Oct

12

Antipasto calabro [Calabrian appetizer]

October 12, 2009 |


I’m back after a vacation in the beautiful Calabria region. As every year when I come back home a little piece of my heart remains there. Unfortunately I cannot bring back the sun or the sea with me, but the food is an other story, and I always make sure to have enough space in my trunk for it. I mitigate the nostalgia by cooking some of the dishes I used to eat there, and if it’s not enough, I invite friends over for dinner and share with them the specialties they already know plus some new discoveries.

Antipasto calabro is the typical appetizer that I enjoy eating when I’m on vacation there, and I love to prepare it for my guests when I’m back in Verona. It’s a simple dish that encompasses the main products of this land: red hot pepper, pork meat, sheep milk cheeses, red onions from Tropea, tomatoes, eggplants and mushrooms.

There’s no cooking in this appetizer, you just have to buy good quality products and display them nicely on a plate. I actually buy most of the ingredients in Calabria except for the Pecorino cheese that I can find here in Verona too.

A jar of eggplants and a package of olive schiacciate are always in my pantry. The eggplants are peeled and cut in thin strips, seasoned with oregano, a little bit of red hot pepper, slices of garlic and preserved in olive oil. Olive schiacciate, the olives are seeded and seasoned with red hot pepper, garlic and oregano. I had a recipe how to prepare them and I made them once but they came out too bitter, so I still prefer to buy them. Of course dry tomatoes preserved in olive oil are a must.

This dish is often enriched with mushrooms preserved in olive oil, they actually were in the dish but they are not visible in the picture. The Sila, a wide mountainous plateau between Cosenza and Catanzaro, abounds in mushrooms including the prized porcini mushrooms.

Soppressata and capocollo are the Calabrian cured meats that come from locally-raised hogs. Sopressata calabrese (or soppressata) is made with the lean part of pork meat and 2-3% pork fat. It’s flavored with salt and black pepper and a dusting of red hot pepper. Capocollo, called coppa in the other regions of Italy, is cured pork shoulder prepared with salt, herbs, and spices. Prosciutto crudo is also produced here, but it’s not as typical as the other cuts.

Finally there’s the mythical Nduja, my favorite pork product from Calabria. A spreadable salami filled with pork and a lot of red hot pepper, then smoked. I would eat it every day if I could, but this year I went a little bit easy on it and it was really hard. I brought one nduja home as usual, so when I miss it I have it on hand all year long to prepare a pasta dish or to spread it on slices of bread.

Recently I’ve seen Nduja produced abroad, I wouldn’t buy it even if it would be produced here in Verona for that matter. I think that certain products are authentic only when produced in their region of origin. It shouldn’t be called nduja if not produced in Spilinga (Vibo Valenzia) or its surroundings.

The last ingredient is Tropea red onions, one can find them everywhere in Italy and abroad, but I wonder how it’s possible that such a small area produces such a great amount of onions. Anyway I tasted the real ones and I can assure you that I’ve never tasted anything so sweet and flavorful while not overly strong. The secret to extra sweet onions is to slice them and leave them in cold water 30 minutes before consuming.

I know this is a rich appetizer and it could be a whole lunch by itself, but if you want to organize a Calabrian dinner this is a good start. Just make sure to serve a small portion.

Antipasto calabro

Ingredients:

Pecorino cheese
Dry tomatoes preserved in olive oil
Olive schiacciate, preserved eggplants, mushrooms and artichokes
Sopressata
Capocollo
Prosciutto crudo
Nduja
Sliced red onion previously soaked in cold water for 30′
Rustic bread

Prepare a small plate for each guest and place few slices of Pecorino cheese, sopressata and capocollo. A Tablespoon of olives, eggplants, mushrooms and few artichokes. A piece of nduja. Add a small mount of sliced onions. Make sure to accompany this appetizer with a rustic bread, better if it’s not too salty.

You may also be interested in other Calabrian specialties: Pasta with nduja, Pasta with potatoes.


Comments

7 Comments so far

  1. Louise Hundertmark on October 12, 2009 2:43 pm

    Can hardly wait for Antipasto night at our Dante Alighieri meeting! This will be a nice change from my usual Molise style. We have yet to travel far into Calabria, but think we visited the castle on the rock. Can you tell me where the photo was taken? Grazie!

  2. Linda on October 12, 2009 3:28 pm

    What a beautiful place you went to!! I saw cactus in one picture. Does it grow there naturaly or was it brought there? I’m just curious.

  3. admin on October 12, 2009 3:29 pm

    @Louise I took the photos in Tropea.
    @Linda The plants are prickly pear cactus, we call them fichi d’India and they grow naturally. Their fruits are edible and I adore them.

  4. Pat Nardi/Francey on November 12, 2009 2:43 pm

    Calabria. How wonderful to hear that name. My grandparents came to the USA from there and like most American born people, we did not have privaledge to the information we would one day long to know. I have been trying for years to gain some information about my heritage. Sadly, my parents and most of my older relatives are gone, and those surviving, know about as little as I do. I have tried to find the place that they left from, the boat they sailed on and all and every little other information I could gain.
    I hope someday to visit there to see if there
    are any relatives with thier name still alive.

    Patty, I love your column and read it with great enthusiasm. I recognize some of the receipts from my youth and tried several of them. I look forward to your next one.

    Ciao,

    Pat Nardi/Francey

  5. Dolores Calzaretta on November 12, 2009 4:10 pm

    Hello Patty…….I enjoy your website so much.

    My grandparents were from the Abruzzi region…L’Aquila. My gramma left me with many of her regional recipes.

    There is one that may sound rather strange to some, but because she and I ate it together, I love it. I am not fluent in my Italian and speak a convoluted dialect (so I am told)!! I think my gramma pronounced it “Ciambanella.”

    She took a loaf of day old bread, sliced it in half and poured some water over the halves until they were saturated. She then thinly sliced onions and placed them on top of the bread, followed by an herb similar to oregano, but only comes from that region. Salt and olive oil were then drizzled over the onions, and the bread was then cut into thick portions.

    We ate this as a snack or as a meal with a salad.

    Have you ever heard of such a recipe?

    Thank you so much for your attention.

  6. admin on November 20, 2009 9:16 am

    @Dolores: I think you’re referring to panzanella, even if your version is slightly different from mine. The panzanella recipe I know comes from Tuscany and also has tomatoes. I love panzanella is a really refreshing and tasty dish to savor during hot summer days. Here’s my version if you want to check it out. http://www.cookingwithpatty.com/italian/recipe/panzanella/

  7. caroline on January 13, 2010 7:10 pm

    i love your site my parants are all gone 7 they are or were from calabria.ilove to get receipes from there.,to hear of your visits and the beautifull pictures.
    thank you.keep on sending them.
    caroline

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