FIRST PEACHES OF SUMMER - Le Prime Pesche d'Estate

Georgia peaches

Despite a frosty March, the first peaches of the summer are arriving slowly and they are sweeter than sugar. These treats have a beautiful orange skin and golden flesh and so sweet that I ate three in one sitting.

....And I did not stop there, I decided to make Peaches in Wine (our own made wine).

4 large peaches, ripe and firm
1/2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice 

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 bottle young red wine

Italian carafes

Cut each peach in wedges. Place them in a bowl and add lemon and sugar.  Mix gently and thoroughly. 

After few minutes, add enough wine to fully cover the peaches. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight. Serve cold in individual glasses.

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

The perfect complement to peaches are almonds - raw almond cookies (photo) or  spumetti.  






I have a confession to make, I did not wait 8 hours to eat the peaches and drink the wine.

SPICY TRIPE - Trippa Piccante

 

There are many variations in the preparation of tripe, due to the fact that every family, village and town in Italy has its own tradition. 


I propose my version which is easy to prepare with ingredients easy to find.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds tripe
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 5 tomatoes chopped or

          2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole       tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved

• 1 hot green pepper cut into strips (optional)
• few sprigs of parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2  cup Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Directions

In a large pot combine the tripe, vinegar and enough water to cover the tripe by 2 inches. Bring to a boil reduce to a simmer and cook until the tripe is very tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.   Drain the tripe and allow to cool.  Slice the tripe into 1-inch strips.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion, garlic and cook until golden.   Add the tomatoes, tripe, green pepper and parsley.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.  Adjust salt and pepper.

Images: ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino -picasaweb

It's Spring - Asparagus have sprung in my garden

E' Primavera - Gl'asparagi sono spuntati nel mio giardino.

Nothing says spring more than fresh asparagus and spring onions (scallions) growing in our vegetable garden.
 

 

The asparagus are fresh, fresh, fresh. The spears snap, the heads are tight and much, much tastier than the cultivated spears found in stores all year round.   The small patch of land we devoted to the asparagus produces a small bunch daily.  Some spears are pencil thin which I use for frittata and the thicker ones for pasta dishes. I remember foraging for wild asparagus as a kid with my father.   It was our traditional vegetable eaten on Pasquetta. 

I also picked some scallions...

Let's make a FRITTATA DI ASPARAGI

Ingredients
1 pound pencil-thin asparagus
2 bunches of scallions
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 eggs



Remove and discard the tough lower ends of the asparagus. Wash and cut the spears into 2 inch lengths. In a non-stick skillet, saute the asparagus spears in olive oil, sprinkling them lightly with salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until asparagus are tender but still firm, about 5 minutes.

In the meantime clean the scallions and cut in small rounds. Add to the asparagus and cook an additional 5 minutes over low flame.

Beat the eggs lightly in a bowl, with salt and pepper. Add the eggs to the asparagus, scrambling the mixture lightly with a fork. Cook 5 minutes or less, flip over and cook an additional 2 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.
  

Frittata di Asparagi

Images: ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino -picasaweb

Fettucine con Asparagi

Images: ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino -picasaweb

SPRING LAMB STEW - Spezzato d'Agnello Cacio e Ove

Lamb is traditionally associated with spring in Italy and a must-have at Easter-time.  Spring lamb is extremely tender and succulent with rosy-pink flesh .

Spring Lamb Stew
(Spezzato d'Agnello Cacio e Ove)






Keeping with tradition, at Easter, we purchased a whole spring lamb (agnello). Total weight 25 lbs. We butchered it ourselves.

   Some Italians prefer a baby lamb (agnello di latte or abbacchio) which is fed only with milk and is not older than 4 weeks.  We prefer a milk-fed lamb (agnello) not older than 2 to 6 months, which fed with grass resulting in a strong and aromatic taste.

We divided the lamb in four parts -

Leg of Lamb

All photo Copyright - ©2012 - La Casa e Il Giardino

Legs (coscia) - great for oven cooking. It can be boned and rolled.

Shoulder and Chops (Rack or carre) - great for fancy preparation like a crown, obtained by joining two racks joined in a crown shape with the bones protruding.

Rack of lamb

Chops (costolette) obtained from the rack cut to slices.  Individual chops can be rubbed with a mixture of lard, rosemary, salt and pepper and grilled.

Shoulder (paletta) - Suitable for oven cooking or stewed.

Neck (collo) - cut into chunks great for stews or (spezzatino).

Lamb Stew with cheese and eggs (Spezzato d'agnello cacio e ove)

      3 lbs. lamb (I used the shoulder and neck) , cut into 2 inch pieces
    3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
    1 sprig fresh rosemary
    ½ cup dry white wine
    ¼ cup olive oil
    1 medium onion cut in half
    Salt and freshly ground pepper
    5 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped or 1 large can of chopped tomatoes
    2 hot green peppers (optional)
    4 sprigs parsley, chopped
    1/2 cup dry red wine
      3 eggs
      1 cup Pecorino cheese

Procedure

Combine the lamb, garlic cloves, rosemary, and white wine in a medium bowl. Let marinate for 2 hours. Drain the meat and discard the marinade.

Heat olive oil in a large pan with lid, over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and brown the meat on all sides, about 30 minutes.  Add the red wine.  Let the wine evaporate. 

Add salt and pepper to taste, tomatoes and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes stirring occasionally until meat is very tender. 

In a bowl, beat the eggs with pecorino.  Pour egg mixture over meat.  DO NOT STIR.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until egg mixture is firm.  Close the flame and mix until the egg mixture combine well with the meat.  Serve warm. 

For a side dish, I make braised fresh peas with scallions.

Braised fresh peas and scallions

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS - Frittelle di Zucchine

 
Stuffed mushrooms and pan roasted asparagus

My holiday dinners always include appetizers -

At Easter, besides the stuffed mushrooms and pan roasted asparagus, I served Zucchini Fritters.  They were an instant hit with my guests.  I had just picked fresh mint, spring onions and garlic from the garden.  The zucchini I purchased at the farmer's market since in the Northeast is too early for fresh zucchini.
 

 

 Zucchini Fritters

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon (1 lemon) freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as fennel, dill, mint, parsley and spring onions (if available) 
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh or dry breadcrumbs, more as necessary
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup crumbled feta or Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Small amount of flour for dredging
Olive oil (vegetable) for frying

Directions

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate zucchini into a medium bowl.

Salt the zucchini generously and leave to drain in a colander for one hour, tossing and squeezing the zucchini from time to time. Take up handfuls of zucchini and squeeze out all of the moisture. Alternately, wrap in a clean dish towel, and squeeze out the water by twisting at both ends.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add the shredded zucchini, herbs, breadcrumbs, black pepper to taste and feta or Parmigiano.  Mix together well. 

Take up a small handful of the mixture; if it presses neatly into a patty, it is the right consistency. If it seems wet, add more breadcrumbs. When the mixture has the right consistency, line a baking sheet with wax paper.  Using 2 tablespoons zucchini mixture for each, shape mixture into patties, place in baking sheet and chill at least an hour.  Can be made 4 to 5 hours ahead.

 

Heat 1 inch of olive oil in a large frying pan until it is very hot.  Add the patties in batches to the pan. Cook fritters until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Turn fritters, and continue cooking until golden, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer fritters to a plate; set aside in a warm place. Cook remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to pan if necessary.