Olives, persimmons, and broccoli rabe: 4 autumn recipes

As always, my seasonal barometer is the local market. I look forward to that moment when the first fruits of a new season start appearing on the stalls. They don’t arrive all at once but rather, like Ravel’s “Bolero” — where instruments gradually join in, one by one, building up to a crescendo — each fruit, each vegetable, follows the next week after week, day after day, creating a symphony of autumn ingredients.

Prickly pears follow pomegranates, their skins turning from yellow to a deep red. Plump, round, orange persimmons sit beside the pale gold clusters of “mennavacca” grapes, which are named for their resemblance to cow udders. 

The earthy tones of the season come alive when I run my hands over the velvety, sensual caps of “cardoncelli” mushrooms, and the glossy shells of the first chestnuts, shining like the leather shields of Roman warriors.

I have to admit, I let out a little squeal when I spotted the first “cime di rapa” (broccoli rabe) peeking out of a crate, their tender green florets nestled between wide leaves. Kyla and Chloe—two guests I was guiding through my “market to table” cooking class that day—must have noticed my excitement. In this class, we head to the market to shop for ingredients that inspire us, brainstorming our menu while imagining what we’ll cook and share together. My enthusiasm must have been contagious because those *cime di rapa* went straight into our shopping basket, along with mushrooms, persimmons, and a bag of split and peeled dried fava beans.

October brings another treat to the market: freshly harvested table olives. Deep violet-blue, almost black, they transform into something sweet and succulent when sautéed with a couple of cherry tomatoes and a splash of olive oil, creating a rich umami sauce perfect for *scarpetta* (mopping up with bread). Pure and simple bliss.

The market in Polignano is such a unique experience, I had the pleasure to share also for the show “Journey to Europe” that has been broadcasted for the National Australian television a few days ago. You can watch an abstract here.

In this October newsletter, I want to share with you the recipes I’ve loved most during my recent cooking classes, so you can cook them and feel a little bit of Puglia in your kitchen with me.

Enjoy with molto amore,  

Flavia

Fried olives

Ingredients for 3:

• 100 g/3.53 ounces of fresh sweet olives

• 5 cherry tomatoes

• extra virgin olive oil (EVO)

• salt

Time: 15 minutes

Rinse the olives, then dry them with a cloth.In a non-stick pan, heat half a tablespoon of oil. Add the olives and the halved tomatoes.Sprinkle with a bit of flaky salt and cook until the olives begin to soften, crack, and slightly break down.You can serve them as they are or, as I did, on top of fava bean puree (recipe below).

Fava bean puree

Ingredients for 2:

• 200 g/7.05 ounces of dried, hulled, and split fava beans

• 1 bay leaf

• extra virgin olive oil (EVO)

• salt

Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Rinse the fava beans under running water until it runs clear and without foam.Place them in a pot with a bay leaf and cover completely with cold water (at least two fingers above the beans).Cook over low heat until the fava beans are completely broken down, checking the water level and adding more if it evaporates.Once the beans start to disintegrate, add salt, a tablespoon of oil, and stir, mashing with a wooden spoon to help form the puree and to prevent the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.The fava beans will need at least 1 hour to cook thoroughly.You can choose to leave the puree rustic, with some fava pieces, or for a completely smooth puree, you can blend it with an immersion blender (removing the bay leaf first).Serve immediately with a generous drizzle of oil. You can pair it with sautéed vegetables (in Puglia, typically wild chicory). I also love it with fried green peppers or, as mentioned in this newsletter, with fried black olives.

Orecchiette with cime di rapa (broccoli rabe)

Ingredients for 4:

• 1 kg/2.2 pounds of broccoli rabe

• 300 g/10.6 ounces of fresh orecchiette pasta

• 2 garlic cloves

• 6 cherry tomatoes

• 4 anchovy fillets in oil

• Extra-virgin olive oil (EVO)

• Salt

• Spicy chili pepper (optional)

Time: 30 minutes

1. Wash the broccoli rabe thoroughly, then separate the stems (discard them) from the leaves and the buds.

2. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.

3. Salt the water, then add the broccoli rabe leaves. After 6 minutes, add the fresh orecchiette pasta, and after another 9 minutes, add the broccoli rabe buds. This timing ensures the greens don’t fall apart.

4. Meanwhile, in a pan, sauté the garlic with the anchovy fillets in oil. Once the anchovies have melted into the oil, add the cherry tomatoes, halved.

5. Once the orecchiette is cooked (taste to check for doneness), drain them, saving a couple of ladles of the cooking water.

6. Toss the pasta and the broccoli rabe for a couple of minutes in the pan with the sauce, adding a ladle of the cooking water to help blend the flavors.

7. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of spicy chili pepper (if desired) and a drizzle of olive oil.

Persimmon Tiramisù

Ingredients for 3:

• 4 small cups of cold coffee

• 9 ladyfingers (savoiardi)

• 200 g/ 7.1 ounces ricotta

• 2 tablespoons of sugar

• 2 soft persimmons

• cocoa powder

Time: 10 minutes preparation + 1 hour rest

1. Pour the cold coffee into one bowl and the ricotta into another.

2. Mix the ricotta with the sugar until smooth and well combined.

3. Wash and peel the 2 persimmons, removing the skin and seeds. Set the pulp aside.

4. Prepare 3 tumbler glasses.

5. Soak one ladyfinger for a few seconds in the coffee, break it into 2 or 3 pieces, and place it at the bottom of one glass.

6. Add a spoonful of ricotta on top of the soaked ladyfinger, then a spoonful of persimmon pulp.

7. Repeat the process (ladyfinger - ricotta - persimmon) to create a second layer.

8. Finish the tiramisù by topping it with one last piece of ladyfinger and a dusting of cocoa powder.

9. Repeat the process for the other two glasses.

10. Let it rest in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.