Category:  Vegetables

While living in Avellino, Italy, my Aunt Menina sometimes came to spend the day with us. These visits stand out because Menina was great at creating exquisite dishes from my Nonna’s vegetable garden. And she would introduce us to recipes from her husband’s village, Pietrastornina (that’s a mouthful, ain’t it?).

Today, Menina and Antonio Urciuolo serve a fav of mine, Foglie e Patate (Italian for “Leaves and Potatoes) at their restaurant, La Locandina (located in Pietrastornina).

Although my recipe is delicious, whenever I have this vegetarian dish at La Locandina, it’s as though I’m tasting it for the first time. The main ingredients of this recipe are rapini (the leaves) and potatoes.

Make it – I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do!

Prep time: 30 to 35 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 pounds Russet potatoes (about 3 large potatoes)
1/3 cup fine quality extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled & sliced
1 bunch rapini, washed, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
Dash ground black pepper & nutmeg, to taste

1. Place potatoes in a 5 or 6-quart saucepot and cover them with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil.

2. Cook potatoes on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender.

3. Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool.

4. Meanwhile, in a 10 to 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil.

5. Add the garlic cloves and fry on medium heat until the cloves are golden.

6. Add rapini to the oil and garlic. Cook rapini on medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, occasionally tossing with thongs, until crunchy-tender.

7. Stir in the salt and set skillet with rapini aside.

8. Peel the cooled potatoes and mash them in a large bowl; set aside.

9. Return the skillet with rapini to a burner set on medium heat. Heat the rapini until they are hot.

10. Stir the mashed potatoes into the rapini. Stir and cook until Leaves and Potatoes are warmed through. Season with a dash of black pepper & nutmeg.

Serve in 4 bowls as a vegetarian meal or as 6 side dishes to chicken, fish or meat.

Wine pairing suggestion: Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon (reds).

Text & Photographs ©2012 Nancy DeLucia Real

The Spanish name for this rice dish is “Moros y Cristianos” – Moors and Christians. The black beans represent the “Moors” and the rice refers to “Christians”. The dish’s name may be inspired by early Cuban settlers’ referral to the Islamic conquest of Spain in both the 8th and 15th centuries. Another version of this dish (rooted in the African Haitian culture and later brought to Cuba) is known as “Congri”, wherein “congo” is the black bean and “riz” is the rice.

Whatever the origin or the name, the light infusion of onion, cumin and oregano elevate this rice dish to that of a refined delicacy. I’ll also share this – once my Cuban friend, Maria Elena, explained the process for making this seemingly difficult dish, it suddenly became quite simple to me.

Active prep time: 35 to 40 (for the beans); 15 to 20 minutes for the rice
Inactive prep time: Overnight soaking (for the beans)
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1 cup dry, uncooked black beans
6 cups cold water
2 whole bay leaves
½ medium white or brown onion
1 clove garlic, whole
¼ green bell pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup long grain, uncooked rice
¼ teaspoon dried, crushed oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 1½ teaspoon salt

1. Rinse the beans in cold water and drain. Place beans in a 4-quart glass or porcelain bowl with 6 cups cold water. Cover and soak on a countertop or table overnight.

2. In a 6-quart saucepot, combine the soaked beans (including soaking water) with the bay leaves.

3. Bring to a boil and cook, semi-covered, on low heat 35 to 38 minutes or until beans are tender but not broken or mashed (the beans should simmer or boil gently).

4. Drain the beans and set them aside in a bowl. Reserve 2 to 2½ cups of the cooking liquid in a small bowl. Add enough cold water to measure 3 cups liquid altogether. Set aside.

5. In a food processor, finely mince the onion, garlic and ¼ of the bell pepper; set mixture aside.

6. In a 12-inch, nonstick skillet heat the oil. Stir in the onion mixture and sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until onion mixture is translucent.

7. Add the beans, rice, 2½ cups liquid, oregano, cumin and the lesser amount of salt. Stir once.

8. Cover and cook on low heat (without stirring) for 15 to 20 minutes.

9. After 15 minutes taste the bean and rice mixture. If rice is not fully cooked, sprinkle ¼ cup of the liquid over rice mixture, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt level, if necessary.

10. Serve alongside any meat, fish or poultry dish or as part of a vegetarian meal.

Wine pairing suggestion: Chilled Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Trebbiano (whites).

Text & Photograph © Nancy DeLucia Real 2011

Have you ever tasted steamed or boiled rapini and found its taste slightly bitter? Make this leafy vegetable as we Southern Italians do and I’m sure you’ll love it.

Italians know that rapini must be sautéed with garlic and olive oil in order to tone down its pungent flavor. Here’s my family’s special recipe. Add some fresh, crusty bread to your dining experience and let me know what you think.

Buon Appetito!

Prep time: 10 to 12 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6 (as a side dish)

Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh rapini (also known as broccoli rabe or rape)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup chicken broth (or water for vegan recipe)
½ to ¾ teaspoon salt

1. With a knife, remove and discard one inch from bottom tips of rapini. Cut the remaining rapini stalk lengths into thirds. Wash and spin dry the rapini twice; set aside.

2. In a 6 or 8-quart saucepot on a stove burner set on high, heat the oil with the garlic slices. When the garlic starts sizzling, stir it with a wooden spoon. Sauté the garlic about 1 minute or until it turns golden.

3. Immediately transfer the saucepot with the garlic and oil to a cold burner and let cool about 2 minutes. Add the washed and spun rapini to the garlic and oil. Cover the saucepot, return it to the hot burner set on high heat and sautée the rapini 1 to 2 minutes, turning it over with tongs.

4. Set heat on medium high and add ½ cup of water or broth. Cook, uncovered, for an additional minute. Stir in the salt.

Serve rapini as a side dish to meats, fish, chicken or turkey. Alternatively, simply enjoy the rapini with fresh bread (be sure to soak the bread in the rapini broth).

Text & Photograph ©2011 Nancy DeLucia Real

Easter Brunch Menu

-Pecorino Asparagus Frittata
-Cherry Tomatoes with Oregano
-Hearts of Palm & Olives
-Italian Sweetbread (la Colomba)
-Easter Chocolates

You’ll love this – of the five food items listed in this menu, you only need to prepare three of them (the sweetbread and chocolates are ready-made). Total prep time is approximately 50 minutes. Imagine spoiling your family and friends with these easy and exquisite foods for brunch next Sunday – Happy Easter!

My Easter foods always include Francesca Sciscente’s (my mom) Pecorino Asparagus Frittata. With sweet ham bits, this traditional Easter morn frittata was usually paired with tomatoes. But I’ve discovered that cherry tomatoes are sweeter and look cuter next to this gourmet egg dish. Prep time for both recipes combined – only 35 minutes! [see recipes below]

Hearts of Palm & Olives, tossed with olive oil, red onion, bell pepper, celery and lemon is a refreshing side to the frittata (found in our Recipes, under “Salads” ).

The easy grand finale: slice a premade Colomba sweetbread, arranged on a platter and surrounded by your favorite chocolates. Serve with coffee, tea or cappuccino. After the grind, this brunch menu is ideal. I can relax now … and so can you!

Prep time: 25 to 30 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8

For the Pecorino Asparagus Frittata:
1 bunch fresh asparagus
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 ounces sharp, imported Pecorino Romano cheese*
4 ounces (about 5 slices) boiled ham (optional)
4 large eggs
6 large egg whites
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin or vegetable oil

1. Prepare the asparagus – trim 3 to 4-inch stems (white parts) from asparagus bottoms and discard. Cut asparagus into 1/2-inch thick rounds and place them in a 2-quart saucepot.

2. Add enough cold water to cover the asparagus.

3. Place saucepot on burner set on high heat. Cover and bring to a boil.

4. Add the salt and boil 2 minutes, uncovered, or until asparagus is crunchy-tender when pierced with a fork.

5. Drain asparagus and transfer it to a glass or porcelain bowl to cool, 4 to 6 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, prepare frittata ingredients – finely grate the Pecorino Romano Cheese to yield 1/3 cup; set aside.

7. On a flat surface, cut ham into 1/4-inch wide strips and then into 1/4-inch pieces; set aside.

8. In a large bowl and with a fork or whisk, beat the eggs and egg whites with the grated cheese and black pepper until well-blended; set aside.

9. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the asparagus and ham pieces.

10. Stir fry with a cooking spatula on medium-high heat until the ham begins to turn light golden, about 3 to 4 minutes.

11. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the skillet ingredients, swirling the skillet around so that the mixture covers entire diameter of the skillet.

12. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook about 7 to 8 minutes, occasionally lifting frittata sides and swirling skillet to let raw egg escape to bottom. Check bottom of frittata by lifting sides with the spatula. When bottom is golden, it is time to flip the frittata over.

13. To flip the frittata, put a large platter over skillet, making sure the platter is large enough to overlap skillet edges by 2 inches.

14. With one hand on platter and the other firmly gripping the skillet handle, make a quick flip. Slide the frittata back into skillet and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes on low. Transfer frittata to a serving platter and divide into 8 equal wedges.

15. Alternate flipping method: Divide the frittata into four equal pieces and, with the spatula, flip each piece over in skillet.

16. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes on low. Transfer to a serving platter and cut each wedge in half (there will be a total of 8 pieces)

*Note: Imported Pecorino Romano cheese can be purchased at Italian grocery stores or international gourmet food stores, such as Trader Joe’s™ and Wholefoods™.

Text & Photographs © Nancy Real 2011 (the Balocco™ Colomba is a brand name – the packaged product was photographed by Nancy Real).

A few years ago, while standing in the canned vegetables aisle of a supermarket, I picked up a can of hearts of palm, looked at it and thought, “I know I ate these somewhere, but they looked boring and tasted bland. Maybe tonight I can turn these ‘palmitos’ into an exciting dish”. Later that day, as I prepared dinner for my friends, I cut the hearts of palm into bite-size pieces and tossed them with olives, lemon, and other ingredients I had on hand.

My novelty appetizer-salad not only looked fresh and inviting, but my guests were amazed at how hearts of palm could become such a colorful and exquisite appetizer. That night, the Hearts of Palm & Olives must have been an instant hit because I never had a chance to put any on my plate.

Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
One 14-ounce can Roland’s® Hearts of Palm, drained and rinsed
½ cup Spanish olives
2 tablespoons chopped red onion, rinsed in cold water (excess water squeezed out of onion)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh, Italian flat-leaf parsley and 1 sprig (for garnish)
1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch pieces
Juice of ½ lime
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients (except the sprig of parsley) and gently toss together.

2. Taste and adjust oil and/or seasonings.

3. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and garnish with the parsley sprig.

Serve immediately as an appetizer, accompanied by cheese, bread, your favorite wine, friends and music.

Note: “Palmitos” is Spanish for “hearts of palm”. The country with the largest production of palmitos is Costa Rica.

Text & Photograph ©2011 Nancy DeLucia Real