"Waste Not, Want Not" and Make it Delicious!
By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya
Bastianich Manuali, Author of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A
Feast of 175 Regional Recipes
There is no more appropriate time than now to think about how and why we
cook. Food is a way of connecting with the people who surround us.
Through it, we communicate emotions like love, compassion and
understanding, and there is no better opportunity to communicate with
our children than at the table. It's where we can discuss our values of
life that are important to us as individuals, as a family and as a part
of the world we live in.
As overconsumption and greed have come to haunt us, now is a time for
reflection. We should be looking back at the generations before us to
understand their approach to the table. Growing food, shepherding
animals, foraging for the gifts of nature is all part of respecting
food. Nothing needs to be wasted. Bread can be recycled and used in
soups, casseroles, lasagnas and desserts. Water is carefully conserved
as in the pasta recipe I share below where the same water in which
vegetables are cooked is used to cook the pasta that follows, and then
that is saved for soups or for making risotto.
When one respects the food we prepare, it also leads to a more sensible
and balanced intake of proteins, legumes and vegetables.
So "waste not, want not" and make it delicious!
Excerpt from Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy (Alfred A. Knopf, 2009)
FRESH CAVATELLI WITH CAULIFLOWER
Maccarun ch'I Hiucc
Serves 6
Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables, and I regret that many
people don't sufficiently appreciate its unique flavor and nutritional
value. This is not the case in Molise, where it is cooked often and
creatively, as exemplified by the following two simple vegetarian pasta
dishes. The first recipe, maccarun ch'i hiucc, is zesty with garlic and
peperoncino.
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta pot
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
7 plump garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
½ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large head cauliflower, cut in small florets
1 batch (1½ pounds) Fresh Cavatelli (preceding recipe), or 1 pound dried
pasta
1 cup freshly grated pecorino (or half pecorino and half Grana Padano or
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for a milder flavor)
Recommended equipment: A large pasta pot; a heavy-bottomed skillet or
sauté pan, 12 inch diameter or larger
Fill the large pot with salted water (at least 6 quarts water with 1
tablespoon salt), and heat to a boil.
Pour the olive oil into the skillet, set over medium-high heat, and
scatter in the sliced garlic. Let the garlic start to sizzle, then toss
in the peperoncino and parsley; stir and cook for a minute. Ladle in a
cup of the pasta cooking water, stir well, and adjust the heat to keep
the liquid in the skillet simmering and reducing gradually while you
cook the cauliflower and pasta.
With the pasta water at a rolling boil, drop in the cauliflower florets,
and cook them for about 3 minutes, until barely tender. Drop in the
cavatelli, stir, and return the water quickly to a boil. Cook another 4
to 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is fully tender and the pasta is al
dente (if you are using dried pasta, it will, of course, take longer).
Lift out the florets and cavatelli with a spider or strainer, drain
briefly, and spill them into the skillet. Toss well, to coat all the
pasta and vegetable pieces with the garlicky dressing, then turn off the
heat, sprinkle over the skillet the grated cheese, and toss again. Heap
the cauliflower and cavatelli in warm bowls, and serve immediately.
CHOCOLATE BREAD PARFAIT
Pane di Cioccolato al Cucchiaio
Serves 6
This recalls for me the chocolate-and-bread sandwiches that sometimes
were my lunch, and always a special treat. And it is another inventive
way surplus is used in Umbrian cuisine, with leftover country bread
serving as the foundation of an elegant layered dessert. Though it is
soaked with chocolate and espresso sauce and buried in whipped cream,
the bread doesn't disintegrate, and provides a pleasing textural
contrast in every heavenly spoonful.
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces country-style white bread, crusts removed
½ cup freshly brewed espresso
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ cups chilled heavy cream
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Recommended equipment: A large rimmed tray or baking sheet, such as a
half-sheet pan (12 by 18 inches); a spouted measuring cup, 1 pint or
larger; 6 parfait glasses or wineglasses, preferably balloon-shaped
Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl set in a pan of hot (not boiling)
water. When the chocolate begins to melt, stir until completely smooth.
Keep it warm, over the water, off the heat.
Slice the bread into ½-inch-thick slices, and lay them flat in one
layer, close together, on the tray or baking sheet.
Pour the warm espresso into a spouted measuring cup, stir in the rum and
sugar until sugar dissolves, then stir in half the melted chocolate.
Pour the sauce all over the bread slices, then flip them over and turn
them on the tray, to make sure all the surfaces are coated. Let the
bread absorb the sauce for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, whip the cream until soft peaks form, by hand or with an
electric mixer.
To assemble the parfaits: Break the bread into 1-inch pieces. Use half
the pieces to make the bottom parfait layer in the six serving glasses,
dropping an equal amount of chocolatey bread into each. Scrape up some
of the unabsorbed chocolate sauce that remains on the baking sheet, and
drizzle a bit over the bread layers. Next, drop a layer of whipped cream
in the glasses, using up half the cream. Top the cream layer with
toasted almonds, using half the nuts.
Repeat the layering sequence: drop more soaked bread into each glass,
drizzle over it the chocolate sauce from the tray and the remaining
melted chocolate. Dollop another layer of whipped cream in the glasses,
using it all up, and sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of each
parfait. This dessert is best when served immediately while the melted
chocolate is still warm and runny.
©2010 Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali, authors
of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes
About The Author: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich,
coauthor of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional
Recipe, is the author of five previous books, four of them accompanied
by nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of
the New York City restaurant Felidia (among others), and she lectures on
and demonstrates Italian cooking throughout the country. She lives on
Long Island, and can be reached at her Web site,
www.LidiasItaly.com
Tanya Bastianich Manuali, Lidia's daughter and coauthor of Lidia Cooks
from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipe, received her
Ph.D. in Italian Renaissance art history from Oxford University. Since
1996 she has led food/wine/art tours of Italy. She lives with her
husband and children on Long Island.
Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes
Used With Permission
