ISCHIA - Recipes

Enjoy cooking and buon appetito!

(The ingredients are for 4 people)

ANTIPASTI:  Mozzarella in carozza - Insalata caprese

(Appetizers)

Mozzarella in carozza

8 slices of square, dry white bread/toast bread - 150 g mozzarella - 1 tbsp fresh oregano - 2 eggs - 2 tbsp milk - 2 tbsp flour - salt, pepper, olive oil

Remove the crusts from the bread. Cut the mozzarella into thin slices and cover 4 slices of bread with them, leaving the edges free. Season with pepper, salt, and oregano. Cover these slices of bread with the remaining 4 slices of bread, dip the edges briefly in water, and press down firmly.

Whisk the milk and eggs, season with salt and pepper. Dust both sides of the bread with a little flour and place in a deep dish. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread, turning occasionally until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Fry in a pan with hot olive oil until crispy and serve while still hot.

(There are no limits to your imagination with this recipe. If you like, you can fill the bread slices with a slice of Parma ham or a dried tomato that has been marinated in olive oil beforehand, for example.)

Insalata caprese:

300 g mozzarella, 4 large tomatoes, fresh basil, salt, pepper, olive oil

Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes. Top each tomato slice with a slice of mozzarella and a basil leaf. Arrange on a plate, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle generously with olive oil.

(The balsamic vinegar used in some recipes comes from a German variation of this recipe, but this is not the original Italian version.)

PRIMI PIATTI: Spaghetti alle vongole - Spaghetti alla puttanesca

(First courses)

Spaghetti alle vongole:

1 kg fresh clams, 400-500 g spaghetti, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, 1/4 liter white wine, 6 tablespoons olive oil, parsley, 2 tablespoons butter, salt, pepper

Thoroughly clean the clams under running water, then bring to a boil in a pot with the white wine and let simmer until the clams have opened.

Remove the clams, toss them in melted butter, and keep warm. Filter the clam broth through a fine sieve. Heat the olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and garlic. Add 1 bunch of finely chopped parsley, pour in the clam broth, and reduce by half.

Cook the spaghetti al dente, drain and place in a preheated bowl. Toss the warm mussels briefly in the hot mussel broth, pour the broth over the spaghetti and season with salt and pepper.

(Before cooking, discard any mussels that are already open. Also discard any mussels that have not opened during cooking.)

Spaghetti alla puttanesca:

400-500 g spaghetti, 500 g tomatoes, 3 pickled anchovies, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 hot chili pepper, 100 g pitted black olives, 50 g capers, olive oil.

Remove the seeds from the chili pepper and cut it into strips. Fry it in olive oil in a pan together with the chopped garlic. Add the anchovies. When the anchovies have broken down, add the peeled and diced tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti al dente. Just before the spaghetti is done, add the finely chopped olives and capers to the tomato sauce and season with salt to taste. Drain the spaghetti, mix with the sauce, and serve.

(There are many legends surrounding this spaghetti dish from southern Italy, known as “spaghetti alla puttanesca” (whore's spaghetti). On the one hand, the name is said to derive from the fact that the sauce could be prepared quickly and easily between visits from clients. On the other hand, the name is said to originate from the fact that until the 1950s, Italian brothels were closed houses that prostitutes could only leave once a week to go shopping. When the shopping ran out during the week, this dish is said to have been created from the remaining, non-perishable leftovers. A third legend tells that unfaithful wives used this quick meal to fool their husbands into thinking they had spent a long time in the kitchen cooking for them, when in fact they were with their lovers.)

SECONDI PIATTI: Bistecche alla pizzaiola - Pollo alla lucana

(Second courses)

Bistecche alla pizzaiola:

4 beef steaks, 500 g tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/8 liter red wine, salt, pepper, olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sear the steaks on both sides in the hot oil. Remove the steaks, season with salt and pepper, cover, and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan, sauté the garlic, add the peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes and red wine, and bring to a boil. Season with oregano and salt and pepper to taste. When the sauce has thickened slightly, return the steaks to the pan and, depending on their thickness, cover and simmer on a low heat for approx. 15 minutes.

Serve with roasted rosemary potatoes.

(Beef or pork chops can be used instead of steaks).

Pollo alla lucana:

1 roast chicken, 200 g chicken liver, 150 g bacon, 50 g freshly grated Pecorino, 2 eggs, 1 bunch of parsley, 1 tsp rosemary, salt, pepper

Heat the diced bacon in a pan and render the fat. Remove the bacon cubes and briefly fry the chicken livers on both sides in the hot fat. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the livers, allow to cool, cut into cubes and mix with the beaten eggs, chopped parsley, Pecorino, rosemary and a little pepper.

Wash and dry the chicken thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and stuff with the liver mixture. Secure the chicken with a skewer. Briefly reheat the fat, brush a roasting pan with it, place the chicken in the pan and brush with the fat on all sides. Roast in a preheated oven at 220 degrees for approx. 75 minutes until crispy, brushing repeatedly with the juices that escape.

Serve with roasted potato slices.

DOLCE: Tiramisu

(Dessert)

Tiramisu:

150 ml espresso, 4 cl Amaretto, 3 eggs, 500 g mascarpone, 75 g sugar, 200 g ladyfingers, 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy, then stir in the mascarpone and half of the Amaretto. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the cream.

Mix the espresso with the second half of the Amaretto in a deep plate. Soak half of the ladyfingers in the espresso, line the bottom of a square baking dish with them, and spread half of the cream mixture on top. Add a second layer of soaked ladyfingers and cream, then refrigerate for several hours. Dust with cocoa powder before serving.

(Tiramisu, one of the most famous Italian desserts, originally comes from Veneto. Tirami su = Italian for “pull me up.” Due to the use of raw eggs, the dessert should always be eaten immediately.)