Eleanora's Kitchen 125 Fabulous Authentic Italian-American Recipes

PANTRY ANCHOVIES Anchovies are enjoyed fresh, salt-cured, or marinated in oil (a real delicacy) throughout southern Italy. I prefer unprocessed, salt-cured anchovies to canned anchovies because they have a milder, less fishy taste and are less salty than commercially canned anchovies. Salt-cured anchovies still have their bone intact and will keep for up to six months in the refrigerator. I add anchovies to pizza, breads, pasta dishes (such as Spaghetti Puttanesca, page 87), and they are an integral ingredient in Calzone with Spinach and Anchovies (page 211). Salt-cured anchovies are usually sold by the pound in large tins. Processed or store-bought anchovies packed in oil are sold in cans and in small jars. If you can't find salt-cured anchovies, opt for a good brand of canned anchovies, preferably those imported from Italy. Oil-Packed Anchovies If you can find salt-cured anchovies sold by the pound--that is, anchovies that are not processed--you can pack them in olive oil yourself. The oil helps preserve the anchovies, and if you use a very flavorful extra virgin olive oil, the oil will flavor the anchovies, and vice versa. To Preserve Salt-packed Anchovies Remove the excess salt by running a little cold water over the anchovies. Place them in a clean, wide jar and fill until the jar is about a third full. Add enough olive oil to cover the anchovies by an inch. Store at room temperature up to eight months, making sure that the anchovies are always submerged under the olive oil. (Note: You can store the anchovies in the refrigerator, but if you have used extra virgin olive oil, it will congeal when chilled.) When you're ready to use the anchovies, remove them from the jar and rinse them quickly under cold water. Split the fillet open with your fingers. Lift up the thin spine, peel it off, and discard. Use anchovies whole, chopped, or diced, as your recipe directs. BASKET CHEESE Basket cheese--sometimes called formagetto--is available in two forms, fresh and dry. Fresh basket cheese is moist with no salt added and is an excellent addition to an antipasto platter. Dry basket cheese is mild and slightly salty. Dry basket cheese is delicious as is, or can be added to savory pies and pasta dishes. Both fresh and dry basket cheeses are made from cow's milk and are formed in a basket, hence the name. If you can't find basket cheese, you can substitute dry mozzarella (see page 10). BLACK PEPPER Use a pepper mill to grind your own black pepper; it will taste so much fresher than purchased ground pepper. BREAD CRUMBS Homemade bread crumbs taste infinitely better than store-bought, which are usually filled with additives, preservatives, and unnecessary seasonings. I urge you to make your own. My recipes call for unseasoned dry bread crumbs. To make them, start with good-quality Italian bread that is at least one day old. (The bread can be up to one week old.) Break the bread into chunks (include the crust) that are small enough to fit inside a blender. Process two or three chunks at a time for two to four seconds or until fine crumbs form. (If crumbs don't form, then the bread chunks may be too large; remove them from the blender and crumble into smaller pieces.) Use as a recipe directs, or make plenty and store in a resealable plastic bag in your kitchen pantry. BUTTER Neapolitan fare doesn't call for butter very often, although we do use it in some desserts. Unless otherwise specified, use unsalted butter. CALAMARI Calamari--squid, in English--are available fresh, frozen, cleaned, and uncleaned. There are numerous species of squid, including seppia, or cuttlefish. Seppia--which is imported--has a thicker skin and has a sweeter, more pronounced flavor than calamari. It is also more expensive. Both seScarpetta, Eleanora Russo is the author of 'Eleanora's Kitchen 125 Fabulous Authentic Italian-American Recipes' with ISBN 9780767912211 and ISBN 0767912217.