Starters
Cardoncelli mushrooms au gratin
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of Carboncelli mushrooms
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sprig of parsley
- Dry breadcrumb
- 2 minced and cleaned cloves of garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation:
Carefully clean the mushrooms removing the possible part full of earth. Subsequently wash the mushrooms in hot water before and then in cold water, then squeeze them slightly. Put them into an oiled pan (with the stalk turned upwards). In the meanwhile prepare separately a mixture of grated dry breadcrumb, a handful of minced parsley, 2 minced cloves of garlic, salt and pepper; sprinkle pepper on the mushrooms adding a little of oil. Bake the whole at 170°C for about 30 minutes.
Fried Lampascioni
Ingredients:
- 400 gr of lampascioni
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt, as much as it is enough
- Pepper, as much as it is enough
Preparation:
Lampascioni are bitter onions which spontaneously grow in uncultivated soils. Unlike normal onions they need 4-5 years of growth before being picked up.
Carefully clean the lampascioni washing them repeatedly. It is advisable to leave them a night in fresh water and rinse them the day after.
When they are dry, cut the into 4 parts.
Prepare a saucepan with abundant oil and, once it reaches the right temperature, immerse the lampascioni into water until they open up. At this stage strain them.
They are served hot dressed with a few salt and pepper.
Cialledda
Ingredients:
- Cold water
- Salt
- 1 cucumber
- 2 fresh tomatoes
- 1 Acquaviva’s sweet onion
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Homemade bread or toast-like bread
Preparation:
Clean and slice cucumber, tomatoes and onion. Salt and season the whole with extra-virgin olive oil. At the same time prepare a bowl with cold water where you will put the ingredients and will leave them to mix for some minutes. It is preferable to choose the pieces of homemade bread or toast-like bread.
It is possible to add oregano to the dressing, as you like.
Mussels au gratin
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of mussels
- Parsley
- 5 eggs
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Breadcrumb
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation:
Carefully wash the mussels opening them with the knife edge.
Separately prepare an oiled pan and add some spoons of salt water. Then arrange the mussels and dress them one at a time with a preparation containing breadcrumb, minced parsley, oil, salt and pepper.
Then bake the pan: when cooking is almost completed, spill the eggs previously beaten and dressed with salt and pepper.
Stuffed Aubergines
Ingredients:
- 3 big aubergines
- 2 eggs
- Breadcrumb
- Tomato sauce
- 30 gr of grated Apulian Pecorino (Apulian sheep milk cheese)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 thick slices of mortadella
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation:
Wash and cut the aubergines (in vertical sense) into two parts.
With a spoon remove the internal pulp of each aubergine. Subsequently cut the pulp into cubes and leave it under salt for about 1 hour.
Prepare a pan containing olive oil; once the oil is hot, fry both the aubergine small cups and its pulp.
In a separate terrine, mix beaten eggs, bread crumbs, grated pecorino and snipped mortadella until they create an homogeneous mixture.
At last add the aubergines pulp to the mixture and carefully mix together.
In a pan, spill a bit of tomato sauce (as much as you like) and arrange the couples filled with the prepared mixture. Dress everything with salt, pepper and the remaining tomato sauce.
Bake for half an hour.
Anchovies with vinegar
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of anchovies
- 500 grof vinegar
- 200 gr of extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 onions
- 1 clove of garlic
- Parsley leaf
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt , as much as it is enough
Preparation:
Put some flour into a dish, then strain the anchovies (previously boned) and fry them in boiling oil.
When they are ready, arrange them into a clay pan.
In a separate pan add a bit of oil, garlic and sliced onions; make them golden and finally add the vinegar.
Let the mixture boil for about 10 minutes and subsequently pour it on the anchovies.
It is advisable to let the whole stand for at least some days.
Courgettes “alla poverella” (Poor courgettes)
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of courgettes
- 1 minced clove of garlic
- Vinegar
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Mint leaves
- Salt
Preparation:
Wash the courgettes and cut them into round slices. Arrange them on a duster and let them dry up (possibly in the sun). Once ready, fry them in boiling oil, strain them from oil and dress them in a dish with vinegar, salt, garlic and diced mint leaves.
Parmigiana di melanzane (backed layers of aubergine with tomato, cheese and mozzarella)
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of aubergines
- 4/5 eggs
- Flour, as much as it is enough
- 500 gr. of pureed tomatoes
- 400 gr. of staled mozzarella (twisted mozzarella) or soft cheese
- Grated cheese
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Basil
- Onion
- Salt, as much as it is enough
Preparation:
Clean the aubergines peeling them off, then cut them into thin slices.
Subsequently, let them dry in a colander and flour them one at a time.
In a separate terrine beat the eggs and add a salt pinch.
Here strain each aubergine (previously floured) and then fry them in abundant olive oil.
Fry lightly onion with oil in another pan: once browned, pour the pureed tomatoes letting the onion cook for about 30 minutes. Then add a basil nosegay.
Pour a dipper of sauce into a pan (large enough to contain all the aubergines) and create the first layer of aubergines, mozzarella (sliced mozzarella), grated cheese and spread the whole again with another dipper of pureed tomatoes. Repeat the process until you finish the ingredients.
Complete the process with a handful of cheese and sauce.
Bake at 190° for about 30 minutes.
