Neapolitan Cooking Without Vegetable Oil

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900g) beef chuck or shin, cut into chunks
• 4 lb (1.8kg) yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 oz (55g) pancetta, diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• A few fresh basil leaves
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot and render the pancetta until golden.
2. Brown the beef chunks on all sides, then set them aside.
3. Soften the celery and carrot, then pile in all of the sliced onions.
4. Cover and let the onions sweat over low heat for 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until they collapse into a jam.
5. Return the beef to the pot, pour in the white wine, and let it reduce.
6. Stir in the tomato paste and basil, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the beef falls apart.
7. Season to taste and serve the ragù over rigatoni, with the beef alongside.

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb (1.1kg) small clams, purged of sand
• 12 oz (340g) spaghetti
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 fresh red chile, sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Crusty bread, to serve

Method

1. Soak the clams in cold salted water for at least an hour to purge the sand, changing the water once.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.
3. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan, add the garlic and chile, and cook gently until fragrant.
4. Add the clams and wine, cover, and cook over high heat until every shell opens, discarding any that stay shut.
5. Cook the spaghetti until a minute short of al dente, then lift it into the clam pan with a splash of its cooking water.
6. Toss vigorously until the pasta finishes cooking in the clam liquor and turns glossy.
7. Finish with parsley and a last thread of olive oil, and serve at once.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise
• Sea salt, for sweating
• Olive oil, for frying
• 2 lb (900g) San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
• 4 garlic cloves
• A generous handful of basil leaves
• 10 oz (280g) fior di latte, sliced
• 3 oz (85g) Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 3 oz (85g) Pecorino Romano, grated
• Black pepper

Method

1. Salt the eggplant slices and let them sit in a colander for 30 minutes, then pat dry.
2. Simmer the crushed tomatoes with garlic and half the basil for 20 minutes into a bright sauce.
3. Fry the eggplant in batches in plenty of olive oil until golden on both sides, draining on paper towels.
4. Spoon sauce into a baking dish, then layer eggplant, mozzarella, both cheeses, and basil.
5. Repeat the layers, finishing with sauce and a final blanket of cheese.
6. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbling and golden.
7. Rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing, it holds together far better once it settles.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450g) pork ribs or a ham hock
• 1 lb (450g) Italian sausage, in small pieces
• 2 lb (900g) mixed bitter greens, torn
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• Grated Pecorino Romano, to finish
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Cover the pork ribs, onion, carrot, and celery with water and simmer gently for 1.5 hours to build the broth.
2. Strain the broth, pull the meat from the bones, and discard the vegetables and bones.
3. Warm the olive oil in a clean pot, brown the sausage, then add the garlic.
4. Pour the strained broth back in along with the pulled pork, and bring to a simmer.
5. Add the bitter greens in batches, letting each wilt down before adding more.
6. Simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes until the greens turn silky and the broth turns deeply savory.
7. Ladle into bowls and finish with a generous dusting of Pecorino Romano.

Ingredients

• 17 oz (500g) 00 flour
• 13 fl oz (350ml) cold water
• 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 10g (2 tsp) fine sea salt
• 14 oz (400g) San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
• 10 oz (280g) fior di latte mozzarella, torn
• Fresh basil leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Semolina, for dusting

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast in cold water, then mix in the flour gradually until a shaggy dough forms.
2. Rest 20 minutes, work in the salt, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
3. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours, then divide into four balls.
4. Refrigerate the balls 18 to 20 hours, then bring back to room temperature before shaping.
5. Heat your oven and a baking stone as hot as it will go, at least 500°F (260°C).
6. Stretch a ball into a thin round, top with crushed tomato, torn mozzarella, and a little olive oil.
7. Bake 6 to 9 minutes until the crust blisters and blackens in spots, then finish with fresh basil.

Ingredients

• 10 oz (280g) cooked wheat berries
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp butter
• Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
• 1 lb (450g) fresh ricotta, well drained
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp orange blossom water
• Candied citron or orange peel, chopped
• Shortcrust pastry, for the shell

Method

1. Simmer the wheat berries with milk, butter, and citrus zest for 15 minutes until creamy, then cool.
2. Beat the ricotta with the sugar until smooth, then work in the eggs one at a time.
3. Fold the cooled wheat mixture, orange blossom water, and candied peel into the ricotta filling.
4. Line a tart pan with the shortcrust pastry, leaving enough dough for lattice strips.
5. Pour in the filling and top with a lattice of pastry strips.
6. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for about 1 hour, until golden and the center barely jiggles.
7. Let it rest overnight before serving, Neapolitans insist it only tastes right the next day.