Caxton magazines staff“Italian cooking is about coming together as a family to celebrate life, food and wine,” says artist Maria Patrizi (mariapatriziart.co.za), whose crowd-pleasing menu reflects her Pugliese heritage
INGREDIENTS
- For the fillet Pizzaiola:
- 50g butter
- 7,5ml olive oil,
- plus extra for drizzling
- 1kg beef fillet, cut into
- 1cm thick slices
- 200g cherry tomatoes,
- cut in half
- 45ml capers
- 100g pitted black olives
- 1 chilli, chopped
- 200ml water
- 100g grated Parmesan cheese
- pinch salt
For the Peperonata:
- 30ml olive oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes, cut into cubes
- 2,5ml oregano
- 800g mixed red and yellow bell peppers, cut into thick slices
- salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Zucchini:
- 30ml olive oil
- 50g butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 sprig thyme
- 500g baby marrows, cut into long thin slices
- salt and black pepper, to taste
METHOD
To make the fillet pizzaiola:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a roasting pan on the stove.
3. Arrange the fillet slices in the pan.
4. Sprinkle the tomatoes, capers, olives and chilli over the meat.
5. Pour the water over the top and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and salt. Lightly drizzle with some more olive oil.
6. Roast the meat uncovered in the oven for about 25 minutes until the meat is about medium done or cooked to your liking. Serve immediately with the peperonata and zucchini trifolati alla Pugliese.
To make the Peperonata:
1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan.
2. Add the onion, tomatoes and oregano and fry for 3–5 minutes.
3. Add the peppers and cook slowly, uncovered, over a medium heat for about 20–25 minutes. Season to taste.
To make the Zucchini:
1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan.
2. Add the garlic and thyme and fry for 3–5 minutes.
3. Add the zucchini and fry at a relatively high heat for approximately 15 minutes; stirring from time to time and taking care they don’t stick to the pan and burn. Season to taste.
This recipe serves 6.
