Italy: Fettuccine with chorizo, prawn and spinach served with a Rocket and Radicchio Salad

Considered one of the birthplaces of western civilisation Italy has been influencing culture, art and food traditions around the world for centuries. In fact, the historical roots of Italy run so deep they reach back more than 8000 years. Ancient Italians invented the Latin alphabet and were at the forefront of writing and the written word.  Which is a blessing for modern cooks as the cuisine of Italy can be traced to cookbooks as far back as the 4th century BCE.

 

Italy has many diverse geographic zones (from snowy-topped mountains to sun-drenched Mediterranean orchards and farmland fertilised by active volcanos), so it’s not surprising that Italian cuisine has evolved over time into numerous regional styles that are renowned for speciality dishes linked to local food resources, cultural values and cooking practices.  And yet, these culinary traditions share an overarching  theme of simplicity. Many Italian dishes are made from just a few high-quality seasonal fresh ingredients (such as seafood, fruits, vegetables, olives, cheese and herbs), together  with pasta or rice.  

 

Tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum and corn arrived from The Americas in the mid 16^th century and after a somewhat chilly reception they were embraced into Italy’s food family. It’s a story that shows how a cuisine can be revolutionised by new ingredients and cooking methods and it’s now hard to imagine Italian cuisine without the tomato. Similarly, several centuries later when Italians began leaving home  in search of a new beginning in the United States of America they carried their family recipes with them. Over time many of these recipes developed into regional favourites that transformed food culture in the USA. But its just not America. Almost everywhere that Italians have migrated to has found their  food culture enriched and subtly changed for the better.

our

ITALIAN

menu included

 

FETTUCCINE WITH CHORIZO, PRAWN AND SPINACH

with

ROCKET AND RADICCHIO SALAD

& 
fresh Ciabatta herb bread

FETTUCCINE WITH CHORIZO, PRAWN AND SPINACH

 

Ingredients:

·      1 ½  packets/boxes fresh fettuccine or dry Barilla fettuccine

·      1 fresh chorizo, very thinly sliced

·      1 medium brown onion, peeled and chopped

·      24 fresh prawns, peeled, de-veined and butterflied

·      1 handful of pitted black olives

·      3-4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

·      good quality Italian olive oil

 

Method:

1.     Heat a large frypan on high with 1 tbs olive oil. 

2.     Add the chorizo and onion, and cook until the onion softens 

3.     When the Chorizo is cooked begin cooking the fettuccine in a saucepan of salted boiling water (with a spoon of olive oil in the water as well), following packet directions (about 10 mins if it is the dried Barilla)

TIP: if you are using fresh pasta it will only take about 3-4 mins to cook so delay cooking until prawns are almost done)

4.     Add the prawns to the Chorizo pan and toss for 3-4 minutes or until cooked 

5.     Add the olives and cooked pasta, and stir to combine with the pan juices

6.     Just before serving, add the spinach leaves and stir

 

recipe adapted from an original created by chef Michael Finn – check out his fabulous authentic Italian food @ http://www.italianchef.com

 

 

ROCKET AND RADICCHIO SALAD

 

Ingredients:

·      4 cups fresh rocket (arugula), washed and  dried

·      2 small or 1 large radicchio (rossa di treviso variety if you can find it) 

·      ½ cup of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and thinly sliced

·      ½  cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

·      ¼  cup good virgin olive oil

·      2 tbs lemon juice

·      Salt

 

NOTE: 

Radicchio is often mistaken for lettuce or cabbage but this lovely red and white stripped vegetable is actually a type of chicory and closely related to Belgian Endive. It is very versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked in many ways.

 

Method:

1.     Start by preparing the Radicchio (method depends on the radicchio size)

2.     Slice off the bottom (where the roots would have been),  and discard the bottom and any wilted or damaged leaves from the outside 

3.     If you have a small/very small Radicchio all you need to do now is to peel off each leaf and used the leaves whole

4.     To cut up a larger Radicchio follow step 2 then cut the Radicchio in to quarters, slice out the core of each ¼ and peel the leaves off

5.     Now it’s time to make the salad

6.     Take a large serving platter  and arrange the radicchio around it in a fan

7.     Pile  the fresh rocket into the middle of the platter 

2.     Top this with the sliced tomatoes 

4.     mix the olive oil and the lemon juice and salt then  drizzle over the salad

5.     sprinkle the almonds on top

 

Adapted from a recipe in 

Italian Country Cooking - The Secrets of Cucina Povera

by Loukie Werle, published by Metro Books 

 

Note: Photo used under Fair Use Laws from: 

https://www.coastorewa.co.nz/product/pasta-of-the-day/