Back to the Old Country

Growing up as the child of Italian immigrants, I never thought of the cooking my mother and our large extended family did every day as “slow food.” Influenced by the cultures of Abruzzo and Campagna, where my parents were born, it was just the way we lived. Bread was baked weekly and eaten fresh from the oven. Enough tomato sauce for the whole week bubbled on the stove every Sunday. Simple proteins and root vegetables were roasted for dinner on a daily basis. When my mother neared the end of her life, she spoke often of the hardships of her childhood and WWII, something she never did when we were growing up. Italians, and many immigrants of that era, worked very hard to assimilate into American culture as a matter of survival—the war and its painful memories were to be left in the old country. I often wonder what else might have disappeared in the process of assimilation.

ORIGINAL RECIPES FROM A DAY COOKING WITH THE DUCHESS AT PALAZZO LANZA TOMASI, DUCHESS NICOLETTA LANZA TOMASI

Crostini al pesto di pomodorini secchi, mandorle e pistacchi

(Crostini with Pesto, Dried Tomatoes, Almonds, & Pistachios)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (50 g) of sun-dried cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup (50 g) of unsalted shelled pistachios
• ½ cup (50 g) of unsalted toasted almonds
• A bunch of fresh basil
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Chop the tomatoes finely together with the pistachios and the almonds, the mixture should not be too gritty. Add the basil leaves towards the end and chop them with the mixture. Put the pesto into a bowl, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and some pepper. Mix well and set aside for at least 1 hour. Add more oil, as the pesto will absorb it. Mix well and spread on pieces of toast.



Ruvidelli al pesto trapanese

(Ruvidelli with Pesto Trapanese)

Ingredients:

• 2 lb (1 kg) of Roma tomatoes
• ¾ cup of blanched almonds
• A large bunch of fresh basil
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb (500 g) of ruvidelli
• 1 cup unflavored breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Any sweet, ripe tomato with a thin skin would be perfect for this recipe. Cherry tomatoes are not ideal because they tend to be too watery. San Marzano are wonderful but they need to be peeled, their skin being rather thick.
2. Bring plenty of water to the boil in a large pot. Put tomatoes, almonds, basil, salt, and pepper in a blender and start blending. Eventually, pour the oil, little by little, until the desired consistency is achieved (I like it quite creamy). The sauce will result pink-orange in color. Pour half of the sauce into a serving bowl.
3. Cook the ruvidelli (or any other short pasta, or, if you prefer long pasta, bucatini) until al dente. Drain the pasta and turn it into the bowl. Add the remaining sauce and toss well. Decorate with basil leaves and serve with aluddica atturrata (toasted breadcrumbs). Serves 5-6. An important note: Unlike other kinds of pesto, trapanese keeps just one day in the fridge, and doesn’t freeze.
4. For the aluddica atturrata you'll need about 1 cup of breadcrumbs for 4-5 servings of pasta. Heat 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and swirl it all over the bottom of the pan. Stir in the crumbs with a wooden spoon. Turn them repeatedly over medium-high heat, spreading them across the pan, until they get to a golden-brown color. This takes only 2-3 minutes. Take care not to burn the crumbs!
5. Immediately spread the toasted breadcrumbs onto a plate, allowing them to cool, stirring once or twice.


I recently traveled to Sicily, in part to get back in touch with my heritage. During this trip, our group enjoyed A Day Cooking with the Duchess, an immersive cooking experience with Duchess Nicoletta Lanza Tomasi in the 18th century palazzo she shared with her husband Gioacchino, the Duke of Palma. We shopped at the famous Il Capo Market, gathering fruits, vegetables, and fish. At the Palazzo, we picked herbs and edible flowers from the lush plants on her terrace. We gathered, chopped, talked, and learned about food, living, and each other—just like we do when around the dinner table with my extended family at holidays. Three hours later, we were served the lunch we had prepared in the formal dining room on heirloom place settings. It was simply extraordinary. My mother never returned to the land of her birth after she immigrated to the States. The first and only journey across the Atlantic on a boat was just too hard on her. When I traveled, however, she always cheered me on and told me to live my life and see everything. She has been gone for five years now but, as I was in that kitchen in Sicily, I knew she was right there with me, cheering me on every step of the way. She would have loved this meal and all of the care that went into preparing it.

Involtini di pesce spada

(Swordfish Rolls)



Ingredients:

• 1 medium red onion
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups of very fine breadcrumbs
• 3 anchovy fillets
• ½ cup of finely chopped parsley and mint
• 3 tbsp of pine nuts
• Fine zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
• 1 tsp of pink peppercorns
• Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
• Salt, freshly ground pepper
• 12 slices of swordfish
• 2 small golden onions
• 15 bay leaves

Directions:

1. You must ask your fishmonger to slice the swordfish as thin as possible; the slices must be less than 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick.
2. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees. Chop the onion very finely. In a skillet, sauté the onion in oil until soft and just golden (as usual, I add to the cold oil a few tablespoons of water to prevent burning). Stir in the breadcrumbs and cook for 2-3 minutes to toast the crumbs.
3. In a bowl, mash the anchovy fillets, and add herbs, currants, pine nuts, orange and lemon zest, pink peppercorns, lemon and orange juice, and a tablespoon of oil. Add the bread crumbs-onion mixture, mix well, add some ground pepper and a pinch of salt. Put about 1 teaspoon of stuffing on each slice of swordfish, near one of the corners. Roll the corner of the slice over the stuffing, fold in the edges keeping the width the same to the end, and roll it all up, creating a small package. Peel and quarter the golden onions and peel off the layers. Place a bay leaf and an onion layer between each roll. Thread the rolls, the onion layers, and the bay leaves with skewers (start and end each skewer with a bay leaf and an onion layer).
4. In a platter, pour 2-3 tablespoons of oil, in another a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Coat the skewers with oil and then roll them in the breadcrumbs. Oil a baking dish and lightly sprinkle some salt. Arrange all the skewers in the pan, turn them, lightly sprinkle them with breadcrumbs and oil (you can use the leftover breadcrumbs and oil from the platters!). Bake for 15 minutes, turning the skewers once.

Insalata pantesca di patate, cipolle, pomodori e capperi

(Pantelleria Salad)



Ingredients:

• 2 lb (1 kg) of potatoes
• 1 lb (1/2 kg) of tomatoes
• A cup of salted, preserved capers
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 tbsp of dried oregano
• Freshly ground pepper
• Good red wine vinegar
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Small new potatoes and Roma or San Marzano tomatoes would be ideal for this recipe.

Directions:

1. Steam the potatoes until done, peel, and cut them into bite-size pieces. Put them in a bowl, and let them cool. Cut also the tomatoes in bite-size pieces, seed them and add them to the potatoes. Thoroughly but delicately rinse the capers and gently pat them dry. Thinly slice the onion into rings. Add the capers and the onion rings to the bowl. Sprinkle the oregano and the pepper. In a little jug, mix the oil and the vinegar (1/3 of vinegar and 2/3 of oil).
2. Dress the salad with this mixture just before serving, otherwise, the potatoes will absorb all the oil and become soggy.

Chef Anthony places his Fish Stew in the steam oven. Once steamed to perfection, he plates his delicious dish. Stufato di pesce, seasoned with pepper and lemon and ready to eat.



Stufato di pesce

(Fish Stew)

This spin on a classic Italian stew cooked often by Chef Anthony’s parents and great-grandparents is updated with the use of a convection steam oven.



Ingredients:

• 12 size 16/20 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb littleneck clams, rinsed
• 2 Maine lobster tails, sliced in half
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 fennel bulbs, quartered
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 3 bunches Italian chard
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 cups white wine
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp rosemary, chopped

Directions:

1. Clean shrimp and butterfly down the side. (This ensures an even cook.)
2. Next, drain clams and check for quality. Discard any with cracked or open shells.
3. Slice lobster tails in half and rinse.
4. Place all seafood on solid steamer pan for steam oven. (If you are not using a steam oven, place in oven-safe stew pan and preheat oven to 375 degrees.)
5. Combine remaining ingredients (except for oil, balsamic vinegar and rosemary) and pour on top of seafood.
6. Place steam oven on convection steam 350 degrees for 20 minutes (it will take the same time in a regular oven, too).
7. When all the seafood is tender and cooked, the lobster tails are bright red, and the clam shells are open, the dish is ready.
8. To serve, take all the greens and fennel and place at bottom of serving bowl. Arrange the seafood over the greens.
9. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rosemary and drizzle over the dish. Add the braising broth and serve warm with crusty Italian bread.

Gelo di arancia

(Orange Jelly)



Ingredients:

• 4 lb (2 kg) of oranges
• 2 lemons
• 10 small sheets (20 g) of isinglass gelatin
• ¾ 150 to 200 g) of sugar
• Pure sweet almond oil

Directions:

1. Squeeze the oranges together with the lemons and strain the juice. You should obtain 4 cups (1 liter) of juice. In case, squeeze a few other oranges until you obtain the right amount. Pour 3/4 of the citrus juice into a bowl. Soak the gelatin sheets in a small bowl of cold water. Pour the remaining juice into a pot and add the sugar. The amount of the sugar depends on the sweetness of the citrus.
2. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Wring the gelatin sheets gently and add them to the hot liquid off the flame, stirring well until completely dissolved. Let cool. Pour the liquid into the bowl with the juice and stir well.
3. Decant the liquid into martini glasses or champagne coupes, place in the refrigerator for a few hours until the gelatin is thoroughly set. Decorate with fresh fruit or edible flowers and serve.
4. You can also coat a 1-liter gelatin mold with some drops of sweet almond oil and set the juice in it. Refrigerate until set. Unmold onto a platter and decorate with fresh fruit or edible flowers.


Story by: Rosa Colucci, Photography by: Dave Bryce, Appliances by: Don's Appliances, Styling by: Keith Recker, Recipes by: Duchess Nicoletta Lanza Tomasi, butera.it