Forget any lingering notions you may harbor about plates piled high with spaghetti and meatballs. Italian food has a lighter side that adapts itself very well to warm weather dining.
Southern Italian food especially has a strong emphasis on freshness. Fish pulled from the waters of the Mediterranean, cheese made in nearby provinces, fresh fruits and vegetables grown on farms scattered across the countryside, and oil pressed from age-old olive trees all form the basis of a cuisine that is perfect for summer dining.
The menu that follows is inspired by the sun-drenched cuisine of southern Italy. Enjoy it in that spirit and it just may take you, at least for the moment, beyond the stiffling confines of Chicago in August and transport you to a breezy outdoor trattoria in Amalfi.
It`s no myth that pasta is a staple in Italy. Here, find it tossed with chunks of grilled fresh tuna and vegetables. In a departure from Italian tradition, the pasta, bolstered with lots of fish, is served as an entree rather than a first course. This strategy is more in tune with lighter summer eating.
Seasonal accompaniments are also on the light side. A crisp, colorful salad of greens refreshes with just the right balance of ingredients. A common flavor chord connects the salad and pasta in a most subtle and agreeable way. Garlic oil is used in both. Minced garlic is heated in olive oil, then strained out. It leaves behind a whif of its tantalyzing flavor and aroma, tame and refined yet potent in its own right. Mixed with other ingredients, it always enhances in a unique way, never really tasting the same.
This clever ploy enlivens the simplest recipe, so keep some in the refrigerator for summer ease.
For dessert, try something that`s the essence of summer. Fresh peaches are spiked with champagne and frozen into a smooth, icy cold sherbet, a perfect refresher for summertime palates.
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Light and delicately flavored, this is an ideal candidate for summer dining. The smoky taste of grilled tuna is enhanced by tomatoes, onion and tender leaves of spinach. Lemon adds a lively note of freshness, basil the fragrance of a summer herb garden.
LEMON FETTUCINE WITH FRESH TUNA AND VEGETABLES
Six servings
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
1 3/4 pounds fresh tuna
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon garlic oil, see box
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 medium red onion (6 ounces)
2 medium tomatoes (14 ounces total), peeled, see note
1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Rind (colored part only) of 1/2 a lemon
3 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves
4 cups cooked fettucine noodles
1/3 cup julienned fresh basil
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, preferably imported
6 lemon wedges
1. Rinse and dry tuna. Brush with 1 tablespoon garlic oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill or broil, turning once, just until fish is cooked in center. Do not overcook. Carefully break the fish into 3/4-inch chunks.
2. Cut the onion into 1/4-inch dice. Core and seed the tomatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Cut the spinach into 1/2-inch ribbons. Shred the cheese with the fine shredder of a food processor or the fine side of a hand grater. 3. Heat 1/3 cup garlic oil in a large saute pan. When hot, add onions and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lemon rind, 3/4 cup stock or broth and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Toss in the pasta and cook until heated through. Gently toss in the tuna and spinach and cook until hot. Moisten with more stock or broth, if necessary. Remove from the stove, gently toss in the basil and adjust the seasoning. Can be made in advance. To serve hot, microwave on high, covered, for 7 minutes, stirring once.
4. To serve, divide between 6 plates and arrange cheese in a circle around the edge of the pasta. Serve hot or at room temperature with a lemon wedge. Adjust the seasoning.
Note: Tomatoes are peeled the same as peaches. See bellini sherbet recipe.
MICROWAVE: Rinse and dry tuna. Brush with 1 tablespoon garlic oil, and arrange in a single layer in a microwave dish, about 1/2-inches by 11-inches. Cover tightly with plastic, and cook on medium power (in a 650 watt oven) 7 minutes. Turn, cover, and cook on medium power 8 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. When cool enough to handle, carefully break the fish into 3/ 4-inch chunks. Follow step 2 above. Cook onion in oil in a large microwave safe dish uncovered, on high, for 4 minutes. Toss in tomatoes, lemon rind, 1/ 2 cup stock or broth, lemon juice and pasta. Cover and cook on high for 6 minutes. Toss in tuna and spinach and cook, covered, 3 more minutes. Toss in basil and adjust seasoning. Follow step 4 above.
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This is a simple salad, very much in the Italian style. Since I have the luxury of an herb garden, I grab a handful of this and that, so it turns out a little different each time. If you buy herbs, try basil, mint, parsley or cilantro, commonly found at the supermarket or farmer`s market.
ITALIAN GARDEN SALAD
Six servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Dressing:
1/2 cup garlic oil, see box above
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
2 small onions (4 ounces total)
2 medium red peppers (10 ounces total)
5 quarts mixed greens, torn in bite size pieces (I used 2 cups mixed fresh herbs, 3 cups arugula, 2 cups watercress leaves, 2 cups radicchio, and the rest romaine lettuce hearts)
1. For the dressing, mix the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard salt and pepper.
2. For the salad, peel onions and cut into thin slices, either with the thin slicing disc (2mm.) of a processor or by hand. Peel the pepper with a vegetable peeler, and cut into 1 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch strips. Tear the greens into bite size pieces. Can be made several hours in advance to this point. Wrap the dressing, vegetables and greens separately and refrigerate.
3. To serve, toss greens and vegetables with dressing. Adjust the seasonings, and vinegar, if necessary. Let rest a few minutes before serving. — — —
Bellini cocktails are a heady mix of sparkling wine and pureed peaches that originated at the legendary Harry`s Bar in Venice. The same combination is sensational as a sherbet, a cool and refreshing end to a summer meal.
BELLINI SHERBET
About 1 quart
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: Several hours
Freezing time: Varies
1/2 cup each: sugar, water
1 1/4 pounds ripe peaches, peeled, cut in pieces, see note
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup champagne, chilled
1 large egg white
Additional champagne
1. Make a sugar syrup by combining sugar and water in a small pan and cook just until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Puree the peaches in a blender or food processor. You should have about 2 cups puree. Mix in the hot sugar syrup and lemon juice and refrigerate until chilled.
3. Combine the peach mixture and champagne in an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturers` instructions. When it is slushy, but not yet frozen, add the egg white and finish freezing.
4. Sherbet can be used immediately or frozen. If frozen for more than a day, it is best to spoon the frozen sherbet into a food processor with the metal blade and process until smooth.
5. To serve, scoop into goblets and pour champagne over.
Note: To peel peaches, bring enough water to cover fruit to a rapid boil. Add peaches and blanch for 30 to 40 seconds or until the skin loosens. Drain immediately and hold them under cold water to stop them from cooking. Slip off the skin.
Making garlic oil
Being the garlic lover that I am, garlic oil is a staple in my kitchen. A simple mixture of minced garlic cooked briefly in oil then strained, it adds a lusty touch to salads and pasta as two of the recipes show today. Beyond that, its uses are endless in my kitchen. I brush it on bread, use it in soups, to saute vegetables, in marinades for meat, poultry and goat cheese. To make it, mince 4 cloves of garlic, small if your taste for garlic is timid, large if you prefer a robust flavor. Heat gently in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil just until the garlic smells fragrant. Strain into a jar, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a week.
