or used as a pasta sauce.
Caponata di Verdure
Vegetable Caponata
This is an alternative version of the famous Sicilian caponata di melanzane, which is based on aubergines. Many more vegetables are included here, resulting in an excellent dish.
Cassata Semifredda
Sicilian Ice Cream
This is the easier ice-cream and candied fruit version of cassata, as opposed to the elaborate, rich sponge, which is more time consuming. My former head chef, Andrea Cavaliere perfected this cassata recipe. It is semifreddo, with a superb soft texture.
Cicoria e Fagioli
Curly Endive and Cannellini Beans
This is a good accompaniment for stronger tasting meats such as pork or lamb. I use wild field chicory which is related to dandelion, but you can use any bitter leaves such as batavia, curly endive or frisee.
Clafutis do Lamponi e More
Raspberry and Blackberry Clafoutis
It always gives me great pleasure to create impromptu food which is good enough to be written down as a recipe. Fabrice and Valerie are two friends from Paris who visited me in the country. I had just picked some ripe and juicy blackberries and raspberries, and so I invented this extremely easy recipe for them.
Fagiolini al Pomodoro
Green Beans Stewed with Tomatoes
This is a dish from the Neapolitan region, which is good just eaten with breads as a first course. We had it quite often in my family as a first course instead of pasta or soup.
Fiori di Zucchini Ripieni
Stuffed Courgette Flowers
There are two ways of cooking courgette flowers, either fried in batter as they are, or stuffed and then fried. Fiori di zucca, pumpkin flowers, are often used in regional cooking, but unless you have pumpkin plants in your garden, they are difficult to come by. In the trade, because they have become a 'classic' in the cooking of many cuisines, courgette flowers are now supplied so that they are not quite so rare any more. In fact, it is easier to find the small courgettes with the flowers still attached, and this is what I suggest you use. If you get the flowers from your garden, check very carefully to see that there are no insects in them.
Gamberoni all 'Aglio Olio e Peperoncino
Prawns in Garlic, Oil and Chilli Sauce
These prawns are especially delicious if you take the trouble to peel the body, leaving the flesh exposed so that it can absorb the other flavours. The juices from the head also contribute to the final taste of the sauce. Add chilli to taste - I like it hot!
Gnocchetti Sardi con Sugo di Salsiccia e Pomodoro
Sardinian Pasta with Sausage and Tomato Sauce
Sardinia has many specialities which are quite different from the rest of Italy. Most dishes are of peasant origin, and they demonstrate how poor people managed to satisfy their dietary needs using only combinations of humble ingredients, but which resulted in wonderful flavours. Sardinian dishes are now enjoying a well-deserved renaissance.