L o c SSUUPPEERR Titles r CCHHEEFF i c c in the h The Cooking of i series o IITTAALLYY T h e C o second edition o k i n g o f II TT AA LL YY Matthew Locricchio SuperChef.Italy.cov.final.indd 1 5/5/11 2:31 PM SUPER CHEF The Cooking of ITALY Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 1 4/23/11 12:36 PM Sharon For my mother, Virginia Mary Locricchio, who taught me that anything was possible. This author’s sincere gratitude to Peter Mavrikis, Michelle Bisson, Kay Petronio, and Anahid Hamparian. Published by Marshall Cavendish Benchmark An imprint of Marshall Cavendish Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591. Tel: (914) 332-8888, fax: (914) 332-1888. Website: www.marshallcavendish.us Text © 2012 by Matthew Locricchio Food photographs © 2012 Jack McConnell, McConnell, McNamara & Company Map © 2012 by Mike Reagan Illustrations by Janet Hamlin Illustrations © 2012 by Marshall Cavendish Corporation This publication represents the opinions and views of the author based on Matthew Locricchio’s personal experience, knowledge, and research. The information in this book serves as a general guide only. The author and publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book and disclaim liability rising directly and indirectly from the use and application of this book. Other Marshall Cavendish Offices: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 • Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand • Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited All websites were available and accurate when this book was sent to press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Locricchio, Matthew. The cooking of Italy / Matthew Locricchio. p. cm. — (Superchef —2nd ed.) Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: "Introduces the different culinary regions of Italy and presents many kinds of recipes for traditional Italian dishes"—Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-60870-554-2 (print) — ISBN 978-1-60870-742-3 (ebook) 1. Cooking, Italian—Juvenile literature. 2. Food habits—Italy—Juvenile literature. I. Title. TX723.L585 2012 641.5945—dc22 2010051849 Editor: Peter Mavrikis Publisher: Michelle Bisson Art Director: Anahid Hamparian Series design by Kay Petronio Art direction for food photography by Matthew Locricchio Food styling by Marie Hirschfeld and Matthew Locricchio Photo Credits: Russell Kord/Alamy: 14; Art Kowalsky/Alamy: 17; Claudio H. Artman/Alamy: 20; Matthew Locricchio: 61, 69; felinda/Fotolia.com: 90; photka/Fotolia.com: 90, 92, 93; volff/Fotolia.com: 91; Multiart/Fotolia.com: 91; nito/Fotolia.com: 92; Le Do/Fotolia.com: 93; Dmitriy Kosterev/Fotolia.com: 93; rimglow/Fotolia.com: 93; Peter Jameson: 96. Printed in Malaysia (T) 135642 Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 2 4/23/11 12:37 PM Sharon SUPER CHEF The Cooking of ITALY second edition Matthew Locricchio with photos by Jack McConnell Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 3 5/5/11 12:49 PM Sharon Contents Before You Begin 8 A Word about Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Cooking Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Regions of Italy and How They Taste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Soups, Salads, and Appetizers 22 Rich Meat Broth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Vegetable Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Tomato Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Mixed Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Toasted Bread with Tomatoes . . . . . . . . . . 34 Pasta, Pizza, Polenta, and Rice 36 Pasta with Spring Vegetables . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Spaghetti and Meatballs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Tomato Sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Pasta Sauce from Bologna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Swordfi sh Pasta, Sicilian Style . . . . . . . . . . 52 Pizza Dough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Pizza from Naples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Pizza Turnover (Calzone) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 4 5/5/11 1:17 PM Sharon Instant Polenta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Polenta Pie with Sausage and Cheese . . . . 65 Rice and Peas with Smoked Ham . . . . . . . . 68 Meats and Vegetables 70 Chicken, Hunters' Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Country-Style Pork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Asparagus with Parmesan and Butter . . . . 77 Green Beans with Tomatoes, Roman Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Desserts 82 Chocolate and Walnut Cake . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Fresh Fruit with Strawberry Glaze. . . . . . . 87 Helpful Kitchen Equipment and Utensils . . 89 Essential Ingredients in the Italian Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Find Out More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Metric Conversion Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 5 5/5/11 1:18 PM Sharon DIiththd fEinevsoeycenoaiwaaeid staholaoarssolycphnshiarfarv inu tbMdotuts edeNsae ’v!tneos.tuti YR sryensr eTa guurhTinT1 oastib n .dew.bt9hnsw ehgh afiuhbvy Fa Alae7t eecngeierihuu oYotdnp.n0dcsr sfg ronnrei akek SeteUesawnae e wddaa.y os tspmugmre nnaaoemr w eT ,spe pndjk’tfsiantsere mlleaooeso , eoeitsydc,ne d a mapys roty ree adndft.a cc t l sa oopen aInihbttoThnhtfosnhr oe dgiaohareoahedhfmatidodn etinetekt f eooell ts tdeirsw i ds sfsdnunhbIdetcsossi i,erfnaa cneda eehooio rmi omlogyhyhesg ffyencrearwfve sa na pissa rmeo otefattt tw vmldareCaohehvhasnhrgteans yol oeeh,ee hniiaet i k enno rtmd rt ilaab nihtinfgpdglhoms bn t eodep ety s encem fgruc caototaaosnr a deli ocaorulr eoebesstmotra atoeh tm, ciau qeiohn bcmadrnkoea dhtriu uyyeooymtnn rb mu mn et,i mtohfgut t rdbom o r hmrykg teha eatoooreroloo ep oendheoefybkeufatgfmf lo iraes s dosiahsc kryaneidsof dI,ouai neie om oagg wrt wtfetnfn owofacolnaiseo oyir yminondn,shtrsadleoot r i , oemsh esao e Igeodymcfut ds cw nnxnowk roroodtebapa.u,aw tdpe ui oo entvtsouplhopiceart nhd lahivt tafaeeihodturogf,chey n s irgnroyiarfas,ionc ett r o,e a pmcct ao n hnawjatyu rlohheIu osuiceinhfiv tdso vl.maicr kestayrteds warlurinteieht, klimfi snr eill aw osbd triaedoicgttIu i-rsseoaybsf sic hs .t nhyt u,p ys wohloga Th,iieaStv.wgrT cemetf ra hhe enauThah s eeontseeerpndwta,n hatwo e try lia dnwdehwoitindhehttf ir ad srnngaeiselhh aisehm i nyiwgptt y oeayc fGioag t.ah nieaou nra clmurl nn efi beIrsel eseodtpoI dr t drea enoha. Cwooom ra acb wf kIsyeW tendh klelta h c hse sraiasr ah wcpnop eah neilisfa etanyshr ot rayay dcthklo anhk yianl tssonttmdnacylda lat ,thaushgl ,tieaote enarfo moban.e einswfewd dsm ltnl Tsee Iasd, e d lr1 i td pplenhtrfts i9beysoe oedsthroeafed.h6ar mveaoor n gc gteor0eno trmvtddoieehanwa rhroso irr pened l tree, -t - sd uI cinogoskC,i nosgock utilnrpagtd uiirste ioa, nnas n afldr tol,ui tbreuirstah t.iut’rse a, lbsou tm woere c athn’at nl ivteh awt. itPheoouptl ef ocoadn! lSivoe, ewnijtohyo utth em upsriocc, epsasi,n bt-ut better yet, enjoy sharing it with others. Diane Kochilas CCoonnssuullttiinngg cchheeff PDaafnyoinacddlnou eWmss i KnoiRnrgoee ce.o h sonDitfl aai tasGrun ariersdea iehtancia otecs,n h,a aNeTllf hsY,Go eCa r meuGtearhkedo eerrk ,e n caVuinpemdege setr,t eoaaaurscsi ha wteneer, .ll eMlS vaehisszei oe thn,h a Teas hn cepdu u lGtrbaulloidrsreihoi oe ouadfps oG pFveroeeaorerd acasne c.do eTofso z, G elaenrnea cdreon cro eumk,n boMsor eoeak d ascitb oeioonrukcrtliaun nDgde iinasacgnnh,e oG,T ohgrlieo l l itFnoog o d www.dianekochilas.com. Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 6 4/23/11 12:42 PM Sharon From the Author Welcome to the second edition of Superchef. When we fi rst cre- ated this series of cookbooks our goal was to introduce new cooks to traditional yet tantalizing recipes from around the world, SUPER adapted to work in your kitchen. That goal has not changed. CHEF Young chefs like yourself who discovered Superchef have been learning to cook international recipes with family and friends ever since. The world of satisfying recipes, along with the basic principles of kitchen safety, food handling, and common-sense nutrition is what made Superchef so popular when it was fi rst introduced. Those same goals hold true with the new edition. Learning to master authentic international recipes and sharing them with family and friends is the motivation behind these cookbooks. This edition offers the invitation to new cooks as well as old to step into the kitchen and start cooking. Within this complete series you will fi nd clas- sic recipes from eight different countries. The recipes are not necessar- ily all low-fat or low-calorie, but they are all healthful. Even if you are a vegetarian, you will fi nd recipes without meat or with suggestions to make the dish meatless. Superchef can change the way you feel about cooking. You can learn to make authentic and delicious dishes from recipes that have been tested by young cooks in kitchens like yours. The recipes range from very basic to challenging. The instructions take you through the preparation of each dish step by step. Once you learn the basic techniques of the recipes, you will understand the principles of cooking fresh food successfully. There is no better way to get to know people than to share a meal with them. Today, more than ever, it is essential to understand the many cul- tures that inhabit our planet. One way to really learn about a country is to know how its food tastes. Cooking is the one thing we all have in com- mon. You can prepare a recipe in your kitchen and know that somewhere, perhaps many thousands of miles away, that same dish is probably being prepared in the country where it originated. Every day in the United States we are reminded of our multicultural richness just by the foods available to us. The delicious result of that abundance is that American cooking has developed into one of the most diverse and appealing cuisines on the planet. Learning to cook is one of the most important things anybody can do. Cooking skills stay with you your entire life and it sure is fun. Learning to cook takes practice, patience, and common sense, but it’s not nuclear science. Cooking certainly has its rewards. Just the simple act of prepar- ing food can lift your spirits. Nothing brings family and friends togeth- er better than cooking and then sharing the meal you’ve made. It can be fun, and you get to eat your mistakes. It can even lead to a high-paying career. Most importantly, you can be proud to say, “Oh, glad you liked it. I did it myself.” Happy cooking! Matthew Locricchio Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 7 4/23/11 12:43 PM Sharon • Before Ask an adult to be your assistant chef. You Begin To ensure your safety, some steps in a recipe are best done with the help of an adult, like handling pots of boiling water or hot cooking oils. Good cooking is about teamwork. With an adult assistant to help, you’ve got the mak- A Word • i ngs of a perfect team. about Safety Read the entire recipe before you start to Safety and common prepare it, and have a clear understand- sense are the two ing of how the recipe works. If something most important ingre- • is not clear, ask your teammate to explain it. dients in any recipe. Before you begin to Dress the part of a chef. Wear an apron. make the recipes in Tie back long hair so that it’s out of your food this book, take a few and away from open fl ames. Why not do what minutes to master a chef does and wear a clean hat to cover your some simple kitchen • h air! safety rules. Always start with clean hands and a clean kitchen before you begin any rec- ipe. Always wash your hands again after handling raw meat, poultry, or fi sh. Leave the • kitchen clean when you’re done. Pot holders and hot pads are your friends. The hands they save may be your own. Use them only if they are dry. Using wet holders • on a hot pot can cause a serious burn! Keep the handles of the pots and pans turned toward the middle of the stove. That way you won’t accidentally hit them and knock over pots of hot food. Always use pot holders to open or move a pan on the stove or in the oven. Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 8 4/23/11 12:44 PM Sharon • Remember to turn off the stove and oven when you are fi nished cooking. Sounds like a simple idea, but it’s easy to forget. Be S•ha rp about Knives A simple rule about knife safety is that your hands work as a team. One hand grips the handle and operates the knife while the other guides the food you are cutting. The hand holding the food should never come close to the blade of the knife. Keep the fi ngertips that hold the food slightly curved and out of the path of the blade, and use your thumb to keep the food steady. Go slowly. There is no reason to rush. • Always hold the knife handle with dry hands. If your • h ands are wet, the knife might slip. • W ork on a cutting board, never a tabletop or countertop. Never place sharp knives in a sink full of soapy water, where they could be hidden from view. Someone reach- ing into the water might get hurt. Before You Begin 9 Super Chef_ltaly Italy.Int.FINAL.indd 9 4/23/11 12:50 PM Sharon