Agrodolce is trending …
I love Ireland because our summer feels more like everyone else’s spring. This time of year, with the brighter mornings, longer evenings and the slight rise in temperature, is perfect. Instead of closing my laptop each evening and rewarding myself with a bigger screen while mindlessly scrolling on my phone, I’ve started going for evening walks again. It’s on these walks that my mind races with ideas: recipes, cookbook concepts, to-do lists.
“I should go work at a butchers!”
“I’ll organise a sunset dinner by the sea.” And so on.
My evening walks around Dublin have me thinking about where I want to go on holiday this summer and, most importantly, what I want to eat. Because for me, holidays are always about the food. Since I spend so much time in Mallorca, I rarely travel around Spain – Spanish food isn’t what I crave the most in the heat. Although I must admit that after reading chef Milli Taylor’s recommendations, I’m now itching to get to San Sebastián to devour sky-high Basque cheesecakes at La Viña and the tortilla from Itsaspe Donosti.
Italy feels like a good choice this year, and I’ve got my eye on a little island off Rome that I’m hoping to visit in September when the heat has settled slightly. I’m picturing my mornings filled with peaches, pastries and fresh orange juice, followed by fresh fish and tomato salads for lunch, and homemade pasta for dinner before I do it all again the next day.
Italian food is arguably the best European summer food (closely followed by Greek) with its salads, grilled meats and bowls of tzatziki served with freshly baked bread.
A few years ago, I was in Italy working on the second Pasta Grannies cookbook, learning everything about Italian cooking – a bonus of my job that I absolutely love, it’s like a never-ending cookery course. Between visiting the nonnas, we had a pasta expert on set who spent all day making every shape of pasta you can imagine. Watching her hands craft tiny, delicate anelletti (thin circular pasta) or orecchiette (“little ears”) was mesmerising. Since then, I’ve been obsessing over being able to make it like her. Turns out, I don’t have enough patience to roll pasta for one person, let alone four or more, so I’ll continue buying dried pasta like everyone else.
After a few days of non-stop pasta – making it, cooking it, eating it – the team and I were all desperate for something not made of flour. We snuck off to a local restaurant with questionable peach decor, where I ordered a plate of agrodolce peppers.
Agrodolce is an Italian staple from Sicily where the influence of Arab and Mediterranean flavours collide. It literally means “sour-sweet” – summing it up perfectly.
It’s a syrupy balance of vinegar and sugar, sometimes with additions like pine nuts, raisins or herbs, giving it that addictive sweet and sour punch. Traditionally, agrodolce is spooned over grilled vegetables, tossed with collapsed roasted aubergines, or paired with rich meats like pork or duck to cut through the fattiness. It’s also incredible with oily fish like mackerel or sardines, where the acidity lifts the richness beautifully. Anna Jones has a great recipe in her new book Easy Wins for courgette agrodolce. It’s one of those dishes that you can serve warm or at room temperature, making it perfect for summer lunches.
The peppers I had that day in Italy were glossy and slightly charred, then soaked in the tangy, syrupy agrodolce and piled generously onto thick slices of fresh bread. It reminded me of a dish we used to make at the restaurant I worked at in Mallorca, where we’d cook down vats of red onions with sugar until they were deep, jammy and sticky, then add vinegar, raisins and herbs before spooning it over grilled sardines inspired by a Sicilian dish.
Agrodolce is incredible with oily fish; the acidity lifts the richness beautifully.
This month’s recipe takes a similar flavour approach, but in a typically quicker fashion that comes together in 30 minutes with almost no effort. All the classic agrodolce flavours, but this time poured over thick roasted cod, the sweet and salty butter transporting you straight to summer. And if cod isn’t your thing, try serving it with grilled courgettes, roast chicken or even just a few balls of mozzarella.
AGRODOLCE COD WITH TOMATOES AND ALMONDS
This sweet and sour butter will make just about anything taste incredible. Spoon it over ricotta and greens, roasted and peeled peppers or tossed into pasta. You can swap out the almonds for pine nuts and oregano for fresh thyme, and it works with any fish. I serve this with a lemon-dressed green salad, but a pile of just-cooked broccoli or spinach would be just as good.
Ingredients
Serves 2
• 6-8 medium ripe tomatoes
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 x 400g fillet of cod (or 2 x 200g fillets)
• 30g salted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• Handful of flaked almonds
• Small handful of fresh oregano
• Small handful of golden raisins or sultanas
• 1 heaped tbsp capers
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan. Quarter the tomatoes and place them on a roasting tray. Toss with 4 tbsp olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until soft and jammy.
2. Season the cod with salt and pepper. Remove the tomatoes from the oven, place the cod on top (skin side down as it will help to hold it together) and return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily.
3. While the cod cooks, melt 30g salted butter with 2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan. Crush the garlic cloves with the back of a knife and add to the pan for 30 seconds. Add the almonds and cook gently over medium heat until lightly golden. Toss in the oregano and capers for the last 30 seconds to crisp up slightly.
4. Turn off the heat and stir in the golden raisins, salt, pepper, lemon zest and vinegar.
5. Spoon the roasted tomatoes and cod onto plates or a serving platter, then pour over the agrodolce butter. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, salad and fresh bread.