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Silver Spoon Kitchen invites cooks to take an Italian holiday

By Kim Davaz

I have a friend to whom Italy speaks. They have not been formally introduced and he doesn't speak Italian, but she speaks to him, inviting him to visit.

"Recipes from an Italian Summer" from The Silver Spoon Kitchen will have Italy inviting you to vacation there, with many of the recipes from Sicily, Sardinia, Campania, Tuscany and the mountains of northern Italy - favorite places for Italians to go on holiday.

The book begins with a guide to Italian food festivals from the first week of May in Piedmont for the Risotto Festival through the beginning of October for a grape festival in Lazio. It's on to a seasonal produce calendar, then right into "Picnics." The recipes are arranged sometimes by type of food (salads, desserts and drinks), sometimes by type of meals (picnics, barbecues, light lunches and suppers, summer entertaining). For the most part, it's within the range of a decent cook with little to frighten a novice.

On the fussier side are Faux Eggs, empty egg shells filled with layers of shrimp and clams, peas and carrots, cooked egg yolks and whites, bound with lemony gelatin: beautiful and probably delicious, but more work than I'm inclined to spend on a hot summer day.

Some ingredients may be unfamiliar (one bunch of corn salad ), but a little searching on the Internet revealed it to be lamb's tongue, or mache, which is a very tender salad green.

The color photographs of the countryside, houses, towns, crops in the fields, finished dishes and raw ingredients will have you wishing you'd booked your trip months ago.

Serve Summer Stuffed Peppers from "Canapes and Appetizers" at a long table set outside, with lots of candles, fresh flowers, wine and, above all, friends. Stay long at the table, talking and laughing, until all the food is gone and the stars have come out.

Summer Stuffed Peppers

• 1 eggplant, diced
• 2 salted anchovies, with heads removed, cleaned, filleted, then soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 5 ounces Gruyere cheese, diced
• Scant cup black olives, pitted and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• Pinch dried oregano
• 6 green bell peppers
• Salt and pepper

 

Put the eggplant cubes in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let drain for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the anchovy fillets.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush and ovenproof dish with oil. Put the Gruyere, olives, parsley, basil, tomatoes and potatoes into a large bowl. Rinse the eggplant, pat dry with paper towels, and add to the bowl with the anchovies, capers and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Remove the stalks from the bell peppers and cut off and reserve the tops. Remove the seeds and membranes using a small, sharp knife and a teaspoon.

Fill the bell peppers with the stuffing mixtures, drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil into each, replace the tops, and secure them with a toothpick if necessary. Place the bell peppers in the prepared dish and bake for 1 hour. Serve hot or cold. Serves 6.

Kim Davaz writes a biweekly cookbook review column for The Register-Guard.

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