Tag Archives: Pantelleria

Braised chicken with wild oregano and olives

March 2, 2014

It’s still just the beginning of March, but I have the feeling that spring is around the corner. We have been talking walks on Mount Gibele to gather wild oregano. What a blessing! The oregano of Pantelleria is very intense. It is a cross with oregano and marjoram, and it carries the best qualities of both. The oregano is not only a fabulous spice but it also contains a lot of other great things within its oil, namely carvacrol. Oregano contains high amounts of omega-3s, iron, manganese, and antioxidants and it’s super antibacterial, as well as anti-viral and anti-fungal! This subject is something I will write about further in the future, after I have learned more about it. If you interested to read more about the Oregano harvest in Pantelleria, please visit my friends Amy and Peter’s blog http://flourishnourishinpantelleria.blogspot.it/2013/01/tales-from-harvest-of-green-gold-part-i.html , http://flourishnourishinpantelleria.blogspot.it/2013/01/tales-from-harvest-of-green-gold-part-2.html

Anyhow, after our day in the mountains I was craving a hot plate of chicken. With our own olives, bay leaves, celery, lemons from the garden and a splash of the local zibibbo wine this recipe came together.
I hope you like it!
Anna

Braised Chicken with wild oregano and olives
Serves 4
Note: You will need a oven ready pot with lid.

Ingredients
2 lb (1 kilo) Whole roasting chicken cut into quarters, then legs, thighs and wings separated at the joints (optional should you prefer boneless chicken you will need 1 pound (1/2 kilo) of chicken meat cut into eight pieces.) . If you so desire you can remove the skin of the chicken.
1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (for seasoning the chicken prior to searing)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (for searing)
3 Garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
2 Lemons (washed)
1 Leek or 3 spring onions (washed, peeled cut into quarters, using leeks one inch pieces or (2.5 cm)
4 Stalks celery (washed, ribbed, cut into one inch pieces or 2.5 cm)
2 Bay leaves (whole)
3/4 Cup ( 1.8 dl) dry white wine
3/4 Cup ( 1.8 dl) water
20 Olives green or black, green olives will loose their color due to the heat turning brown so if you wish to use a combination for eye appeal cook with black half black olives then add the other half green olives prior to serving.
8-10 Sprigs fresh oregano, if not available high quality dried oregano can be substituted Oregano di Pantelleria
1/4 Cup ( 0.6 dl) olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven at 350 F degrees (180 C).
Gather and prepare all the ingredients as listed and instructed.
Place the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle salt and pepper on it tossing as to make sure the chicken is evenly seasoned.
On the stove top place your oven ready pot in a medium sized burner which is placed on the highest setting and allow if a minute or two to become hot.
Add the two Tablespoons of olive oil. Next place the chicken pieces in the bottom of the pot covering the surface but not over crowding as to all the chicken to sear and caramelize. If you find you have more chicken then room in the pot, sear the meat in stages. Have a plate to remove and place seared pieces and repeat this process until all the pieces are seared.
When chicken is seared add the 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pot and minced garlic. Allow the garlic 10 seconds to cook then add the lemons and rest of the vegetables stirring them as to coat with the garlic flavored oil. Add wine, water, lemons, bay leaves and olives. If you do not have fresh oregano add dried at this time. Place the chicken back into the pot and allow the liquid to come to boil. Turn off the heat on the burner, place the lid on top of the pot and place pot into the oven.

If you decided to use boneless chicken in about 30-40 minutes the dish should be complete. Remove the pot from the oven and carefully remove the lid as to check on the meat. If boneless it will be firm to the touch, if on the bone the meat should be firm and able to come off the bone easily. If you see any red or uncooked meat place the lid back on the pot and place the pot back in the oven to allow 15 more minutes of cooking time. After 15 minutes repeat the aforementioned process.

This dish can be served over cooked rice or potatoes or in a bowl alone with crunchy bread and a nice glass of white wine.

Ceramic pot from Crate and Barrel
Dinner dinner plate from Pearl River Mart
To buy Origano di Pantelleria http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/origano-di-pantelleria
To order Origano di Pantelleria in America, contact Jim Dixon at www.realgoodfood.com

Parmesan nibbles with oregano

February 25, 2014

1 Reply

This recipe is a savory twist of the butter shortbread dough. The addition of Parmesan cheese, Oregano, with the butter and a bit of spice, results in a savory delight , you just can’t go wrong! This is a great nibble to serve with drinks or cocktails before dinner. I usually make them bite sized, but if you so desire you can shape them more like a cookie or biscuit sized by adjusting the thickness and end shape of the dough. You can make the dough before hand and keep in the fridge or in the freezer. If you don’t finished this nibbles all at the same time, store them in a container or a paper bag in a dry place.

Ingredients
makes about 60 bite sized nibbles
1 Cup (2.4 dl) all purpose flour
3.5 Oz (100 grams) grated parmesan
3.5 Oz (100 grams )soft butter
1 Egg yolk
1 teaspoon Origano di Pantelleria http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/origano-di-pantelleria (or other dried oregano)
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 Egg
2 Tablespoon of pine nuts
Some extra oregano to sprinkle before baking

Method
Mix all ingredients together until the dough forms a clump and kneed.
Divide in 4 piece and roll out each piece into a cylinder.
Using plastic wrap roll the dough into a cylinder form and place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 min.
Heat the oven at 400 F (200 C )
Cut the cylinders into coin shapes thickness of about 1/2 inch (1 cm).
Arrange an oven tray lined with nonstick baking paper .
Beat the egg and brush on to the cookies, place one pine nut on each and sprinkle with some oregano.
Bake for about 12-15 min, they should be light golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

Swedish magazine Lantliv and a pie from the lemon tree

January 26, 2014

4 Replies

Friends, I have news! I will be contributing the food portion for a blog in the Swedish Magazine Lantliv http://www.lantliv.com/category/bloggar/anna-huerta/. The recipes will be in Swedish and there are three posts already! And make sure to check out my fellow bloggers Leija Kortesaari, Victoria Skoglund and Bella Linde all very interesting in their different fields http://www.lantliv.com/bloggar/
Under the Almond Tree will continue to be published in English. My hope is that you will continue to follow our posts whether you choose the Swedish version at Lantliv or Under the Almond Tree.

This week’s post is from our garden, home to an amazing lemon tree. The name for this tree is Limone Lunare. Upon the full moon, it makes new lemons. Picking the fruits releases their perfume, a magical scent, fresh and sweet at the same time. The tree provides us with fruit year round, but during the hottest summer months when rain is in short supply it adjusts its production accordingly. Late January through April the tree is full of yellow lemons. I have a weakness for all sweets and desserts made with lemon. The first time I ever tasted this lemon pie was after a dinner served by my friend Sara, a master of desserts and baked goods. She generously gave me her recipe. Over the years and many pies, I have changed it a little bit by adding more lemon cream and including some vanilla to the crust.
10 years later, this pie remains a favorite to all. Enjoy!

Lemon pie
9 Inch ( 24 cm) cake tin
Serves 8 portions

Ingredients
Pie crust
7 Oz (200 grams) butter
1 1/4 Cup ( 3 dl) All-purpose flour
5 Tablespoon caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla powder or other vanilla extract
Lemon cream
6 Eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 Cup (3.75 dl) caster sugar
1/2 Cup (1.2 dl) sifted flour
1 Cup ( 2.4 dl) fresh lemon juice

Method
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C) degrees.
Melt the butter over low to medium heat on the stove.
In a bowl mix the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar.
Pour the butter over the flour mixture and stir to a smooth dough .
Place the dough into the cake tin. Using your fingers, make a thin crust by pushing the dough evenly across the cake tin as well as up a bit on sides of the tin.
When finished, place the tin to rest for 10-15 minutes in the fridge. (this will allow the butter to harden when baking the crust the butter melts creating steam and making the crust flaky.)
Place the pie crust on the lower rack in the oven bake pie crust at 400 degrees F (200 C) for about 7-8 minutes remove and allow to cool.

In a bowl, whisk sugar and eggs to soft peaks, sift the flour into the bowl slowly alternating with whisking to make smooth batter, last add in the lemon juice.
Fill the crust with the lemon cream and bake for 10 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven.
Let pie cool before serving, this allows the cream to sit and gel a little bit.
Serve with whipped cream .

Plate from Anthropologie http://www.anthropologie.eu/anthro/index.jsp

Pasta with cauliflower and capers

January 16, 2014

2 Replies

I have a new favorite thing , it’s roasted vegetables. The other day I tried to roast cauliflower in the oven, the result came out delicious. This green cauliflower has the same taste as the white one, and I got this particular one from my friend and neighbor Giovanni. I divided the cauliflower in little bouquets, tossed with garlic, olive oil, salt packed capers placed into a pan and roasted them in the oven. It’ was simple and the taste divine! To add with a pasta, may I suggest to follow the recipe below. If you don’t find the uva passa, use another raisin but don’t skip it, the fruity sweetness twist adds an extra dimension.

Buon appetito! Pasta with roasted cauliflower and capers

Serves 4

Ingredients
3/4 Cup (1.8 dl) olive oil
4 Garlic cloves pressed or finely chopped
1 Medium sized cauliflower, remove the florets from the core cutting them into fork sized portions.
4 Tablespoons Capperi di Pantelleria or other salt packed capers, rinsed
Fresh ground black pepper to taste and a little sea salt
3 Tablespoon uva passa or raisin, remove seeds and blanch in warm water to plump the raisin.
1 Lb ( 450 gram) dried pasta
4 Tablespoon pine nuts
1 Cup ( 2.4 dl) grated Parmesan cheese
1 Lemon, zest only
10 Sprigs of fresh parsley

Method
Heat the oven to 400F ( 200 C) degrees.
Combine olive oil, garlic , capers and black pepper in a bowl.
Season with sea salt but be careful not to add to much considering the capers will add some extra salt, even after rinsing.
Add the cauliflower bouquets and toss.
On a baking sheet spread the cauliflower evenly and bake in the oven until golden for about 10-15 min.
Dry toast the pinenuts slightly in a saucepan. They toast quickly so use low heat settings and don’t leave the saute pan on the stove unattended and move the saute pan during toasting, when golden brown remove from the saute pan and set aside for later, otherwise they will continue to toast from the carry over heat absorbed by the oils inside the nut and will easily burn.
Chop the parsley.
Wash and zest the lemon.
Plump deseed and chop the uva passa roughly.
Cook Pasta al dente (30 sec to 1 min less) than suggested on the package, drain in a colander, save a cup of pasta water on the side.
Mix pasta with parmesan cheese, the baked cauliflower and caper mix, make sure add any remaining oil left in the bowl.
Adjust the consistency by adding a little of the remaining pasta water if needed.
Add the pine nuts, uova passa (raisins) stir and sprinkle parsley and lemon zest over and serve immediately.

Dinnerplates from NEW KAM MAN http://www.newkamman.com/
Capperi di Pantelleria, buy them here http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/capers

For starving porcini hunters

November 29, 2013

Autumn in Pantelleria provides mushroom foraging, picking wild arugula and the shooting of small birds and rabbits in the woods. My focus is on the arugula and the mushrooms, and after 6 hours of walking the wild terrain with my ” testa dura” stubborn mushroom hunter partner who refused to give up (who knows maybe there is a field full of porcini just around the next tree). Finally we ended up with a mixture of edible and inedible mushrooms in our basket, for me as a Swede a lot of this fungi were unfamiliar, one type of for certain in the basket is the porcini! The mushroom foragers were starving, in need of some hand to mouth action!

Thoughts of a rich, warming and filling pasta containing the just picked porcini, salsiccia and some wild rosemary gathered along the trail on the way back from the mountain. I can not think of a better way to celebrate our bounty. Enjoy this pasta with a glass of red wine, whether after a long day walking in the woods, a long day after work, just because you’re worth it.

Casarecci with Porcini and Salsiccia
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 Pound (450 grams) casarecci pasta
1 Yellow onion
2 Cloves of garlic
2 Sprigs of Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Pound (225 grams) salsiccia (sausage)
1 Pound (450 grams) of porcini mushrooms (or any other mushroom you desire)
1 Tablespoon of liquid beef stock
1/2 Cup white wine
1/2 Cup heavy cream

Garnish
4 Sprigs of rosemary
1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method
Bring a large pot with lid fill with salted water and set to boil over high heat.
Chop onion, garlic and rosemary finely. Cut the porcini mushrooms in pieces, devide the salsiccia in single smaller pieces (bite sized).
When the water is boiling add the casarecchi and cook 30 seconds less then the recommended in the cooking direction on the package.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil when warm add the onion, garlic and peperoncino flakes to the pan. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the Porcini mushrooms, the crushed rosemary and pieces of salsiccia to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the heat to high. Add the wine, stock, and heavy cream allow to simmer a couple of minutes until liquid is slightly reduced. Remove the pan from the heat. Drain the pasta (reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water on the side) , transfer the pasta to the skillet and toss well to coat pasta, adding reserved pasta water, if needed. Portion into four bowls and garnish with the rosemary and serve right away. Place the grated Parmesan on the side for those who wish to sprinkle some on top of their pasta.

Under the Almond Tree celebrates it’s first year anniversary!

October 28, 2013

It’s been one year since I struggled with the technology, persisted, and, finally, managed to put up my first blogpost here at Under the Almond tree. It was pomegranates season in Pantelleria and I’m lucky to have a full tree just outside my office in the garden. So the first recipe was, of course, my all-time favorite cocktail – Pomegranate Martini! http://www.underthealmondtree.com/2012/10/26/pomegranate-martini/

To celebrate Almond Tree’s first anniversary I opened a little web shop. As many of you already know, Pantelleria is famous for their capers Capperi di Pantelleria. They are considered the best capers in the world and are quality marked IGP, which stands for Indicazione Geografica Protetta, meaning Protected Geographical Indication. It’s a quality mark that is given to food and agricultural products for which a particular property, its reputation, or other characteristic is due to the geographical origin and whose production and processing takes place in a limited geographic area. Whoever does IGP products must follow strict rules of production, determined by the Disciplinary Board for production. I am totally addicted to the capers from Pantelleria, and as a result, so are many of my friends who have visited me and got introduced to them. If you are curious to try them and determine that they are the world’s greatest or you finished your stock, you don’t have to make the journey to Pantelleria anymore, just go to the shop and order http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/capers

These capers are organically grown and are handpicked one by one. They are cured and conserved in sea salt by the local farmers of Pantelleria. When you are cooking with this capers, you first rinse them in cold water to get rid of excessive salt using a colander, strainer or your hand. When cooking you will notice that this capers are incredibly rich in flavor. You will have a part of the essence of the island Pantelleria in your meal!

This year has been so much fun cooking, photographing, receiving responds and cheering from You readers. This really inspires me to go on. I’m very lucky to have great and talented people to back me up, without them I would probably just posted far too many photos with confusing text and nonsensical recipes.

I want to thank Amy Burke and Peter Lambert for contributing their knowledge and time helping me out and editing the text and the recipes.
Will Macdonald my technical savior, what would I do without you?!
Ines Lommatzsch for all our excursions and adventures out there on the field.
Mari Strenghielm Nord for always reading my mind and packaging everything beautifully.
Carlo and Igor for being who you are.

All of You readers out there who cooked the recipes, wrote to me and shared your enthusiasm and support, without you this would be meaningless.

A Big Hurray for You all!

/ Anna

Photographs taken summer 2013 during the caper harvest in Pantelleria Sicily.
Buy your Capperi di Pantelleria here http://shop.underthealmondtree.com/product/capers

Beautiful Borlotti!

October 2, 2013

2 Replies

The season has arrived for borlotti beans. I found theese colorful fresh borlotti beans at the market the other day. I’m a big fan of beans in general, often I just cook them with tomatoes, garlic, white wine and sage. Delicious.
This week I made a variation with couscous and vegetables in the oven. Super delicious. The weather is still summery hot in Pantelleria so this recipe proved to be a perfect light lunch in the shadow under the almond trees.

Borlotti bean couscous with vegetables
Ingredients:
3 lb (1.5 kilo) unpeeled fresh borlotti beans that will make about 22 oz ( 625 grams)
without the shell.(If you are using the dried beens you have to put them in water a day before using, see the instructions on the package).
1 Tablespoon olive oil
sea salt

For the oven baked vegetables
2 medium sized zucchinis
6 small red onions or shallots
1 lb (450 gram) cherry tomatoes
16 olives
6 sage leaves
1/4 cup (56 ml) olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

For the couscous
1 large sprig of garlic
1 fresh chili fruit
5 large sage leaves
1 Tablespoon olive oil for cooking
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) dry white wine
1 Tablespoon balsamic
2 Tablespoons honey
1 cup (2.4 dl) of canned tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups (4.2 dl) cous cous

Method:
Peel the borlotti beans.
Cook the beans for about 12 minutes, this time of cooking will leave an “al dente” feeling, if you want the beans more soft just ad a couple of minutes.
Use a colander to get rid of the water, set a side in a bowl, dash some olive oil and sea salt with the beens in the bowl.

Couscous:
Cut the garlic, chili and sage finely.
In a sauce pan, saute garlic, chili and sage in a dash of olive oil shortly, just until the garlic is golden.
Ad white wine, balsamic vinegar, honey, bayleaf and stir .
Ad the tomato sauce and let simmer together for 5-8minutes taste with salt and black pepper.

In a large bowl place the couscous and pour the sauce over to cook the couscous.
Let sit for 5 -10 minutes.

Oven baked vegetables
Set the oven at 400 F degrees (200 C)
Chop the garlic finely
Clean and cut the zucchini i large pieces
Clean the cherry tomatoes and onions
In a smal bowl, mix garlic olive oil, sage , salt and pepper
Rub the vegetables and olives with the oil mix
Place on an oven tray and let cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Serving:
Mix the borlotti beans, couscous and vegetables

Blackberries for Igor

September 23, 2013

The season for blackberries in Pantelleria is long. It begins in early July and ends in early September. The berries ripen, dry up and are then scorched by August’s heat. As soon as the weather begins to cool a bit, after the middle of August, the bushes bloom again and in come new berries. During my morning walks in Ghirlanda I pick them and eat them as a breakfast on the go. Sometimes I bring a basket to fill because Igor, the dog who usually refuses both fruits and vegetables, ADORES blackberries. He munches them up in seconds wagging his tail the whole time. Then he looks up at me as if to say, “Thanks! Can I have some more?” and his mustache is all purple. Watching him so happy fills my heart. I just love this guy!

Once in a while I make a cobbler that’s not too bad either. Served with vanilla ice cream, it is basically heaven on a plate.

Blackberry Cobbler
Serves 8
The recipe fits a baking pan of 9.5 in (24 cm) in diameter.
Grease the baking pan with butter.

Ingredients
9 oz (250 grams) room temperature soft butter
1 Tablespoon bourbon vanilla sugar
1 pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup (1.2 dl) almonds roughly chopped
1 cup (2.4 dl) caster sugar
1.5 cup ( 3.6 dl) of flour
4 cups (1 lit) of black berries

Method
Mix all the ingredients for the dough using your hands.
Pour in the black berries in the baking pan and add the dough in dots or lumps around the berries
Bake at 400 degrees F (200C) for about 15 minutes.
Serve the cobbler with a good vanilla ice cream

Fennel bites with almond and cheese crust

September 11, 2013

There are four huge almond trees in the garden, and they provide us with an abundance of almonds. Beginning at the end of August into the first weeks of September this is the time to harvest. The following recipe is for a popular snack served Under the Almond Trees that includes ingredients that I could solely live on for a long time. Fennel, almonds, oregano and cheese! Treat yourself, family and friends by trying this simple recipe serve with a nice glass of red.

Fennel with almond and cheese crust
8-10 bites

Ingredients
1 pound (450 grams) fennel bulb slices
1/2 cup (1,2 dl) raw almonds
9 (oz) 250 gram of cheese that melts and browns well, I used a 50/50 combination of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
Olive oil to saute fennel
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of Origano di Pantelleria (dried oregano)

Method
Set the oven at broil 530 F degrees (275 C).
Rinse and clean the fennel, cut slices about 0.3 inches (0.75 cm) thick.
In a saucepan saute the fennel in olive oil, salt and pepper.
They are cooked enough when the slices softens and produces a slightly golden.
Since the pieces will be different in size, they will have different cooking time, pay attention to remove the smaller pieces from the pan first.

Coarsely chop the almonds, in a bowl grate the cheeses and combine together with the almonds. Arrange fennel pieces on the baking sheet, give the portions enough space on the tray cover with cheese and almond mixture then into the oven fennel portions. Place baking pan in the oven 3/4 of the way not quite directly under the broiler in the oven for about 3-5 minutes. When golden brown remove tray from oven and sprinkle oregano on top allow to cool slightly to let the cheese set before serving.

Eggplant Pantesca

August 26, 2013

1 Reply

One of my favorite vegetables is eggplant, especially Pantescan eggplant harvested from our garden. This year we also had loads of tomatoes, so some of them are now sun dried. They are an explosion of flavor! We eat them like candy. Now and then I use them in cooking, as in this eggplant dish.

Eggplant Pantesca
Serves 4
24 oz (700 grams) of eggplant
10 pitted olives
6 sun dried tomato halves
20 almonds
7 oz (200 grams) mozzarella
1 cup olive oil
Salt and fresh grounded pepper

Cut the eggplant lengthwise about 4 pieces or into pieces that are a half inch (1.5 cm) thick.
Sprinkle a little salt on both sides and set aside for about 20 minutes to draw out the fluid.
Chop the olives, tomatoes, and almonds coarsely. Cut the mozzarella into small pieces.
Wipe the eggplant patties using a paper towel (so it becomes dry and excess salt disappears). Heat up a frying pan with plenty of olive oil.

Sauté the patties on both sides until golden and soft but without falling into pieces.
Pour more oil in the skillet when needed and season with black pepper.
Remove the patties and place them on a baking sheet.
Sprinkle the olives, sun dried tomatoes and almonds on top of the eggplant. Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake at 440 F (225 C) on the broiler setting for about 2-3 minutes.