Authors: Gabriele Corcos
Extra Virgin (27 page)
Feelings like those inspire me to bring our land back to its full potential. The 18,000 olive trees still produce tons of fruit, and are the source of the extra virgin olive oil we sell locally to pay for the farm operations. It’s only a matter of time before we realize our dream of not only selling our olive oil on the American market, but getting the vineyard running again—we lost all the grapevines to a snowstorm in 1985. I dream a lot when I’m back in Fiesole: walking with my family along the same paths I ran up and down as a kid, making the meals that reconnect me to the land, enjoying the scents and sights I remember. But that’s what the earth is good at—replenishing itself, and giving those who tend it well a chance to make dreams come true.
D:
I had never been to Fiesole when I met Gabriele, but like so many tucked-away villages and towns in the heartland of Italy, it felt utterly magical when I first encountered it. Ten minutes by car and up the hill from the pulsing heartbeat of big-city Florence, and I was caught up in the seemingly endless expanse of farmland, magnificent views, and olive trees that reflect silver in the light.
On our property, the scent of cypress hangs in the air and awakens the senses. Manicured gardens inspire long, delightfully meandering walks. Fruit trees invite one to pick and enjoy. Someone will pop open a bottle of Prosecco, and a table is set up outside. Gabriele’s Nonna Lola drops by with a welcoming plate of her special biscotti. On an early trip there, I got up the nerve to knock on her door, hoping to spend some quality alone time with her. She barely spoke any English, and my Italian was earnest but lacking. She showed me her place, let me watch her cook, and then we sat on her patio and had cocktails. Despite the language barrier, we could both sense a common bond that went beyond words, and if I do say so myself, we became fast girlfriends that day.
I’ve always felt a spiritual kinship with deeply historical places, so it didn’t surprise me that I could feel the energy of the Etruscans and their colonizers, the Romans, when I set foot in my husband’s hometown. Those early peoples had a link to the earth they tilled that was palpable as I walked the fields. But roaming “I Bosconi” also put me in touch with somebody I once was, a ten-year-old living on her hippie mother’s Catskills farm, exploring the woods, crossing fields and streams, and drinking in wildlife. As I got older, I couldn’t wait to embrace the big city, but when I settled in as an adult, I remember thinking, “Why was I in such a rush to get away from gorgeous nature?” My husband’s childhood home reconnected me to that feeling in an important, soulful way.
On our estate in Tuscany, there’s a rich melding of the sculpted and the wild, an architecturally dazzling villa from which a short stroll introduces you to plenty of fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables. (Maybe even the occasional pheasant, hare, deer, or wild boar!) It’s enough to make you think, this is how we were all meant to live, nestled in Mother Nature’s embrace, wedded to the very spot our food comes from. The arugula that punches up today’s salad. The rosemary that enhances whatever’s roasting on the fire. The berry vines and fruit trees that will yield the flavor to follow dinner.
Who’s ready for a trip?
SAUTÉED DANDELION GREENS WITH GARLIC
GRILLED ENDIVE WITH GORGONZOLA AND SAGE OIL
D:
Growing up, vegetables were common at our dinner table but not exactly celebrated for what they were beyond being a necessary source of nutrients. I knew they were good for us, but they weren’t always flavorful. Steaming was the only cooking method I remember. What Gabriele and his Tuscan upbringing showed me was how the real, true taste of a country vegetable was in itself a wonderful thing, a bite worthy of enjoying as much as anything else on the plate. Italians don’t just steam vegetables: They sauté, bake, and grill them. They make delicious antipasti bites, use them to give heft to soups and salads, to enhance the warming auras of pasta and risotto dishes, and to provide delicious accompaniment to countless meat, poultry, and fish entrees. They also stand on their own quite nicely.
G:
I married a woman who couldn’t imagine life without vegetables, but as a kid, I didn’t care for them. As I got older and wiser—waking up to the deliciousness that was literally growing in my own backyard!—I came to an understanding about kids and vegetables. Let kids meet you halfway. My daughters hated artichokes, so I stopped serving them, and gave them vegetables they did like. Deborah and I continued to eat artichokes and showed our pleasure in them. After a few such nights, one daughter became curious. Then, because
she
was curious, our other daughter had to try one. Now they get excited when artichoke hearts are on the dinner menu.
D:
Showcasing a vegetable does require some thinking. Prepare your meal in terms of wetness and dryness. Serving
Braised Artichokes
with a
Cacciatora
might sound good in your head, but will surely result in two sauces combining in the middle of the plate. It’s better to pair a sauced anything with
Oven-Roasted Potatoes
or
Sautéed Dandelion Greens with Garlic
. And vice versa.
Pollo al Mattone
hot off the grill would be much better paired with braised vegetables, offering a nice contrast of textures to boot.
G:
And remember, when in doubt, if your vegetables are fresh, they’re sometimes best sautéed or grilled with nothing more than salt, pepper, maybe a touch of lemon, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
SAUTÉED DANDELION GREENS
with garlic
CICORIA SALTATA
SERVES 6
D:
When it comes to cicoria, the bitter, leafy, dark greens Italians love, the best way to enjoy them is to preserve their slight chewiness and sauté them quickly in olive oil and garlic. Dandelion greens are the closest thing we’ve found in America that has that kind of wild, delicious flavor, and maybe you even have some growing near you! Forage away and serve them with a
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
and
Oven-Roasted Potatoes
. You’ll be in for a treat.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bunches dandelion greens, Swiss chard, or Tuscan kale (aka lacinato, black kale, or cavolo nero), chopped into 3-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and the greens to the boiling water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green. Using a spider, remove the greens and transfer them to the ice bath. When cooled, squeeze the excess water from the greens.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the cooked greens and toss for 1 minute, or until warmed through.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
SAUTÉED ZUCCHINI
ZUCCHINI TRIFOLATI
SERVES 4–6
For Italians, the minimalist cooking style is perhaps best exemplified by the term trifolati, which indicates something thinly sliced and sautéed with little interference: some olive oil, salt, and one fragrant touch, such as garlic or onion. Zucchini is an ideal trifolati candidate, especially a young zucchini with few seeds. And we suggest keeping your participation minimal. Don’t even use a utensil to move the zucchini around in the pan: They’ll break too easily. Use the handle to shake the pan a little and make the zucchini “jump.”
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into half-moons
½ small red onion, cut into thick chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the zucchini and onion and sauté for 10 to 12 minutes, until the zucchini is golden, almost charred.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
GRILLED MIXED VEGETABLES
VERDURE GRIGLIATA
SERVES 6
In Italy this is the side dish of summer—an array of freshly seared garden goodies that will give a barbecue main such as
Florentine Steak
a rainbow of colors to liven the plate. Also, be sure to make enough to keep as leftovers in the fridge (they’ll last another 4 or 5 days). They taste great in sandwiches, salads, and omelets, and can be added to a
Red Sauce
for a vegetable-friendly pasta dish!
1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced
2 small zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 bell peppers (more than 1 color!), each cut into 8 pieces
1 red onion, quartered