Gennaro Slow Cook Italian (2015)
Savoury bakes
Patate alla birra
Cipolle ripiene
Gattó di patate con porcini e speck
Tiella Pugliese con cozze
Calamari ripieni
Peperoni al forno ripieni al risotto
Timballo di riso estivo
Patate al forno tartufate
Carote al forno con erbe
When I was growing up, slow-baked dishes were very popular in Italy; they were often cooked in the wood-fired oven as it cooled down after the bread had been baked. Dishes such as gattó di patate and timballo di riso could be left in the low oven to cook for a long time, sometimes all day, ready for the evening meal.
People who didn’t have an oven at home would bring their savoury dishes to the local bakery to put in the hot ovens once the day’s bread was all made; the dishes would be left for most of the day and collected later, nicely cooked and warm - and all for free!
This method of cooking was traditionally used on the eve of the feast of All Saints - these days known as Hallowe’en. Food was cooked during the day and night, but tradition dictated that it was forbidden to cook on 1 November; that day was dedicated to visiting the cemetery to honour deceased relatives and families needed a warm cooked meal ready upon their return from the cemetery.
Most of the bakes in this chapter can be made in advance and reheated when required; some can also be enjoyed cold. Many are meals in themselves and are ideal to serve at parties.
Patate alla birra
Potato bake with beer
A light, simple potato dish, ideal to accompany roast meats - or it can be eaten as a meal by itself. The subtle taste of malt in the beer marries really well with the potatoes, onions and smoked bacon. This can be made a day in advance and reheated.
Serves 4-6
1kg/2lb 4oz potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup lager beer
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, thinly sliced
200g/7oz smoked bacon cubes
85g/3oz pecorino (romano) cheese, grated
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Put the potatoes in a large bowl and toss together with the beer, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Lift the potatoes out of the beer mixture and line the bottom of an ovenproof dish with a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of sliced onions; sprinkle over a few cubes of bacon and some of the grated pecorino. Continue layering in the same way until all the ingredients are used, finishing with grated pecorino. Pour over the beer mixture, cover with foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
Cipolle ripiene
Baked filled onions
Onions are perfect for slow cooking - their flavour becomes delicate and subtle. They can be filled with all sorts of different ingredients; I love this combination of mortadella, walnuts and thyme, which I sometimes use as a stuffing for chicken. This dish can be eaten by itself, served with a green salad, or as an accompaniment to roast meat. It can be made in advance and reheated when needed.
Serves 2-4
4 large onions
115g/4oz mortadella, finely chopped
85g/3oz/¾ cup walnuts, finely chopped
85g/3oz Parmesan, grated
1 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup vegetable stock - or use a stock cube
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Peel the onions and slice off the tops at about a third of the way down, then scoop out the cavities. Finely chop the scooped-out onion and combine with the mortadella, walnuts, Parmesan, thyme, some salt and pepper and the eggs; set aside.
Put the onions in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle a little salt and pepper inside them. Fill each onion with the mortadella mixture, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Pour the stock into the bottom of the dish, cover with foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Gattó di patate con porcini e speck
Mashed potato cake with porcini and speck
The gattó di patate is a typically Neapolitan dish whose name derives from the French gâteau, meaning ‘cake’. Apparently it was first made in Naples in 1768 for the wedding of Marie Caroline (sister of Marie Antoinette) to Ferdinand, King of Naples; French cuisine was highly influential in Europe at that time. In southern Italy, gattó is traditionally made with mozzarella and pieces of leftover salami and prosciutto. This is a south-meets-north version, a southern speciality using northern ingredients - dried porcini mushrooms, speck (smoked cured ham) and Taleggio cheese. Of course, if you prefer, you can use mozzarella and a mix of prosciutto and salami. Once baked, it is left to rest in the warm oven for at least 30 minutes - this way all the flavours come together for maximum taste - and enjoyed at room temperature. It tastes even better the next day, eaten cold. This is a meal in itself, served with a mixed side salad.
Serves 4-6
1kg/2lb 4oz floury (starchy) potatoes, such as red Desirée, scrubbed
100g/3½oz/7 tbsp butter, plus extra to grease
150g/5½oz piece of speck or Parma ham, cubed
100g/3½oz Parmesan, grated
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs, plus extra to dust
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
40g/1½oz dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
85g/3oz button mushrooms, halved
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
200g/7oz Taleggio cheese, roughly chopped
Boil the potatoes in their skins until cooked through, drain, leave until cool enough to handle, then peel off the skins. Mash the potatoes together with 75g/2¾oz/5 tbsp of the butter. Add the speck, Parmesan, eggs and yolks and combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease an ovenproof dish with butter and dust with breadcrumbs.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes, then discard the garlic. Drain the porcini, add to the pan and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add the button mushrooms, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Put half of the mashed potato mixture in the prepared dish, cover with the mushroom mixture and the Taleggio cheese, and then the remaining potato mixture. Dot with the remaining butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown.
Switch the oven off and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Tiella Pugliese con cozze
Baked rice with mussels
This typical peasant dish from Puglia, the heel of Italy, is said to have Spanish influences. It was often made with ‘poor’, but nourishing, local ingredients, to easily and cheaply feed a large family at the end of a long working day in the fields. It is unclear whether the word tiella derives from the dish it was cooked in or the cooking method. No matter; it has over time become the name of this dish, of which there are many variations, made with vegetables, meat or fish, depending on availability. However, the two main ingredients, rice and potatoes, are always present. This version using mussels comes from Bari, the capital city of the Puglia region. The uncooked rice is scattered over the layers of ingredients and the end result is an interesting type of baked risotto with a lovely subtle seafood flavour.
Serves 4
250g/9oz fresh mussels, scrubbed, any open or broken shells discarded
2 handfuls of parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 onion, finely sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
250g/9oz potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
250g/9oz cherry tomatoes, halved
10g/¼oz pecorino (romano) cheese, grated
150g/5½oz/¾ cup arborio rice
Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
Put the mussels in a pan, cover with a lid and cook on a high heat for a couple of minutes until the shells open. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, discarding any mussels whose shells remain closed. Combine the parsley and garlic and set aside.
Line an ovenproof dish with the sliced onion, followed by half of the parsley mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover with half of the potatoes, the mussels, tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining parsley mixture. Sprinkle with the pecorino, then scatter in the raw rice, the remaining potatoes and the remaining olive oil. Pour in 400ml/14fl oz/1⅔ cups water, ensuring you cover all the ingredients - you may need less or more water.
Cover with foil and bake for 1¼ hours, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a skewer. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.
Calamari ripieni
Filled baked squid
I love squid and whenever I’m on the coast in Italy, whether at a restaurant or at my sister’s house, I make sure to have them - in a salad, stewed with tomatoes, in pasta, or filled and slow-baked like this. Made this way, they are ideal as a light lunch served with a side salad.
Serves 4
4 large squid (calamari), including tentacles
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets
1 tbsp capers
200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g/3½oz bread, finely chopped
40g/1½oz/5 tbsp pine nuts
grated zest of ½ lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Thoroughly clean the calamari - you can ask your fishmonger to do this - ending up with four perfect sack-like calamari ready to fill. Roughly chop about half of the tentacles and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Lightly oil a baking dish.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic, anchovies and capers and sweat for a few minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon until the anchovies have dissolved. Add the chopped tentacles and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, then add the wine and allow to evaporate; season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Stir in the bread, pine nuts, lemon zest and parsley. Fill each squid with this mixture and tuck the reserved tentacles into the ends, place in the baking dish, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Serve hot.
Peperoni al forno ripieni al risotto
Baked peppers filled with risotto
I love roasted peppers, and this nutritious filling makes them a healthy complete meal. Filling peppers with rice is quite common in Mediterranean countries, but I find they can be a little bland; I have made a quick risotto with some summer vegetables to use as the stuffing and the addition of mint gives a pleasant refreshing flavour. You can make this dish very colourful by using red, yellow, green and orange peppers. I have suggested one pepper per person, but if, like me, you are greedy, double the quantities - you can always enjoy them cold or heated up the next day.
Serves 4
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
½ onion, finely chopped
150g/5½oz/¾ cup arborio rice
½ courgette (zucchini), cubed
½ aubergine (eggplant), cubed
2 tsp tomato purée (paste)
700ml/1¼ pints/3 cups hot vegetable stock - or use a stock cube
30g/1oz Parmesan, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large (bell) peppers
1 ball of mozzarella (about 125g/4½oz), cubed
a handful of fresh mint leaves, torn
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion and sweat on a medium heat until softened. Stir in the rice until each grain is coated with oil. Stir in the courgette, aubergine and tomato purée, then add a little stock and cook until absorbed.
Gradually add the remaining stock, stirring all the time, for 12-15 minutes. The rice should still be quite firm. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, taste for seasoning and leave to cool slightly.
Slice the tops off the peppers, keeping the stems so they look like little hats, and set aside. Put the peppers in a lightly oiled baking dish. Half-fill them with the risotto, add a few cubes of mozzarella, gently pressing it into the filling, and some mint. Add the remaining risotto and more mozzarella, pressing it in. Put the ‘hats’ on the filled peppers, drizzle with a little olive oil, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Can also be enjoyed cold.
Timballo di riso estivo
Baked rice with peppers, aubergines and tomato
A light rice dish slowly baked in the oven together with summer vegetables. You can roast the peppers in advance: place in a hot oven until the skins blacken, remove from the oven and leave until cool; the skins will easily come off. You can also grill the aubergines in advance, either under a hot grill (broiler) or on a hot griddle pan. Once the vegetables are cool, put them in the fridge until required. The timballo can be eaten warm or enjoyed cold the next day.
Serves 4
250g/9oz/1¼ cups arborio rice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g/14oz aubergine (eggplant), thinly sliced, grilled (see above)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow (bell) pepper, roasted and peeled (see above)
1 small red (bell) pepper, roasted and peeled (see above)
400g/14oz tomatoes: half roughly chopped, half thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
8 basil leaves, roughly torn
150g/5½oz mozzarella, roughly sliced
Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the rice for 8 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
Lightly brush the grilled aubergine slices with olive oil and set aside.
Roughly chop the roasted peppers, place on a plate, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil.
Place the chopped tomatoes in a bowl and combine with the garlic, parsley, basil, a generous tablespoon of olive oil, some salt and pepper and leave to marinate for 10 minutes. Stir in the cold cooked rice.
Lightly grease an ovenproof dish with olive oil and line with the aubergines. Add half of the rice mixture, followed by the peppers, mozzarella and a few tomato slices, then the remaining rice mixture. Put the remaining tomato slices on top, drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Can also be enjoyed cold.
Patate al forno tartufate
‘Posh’ baked potatoes
When I was a child, I remember that once all the baking was done in the wood-fired oven, my grandfather would often throw in a few potatoes - so as not to ‘waste’ the heat and ash. The result was a delicious hot potato, which we would eat as a treat with just a little salt. It was not until I arrived in England that I realized baked potatoes were very popular with all sorts of fillings. Potatoes and truffle marry really well together, so why not combine the humble spud with decadent truffle for a real treat?
Serves 4
4 baking potatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tsp truffle oil
40g/1½oz Parmesan, grated
100g/3½oz fontina cheese, grated
1 tsp thyme, very finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Wash and dry the potatoes, prick them all over with a fork or skewer, then rub all over with salt and a little of the truffle oil - about 1 teaspoon should be enough for all the potatoes. Wrap each potato in foil and bake in the oven for about 1¼ hours, until cooked through.
Remove from the oven, slice or cut the tops off the potatoes and carefully spoon out most of the soft potato into a bowl. Mix the spooned-out potato with truffle oil, Parmesan, fontina, thyme and some salt and pepper. Put the filling back in the skins and return to the oven for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Serve hot.
Carote al forno con erbe
Baked herby carrots
Simple to prepare, baked carrots infused with herbs are a wonderful way to serve this popular root vegetable. This is an ideal accompaniment to main courses, especially roast meats. If you prefer to keep the carrots whole you will need to increase the cooking time.
Serves 4
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
500g/1lb 2oz carrots, cut into large chunks
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of thyme
8 sage leaves
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
150ml/5fl oz/⅔ cup vegetable stock - or use a stock cube
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Put the shallots and celery in an ovenproof dish and put the carrots on top.
In a bowl, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper and pour over the carrots. Scatter with the herbs and pour over the stock. Leave to infuse for about 15 minutes.
Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.