Imagine having the opportunity to take a course in Italian cooking—then imagine not just one, but a score of chefs to teach you the art and techniques. Now Maxine Clark has assembled 20 leading chefs and food experts in a Masterclass in Italian Cooking. Each cook offers you three of their favorite dishes, one of which is selected to be a step–by–step masterclass to guide the cook through a recipe step-by-step, from choosing the perfect ingredients to presentation of the finished dish. Beautifully illustrated, MasterClass in Italian Cooking is a satisfying introduction to the fundamentals of the Italian kitchen.
FRANCESCA ROMINA is a Sicilian-New Yorker, and teaches the cuisine of her ancestral country in her Little Italy Cook School. She is so enthusiastic about the food of her home country and the freshness of the ingredients, and this dish encapsulates the peasant way of making a simple, delicious meal from whatever is in season, augmented by fresh eggs to make the dish more substantial. Sicilians love squash as well as courgettes (zucchini), particularly a pale green curly version that is cooked as a vegetable and made into a jam.
Cooks in Ciminna make this stew often as a way of using up their fresh vegetables, serving it for lunch or an evening snack with sandwiches, a frittata or leftovers. Whenever I cook this stew, I always make it red by adding tomato sauce or chopped fresh tomato. I also always add eggs, which is a Sicilian peasant tradition, and a way of making more of a meal. Squash grows abundantly in Sicily and can be found in every small garden. Sicilians prefer cucuzza, a common green squash that resembles a cucumber. Courgettes (zucchini), in contrast, are light mint green, about one foot long, and slightly curled and can be used here as an alternative. Many people are sentimental about cooking mint green courgettes (zucchini) because they remember their grandmothers cooking them for them when they were children. But today courgettes (zucchini) are too often tough and not very sweet. On the plus side, they will not fall apart as easily as cucuzza, so many Sicilians use them for making a stew. FR
Servings: 4
675g (1 1/2 lbs) medium-small green squash or courgettes (zucchini)
120m1 (4f1 oz) (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1cm (1/2inch) cubes
120m1 (4f1 oz) (1/2 cup) to (250m1) (8fl oz) (l cup) tomato sauce or 1 really ripe large tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano, stalks removed, crushed until powdery
10 large fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
4 large eggs
grated caciocavallo, canestrato, provolone, or pecorino (romano) cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel the squash or courgettes (zucchini), leaving on thin strips of the skin to create a striped appearance. Quarter each one lengthways, then cut crosswise into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces.
In a medium-sized pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and potato and saute, sprinkling with a dash of salt and stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden and the potatoes begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the squash or courgette (zucchini) pieces and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they become golden - another 8 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce or chopped tomato and enough water to cover (about 1 litre / 1 3/4 pints / 3 or 4 cups) along with the oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon salt and ‘2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring the stew to a boil, reduce the heat to low, prop a spoon under the lid to keep the pot half uncovered, and simmer until the stew begins to thicken, about 20 minutes.
If using the eggs, crack them one by one and gently drop them into the stew; do not stir. Taste the stew every 10 minutes and adjust all the seasonings as necessary. Re-cover and continue simmering for another 15 to 20 minutes. Once the eggs have set and the potatoes are fork-tender, the stew is done. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add 4 tablespoons grated cheese. Serve with more grated cheese and Sicilian bread.
