H
eirloom recipes tell a story about family through
food – the sort of food that, ironically, doesn’t
come out of a cookbook. Many recipes are learned
through tasting and watching, usually from the
kitchen table, and through repetition (and a lot of it, because
an unchanging dinner repertoire is comforting and easy).
Mine and my husband Marco’s families could not be more
different. I grew up in a multiracial family – a Japanese mother
and an Australian father – in suburban Australia, before my
diplomat father took us back and forth to China for eight years.
I grew up always loving food; I was an adventurous eater, a keen
baker and was always curious about the kitchen.
Marco, on the other hand, grew up in a small town in
Tuscany, halfway between Florence and Pisa. He lived with his
parents and grandparents under the very same roof that was built
by his great-grandfather. Meals for the entire family were usually
prepared by Marco’s grandmother Lina and sometimes by his
grandfather Mario (a dapper Taranto-born, Turin-raised lover
of cheese), who dabbled in desserts, quick dinners and treats.
In my new book,Tortellini at Midnight, I have gathered some
of the favourite recipes from our Italian family, tracing back
recipes to generations that span the entire length of Italy, from
the Mediterranean port city of Taranto in the southern heel of
Puglia, to elegant Turin, the city of aperitivo and Italian caffè
culture in the far north and, finally, back to Tuscany.
Taranto is a most curious city. Known as the city of two seas,
it’s geographically split into two – to the east of the original town
is the natural bay known as Mare Piccolo – literally, the little sea- while to the west is the Mare Grande, the Ionian sea. The
Mare Piccolo is a haven for cultivating mussels and bivalves,
which has been the major economic industry in the town
for centuries. As a result, shellfish in Taranto are cheap and
plentiful, and there are countless recipes for preparing them.
Here is a collection of comforting family-friendly recipes from
Taranto that we consider heirlooms.
3 ripe tomatoes (about
550gm), diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin
olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
400 gm tomato passata
½ cup (loosely packed) basil
320 gm short dried pasta, such
as orecchiette or penne
40 gm pecorino, ricotta salata
or parmesan, finely grated,
plus extra to serve1 Combine diced tomato, garlic,
half the oil and a good pinch of
salt in a bowl. Stir well and set
aside so that the juices are
drawn out of the tomatoes.
2 Bring a large saucepan
of salted water to the boil.
3 Prepare a tomato sauce by
gently heating the onion and
remaining oil with a generouspinch of salt in a large saucepan
over alow-medium heat until the
onions begin to sizzle and soften
without colouring (5-7 minutes).
If the onions begin to brown,
add a splash of water or reduce
the heat. Add the passata with
about 80ml water and a few
whole basil leaves. Season and
simmer over a medium heat
until thickened (10 minutes).
4 Cook the pasta in the boiling
water until al dente, then drain.
5 In a large serving bowl, layer
half the pasta, half the cheese
and the tomato sauce, followed
by the rest of the pasta, the rest
of the cheese and the diced
tomato with its juices. Top with
torn basil leaves and present it
to the table. When serving, give
it a stir so each portion has a bit
of everything. Serve with extra
grated cheese.PASTA CON LA SALSA DOPPIA
Pasta with double tomato sauce
SERVES 4“I read Patience Gray’s recipe for salsa doppia while visiting
Grottaglie, a small town that has been known for centuries for its
artisan ceramics,” says Emiko Davies. “Gray describes the oversized
salt-glazed dishes typical of Grottaglie’s ceramics – a communal
serving bowl for the entire family. Although the custom of eating
from the same bowl has disappeared, I like to serve my salsa doppia
layered in a bowl to present at the table and then portion out.”Pasta with
double
tomato sauce118 GOURMET TRAVELLER