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During the hot months, I make quick and delicious meals from provisions sitting in my cabinets. For me, the summer pantry always contains boxes of pasta; jars of olives, roasted peppers, anchovies, capers and artichokes; cans of chickpeas and white beans; and other storable goods.
Ingredients from the refrigerator, such as fresh vegetables and mozzarella, goat cheese and feta, sometimes end up in a cool-weather meal, but it is this time of year when I rummage through the pantry.
Edward recently mentioned we hadn’t eaten Pasta alla Puttanesca in a while. I always have the ingredients on hand to make this famous dish and it takes on a delicious flair when substituting ripe red tomatoes for canned ones. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, imported San Marzano tomatoes from Italy are a perfect substitute.
Imported Italian tuna can be tossed with any number of ingredients for a delicious alternative to its canned American cousin. I like to pair it with chickpeas or white Northern beans for a lunchtime salad.
Pesto, the rich, green sauce from Genoa, is the perfect topping for pasta, grilled chicken or fish.
If I don’t have a jar of pine nuts stashed in the freezer, walnuts are almost as good.
This is the season when basil seems to appear in many dishes and I like to snip it into sauces or a Caprese salad.
Pasta alla Puttanesca
Ingredients:
1 pound of pasta, such as spaghetti, linguine or fusilli
6 ripe tomatoes, puréed in the food processor or 1 (35-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
1-1/2 cups of pitted olives of choice
1/2 cup of olive oil
6 anchovies, sliced
Hot pepper flakes, to taste
1 tablespoon of tiny capers, rinsed
Directions:
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Place the tomatoes in a deep skillet or 4-quart pot. Gently heat through.
Add the olives, olive oil, anchovies, pepper flakes and capers to the tomatos. Blend well.
Bring to a slow boil, lower the heat and simmer for about five to 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta. Add to the tomato sauce and blend well.
Serves four.
Italian Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas or white Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 (7-ounce) cans imported Italian tuna in oil, drained
1 small red onion or sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon, or 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Small handful of chopped Italian parsley leaves
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a serving bowl. Toss well. Chill for at least two hours.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
Serves six.
Note from Phyllis: Serve this salad inside radicchio or Boston lettuce cups, if desired.
French Tapenade with an Italian Twist
Ingredients:
3 (7-ounce) cans of imported Italian tuna in olive oil
1 tin of anchovies
1-1/2 cups of pitted black olives
1 (15-ounce) can of artichoke hearts, drained
2 tablespoons of baby capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, or enough to bind the tapenade
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients, except the mayonnaise, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse on and off until it is the desired consistency.
Transfer to a bowl. Stir well. Add the mayonnaise.
Spread on toasted bread or use as a dip for crackers and crudite.
Serves six.
Broccoli Rabe with Roasted Peppers
Ingredients:
3 bunches of broccoli rabe
6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
4 fat cloves of garlic, minced
1 (7-ounce) jar of roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sprinkling of hot pepper flakes
Directions:
Place the broccoli rabe in a large pot. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for five to 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the roasted red pepper strips and heat through. Add the broccoli rabe and blend well. Season with the salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes.
Serves four to six.
Note from Phyllis: Broccoli rabe tastes delicious at room temperature. This recipe can be used as a topping for pasta. Just add about 1/2 cup of olive oil to the finished product.
