[Carucci] Hi, I’m Linda Carucci, and I’ll be
teaching Regional Italian Cookery in June. I
want to tell you about the recipes on the list for
the month, and the first thing I want you to know
is – surprisingly to me – 90% of these recipes are
vegetarian. Italians love vegetables and so do I,
and I hope you’ll join me to discover new
ways to prepare many different vegetables.
In the first week, we’ll work with potatoes and
zucchini in a dish called polpetonne di zucchine
e patate. In any other part of Italy, polpetonne
would be meatballs, but in Liguria, polpetonne
is a casserole of mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs,
parmigiano reggiano, and zucchini. And we’ll also
make trofie or trenette – either pasta works – con
salsa di noci. Salsa di noci is a pounded sauce,
just like… it’s a pesto, but there’s nothing
green about it. It’s made with walnuts and with
pine nuts, and it’s quite lovely. Also laced with
marjoram, the most commonly used herb in Liguria.
In week two, we’ll visit the eternal city of
Rome and its rich, lusty cuisine. We’ll start
with gnocchi alla Romana, which is semolina that’s
made like polenta and then punched out into discs
and layered in a casserole and baked with lots
of butter and pecorino romano. And we’ll also
make a very classic pasta dish from Rome: cacio
e pepe. We’ll make it with spaghetti. And this
is a five-ingredient recipe that is all about
timing and technique, and I’ll show you lots
of secrets for making it successfully. Finally,
in Rome we’ll make saltimbocca alla Romana. And
saltimbocca literally translates to "jumps into
the mouth". Traditionally it’s made with veal,
but I like to make it with turkey breast
or chicken breast – we’ll see what works
best. And it includes prosciutto and sage and
a little quick pan sauce. In week three, we’ll
visit Puglia and discover the satisfying cucina
povera, or peasant food of that region. We will
make homemade orrechiette and cavatelli, and serve
it with an almond mint pesto. This pasta has two
ingredients – semolina and water – and you don’t
need any special equipment. You don’t need any
special timing or grandmothers looking over your
shoulder. I’ll be there to show you how to make
it. It’s really, really fun to make, and something
that’s fun to make with a group of people,
too. Kids love working with this pasta dough.
The almond mint pesto is another pesto – this
one from the south – that does not feature basil,
but this one features mint that grows like a weed,
and parsley and the ubiquitous almonds that are
found all over southern Italy. And then finally,
we’ll go to Sicily, the largest region of Italy.
And ricotta is featured all over Sicily. There are
lots of sheep there, and sheep’s milk cheeses
are very, very popular. We’ll make two dishes:
pasta alla Norma, which features ricotta
salata in this eggplant and pasta dish,
and we’ll make a really modern but fun riff
on cannoli, to end the class on a sweet note,
and that’s cannoli ice cream. And it features
lots of distinctive Sicilian ingredients,
including pistachios, orange, and
just a little bit of chocolate,
too. Thanks very much for your consideration.
I hope you’ll join me. Looking forward to it.
