During the first month of my externship here in Sorrento, I am participating in a daily cooking class with Master Chef Biagio Longo at the Mami Camilla Cooking School (www.mamicamilla.com). The class is held in the well-equipped kitchen of the Hotel, and each night we prepare a four-course dinner for the hotel guests and ourselves. The guests come and go each week but the great part is sitting down each night over a wonderful Italian meal and chatting with the international guests. So far we have met guests from England, Germany, Thailand, Holland, Amsterdam, Utah and even Arizona. Anywhere from 2 people a night to an impromptu tour group of 18 like on Sunday evening.
Each day is an intensive course in traditional Italian cooking techniques and classic dishes. I am photographing and documenting each recipe so that at the end of my time here, I will have a fantastic collection of Italian recipes to duplicate back at home. I wanted to share some of the simple recipes I have learned so far with you over the next few days. Believe me, their delicious simplicity will have you feeling as if you are joining us at the dinner table each night! Buon appetito!
Savory Escarole Pie
Sautéed Sweet Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes
Zuppa Minestrone with Garlic-Parmesan Bread
Zuppa Minestrone
(Click on the blue title of this blog post above to view the recipes on the following page*)
Simple Italian Recipes: Part 1
Ingredients:
- Savory Escarole Pie
- 2 pie crusts, store-bought or homemade
- 2 heads of escarole, chopped (you can substitute swiss chard or spinach here, too)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup black olives
- 2 Tablespoons capers
- 2 Tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 Tablespoons raisins
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- Sautéed Sweet Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. sweet peppers, variety of colors, stems removed
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halves
- Zuppa Minestrone
- A mixture of your favorite and readily-available vegetables , cut into medium dice, including: shelled peas, zucchini, celery, carrots, artichokes and stems, pumpkin/acorn squash, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes
- Water or veggie stock to cover
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
- .
Directions:
- Savory Escarole Pie
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Press your favorite store-bought or homemade pate brisee (not-too-sweet pie dough) into a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan. Using a fork, prick tiny holes throughout the dough.
- 2. In a large pot of boiling water, wilt the escarole and then drain it.
- 3. In a large sauté pan, sauté the cooked escarole in the oil with the garlic for 2 minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and then add in the remaining ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes to combine all of the flavors.
- 4. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool.
- 5. Spread the mixture into the prepared pie crust and put the second pie crust on top of the filled bottom crust.
- 6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the pie is lightly browned. Cut into wedges and serve.
- Sautéed Sweet Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, garlic, salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes.
- 2. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook an additional 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Zuppa Minestrone
- 1. In a large stock pot, place the diced vegetables. Cover with water or stock. Add the olive oil into the pot as well. Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 2. Season with salt and pepper and add the halved cherry tomatoes. An additional 20 minutes or until the vegetables are all tender. Serve with a bowl of parmesan cheese on the table to garnish each bowl, and a slice of garlic-parmesan bread.
- Garlic-Parmesan Bread
- 1 baguette, sliced in half, and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl combine the softened butter and sliced garlic with a rubber spatula. Spread the butter mixture onto each piece of bread.
- 2. Sprinkle each buttered piece of bread with parmesan cheese. Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the bread is crispy and the tops are beginning to lightly brown.
Tagged: cooking school, externship, Italy, Mami Camilla, Sorrento
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