Dancing Spoon

Whole Fish in Salt Crust

Italy Delicious

by Ashley Bartner

Whole Fish in Salt Crust: Pesce in Crosta di Sale
This is delicious healthy fish dish that comes out super moist & buttery every time with a dramatic table-side presentation! Don't be afraid of the name - it is not salty at all. In fact the salt crust seals in moisture essentially steaming the fish inside. Because the salt absorbs the moisture, the texture and taste of the fish ultimately is more that of roasted than steamed fish.

Ingredients
Whole fish (we use Spigola or Orate but you can use any whole round fish you like or that looks good at the market on any given day)
Lemon
Parsley
Pepper Flakes
Sea Salt, course ground or rock salt
Egg
Olive Oil

Directions
1. Stuff the cavity with parsley & lemon slices.
2. In a separate bowl put 3 1/2 pounds of coarse sea salt per 1 1/2 pounds of fish, a small handful of pepper flakes, rind of one lemon and one egg for each fish & mix. (You can add any herbs you like - rosemary, thyme, garlic cloves - it doesn't matter you are just flavoring the salt.) It should have the consistency of for making good sand castles, add a water a little at a time to achieve this consistency.
3. Rub the fish down with olive oil and then lay a 1/2 inch bed of salt in the bottom of a roasting pan. Place down the fish and cover with the remaining salt. There should be a 1/2 inch crust of salt all around the fish. It is not necessary to cover the head & tail.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-40 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. You can insert a fork into the center of the fish & when the tips are hot the fish is done. The fish will stay warm in the salt crust for well over an hour - this is something you can do ahead of time as pull it out as your guests arrive.
5. Crack the salt crust table side - for a dramatic entrance of the secondo! Use a pastry knife to gently brush away excess salt.

Tutti a tavola — everyone to the table!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche  an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche.

Sauteed Italian Green Beans

Italy Delicious

by Ashley Bartner

Green beans, runner beans, french beans or fagiolini — whatever you call them they are in-season on our farm! Here we pick them while they are still young & tender — not the huge knobby tough beans I was used to before. And don't even get me started on the difference between fresh picked beans and the soggy, salty ones I was force-fed to eat as a kid...from a can!! (No wonder so many kids grow up hating vegetables). Now I eat them right off the vine!

This is a delicious, fast, simple and healthy way to devour these fantastic green veggies. The crunchy, toasty almonds pair so nicely with the al'dente green beans, just begging you to go back for seconds - guilt free!

Sauteed Green Beans with Toasted Almonds

Ingredients
Serves 4
4 handfuls of green beans, trimmed and cut in half
2 cloves of garlic
Pinch of chili flakes
100 gram toasted almonds, chopped
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
 

Directions
1. Blanch your beans in boiling salted water for 3-8 minutes depending on the size and thickness of beans or until half cooked.
2. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. In a frying pan slowly heat 3-4 glugs of olive oil along with the garlic and chili flakes.
4. When the garlic is nicely browned turn the heat up and add in the green beans and saute for a minute or two.
5. Add quarter cup of water. Allow the water to evaporate fully cooking the beans for about 3 minutes.
6. Season with salt & pepper.
7. Toss in toasted almonds.(If you like you can add in a squeeze of lemon.)
8. Serve. (Leftovers: also delicious served cold.)

Tutti a tavola — everyone to the table!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche  an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche.

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Radicchio Crostini

Italy Delicious

by Ashley Bartner
What to do with radicchio? Sauteed with cherry tomatoes and piled high atop crostini!  

Ok, so what is radicchio? If you once thought it was just a purple lettuce, think again. Its an ancient leafy vegetable in the chicory family. Radicchio has a bitter and spicy taste, which mellows when it is grilled or roasted. Its commonly found throughout Italy and we grow it on our farm too! Radicchio is such as versatile ingredient — eaten raw, grilled with olive oil or in risotto.

Here's a quick and easy recipe to enjoy this under rated leafy veg, you can use this topping as crostini, atop grilled chicken or try it in a frittata.

Radicchio Crostini

Ingredients
Radicchio, core removed, sliced
4-5 Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Soft cheese (we use stracchino a soft cows milk cheese)
Toasty bread

Directions
1. In a frying pan heat 3-4 glugs of olive oil and gently fry the clove of garlic. Once brown, remove garlic.
2. Raise the heat, add radicchio, season with salt & pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes as the radicchio will cook down a bit.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes and lower the heat to medium-low. Gently cook everything down, letting the tomatoes wilt about 10 minutes. It may be necessary to add a spoonful or two of water if it looks like its drying out.
4. Taste and check your salt & pepper.
5. Turn off heat & allow to cool. Add a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over top and mix in.
6. Toast your bread slices. Spread layer of soft cheese & spoonful of radicchio mixture.

Tutti a tavola — everyone to the table!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche  an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche.

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Farm to Table Fava Beans

Italy Delicious

by Ashley Bartner
Fava Beans
We've picked nearly a TON of fava (or "broad bean" as our British friends call them) out of our garden/farm – most likely if you have stopped by in the past 2 weeks you have either been given a bag of fresh picked fava to take home, shelled 'em, and/or eaten them!

So what to do with a crate of fava? Lots of choices, from crudo (raw) to crostini to pasta. Here we share a few of our favorite "Farm to the Table" fava dishes:

Simplicistic Antipasta
With the sweet spring flavor of shelled (double shelled) fava we simply pair it with a hunk of fresh pecorino cheese for the ultimate in simplicistic antipasta and country/peasant cooking.

Another great antipasta is fava crostini – the color and crisp flavor on crunchy bread – how can you only eat one?! Here's Jason's fava crostini recipe:

Fava Crostini
Ingredients
Serves 4

1 cup of double shelled (outer pod & inner shell removed) fresh fava or broad bean
couple glugs of olive oil
garlic clove, skinned, whole
squeeze of lemon
water
shaved parmesan
salt & pepper
baguette or crusty bread, sliced & toasted

Directions

1. Throw the fava in a pan and cover with water and a little salt. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer.
2. Cook a couple of minutes until the fava are tender. Drain.
3. Return the pan to the heat. Pour in a couple glugs of olive oil and the garlic clove. Fry the garlic until browned. Then discard garlic.
4. Toss the fava into the pan and sautee for a minute or two. Then begin mashing with the back of a wooden spoon until you form a paste. Add a bit of water if the paste is a bit too thick.
5. Remove fava paste from heat and season with salt and pepper add a squeeze of lemon.
6.Toast slices of good bread and rub warm fava mixture and top with shaved parmesan. You can drizzle a little really good quality extra virgin olive oil as well if you like.

Tutti a tavola — everyone to the table!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche  an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche.

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Vignole and Fresh Pasta

Italy Delicious

by Ashley Bartner
Vignole ~ Spring Vegetables with Fresh Pasta
This dish is a great way to incorporate all the fresh vegetables of spring from wild asparagus to roman artichokes & sweet fava. The dish originated in Rome, they called it vignarola or vignole but it can be found here as well in Le Marche. It's a versatile dish that you can make as a primo or pasta dish or as a stew/soup by adding more vegetable stock (and a good hunk of crusty bread).

Jason swears it really is a simple dish to make, just lots of ingredients to clean! During the spring this is his "go to" pasta for hungry guests & everyone has loved it! The longest part is the shelling of all the fava. (For the vegetarians out there, sadly, just omit the prosciutto.)

We use spaghetti alla chitarra or tagliatelle (local pastas), but if you can't find those types just try regular spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine. We ask just one thing of you: Please, please use fresh pasta in this dish - it will make it much softer and worth the effort or cost - you will taste the difference!

Vignole con Spaghetti alla Chitarra
Spring Vegetables (Artichokes, Asparagus, Fava & Peas) with Fresh Pasta

Ingredients
Serves 6

12-16 oz. of fresh pasta
4-5 small artichokes
sea salt & pepper
1 leek, outer leaves removed, cut into 3-inch lengths, washed
1/2 lb. chard (or other nice leafy greens)
extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
3/4 cup of vegetable stock (add another 3/4 cup if you are making into a stew) - use the water you will using to blanch the veggies in.
12 oz. fresh shelled peas
12 oz. of fresh shelled fava (or half a grocery bag full of the beans)
one bunch of asparagus
4 thick slices of prosciutto
small bunch fresh mint & parsley

Directions

1. Put Put artichokes into a pot of cold, salted water & bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes or until tender (you can check by inserting a knife into the heart) and drain. (Tip: Jason puts a plate on top of the boiling water of artichokes so they don't pop out & stay under water!) Allow to cool, then peel off the outer leaves until you find the pale tender ones, remove the choke (fuzzy white parts) using a spoon. Cut the hearts into quarters.
2. Fill the pot with new water, add salt & bring to a boil. Blanch the fava beans for a minute, remove from water with a slotted spoon. Blanch the leeks for 3-4 minutes, until tender, and the chard until just wilted.
3. Heat a large saucepan, big enough to hold all the ingredients, and add a good splash of oil. Cook the onion, low and slow for about 10 minutes until soft. Cut the tough parts of the asparagus off the bottom and discard, cut into quarter inch pieces. Saute for 2-3 minutes with onion.
4. Add vegetable stock (the water used to blanch the fava, leeks, and chard) and the peas, bring to a boil. Cut the prosciutto into bits and add in — simmer for about 10 minutes, until the peas are cooked and soft and the prosciutto has flavored it all nicely.
5. Chop leeks into strips, run a knife through the chard & stir into the pan. Add the artichoke hearts & fava beans and let simmer for a few minutes.
6. Finish with salt & pepper to taste a small bunch of chopped fresh mint & parsley. Add a few glugs of olive oil.
7. Toss with pasta & drizzle with a bit more olive oil for the bright flavors & colors of spring! Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan or grana padano.Note If the dish looks too dry add a few spoonfuls of pasta water.

Tutti a tavola — everyone to the table!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche  an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche.

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Limoncello for Summer!

Italy Delicious

Limoncello Means Summer!
by Ashley Bartner

Limoncello - ahh that means warm summer days in Italy are here! And after my husband returned from the market the other day with 2 crates overflowing with bright yellow fragrant Sorrento lemons - we knew we had some work to do!

Now I can't really cook to save my life - but somehow I've picked up the knack of making booze! So that is my contribution to the table —  after dinner drinks. Limoncello is one of the easiest liquors to make with only a few ingredients.

Like most Italian recipes, they vary all over Italy — especially on the length you soak the lemon rinds to the amount of sugar - so have fun with it and keep tasting it as you go! As the alcohol absorbs the flavors from the peel you will notice it turn to a beautiful golden yellow.
We used over 60 large lemons and yielded over 15 liters of limoncello!

Limoncello
Ingredients

Rinds of 6-7 lemons (no whites)
1/2 liter of pure alcohol
1 liter of water
500 gr. sugar

Directions

1. Soak the lemon rinds in alcohol for 10 days
2. Filter the lemon rinds.
3. Make a simple syrup with the sugar & water (warming the water on the stove & incorporating all the sugar).
4. Combine the simple syrup with the alcohol & mix.
5. Bottle & freeze.
Serve cold and enjoy!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche  an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche.

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About Ashley Bartner

Contributors Our

Meet Ashley Bartner
Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband, Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche, an organic farm, inn, and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche. We're very excited that Ashley is now sharing her foodie dream with us, as a contributing writer, here on Dancing Spoon.

I live in Piobbico, Italy (population 2,000 - on a busy day), in the little known region of Le Marche, with my husband Jason, where we are the only “americani” for miles and miles! Jason and I live in a 300-year old stone farmhouse, run an inn, cooking school, and organic farm!

Two years ago we made a life changing decision and left the “daily grind” of New York City for the Italian countryside! After falling in love with Italy on our honeymoon in 2006, and with no kids or mortgage, we took the risk of our lives and opened an agriturismo with a small osteria and a cooking school run by Jason, who was previously an Executive Chef in Manhattan. Our little slice of paradise is an old restored stone farmhouse with five huge guest apartments surrounded by over 500 acres of farmland, rolling hills, and truffle rich woods.

We knew we wanted to run an agriturimo and cooking school as we had stayed at numerous other agriturismo's throughout Italy and enjoyed the atmosphere of vacationing on a working farm. La Tavola Marche is founded on our feelings that food is the most accessible, unique, and enjoyable way to get to know a new destination. Culinary experiences not only enhance traveler’s enjoyment through pleasing their taste buds, but also allow for an immediate immersion into the local culture. Plus, when we travel, that is our most favorite part — eating our way through every city, state, and country!

We love to share the simplicity of  Italian cooking, taking the freshest possible ingredients and preparing them simply. What a great vacation, to stay in a relaxing beautiful setting, learn to prepare this delicious food, and take home more than just memories: the ability to recreate a bit of Italy at home. And Italians do this best — celebrating life at every meal!

I am excited to share with you, Dancing Spoon readers, all the pleasures of the table: growing, cooking, eating and celebrating food! Tutti a tavola - everyone to the table!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche. In her  column Delicious Italy, Ashley shares the secrets of the Italian kitchen with local seasonal Italian recipes, organic gardening tips, food festivals and markets, day trips in Le Marche, Tuscany, Umbria and beyond! Celebrating life at every meal, from the farm to the table. What better way to know a culture but through its food! Ashley is a proud member of Slow Food both in The United States and Italy, and only cooks/serves what is in season and locally grown, supporting the local economy. La Tavola Marche

Jason is a professional Chef with years of experience as an Executive Chef in New York City and Italy. Ashley is a host-extraordinaire and writer for Italia! Magazine.
Follow their adventures on their lively blog: La Tavola Marche Blog

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