Australian Gourmet Traveller - (05)May 2019 (1)

98 GOURMET TRAVELLER

Unsaltedbutter,

forgreasing

100 gmwhitesugar

450 gm(1¼cups)honey(I like

orangeblossomhoney)

450 gmsesameseeds

125 gmrawalmonds

Finelygratedzest

of1 orange

1 tspgroundcinnamon

2 tbspcolouredsprinkles

1 Greaseandlinea largeoven

traywitha sheetofbaking

paper, then grease the paper.

GIURGIULENA

Calabrian sesame-nut brittle

MAKESABOUT 20

“Theeighth-centuryArabconquestofthesouthbroughtnewingredientsandsweetstotheItalian

peninsula,”saysParla.“One,calledcupettaintheBeneventoandSalentinodialects,andgiurgiulena

inCastrovillari,Calabria,is madewithsugar,honeyandsesameseeds.Thislong-lastingnutbrittlewas

traditionallyservedaroundChristmas,spoonedontowashedorangeleaves,buttodayit is slicedinto

bars.Thesprinklesadda festiveflaircommontothesweetsofthesouth.Thisrecipeis fromLaLocanda

di Alia in Castrovillari, Calabria, whereDanielaAliamakesthemfortheholidayseason.”Picturedp96.

2 In a largedeepsaucepan,stir

sugarandhoneyovermedium

heat.Whenthesugarhas

dissolvedintothehoney,add

sesameseedsandcook,stirring

frequently,untiltheseedsturn

a shadedarker(7-15minutes).

Addthealmondsandcontinue

tocook,stirringfrequently,for

another2-5minutes.

3 Removethepanfromthe

heat.Immediatelystirin the

orangezestandcinnamon,

andsetasideuntilthemixture

is cool enough to handle.

2 tbspextra-virginoliveoil

1 kgbonelessporkshoulder,

seasonedwithsalt 24 hours

ahead,cutinto5cmcubes

1 garlicclove,crushed

250 mldryredwine

2 freshbayleaves

1 litre(4cups)porkor

chickenstock

180 gm(1bunch)redgrapes,

halved,seedsremoved

1 Heatoliveoilina large

heavy-basedfryingpanover

medium heat. When the oil

SPEZZATINOALL’UVA

Porkcooked with grapes

SERVES6-8

“ThefoothillseastoftheApenninesinMolisegrowTintilia,anindigenousredgrapeknownforits

lowyieldandpleasantnotesofredfruitandspices,”saysKatieParla.“Eachyear,themajorityofthe

harvestedgrapesarepressedtomakewine,withtheremainderreservedforjamsandsavourydishes

likethisstew,whichis madeonlyatharvesttime.Theslightsweetnessofthegrapesminglesbeautifully

with the savoury pork and herbaceous notes of the bay leaves. Season the pork 24 hours in advance.”

beginstoshimmer,addthe

pork,in batchesif necessary,

andcook,turning,untilbrowned

onallsides(7-8minutes).

Removewitha slottedspoon

andtransfertoa plate.

2 Reduceheattolow.Add

thegarlicandstiruntiljust

golden(1-4minutes).Addthe

wine,thenincreasetheheat

tomediumandscrapeup

anybrownedbitsfromthe

bottomofthepan.Whenthe

scentofalcoholdissipates

and the liquid has nearly

evaporated(2-4minutes),add

thebayleaves.

3 Returntheporktothepan

andaddenoughstocksothe

meatis mostlysubmerged.

Seasontotastewithsaltand

cook,stirringoccasionally,for

1½hoursoruntiltheporkis

fork-tender,addingthegrapes

atthe1¼-hourmark(they

shouldbesoft).If thesauceis

becomingtoodry,adda bit

morestock(youmaynot need

all the stock). Serve.

4 Carefullypourthemixture

ontothepreparedtray.While

themixtureis stillwarm,use

a heatproofspatulatoflatten

it to1.5cmthickness.Scatter

thecolouredsprinklesover

thetopandlightlypressthem

inwithyourfingertips.While

stillwarm,cutbrittleinto5cm

diamondsona diagonalwith

a smallsharpknife.Leaveto

coolcompletely.Giurgiulena

willkeepstoredinanairtight

containeratroomtemperature

for several months.➤