Festa Italiana

Some say the real reason Garibaldi unified Italy was to bring the food styles of 20 different tribes to the world under one red, green and white flag ... Neil Roake presents the best five Italian regions

LIGURIA

Cicatelli with pesto, potatoes and green beans:  Serves 4

I discovered these cicatelli pasta shapes at Checkers. They are similar to the cavatelli shapes used in Puglia, but pesto owes its origins to Liguria, that delicious, curvaceous stretch of coastline in the northwest. When I first saw this combination of starches on a menu, I was amazed - but it is heavenly.

Ingredients:

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 500g cicatelli pasta
• 200g green beans, sliced in half and lightly blanched
• 250ml (1 cup) ready-made pesto
• 100g pecorino, shaved
• Salt and black pepper

Method:

Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain and set aside. Boil the cicatelli in plenty of salted water for around 12 minutes. Add the beans and potatoes to the pasta and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and toss with the pesto. Top with the pecorino, season and serve.

CAMPANIA

Linguine with clams and zucchini   :  Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 6 large zucchini (baby marrows) finely sliced
• 500g linguine
• 1kg clams in the shell, rinsed and drained

Method:

Heat 15ml (1 tbsp) of the oil in a pan and gently fry 1 whole garlic clove. Add half the onion and sauté until transparent. Add 2 sliced zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and blend to a purée in a food processor. Set aside.

Cook the linguine in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente and drain.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 15ml (1 tbsp) of the oil in a pan with a lid and fry the remaining onion and half the remaining zucchini. Add the clams and steam with the lid on for 5 minutes until all the clams open, releasing their juices.

Heat the remaining 15ml (1 tbsp) oil in a large pan. Finely chop the remaining garlic clove and fry gently with the remaining zucchini for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini purée and the clam mixture and stir. Toss through the linguine. Serve garnished with rocket and extra deep-fried zucchini slices, if desired.

PUGLIA

Orecchiette with broccoli and anchovies: Serves 4

Orecchiette are pasta shapes that look like little ears (which is what the name means). They are common in Puglia in the south of Italy.

Ingredients:

• 1 head broccoli
• 250g orecchiette
• 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 6 anchovy fillets
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) dried chilli flakes
• 100g pecorino, grated
• 200g baby tomatoes, roasted
• Salt and black pepper

Method:

Steam the broccoli until soft and chop finely (save a few al dente florets for presentation). Boil the orecchiette in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the garlic, anchovies and chilli, crushing the anchovies with a spoon. Toss this with the pasta, adding the broccoli and pecorino. Add the tomatoes, season and serve.

VENETO

Carpaccio with artichokes: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 300g fillet steak
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 artichokes preserved in olive oil, sliced
• 1 packet baby leaf salad or micro herbs
• 100g pecorino, shaved

Method:

I like to char-grill the fillet just a little to brown the edges and seal in the juices. Rub the outside of the fillet with a little olive oil and season. Heat a pan and seal the fillet gently for 30 seconds on each side. Remove from the pan and cool.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap, sealing the ends like a sausage, and place in the freezer for 2 hours. It should be hard enough to slice very thinly with a meat slicer or sharp knife. Arrange the slices on a serving platter, overlapping a little.

Mix the artichokes with the salad leaves and place in the centre of the platter. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter over the pecorino shavings. Season and serve.

SICILIA

Caponata bruschetta: Serves 4 - 6

Sicilian caponata is a sweet-and-sour aubergine salad - sweet from the raisins, sour from the vinegar - which is served as a side dish with grilled fish or on bruschetta (toasted ciabatta slices rubbed with garlic).

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 300g aubergine, skin on, cut into 1cm cubes
• 150g fennel, chopped
• 150g red onion, chopped
• 150g zucchini (baby marrows), cut into 1cm cubes
• 80g golden sultanas
• 45ml (3 tbsp) white wine vinegar
• Handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 40 pine nuts, toasted
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 ciabatta loaf, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, cut in half lengthways
• 200g rosa tomatoes, cut in half
• Fresh rocket, to serve

Method:

Deep-fry the vegetables in individual batches in olive oil until golden brown but still firm. The fennel and onions should still have a little crunch. Drain each batch on paper towel to remove excess oil.

Combine the vegetables in a bowl with the sultanas, vinegar, basil and pine nuts. Season and set aside for at least 1 hour for the flavours of the caponata to infuse.

To make bruschetta, drizzle the sliced ciabatta with olive oil and toast on both sides under the grill or in a hot griddle pan. Rub one side of each slice with the cut garlic. Top each slice with a spoonful of caponata and a few tomato halves and serve garnished with rocket if desired.