Summer Meals the Italian Way

The Italians cope with summer cooking better than anyone, in my opinion. All those colorful vegetable salads spiced with olives, anchovy and capers make meats, even poultry, seem superfluous.

Summer means the taste of olive oil, fruity but light, with lemon as the perfect counterpoint. With Italy in mind, I called my friend Henry Grossi, who holds down a stove at Time/Life Books, where he is helping create the new “Healthy Home Cooking” series.

Though tempted by French and Oriental cuisines, to Grossi good home cooking has to be Italian. “All those lovely antipasti,” said Grossi, happily settling into a favorite subject. “They make a wonderful summer buffet spread on their own, though you can add some salami, mortadella or prosciutto if you want.”

A Perfect Lunch

Plotting a perfect lunch, we began with caponata based on eggplant fried in oil, then simmered with celery, capers and olives until dark and rich. “The sweet-sour tomato and vinegar flavoring is typical of Sicily,” Grossi said.

“As for those so-called Sicilian stuffed tomatoes you’re suggesting, peas are Venetian, beans are Florentine, tomatoes are ubiquitous; you have a bit of everything there,” Grossi said.

Casting around for a contrast, we settled on a salad of cucumber, fennel and radishes dressed simply with lemon and oil and plenty of fresh mint. The same basic seasonings with a different herb turn up again.

With it we chose one of the shellfish salads beloved of all Italian cooks. Mussels, scampi, squid and clams are plainly cooked, then marinated with lemon, olive oil and quantities of chopped Italian parsley. Indeed, one of the revelations of Italian cooking is how vivid and fresh good ingredients can taste with the simplest of seasonings.

In the same tradition are focaccia , fragrant fresh breads flavored with herbs, coarse salt, nuts or spicy sausage. Shallow and round, resembling a plain pizza, they are the perfect accompaniment to antipasti of any kind. Made only with flour, water and a touch of olive oil, an extra dose of yeast gives them a particular zesty lightness.

Greatest Sweet Gift

After such a spread, both Grossi and I agreed to skip thoughts of a main course and head straight for dessert. Italy’s greatest sweet gift to the Western world is surely ice cream, at its best flavored with pistachio.

Extracting the full flavor from pistachios is not easy, and, after some experimentation, I’ve found that the best method is to grind the nuts to a paste with cream, then infuse them with hot milk before making a custard. Even Grossi, an exacting critic, had to admit its excellence when a shimmering pale green bowl was placed before him.

ITALIAN LUNCH IN SUMMER FOR 12 Caponata (Salad of Sweet-Sour Eggplant) Pomodori alla Siciliana (Sicilian Baked Tomatoes) Insalata di Cetrioli, Finocchi e Rafano (Salad of Cucumber, Fennel and Radish) Insalata di Frutta di Mare e Funghi (Salad of Shellfish and Mushrooms) Focaccia (Seasoned Breads) Gelato di Pistacchi (Pistachio Ice Cream) Suggested wine: Light refreshing Italian Soave or red Valpolicella. Serve both wines chilled. Up to six weeks ahead, make ice cream and store in freezer.

Up to two days ahead, make Caponata and refrigerate. Cook tomatoes and refrigerate.

In the morning, make bread dough, then flavor. Leave to rise and then refrigerate. Make cucumber and fennel salad, then chill. Set table. Chill wine.

About two hours before serving, start baking breads.

About one hour before serving, make shellfish salad, then refrigerate. Let tomatoes and Caponata come to room temperature.

Just before serving add mint and complete cucumber salad.

CAPONATA

(Salad of Sweet-Sour Eggplant)

1 1/2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled and diced

Salt

1/3 cup olive oil

6 celery stalks, cut in 1/2-inch slices

2 onions, sliced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup capers

3/4 cup pitted black olives

Pepper

Sprinkle eggplant with salt. Let stand 30 minutes to draw out bitter juices. Rinse with cold water. Pat dry on paper towels.

Meanwhile, heat half of oil in skillet. Add celery and saute until brown. Remove celery and place in bowl. Add onions to pan and saute until brown.

Remove onions and add to celery. Heat remaining oil in skillet. Add eggplant and saute briskly until tender and brown. Add to other vegetables.

Place tomato paste and sugar in pan. Stir in vinegar. Add capers and olives. Stir in vegetables. Season to taste with pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender and dark, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often. Cool. Taste to adjust for seasonings.

Caponata can be kept up to 2 days in refrigerator. Flavor mellows on standing. Serve at room temperature. Makes 12 servings.

Note: Mild mellow wine vinegar is important for salad and handful of pine nuts is good addition.

POMODORI ALLA SICILIANA

(Sicilian Baked Tomatoes)

12 medium tomatoes

1 1/4 cups pitted black olives, chopped

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1/2 cup cooked green peas

2 1/2 cups cooked dry white beans

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

2 tablespoons chopped oregano

1 clove garlic, crushed

Salt, pepper, optional

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut off tops of tomatoes and discard. Scoop out seeds and pulp with teaspoon. Sieve seeds and pulp in strainer to extract juice. Reserve 1/2 cup juice. Reserve tomato shells.

Mix olives, capers, peas, beans, cheese, oregano, garlic and tomato juice with salt and pepper to taste. Place mixture in tomato shells, mounding it well. Top with bread crumbs. Set tomatoes on greased baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees until just tender and tops begin to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Tomatoes can be kept in refrigerator up to 2 days. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 12 servings.

INSALATA DI CETRIOLI, FINOCCHI E RAFANO

(Salad of Cucumber, Fennel and Radish)

1 large cucumber

1 pound fennel

6 ounces red radishes, trimmed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

Salt, pepper

Small bunch mint

Halve cucumber lengthwise. Scoop out seeds, if large. Set cucumber on board, cut side down. Halve lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Thinly slice fennel. Divide in strips. Cut 6 radishes as roses. Soak in ice water so petals open. Thinly slice remaining radishes.

Toss all vegetables with lemon juice. Add oil, garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss again. Taste to adjust for seasonings. Allow to marinate 1 hour and up to 4 hours in refrigerator. Strip 8 to 10 leaves from mint stems and chop coarsely, reserving sprigs.

Just before serving, mix chopped mint with salad. Pile in bowl. Decorate with mint sprigs and drained radish roses. Makes 12 servings.

INSALATA DI FRUTTA DI MARE E FUNGHI

(Salad of Shellfish and Mushrooms)

1 pound mushrooms, thickly sliced

5 anchovy fillets, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

5 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

3 pounds mussels

3/4 pound cooked baby shrimp

Salt, pepper

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Gently mix mushrooms with anchovy, garlic, lemon juice and half of olive oil. Cover and marinate 30 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash mussels under cold running water, scrubbing to remove beards. Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped. Place mussels in large pot. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring once, just until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Discard any that do not open. Remove mussels from shells. Cut away tough outer ring.

Gently stir mussels and shrimp into mushrooms with remaining oil, salt and pepper to taste and parsley. Taste to adjust for seasonings, adding more lemon juice if needed. Salad can be kept in refrigerator up to 1 hour. Makes 12 servings.

Note: Shrimp and mussels can be replaced by scallops and clams. Poach scallops in 2 to 3 tablespoons white wine just until they lose their transparency. Cook clams like mussels.

FOCACCIA

(Seasoned Breads)

8 cups flour, about

2 teaspoons black pepper

3 cups lukewarm water

Olive oil

1 1/2 ounces compressed yeast or 3/4 ounce dry yeast

Sift flour with pepper onto board or marble slab. Make well in center. Add water and 3 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle yeast over water. Let rest until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Holding pastry scraper in one hand and using fingertips of other hand, gradually mix flour into yeast mixture to make paste. Work in remaining flour with pastry scraper. Press dough into ball. It should be soft, but if sticky, add more flour.

Flour board. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to oiled bowl, turning ball of dough so top is also oiled. Cover with wet cloth. Leave in warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Brush 2 baking sheets with olive oil.

Knead dough lightly to expel air. Divide in half. Flavor and roll each portion of dough as described in variations below. Cover with wet cloths. Leave in warm place until almost doubled in bulk, 45 to 60 minutes. (Dough will spread somewhat on baking sheet.)

Bake breads at 400 degrees, 1 at a time, until brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm, as soon as possible after baking. Makes 2 (12-inch) loaves.

Note: To satisfy hearty appetites, make 2 batches of bread, using all four flavor variations.

Variations: FOCACCIA ALLA SALVIA (Sage Bread) Into 1 portion of dough, knead 1/2 cup coarsely chopped sage. Roll to 10-inch round. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coarse salt just before baking.

FOCACCIA ALLA SALSICCE (Sausage Bread) Into 1 portion of dough, knead 5 ounces coarsely chopped pepperoni sausage and 1 teaspoon salt. Roll to 10-inch round. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, if desired.

FOCACCIA AL SCAROLE (Escarole Bread With Garlic) Divide 1 small head escarole into leaves. Blanch in boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. Add escarole, 2 crushed cloves garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until escarole is thoroughly tender and all moisture has evaporated. Cool. Chop finely. Taste to adjust for seasonings.

Knead 1 teaspoon salt into dough. Divide in half. Roll to 10-inch round. Set on baking sheet. Spread escarole mixture almost to edge of dough. Sprinkle with 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese. Roll remaining dough to equal round. Place on top of escarole. Press edges together to seal. Brush with olive oil.

FOCACCIA AL NOCI (Walnut Bread) Divide dough in half. Roll to 10-inch round. Transfer to baking sheet. Brush with walnut or olive oil. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup walnut pieces and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Roll out remaining dough to equal round. Place on top of walnuts. Press down lightly. Brush with walnut or olive oil.

GELATO DI PISTACCI

(Pistachio Ice Cream)

7 ounces pistachios

2 cups whipping cream

1 quart milk

10 egg yolks

1 1/3 cups sugar

Pour boiling water over pistachios to cover. Let soak 5 minutes. Drain and peel. Work nuts with 5 to 6 tablespoons cream in blender or food processor to smooth paste. Scald milk with pistachio paste. Cover and leave to infuse over low heat 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar until thick and light, about 2 minutes. Strain milk into egg yolk, mixture, pressing well to extract all juice from nuts. Stir to mix. Return custard to pan. Heat gently, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until custard thickens slightly and finger drawn across back of spoon leaves clear trail. Do not boil or custard will curdle. Immediately remove from heat. Strain into cold bowl.

Let custard cool. Then chill over ice in refrigerator. Whip remaining cream until it holds soft shape. Stir into custard. Freeze in machine or churn until firm, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer ice cream to chilled bowl. Cover. Freeze at least 6 hours. (Can be stored in freezer up to 6 weeks.)

To serve, shape balls of ice cream with scoop. Pile in chilled individual bowls. Makes 2 quarts, 12 servings.

Note: Ice cream is excellent with amaretti cookies or macaroons.