INVOLTINI DI MELANZANE

This summer we had the opportunity to take a cooking class as a family in Amalfi, in an almost magical setting: a lemon grove set right above the town. La famiglia Aceto taught us how to make these light and super easy to prepare eggplant "roll-ups".

This dish is now our new favorite! Hope you will like it too.

TIP: the quality of the eggplants is crucial for a successful outcome. If you live in the US, please avoid buying the standards eggplants you find at the supermarket. They have too many seeds. Look instead for either Chinese eggplants (long and thin) or the Holland or Italian eggplants, which are going to be not as thin but with no seeds.

INGREDIENTS (for five people)

6 long eggplants
2 pints of cherry tomatoes
1/4 lb of diced provola (smoked mozzarella) or regular fresh mozzarella
grated Parmigiano cheese
fresh basil
salt
vegetable frying oil

olive oil


Start by washing the eggplants. Dry and remove the stem. Slice them thin lengthwise, discarding the first and last slices which will be mostly skin.
Fry them in vegetable oil until they become golden and drain on absorbent paper.

Make a sauce with the cherry tomatoes: wash them and cut them in half or fourths, depending on how big they are. Sautée them in a pan with very little olive oil. Add salt to taste. Don't cook them too long or they will become watery. Five minutes should suffice.

Use a plate to assemble the rolls: take one eggplant and garnish with the tomatoes, provola, grated cheese and basil (in this order). Roll it up and place it in a baking dish, side up. Continue until you run out of eggplants.

Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve warm.

Special Thanks to the Aceto Family!
http://www.amalfilemon.it/

ZUCCHINE ARROSTITE

Another easy side dish to accompany meat or fish. Also great to enrich your lunch sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:

6 round zucchini (alternatively the traditional long ones will be just as fine - just beware of seeds if you live in the US)
Minced fresh garlic
Fresh mint
Salt
Olive oil
White vine vinegar


Wash the zucchini, remove top and bottom. Slice them thin (a little less than 1/4 of an inch)
and roast them, on both sides, making sure not to overdue it, as they will easily burn.
In a serving dish, make a layer of zucchini. Dress with salt, minced garlic and mint, olive oil and just some sprinkles of vinegar. Make several layers in the same fashion until you run out of zucchini.
You can keep this dish refrigerated for a few days.

INSALATA DI ASPARAGI E BARBABIETOLE

This fresh salad is ideal to cool off during hot summer days. Have it for lunch with a green salad and fresh bread or use it as a side dish for dinner.


INGREDIENTS for 5 people:

One bunch of fresh asparagus
Four small boiled beets (you can now buy them precooked in most supermarkets)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Two or three scallions
Salt

Wash the asparagus, remove the ends and chop it up in about 1 in. chunks. Steam until tender.
In the meanwhile chop up the beets. When the asparagus is cooked, add it to the beets. Flavor with salt, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and the chopped up scallions. Stir well. Serve cold or at room temperature.

INSALATA DI PATATE

This tasty potato salad hides in its dressings the benefits of green veggies that usually children don't appreciate much.  Instead, the unusual pesto-like dressing makes this salad palatable even to young ones.

INGREDIENTS for about 8 people:

10 New or Yukon Gold potatoes - all about the same size

A handful of fresh arugula salad (about 2 cups)

A handful of fresh parsley

A handful of fresh basil

One clove of garlic

Extra-virgin olive oil (about 1 cup)

Fresh lemon juice (1/2 a lemon or a whole one)

Salt

Start by washing well the potatoes - skin on.
Place them in a tall pot. Fill with cold water and bring to a boil. Let boil on medium heat until you can easily pierce them with a fork (this will take about 30 /40 minutes or even less for new potatoes).
Drain the water and let the potatoes cool.

Prepare the pesto dressing by placing a handful of arugula salad, the parsley and basil in an electric mixer (with large blades), add  the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and some salt.  Mix until you get your pesto. You will need to add the olive oil in increments until you reach the desired consistency.
(If you like to taste the lemon in your dressing, add the juice of a whole lemon.)

Peal the potatoes and dice them in large cubes. Dress with the pesto and delicately stir. Taste and add more salt if needed.

CAVATELLI AL POMODORO E RICOTTA

Cavatelli  are a type of fresh pasta, typical of certain more rural areas of central and southern Italy, similar to dumplings or shells. They are typically home made ( I have fond memories of making them with my grandmother on Sunday mornings) but have recently become more available, either fresh or dry, also in the US, in Italian specialty shops.

This recipe features them with a simple plum tomato sauce, accompanied by a dab of fresh ricotta cheese.

INGREDIENTS for 5 people:

1 Package of cavatelli (1lb or 500 gr.)
Half a onion
1 12 oz can of whole plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano type)
Extra -virgin olive oil
Salt
Fresh basil
Grated Parmigiano cheese
Whole milk ricotta cheese 

Start by making the sauce:slice the onionand sautée it in olive oil in a small pot. When it becomes translucent, add the tomatoes, also previously diced. Let cook on medium/ low heat for about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
In the meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to the tomato sauce. Stir well, still on low heat. Serve by adding a dab of ricotta, fresh basil and grated Parmigiano cheese to each dish.

POLLO AL LIMONE

In our family we call this dish Pollo Angelo. My father brought back this idea from a restaurant in Las Vegas, where he worked for a short while when I was in high school. I am not sure who Angelo was nor can I say that this is an authentic Italian dish. However, something similar does exist on the Amalfi coast. So who knows...maybe Angelo was also from there!

Pollo Angelo was comfort food for me and my brothers growing up, and is now comfort food for my children, and definitely our favorite way to remember our Nonno Matteo.

It is super easy to make. Your children will love it too!

INGREDIENTS for 5 people:

2 Chicken Breasts
Some flour for dusting the chicken
About 3 TBS of butter
Salt
Pepper
1 Fresh Lemon

Start by removing fat from the chicken breast. Cut it in chunks. Dust them in flour.
Let the butter melt in a frying pan. Add the chicken. Cook on medium / high heat so that a crust will form on the outside. Turn it to make sure all sides form a crust. Add salt and pepper to taste and the juice of a lemon. Lower heat to low. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Serve promptly with your favorite veggies.

Watch David Rocco's video for additional lemon based recipes, typical of the Amalfi Coast .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjkT8S82lmc

POLPO ALL'INSALATA

OCTOPUS SALAD is one of the dishes that mean "Summertime" to me. I realize not everyone might be a fan of octopus meat and that some people might find it even repulsive. But I can assure you that it is a true delicacy of the Amalfi Coast!
Serve it as an appetizer with fresh bread or as a second course with a green salad. This could become your new favorite Summer lunch!

In Italy, we make this dish with fresh octopus. However, I have never been able to find a large fresh octopus here in the Boston area. Hence, I buy it frozen, from Protugal.
If you are able to find a fresh one, you will want to freeze it first,  to make the meat more tender.

INGREDIENTS:

One large frozen octopus
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Parsely
Hot pepper flakes
Fresh lemon juice


Start by thawing the octopus the evening before.
Once defrosted, rinse it well under cold running water.
Place it in a large pot with abundant water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium / low and continue boiling until you can easily pierce the meat with a fork.

Remove from water and let cool down. 

Cut the octopus in chunks with scissors. Dress with olive oil, salt, parsley, hot pepper flakes and FRESH lemon juice. Taste to make sure you have a good dressing (more "lemony" than "oily").

On the Amalfi Coast often times restaurants will add white cannellini beans and / or boiled potatoes to this salad. Try all options and decide how you like it best!