Рецепт Caponata napoletana
Italian cookery can be confusing. As we’ve talked about before, it’s highly regional and even local, so much so that some people say that there is no such thing as Italian cuisine. I don’t agree, but it is true that there are amazing differences between regions, especially as you travel from north to south. And that variety includes many contradictions, especially in the names given to food. Pasta shapes are notoriously confusing: the same shape can have several different names depending on where you are. Those little tubular pasta shapes used for pasta e piselli, for example, can be called tubetti, ditali or ditalini depending on where you are; the pasta called bucatini in Rome are called perciatelli in Naples, the square spaghetti called spaghetti alla chitarra in Abruzzo are called tonnarelli in Rome, and so on. And, what’s more, different pasta shapes can also share the same name: Just think how many different pasta shapes are called strozzapreti or strangulapreti (“priest stranglers”) …
And so it is with caponata. When most people here that word, they think of Sicilian caponata, one of the best known dishes in the entire Italian repertoire. But the Neapolitans also have their own caponata napoletana, and it’s actually nothing like it’s Sicilian namesake—it’s actually a kind of bread-based salad closer to bruschetta or panzanella.
Caponata napoletana is an incredibly simple dish, but it does call for an unusual ingredient, a kind of twice baked doughnut-shaped bread that looks a lot like a toasted bagel called friselle or freselle (see Notes). Each frisella is soaked briefly to soften, then topped it with tomato salad and, if you want, other savories like olives, anchovies and crumbled tunafish.
Caponata napoletana makes for a great antipasto or—if you add lots of those extra toppings—a light summer supper. It’s especially welcome on those days when it’s too hot to even think about lighting the stove. Or when you just don’t feel like cooking.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
4-6 friselle
4-6 large tomatoes, cut into chunks or wedges
Olive oil
A pinch of dried oregano
Salt and pepper
Optional additional toppings:
Green and/or black olives
Anchovy fillets
Fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
A can of tunafish, drained and crumbled
Capers
Red onion, chopped or finely sliced
Fresh basil leaves
Directions
About a half hour before you’re ready to eat, take your friselle, dip them briefly in tepid water and place them on individual plates. Pour some olive oil over each frisella.
Now prepare a tomato salad with the tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper, and spoon some of the salad onto each plate, covering the top of the frisella.
Now you can add whatever other toppings strike your fancy. Let rest until you’re ready to eat.
Just before serving, drizzle a bit more olive oil over each plate.
Notes on Caponata napoletana
The typical base for making caponata napoletana are friselle, also called freselle, are a kind of ring-shaped bread that are partially baked, then split in two horizontally to continue baking until golden brown all over, so as to remove any trace of moisture from their crumb, so they last indefinitely. The history of friselle goes back a long time, at least to the Middle Ages. They were originally meant for soldiers, pilgrims, fisherfolk, and others who would be away from home for extended periods. The dry bread would be reconstituted as needed with water, a bit like hardtack for sailors. (But don’t worry, unlike hardtack, they’re actually quite crisp and light.) Their doughnut/bagel-like shape allowed them to be strung together through the middle hole for easy storage and transportation. Besides Campania, friselle are made in most of southern Italy, in particular in Puglia—which is actually where they originated—as well as Calabria, where they are called frese.
Friselle
Sadly, friselle can be hard to find these days. Even my local Italian deli no longer carries them—the manager explained to me that they just aren’t in demand any more. If you live in an area with a sizable Italian-American community, you may have better luck. If not, they can be purchased online. Or you can make them yourself—and they’re actually pretty easy to make. As explained in this post by fellow food blogger Vincent Scordo. Otherwise, you can make a perfectly acceptable caponata napoletana by substituting other kinds of bread—day old bread that you bake in the oven until brown, for example, should work well. I’ve seen Italian recipes calling for those slices of pre-made toasted bread that Italians call ‘fette biscottate‘. And since friselle look like bagels, you might even try making caponata napoletana with a toasted bagel, although personally I’ve never given it a try.
Ingredients
- 4-6 friselle
- 4-6 large tomatoes, cut into chunks or wedges
- Olive oil
- A pinch of dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Optional additional toppings:
- Green and/or black olives
- Anchovy fillets
- Fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
- A can of tunafish, drained and crumbled
- Capers
- Red onion, chopped or finely sliced
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
About a half hour before you're ready to eat, take your friselle, dip them briefly in tepid water and place them on individual plates. Pour some olive oil over each frisella.
Now prepare a tomato salad with the tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper, and spoon some of the salad onto each plate, covering the top of the frisella.
Now you can add whatever other toppings strike your fancy. Let rest until you're ready to eat.
Just before serving, drizzle a bit more olive oil over each plate.
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http://memoriediangelina.com/2015/08/14/caponata-napoletana/
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