The Italian dishes you’re not cooking – but should be

When it comes to Italian food, no one has as much pedigree, expertise or passion as Gennaro Contaldo. His dishes have inspired Brits to bring some Mediterranean sunshine to their tables for decades.

Now, he wants to open our eyes to the wealth of Italian food that is yet to be discovered, with a book focusing on regions across the peninsula and recipes that have almost been lost to history. Gennaro’s Hidden Italy celebrates his home country in a new way.

Here are some of his favourites…

Gennaro Contaldo’s new book honours his home (Photo: David Loftus)

Fettuccine alla papalina

Pope’s pasta

Serves 4

  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 50g butter
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 120g frozen peas
  • 200g cooked ham, thickly cut, cut into small cubes
  • 320g egg fettuccine (or tagliatelle)
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 60g grated Parmesan cheese
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a pan over a gentle heat, melt the olive oil and butter and steam-fry the onion for about 10 minutes until softened. Turn the heat up to medium, add the frozen peas and ham with a little salt and pepper and cook for about

four minutes or until the peas are cooked.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the fettuccine until al dente (check the instructions on the packet for precise cooking times).

When the pasta is cooked, drain and transfer to the pan with the peas and ham, along with a little of the pasta cooking water. Mix together and cook over a high heat for a minute, so that everything is well combined.

Remove from the heat, pour in the egg mixture, mix well and serve immediately with a sprinkling of black pepper.

Polpette della quaresima

Lenten “meatballs”

Makes about 12

Polpette della quaresima (Photo: David Loftus)

For the polpette

  • 140g stale bread, grated or very finely chopped
  • 40g grated Parmesan cheese
  • 300g ricotta, well drained
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the sauce

  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, left whole and squashed
  • 650ml tomato passata
  • 8 basil leaves, plus extra for serving
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

First make the polpette. In a large bowl, combine the bread, Parmesan, ricotta, eggs, garlic and parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Using your hands, take pieces of the mixture and roll into balls, roughly the size of golf balls – about 40g each in weight. Set aside.

Gennaro Contaldo’s ‘Hidden Italy’ (Photo: PAVILION BOOKS)

In a pan large enough to accommodate the polpette, place the olive oil over a medium heat and sweat the garlic cloves for a minute.

Add the tomato passata, along with a little water from rinsing the jar or carton, and the basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce begins to bubble, then add the polpette, cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for 20 minutes, checking from time to time to make sure they don’t stick to the pan and gently covering them with the sauce.

At the end of the cooking time, increase the heat and cook for a minute or so until the sauce reduces a little.

Remove from the heat and serve with extra basil leaves scattered on top.

Totani e patate

Stewed squid and potatoes

Serves 4

Totani e patate (Photo: David Loftus)

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ½ red chilli, finely sliced
  • 600g cleaned calamari/squid tubes, cut into chunks, keeping the tentacles
  • 4 tbsp white wine
  • 300g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
  • 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Rustic bread, to serve

In a large pan, place the olive oil over a medium heat and sweat the garlic and chilli for 30 seconds, then add the calamari and stir-fry for one minute.

Add the white wine and allow to evaporate slightly. Add the potatoes, parsley and cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 25-30 minutes until the squid and the potatoes are all cooked through.

If, during cooking, the pan becomes too dry, add a little hot water.

Remove the lid, increase the heat and cook over a high heat for about one minute, shaking the pan until you obtain a slightly creamy consistency.

Serve with lots of rustic bread and a sprinkling of extra parsley.

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