Cooking for Italians
- Vlatka Duric
- Jun 7, 2020
- 6 min read
As usual, short intro at the beginning. I don't know how about you, but when travelling I get myself cookbooks as a souvenir. It is one of the things that will have a purpose later on, and will not just sit at the shelves and demanding dusting from time to time. An additional plus is if you find it in one of the artisan shops, then it is so much more than just a cookbook. It is a memory with cool pictures of the area, stories and traditions, usually very well written. And sometimes in two languages, so you can practice your vocabulary at the same time.
Back to the topic. In 2019., I went to Sicily with my family. Only four days were enough to fall in love with that region. I love Italy in general, so there was no doubt that I will love Sicily. But food with the perfect view wherever we went to left a long-lasting impression on me. Strolling down the old streets in search for that one cookbook that will awake my taste buds. And I finally got it. In a small shop at one of the main squares in Siracusa. Cookbook by the name The flavours of Sicily. Now it was only a matter of time when will I be brave enough to try some in front of my Italian friends and face the strictest verdict of them all.
The process
When dealing with Italians, things need to be done in a certain way. You need to follow the path. And pay attention to the details. Short note - my Italian friends are very cool, very friendly and I love them to bits and pieces. More important they do understand sarcasm, and will not get angry by reading this. Starting with the invitation. Try to awake their imagination. Write the menu in Italian if possible, pair it with the drinks and you are on a good way to make your dinner a success. Send the invitation and wait.
It took exactly 7 minutes to get a buy-in of 6 people, meaning all of them. Not something you see often, don't you agree? Sending out the invitation means that you have done your research. And that you have tried not to pick their favourite meal or top meals from their region. On the other hand, if you do make a wrong pick, confirmation of your cooking skills, that you might wait for, will be, in this case, more difficult to get. The last thing left to do is learn how to prepare the selected dishes. How difficult can that be?
At this point, i should also stated that I was extremely nervous while organizing this dinner.
Aperitivo
The topic of this dinner was The flavours of Sicily, and luckily none of my friends come from Sicily, although some are pretty south oriented. But Italy has so much more to offer. So I decided to start with the Aperitivo, or how they call it in the Milan area - Stuzzichini da aperitivo. A spread of some cold-cuts, crackers, green and black olives of course paired with a prosecco Valdobbiadene, Col Vetoraz.
Surprise in this chapter where the sardines. And here you can find a picture of the process. Not something that a sane person would do, but i play this game a bit different. Combining sometimes teh things that make no sense. When it comes to the recipe - stuffed sardines - definitely something you shoudl try.
Aperitivo was a nice start into the evening, where balancing between four languages was mandatory to participate in the conversation at all. Let me explain one thing, my Italian can get me only so far. I would not stay hungry or thirsty in Italy, but this is where it all ends. So better keep on bringing that prosecco. And put the Italian dinner playlist in the loop. Music is important.
Antipasti
It was time for the antipasti. Meaning we need to act like the adults and be seated at the proper table clothed in white, wine glasses and adult conversation (the last one is not mandatory, it is much more pleasing if you just have fun).
Next in line are Bruschetta, Aubergine Rissoles and Insalata Eoliana. A bit of cold and a bit of warm dishes. To keep the tastes flowing. For the first time, I placed roasted peppers in the bruschetta filling and it was one of the surprises for me. Need to remember that one. The next one was aubergine rissole. Who would say that aubergines can be that good in almost every dish you put them? When you do these be sure to fry them in enough oil, or they might slightly burn (take this advice, been there, done that). Tomato salad fitted nicely to this antipasti story.
Not to keep you waiting for the first feedbacks, my Italian friends seem to approve the dishes so far. But, the Portuguese part of the company is slightly confused that some dishes are very similar to their cuisine. Same goes for the fellow Spaniard. Looks that sardines are very popular in most of Mediterranean Europe.
Primi
One thing that I like, in Italian tradition, is that you will never be judged for eating more than one meal. If nothing else, you are obliged to go on a journey of multiple meals. And I am in favour of diversity, especially if it is connected to my plate. So the more dishes I get to try during the dinner, the happier I am. In this case the more the better mantra is correct.
Being a Croatian and knowing a thing or two about preparing the sea food, i thought one can not go wrong in preparing the squid ink pasta. Wrong again. There is a small secret, adding the tomato sauce or puree in the sauce. It does make a difference, be sure to try it next time. And if you do not get the fresh-straight-out-of-the-sea-squids, no worries, squid ink can also be found separately, in the form of a powder or a liquid. Be gentle with the squids, only a minute or two and they are done. Everything above that will make them rubbery and too hard to chew.
To forget that i was wrong, and to make my friends more talkative, making one another laugh without stopping, I would suggest Gran Sermone Sangiovese di Romagna. I know, I know, far from Sicily, but I am living in Austria, so slightly challenged when it gets to quickly getting the exact Italian wine I would like to have. If you are not sure you would like it, ask Vivino.
Secondi
The time has come to open the oven doors and take out the fish rolls. A pleasantly quick dish to make, not much effort with a great result. Again limited by the fish choice, I managed to get fresh salmon, although in the original recipe it should have been the swordfish. But don't they see it is a thought that matters?
The result was not bad, not bad at all. And any fresh fish with some parsley and lemon to drizzle over is a masterpiece on its own.
Dolci or popularly referred to as The sweets
Ricotta. Enough said. Don't touch it, don't destroy its tenderness. Treat it with respect it deserves. Slowly whisk the cheese and add some thyme honey. If you do not have the exact honey, put some dried thyme in the honey a few hours before, and drizzle over the cheese before the serving. In case you are a fan of cinnamon, sprinkle some powder on top. I am not, so again, adapting the recipe to fit my palate.
For the drinks, you can go here in two directions. Play it safe and offer limoncello. But only if you have a good one. It would be a shame to destroy such a nice evening with a bad limoncello. Exactly what I was trying to avoid. I offered Teranino. Don't worry, it is not one of the Italian drinks you had no clue existed, although i am pretty sure that there are some great family secrets kept in Sicily when it comes to food and drinks. Teranino comes from Istria (Croatia) and is a liquor made of red wine. In this particular case made by the family Rossi.
Conclusion
Well, that is it. I cooked for Italians. And guess what? I survived and to quote one of them, i did not mess this up. If I decide to cook again, they would gladly invite themselves. After all, they were not so strict in delivering the verdict. Either I chose great friends or the belief that Italians get picky when other people cook their food is misleading. Anyway, i was happy to host my friends and try some proper Italian food, with the people who appreciate it.
Disclaimer:
all the recipes come from the above-mentioned cookbook
do not judge the pictures, my friends like to enjoy the food and don't like waiting for the-best-picture
to the friends that were not there yesterday, your time will come, i plan to go on a cooking journey that involves all your nationalities, be patient
if you want to know a recipe, let me know, will share them gladly :)
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