Southern Italian Cooking!

The flavours of the South, ripe tomatoes, citrus fruit, olives from twisted groves and fresh herbs.

Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia make up Italy's South, home to robust cucina povera (peasant cooking) and a wonderful cuisine created from whatever was available: sun-ripened vegetable and fruit, wheat for dried pasta and local cheeses.

Surrounding Rome, Lazio is influenced by the unique food of its capital. Roman cuisine is not delicate and makes use of pasta, beans, artichokes, meat and its spaghetti al carbonara and bucatini all'amatriciana both include the local guanciale (cured peg's cheek). In rural Lazio, lamb is used often in dishes like abbacchio (milk fed baby lamb).

Abruzzo and Molise are mountainous areas with strong rural cooking traditions. Molise produces fine lentils, pasta and olive oils, while saffron is grown in Abruzzo, along with the divolilli (tiny red chilies) that go into so many dishes.

The cuisine of Campania and Naples is famous throughout the world: spaghetti with tomatoes and basil, spaghetti all vongole, pizza topped with fresh mozzarella and eggplant parmigiana. As well as fresh mozzarella made from buffalo or cows milk, there is good ricotta, goat cheeses and caciocavall. Lemons are used in granita and limoncello.

Puglia has had many foreign invaders, but the food remains Italian. Orecchette is a delicious ear shaped past, served locally with cime di rapa (trunip greens) and good cheeses include caciocavallo, scamorza and pecorino.

Basilicata is one of the poorest regions of Italy, but it cucina povera, dominated by pasta and vegetables, can be delicious,. Dishes and meats are spiced with peperoncino.

At the tip of Italy, Calabria has two coastlines, giving it plenty of seafood, particularly swordfish and tuna. Citrus fruit grow well here, as do figs and olives. Peperoncino adds fire to the cooking and there is excellent provolone and caciocavallo.

Sicilian food has long been influenced by invaders, particularly the Arabs who brought sugar. The island's dolci (sweets), granite and gelati are still considered Italy's best. There is also an abundance of seafood, citrus fruit and capers for making caponata. The Sardinians have traditionally looked more to their inhospitable interior for food than to their once mosquito infested coast. The food is based on sucking pig and lamb, percorino, pane carsu (flat bread) and honey.

Spaghetti Carbonara
Makes 4 to 6 healthy servings

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chopped ham
1 pound cooked and drained spaghetti
1/2 pound bacon - cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 eggs, beaten
1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento peppers, drained
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, chopped

Directions
1 Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet.
2 Add the oil and ham and saute lightly.
3 Add the cooked spaghetti, bacon, cheese, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir well.
4 Turn off the heat and pour beaten eggs over all. Toss to coat evenly, then add the olives and pimentos and toss again. Serve at once.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Serves 6

Ingredients

500 grams bucatini
2 onions, sliced
100 grams guanciale, sliced
15 grams lard
1 kilo tomatoes
salt and pepper
100 grams pecorino, grated
10 basil leaves ‚ optional

Method

Fry the onions and guanciale in a pan till the onions are slightly coloured and add the lard.

Peel and seed the tomatoes and cut into pieces, season well with salt and pepper but be careful not to over-salt as the guanciale is already salty.

Cook over a fierce heat for a few minutes until the tomatoes are cooked but not broken up

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water till just cooked. Season with the sauce and the grated pecorino

Spaghetti with tomato and Basil Sauce

Serves 6

Ingredients

750 grams spagettini (thin spaghetti)
900 grams fresh ripe tomatoes
12 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
18 fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese

Method

Remove the core from tomatoes and cut a cross on the other side.

Drop tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 10 seconds, then remove and run under cold water. Peel tomatoes and cut in half. Set a fine sieve over a bowl and squeeze out seeds, retaining the juices and discard the seeds. Cut tomatoes into 1-cm cubes and place in a bowl with olive oil and garlic. Tear the basil leaves into strips and add to the sauce, tossing well.

Leave to macerate for at least two hours at room temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite. Drain well and place in a serving dish or platter.

Spoon half the tomato mixture over the pasta and mix thoroughly. Present the remaining sauce over and around the pasta. Serve immediately with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti all vongole

Makes 4 - 6 servings

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, with juice
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

Directions
1 Cook pasta according to package directions.
2 Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, brown garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Stir in butter or margarine and seasonings until butter or margarine is melted. Add clams with some of their liquid; heat through.
3 Drain pasta. Toss spaghetti with clam sauce, and top with grated Romano cheese.