Five delicious Italian recipes straight from Nonna's cookbook

Daily Mail​

a day ago

LUISA
Born 1943, San Giuseppe Vesuviano, Italy
'I can't tell you exactly how many years I've been cooking this dish – probably around 60. The key to a good spaghetti alle vongole is to add a lot of oil, and the cooking water from the pasta, to make sure it doesn't go dry. We're just adding the tomatoes for colour and flavour, rather than to make a sauce, but we still want a silky finish at the end.
Naples is famous for its vongole and we eat a lot of seafood here in the city. We Napolitani are completely mad about food. It is always on our minds – and usually the topic of conversation. Sunday lunch with family is a ritual we stick to religiously. It is an excuse to come together, share laughter and a great many dishes. A Neapolitan lunch doesn't just last one hour – sometimes it can go on until dinnertime and we will eat and eat and eat and talk about eating while we eat.'
LUISA'S SPAGHETTI ALLA VONGOLE (Neapolitan Clam Pasta)
This takes very little time to make and is an impressive dish to serve up once you master it.
SERVES 4
400g cherry tomatoes
1 heaped tbsp sea salt, plus extra to taste
350g spaghetti
60ml olive oil
4 garlic cloves, halved and green germs removed
½ bunch of parsley, stems and leaves separated, and leaves finely chopped
2 small dried chillies
850g vongole (clams), washed
1 First, cut a cross in the top of each tomato, then set aside.
2 Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the salt then the spaghetti. Set a timer for 2 minutes before the suggested time on the packet – the pasta will finish cooking with the clams.
3 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a low heat and fry the garlic, parsley stems and chillies for 5 minutes, then remove the garlic, parsley and chillies from the pan using a slotted spoon and discard. Add the tomatoes to the pan, bringing the heat to medium, and cover. Let the tomatoes steam in their juices for about 4 minutes, then add the clams, cover again and cook for a minute or so. Add a scant ladle of pasta water to the pan and cook until the clams are open – discard any that aren't. Use a slotted spoon to remove some of the clams and set aside.
4 Drain the pasta, add it to the pan, stirring until the sauce thickens. Divide between dinner plates and add the reserved clams, plus a sprinkling of parsley leaves. Serve immediately.
NINETTE
Born 1935, Mallorca, Spain
'My mother taught me how to make this dish and it's one that I have reverted to again and again because I find it incredibly adaptable. You can eat the cod warm and serve for a family dinner or it can be eaten the next day with a salad. This way it serves as a good dish throughout the year, as long as you can find the fish and a good-quality one at that. Another important element of the dish is the vinegar. I use a vinegar that is Chardonnay and very high quality from France, but any good-quality white-wine vinegar will work here.
My cooking has an element of finesse because for my most formative years I lived in France and loved all things French. The food, the culture, all of it was my own for many years before we moved back to Mallorca. My family owned and ran a bar while we lived in France, so I was raised with an element of 'Frenchness' that I suppose I have never really shaken.'
NINETTE'S BACALAO ESCABECHE AL FINO (Spanish Cod Escabeche)
This is a showstopper that tastes slightly pickled, and is surprisingly quick and easy to conjure up.
SERVES 6
1kg cod fillet, cut into thick chunks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125g plain flour
400ml olive oil
3 large red onions, sliced into long, thin strips
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
200g chopped tomatoes (use tinned if it's not the season for fresh)
60ml tarragon vinegar
1 Sprinkle the cod with salt, then spread out the flour on a plate and dip the cod fillets into it until lightly coated.
2 Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over a high heat and fry the cod fillets for about 5 minutes, taking care not to turn the fish or poke it too many times as it will fall apart. After 5 minutes, flip the fillets and cook for 5 more minutes until golden all over. Gently remove the cod from the pan and put on a plate covered with paper towels.
3 Next, add the onions to the same pan with the leftover oil over a medium heat. Add the bay leaves, ½ tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, then gently simmer for about 30 minutes until very soft.
4 Meanwhile, combine the garlic and tomatoes in a bowl. When the onions are ready, add the tomato and garlic blend to the onions and cook for a minute or so until the mixture has infused with the onions, then follow up with the vinegar. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
5 Put the cod on a serving platter, top with the onion mixture and serve.
SOULA
Born 1946, Peloponnese, Greece
'Lots of people aren't aware that spanakorizo is an interesting combination not only because it tastes good. Spinach is difficult for the human body to digest, but the rice and lemon that we add to it helps the body to absorb the iron. My mother was an excellent cook, and she told me this many years ago.
I lived in America for most of my adult life but have returned to Greece for the weather and the good produce. I like to go to my local laiki (market) every Thursday – it's an outing that happens ritually every week. I also tend to go for walks in the surrounding olive groves every day, leaving my brother, whom I live with, to sleep in while I get out and about to catch up with friends or start on the day's chores.
I find that what is most important in life is to keep moving. Even when things get tough, we must put one foot in front of the other and keep walking.'
SOULA'S SPANAKORIZO (Greek Rice and Spinach Risotto)
This dish is a kind of risotto, but in true Greek style the vegetables are the stars and it's much less fussy to make than a traditional Italian version – who has time for all that hovering and stirring?
SERVES 4
1 kg fresh spinach (Soula insists it is always fresh – never frozen)
160ml olive oil, plus extra to serve
4 large spring onions, trimmed and chopped into 1cm rounds
2 large leeks, trimmed and cleaned, then chopped into 2.5cm half moons
1 bunch of dill, roughly chopped
2 large garlic cloves (green germs removed), roughly chopped
700ml water
150g medium-grain rice, such as arborio
½ tbsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 chicken stock cube, optional (reduce the salt by half if using)
½ lemon, for squeezing
feta and bread, to serve
1 First wash the spinach. Add it to a large bowl of water with a splash of vinegar and wash well, roughly tearing it to pieces as you do so and removing any tough stalks. The vinegar will ensure you get rid of any little 'friends' hiding in the leaves.
2 Drain the spinach and put it in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Cover and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Next add the olive oil, followed by the spring onions, leeks, dill and garlic. Cook, stirring every so often, for about 5 minutes.
3 Pour in 700ml water and add the rice, salt, pepper and stock cube (if using). Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the rice sticking.
4 Once the rice is tender, season again to taste, adding a squeeze of lemon for a final zingy flourish. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil, a slab of feta and plenty of crusty bread.
LATIFA
Born 1945, Tunis, Tunisia
'I've been eating lablebi since I was a little girl. It's our 'fast food' here in Tunis – the thing young people eat at five o'clock in the morning after a night out in the city. In some regions of Tunisia they serve it inside a baguette, like a sandwich. It soaks up the alcohol after a heavy night. Of course, I wouldn't know about this because when I was a young girl I was mainly kept indoors. I grew up in the Medina, but I rarely saw it because I wasn't allowed to play outside. We were seven children in total and my brothers were the only ones of us that were allowed to venture out. I didn't know any different and this was the norm, so I never questioned it.'
LATIFA'S LABLEBI (Tunisian Chickpea Soup)
Lablebi is a staple of Tunisian cuisine, although its origins can also be linked to the Ottoman occupation of Tunis in the 1600s, when chickpeas were served to Ottoman soldiers as a thrifty and filling meal. It's hot, hearty and the perfect go-to recipe if you ever feel a cold coming on. This recipe is for those well versed in spice. If you want a mellower lablebi, halve or even quarter the harissa quantity and then add more at the end if you need it, along with the other toppings.
500g dried chickpeas
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
70ml olive oil
½ bulb of garlic, cloves thinly sliced
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp harissa, plus extra to serve
½ tbsp sea salt
4-6 slices of days-old bread
TO SERVE
capers
poached or boiled eggs
good-quality tinned tuna
1 The day before you want to make the lablebi, put the chickpeas in a large bowl, add half the bicarbonate of soda, cover with water and leave to soak overnight.
2 The next day, drain the chickpeas, then add to a large saucepan with 2 litres of water. Put over a high heat and start to bring to the boil as you add the remaining bicarbonate of soda followed by the oil, garlic, pepper, cumin, turmeric and harissa. Cover almost completely (leaving a space uncovered for the steam to escape) and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
3 After the time is up, add the salt, then simmer for a further 20 minutes. Check to see if the chickpeas have softened by taking a few out and pressing on them with a fork or, even better, tasting them.
4 When you're ready to serve, break up the bread into the bottom of your bowls and spoon over the lablebi (you can choose to have it dense like a stew or loose like a ramen), then finish with the other toppings as you like.
MARYSE
Born 1940, Uzès, France
'Like most foods of the peasant people, this courgette gratin was simply born out of an abundance of its key ingredient: courgettes. My parents were farmers from the Camargue. They grew their own vegetables, and we would have so many courgettes in the summer months that my mother practically raised us on this gratin. Some people don't use garlic in this béchamel, or else they use it to flavour it slightly and then take it out. Being from the south, I keep the garlic in.
I've been cooking for 63 years. When I was a young girl we would be taught by our mothers how to get by in the kitchen in order to be able to satisfy our future husbands. What I've learnt in these six decades in the kitchen is that delicious food really needs a certain dedication of time. It's difficult for young people now to make something truly satisfying because everything's always done in such a rush. The truth is, time is necessary for food to be good; it's an essential pause in the day to treat oneself.'
MARYSE'S COURGETTE GRATIN FROM THE CAMARGUE, SOUTHERN FRANCE
This recipe can be found all over the south of France. While it's baked in a béchamel sauce along with added butter and cheese (the latter helps the dish achieve the all-important golden crust that is essential to a gratin), this courgette bake is light, and it pairs perfectly with a meatier main – or perhaps even just a green salad on a summer's day.
SERVES 4 as a main, 6 as a side
800g courgettes, sliced into 5mm rounds
40g Emmental, finely grated
For the béchamel
4 tbsp plain flour
390ml whole milk, plus another 6 tbsp
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1½ tsp flaky sea salt
4 tbsp double cream
10g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
freshly ground white or black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6 and grease a casserole dish (alternatively a roughly 25cm x 32cm baking dish or baking tray) generously with butter.
2 Prepare a steamer (or steamer basket over a saucepan of hot water) and steam the courgette slices for 6 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, start preparing the béchamel. Combine the flour with 90ml of the milk in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
4 When the courgettes have steamed (they should be slightly softened at this stage but still possess a bit of bite), drain them in a colander and leave to dry.
5 Heat the sunflower oil in the same saucepan over a low to medium heat and fry the garlic, taking care to stop before it begins to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for a minute, then add the remaining milk to the pan, along with the salt and a grind of white or black pepper. Return to a low to medium heat. Now add the flour-and-milk mixture and stir like crazy with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth and viscous béchamel sauce. You don't want it to be very thick – rather a pourable consistency, like cream. Remove from the heat and add the cream and butter, stirring until combined.
6 Put the courgettes in your chosen baking dish. You don't need to arrange them delicately in layers (although you can if you want to go for a 'fancy' look). Maryse just tips them in and shakes the dish to disperse the courgettes evenly. Pour the béchamel sauce over the courgettes and sprinkle over the cheese and 6 tbsp milk. Bake in the oven on the top shelf for 25 minutes, or until the gratin is bubbling and golden.
MARGARITA
Born 1932, Mallorca, Spain
'I've reached my nineties, but I don't particularly feel very old. Thankfully, I can still get around and take care of myself as well as the children and grandchildren. I have a life of hard work to thank for that. I was born into a family that wasn't hugely wealthy and so, like many children at the time, I was sent to the estate of a rich French family here in Mallorca. That way, my parents could ensure I would be well taken care of, but it also meant that I couldn't go to school. I was nine years old when I left to work on the estate and I was terrified to leave my mother, but I have to say that, in the end, they took very good care of me and treated me as their own daughter. I learned a lot there about the land and about cooking, which I have loved ever since.
It was in that first job that I learned to make coca de verduras. I've been making it for over 80 years now, so we can say I've become an expert. The key to this recipe and my ultimate tip is to use a hardy iron tray to make it and to cook it on the lowest level of the oven with the top and bottom setting on. You want the vegetables to caramelise and the dough to cook at the same time. No one wants a soggy dough. You want it to come out crispy like a tart.'
MARGARITA'S COCA DE VERDURAS (Mallorcan Vegetable Tart)
Every Mallorcan is familiar with coca de verduras, a crisp, thin-based tart weighed heavy with plenty of vegetables. The coca is described as a flatbread or pizza as it isn't yeasted at all. It's best enjoyed with a beer and a couple of other small plates and would make a great addition to a picnic, packed lunch or garden party spread.
SERVES 12 SLICES
1 butterhead lettuce (about 150g), trimmed and finely chopped
2 tsp flaky sea salt
2 small leeks, finely chopped
6 spring onions, finely chopped
1 small bunch of parsley, leaves finely chopped
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 garlic clove, crushed or grated
150ml olive oil
2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced handful
For the pastry
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100ml cold water
100ml olive oil
50g lard or unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
300g plain flour, plus extra as needed
1 Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and line a roughly 38cm x 25cm baking tray, preferably cast iron, with baking parchment.
2 Put the chopped lettuce into a large bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the salt and massage it into the lettuce to break it down a little. Add the leeks, spring onions and parsley to the bowl with the remaining teaspoon of salt, the pepper, paprika, garlic and olive oil. Stir to combine.
3 Next, make the pastry. In a separate bowl, combine the bicarbonate of soda with the water, olive oil and your choice of fat. Stir to combine and break down the cubes of fat a little.
4 Add the flour bit by bit, combining with your hands and rubbing the cubes of fat into the flour to break them up. Do this until it comes together into a soft, pliable ball that doesn't feel sticky. Add more flour or water a teaspoon at a time if the dough is too wet or dry. You are going to press this into the tray rather than roll it, so you don't want it to be too stiff.
5 Place the dough in the centre of the prepared tray and pat it down to flatten it. Begin to spread it out across the entire base of the tray with your hands, pressing in with your fingers and pushing the pastry outwards until it reaches the edges in a thin, even layer. Prick it all over with a fork, then bake on the bottom of the oven (not on a shelf) for 5 minutes. Placing it on the bottom of the oven will help the base crisp up.
6 After 5 minutes, when the base is a little more firm, remove the tray from the oven and cover the pastry evenly with the greens, then spread the slices of tomato on top. Return to the bottom of the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then move to the top of the oven for a final 5 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the topping is nicely cooked and slightly charred in places. Remove from the oven and top with the toasted pine nuts, then serve hot or cold.
NOW BUY THE BOOK
Our recipes are taken from Mediterranea by Anastasia Miari with photographs by Marco Argüello (Quadrille, £28). To order a copy for £23.80 until 17 August, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.