Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (57 page)

“Broccoli di rapa” are nothing more than the sprouts or shoots of turnips, which are usually brought to market with a few leaves attached. It is one of the most healthy greens, very popular in Tuscany; but on account of its bland, slightly bitter taste it is not appreciated in other parts of Italy; it does not appear even on the tables of the poor.

Remove the toughest leaves from the greens and boil them. Squeeze out the water, and chop coarsely. Finely chop two or three cloves of garlic, or leave them whole, and when you have browned them in a generous amount of olive oil in a pan, add the greens, season with salt and pepper, stirring frequently, and sauté for quite some time. Turnip greens can be served either as a side dish with boiled meats, or alone.

If you do not like them cooked in this way, boil them and then season with olive oil and vinegar. The sprouts of this plant, which are tender and delicate, are sold in February and March.

In places where the olive oil is not of very high quality, you can substitute lard. In fact, to my taste, turnip greens are better sauteed in lard.

Broccoli, which the Romans consume in great quantities, has dark green leaves and black or purple florets.

Remove the toughest leaves and blanch the broccoli. Strain and plunge into ice-cold water. After you have squeezed it well, chop coarsely and toss in a pan with virgin lard, seasoning with salt and pepper. When the broccoli has absorbed all the fat, sprinkle with sweet white wine and continue to stir until all the wine has been absorbed and has evaporated; then serve, and it will be praised.

Here is another way to cook broccoli which turns out better without parboiling. Use only the tenderest florets and leaves; chop the leaves coarsely and cut the florets into small sections. Put a pan on the fire with sufficient oil and a clove of garlic cut into little slices crosswise. When the garlic begins to brown, toss first the raw leaves and then the florets into the pan, with salt and pepper as seasoning. As the broccoli cooks and begins to dry out, stir constantly, sprinkling it at first with warm water and then, when it is almost done, with white wine. Since I cannot give you the exact amounts for this dish, have the patience to test it out a few times (that is what I do, again and again!) to make sure you get the best taste out of it.

Take a large head of white or Savoy cabbage, remove the toughest outer leaves, cut the stem off at the base, and parboil in salted water. Place it upside down to drain, then open the leaves one by one until you reach the center, which you will fill with the stuffing. Pull the leaves nicely over the stuffing, close the cabbage and tie it securely crosswise.

You can make the stuffing with stewed milk-fed veal alone, or with chicken livers and sweetbreads, all finely minced. To make the mixture more subtle and delicate, add a little bechamel sauce, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese, an egg yolk, and a dash of nutmeg. Finish cooking the cabbage with the sauce from the stewed veal, adding a bit of butter, in a Dutch oven with a low fire under and over it.

If you do not want to stuff an entire head of cabbage, you can stuff the broadest leaves one by one, rolling them up on themselves like so many little logs.

Instead of béchamel sauce you can use crustless bread soaked in broth or brown stock.

Take a head of white or Savoy cabbage, cut it crosswise at the base to form four sections, and cut each section into small wedges. Soak in cold water, and then blanch in salted water. When you have removed the cabbage from the fire, drain well without squeezing it.

Finely chop some prosciutto and onion and put on the fire with a bit of butter. When the onion is quite brown, add a ladleful of broth to stop the frying, then simmer for a little while, and then strain. Put the cabbage in this sauce with a small piece of prosciutto, season with pepper and a little salt, and boil slowly until it is completely cooked. Remove the prosciutto and serve the cabbage as a side dish with boiled meats.

Remove the tough ribs from the cabbage, blanch, and chop finely. If you have no brown stock, finely chop some prosciutto and onion, put it on the fire with a bit of butter, and when the onion is nice and brown, moisten it with a little broth and strain the resulting sauce. Cook the cabbage in this sauce, seasoning with pepper, little or no salt, and adding another small piece of butter and more stock if necessary. Serve as a side dish with boiled meat or cotechino.

Some people toast finger-thick slices of bread, rub them with garlic, and very briefly dip them in the water in which the red cabbage has been boiled. Then they put the cabbage on top of the bread while it is still hot, and season with salt, pepper, and oil. This dish, which in Florence is called “cavolo con le fette” (“cabbage with bread slices”), is something fit for a Carthusian monk,
⁷³
or to be inflicted on a glutton as penitence.

Take nice plump fennel bulbs, remove the tough leaves, cut into small wedges, rinse, then blanch in salted water. Sauté in butter, and when the fennel has absorbed the butter, finish cooking with milk. Salt to taste, then strain and place in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cover with béchamel sauce. Broil them until golden brown and serve with boiled or stewed meats.

This recipe is simpler than the preceding one, and it is just as suitable as a side dish for boiled meat.

After cutting the bulbs into sections and blanching in salted water, saute in butter and finish cooking with broth thickened with a pinch of flour. When you remove the fennel, season it with a little Parmesan cheese.

In plain language, this means potatoes browned in butter. Peel raw potatoes and cut into thin slices, then cook in a pan with butter, seasoning with salt and pepper. These are very good served with a steak on top of them. You can also fry them in a pan with oil in the following way. If they are new potatoes, they need not be peeled; you can simply scrub them with a rough cloth. Cut them into very thin slices and leave them in cold water for about an hour; then dry them well with a towel and dredge in flour. Make sure not to overcook them; salt them after cooking.

Cut parboiled potatoes into thin slices and place them in layers in a pan, alternating with layers of thinly sliced truffles and grated Parmesan cheese. Add a few pats of butter, salt, and pepper, and when they start to sizzle, moisten with broth or brown stock. Before removing them from the fire, sprinkle with a little lemon juice. Serve hot.

Nowadays in Italy, if you do not talk like a foreigner, especially in matters of fashion or food, nobody understands you; so in order to be understood, I should call this side dish not mashed potatoes, but
purée
of potatoes, or, to use an even more barbarous name,
⁷⁴
potatoes
mâchées
.

500 grams (about 1 pound) of nice, big, starchy potatoes

50 grams (about 1-2/3 ounces) of butter

1/2 a glass of fresh milk or heavy cream

salt to taste

Boil the potatoes, peel, and while they are still steaming hot, pass them through a sieve. Then put them on the fire in a saucepan with the other ingredients, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. You can tell whether the potatoes are cooked if you can easily pass a sharp stick through them from side to side.

Even though this is a potato dish, I can tell you that, in its own modest way, it is worthy of praise. But it is not for every stomach.

Boil or steam 500 grams (about 1 pound) of potatoes, peel while still hot, cut into thin slices, and place in a salad bowl. Then take:

30 grams (about 1 ounce) of pickled capers

2 pickled peppers

5 pickles

4 pickled pearl onions

4 salted anchovies, cleaned

1 small stalk of celery

a pinch of basil

Chop all these ingredients together very finely and place in a bowl.

Take two hard-boiled eggs, chop finely as above, then crush with the blade of a knife and add to the above mixture. Season with a generous amount of olive oil, a little vinegar, and salt and pepper. Pour this dressing, which has become almost liquid, on the potatoes, mixing well. Add oregano it you like.

This recipe serves six or seven people, and keeps for several days.

Cut zucchini into small chunks a little larger than hazelnuts, saute in butter, and season with salt and pepper. Then place in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle lightly with grated Parmesan cheese mixed with a pinch of nutmeg, and cover with a nice thick béchamel sauce. Cook under the lid of a Dutch oven until golden brown and serve as an
entremets
or to accompany boiled or stewed meat.

This dish, like the one in recipe 443, can be served as an
entremets
or with cotechino or zampone.

500 grams (about 1 pound) of nice, big, starchy potatoes

50 grams (about 1-2/3 ounces) of butter

1/2 a glass of fresh milk or heavy cream

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

salt to taste

After you have gone through the same steps as in recipe 443, let the potatoes cool and add the Parmesan cheese and eggs.

Take a copper pie pan or a similar sized baking dish, grease it with butter, and dust with fine bread crumbs, then pour in the above mixture, well blended. Smooth out to a thickness of one or one and a half fingers, and cook in a Dutch oven until golden brown. Serve hot right side up or upside down, depending upon which side looks better. Instead of a large pie you can make several small pies, or for a more elegant shape, you can pour the mixture into several small molds.

I think this recipe makes a better potato pie than the preceding one:

500 grams (about 1 pound) of potatoes

50 grams (about 1 -2/3 ounces) of butter

30 grams (about 1 ounce) of flour

2 eggs

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

milk as needed

salt to taste

Make a béchamel sauce with the flour, half of the butter, and as much milk as necessary. Pour cooked potatoes that have been passed through a sieve into the sauce. Put on the fire, stirring as you add the remaining butter, salt, and as much milk as makes it not too soft. When it has cooled, add the remaining ingredients and bake until golden brown as in the preceding recipe.

Spinach is a healthy, refreshing, soothing vegetable, with a laxative effect, and easy to digest when chopped. After boiling and chopping finely with a mezzaluna, you can cook spinach in the following ways: