Salsa verde with petals

I usually make this when I have some stale bread and lots of parsley. Also when I have some leftover vinegar from a pickle jar. Waste not waste not!!

Soak the bread with the vinegar (if you don't have vinegar from a pickle jar use white wine vinegar - do not use dark vinegar!). Add one hard boiled egg, a few capers, and all the parsley you can find (stalks good too!). Blend. Add more vinegar if too thick, and also a little extra virgin olive oil. Add salt to taste and blend until smooth. Add a few more capers (whole) and petals and stir. I used Friarielli flowers (cime di rapa), nasturtium and borage flowers here. Leave some on top for decoration.

In Italy salsa verde is usually served with boiled meat, but as I don't eat meat I like it with boiled eggs, and also with bread, or as a dip.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Capsicums with capers

Ingredients
2 yellow capsicums
2 orange capsicums
1 red capsicum
1 garlic clove
half carrot
1 small celery stalk
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more to drizzle at the end)
1 tbsp tomato puree
A little water
1-2 tbsp capers
salt to taste (if the capers are not too salty)
chopped Italian parsley to finish






Wash and cut the capsicums into thin strips. Peel the garlic and cut into two. Wash and chop the carrot and celery into small pieces. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the vegetables, then add the tomato paste, a little water, the capers (rinsed) and a little salt (unless the capers are already too salty). Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, and adding more water if necessary. Adjust with salt at the end, if necessary, and finish with some freshly chopped parsley and another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve hot or cold, with some nice crusty bread or bruschetta, or even to dress pasta.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Pasta Caponata

The sauce is a bit like a caponata, or at least, the caponata that I make! Eggplants and capsicums are more affordable now, and are among my favourite vegetables:

Ingredients:

1 eggplant,

3 capsicums (red, yellow and green)

1 stalk of celery (optional)

1 garlic clove (peeled)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus some to drizzle)

one 

2 tbsp black olives

a few capers

salt to taste

Cut the eggplant into cubes and sweat with salt for 30 minutes. Rinse well. Cut the capsicums into cubes as big as the eggplant, and the celery cut into thin slices, if using. Place all the veggies plus the garlic into a pot that can be covered with a lid, add the olive oil and sauté for a few minutes, then cover and simmer on low for about an hour, adding a little water from time to time and stirring often. I usually add the olives, capers (rinsed) and salt halfway through the cooking (actually, I add them when I remember...) and cook until the eggplants are mushy and the other vegetables really soft. Cook the pasta al dente (I used rigatoni) and dress with the vegetables, adding a little more olive oil at the end. I love this pasta :-)!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©