Michael Chugani 褚簡寧 - Antipasto|又中又英

More than three years have passed since my US relatives and I went on a Mediterranean cruise. Our cruise was in 2018, before the coronavirus pandemic. I still have happy memories of the places we visited, including Naples, Barcelona, Rome, Nice, and Marseille. Many countries have controlled the pandemic but I don't think I will go on another cruise until the world has returned to normal. As I wrote in 2018, during our stop in Naples we went to a family-owned restaurant for lunch where I had the best pizza I ever tasted. My relatives and I also had a large dish of antipasto which was yummy.

I recently thought of that yummy antipasto we had in Naples and decided to make my own antipasto. There are many types of antipasto and I made one that was different from the one we had in Naples. The Italian word antipasto means "before food" or "before the meal". The plural is antipasti. Antipasto is eaten as an appetizer before the main meal. The slang word "yummy" means delicious. Antipasti can include different types of cheese, sliced meat such as salami, ham or Italian sausage, olives, and roasted peppers served in separate plates. These ingredients can also be mixed in a marinade to make a single dish of antipasto.

The word "marinade" means a sauce usually made with olive oil, vinegar, spices and herbs. Meat and fish are sometimes soaked in marinade to give them flavour before they are cooked. I used marinade to soak my antipasto overnight in the fridge. I made my antipasto with sliced carrots, olives, mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers, artichoke hearts and parsley. I boiled the carrots and peppers to soften them. Then I heated olive oil, white wine vinegar, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar in a pan. I mixed this in a large bowl with the carrots, olives, mushrooms, peppers, parsley, and artichoke hearts. I put this in the fridge overnight for the flavours to mix. My elder sister and her husband said my antipasto tasted yummy!
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上一次我跟美國的親戚搭乘地中海郵輪旅遊,已經是超過三年前的事了。我們乘郵輪是二○一八年,是新冠肺炎疫情爆發之前。我仍然很回味我們暢遊那些地方的快樂回憶,當中包括那不勒斯、巴塞隆拿、羅馬、尼斯和馬賽。許多國家已控制了疫情,但我不認為在世界完全重回正軌之前,會再來另一次郵輪旅遊。正如我於二○一八年所寫的,我們停靠那不勒斯那一站,去了一間家庭經營的餐廳午膳,那兒的薄餅是我嚐過當中最好吃的。我和親戚都吃了一大碟前菜(antipasto),同樣好吃極了(yummy)。

我最近想起那在那不勒斯吃過的美味(yummy)前菜(antipasto),決定親自弄一味意大利前菜(antipasto)。意大利前菜(antipasto)有許多款,我做的一款跟我們在那不勒斯吃的那碟並不一樣。意大利語antipasto是指「飯前」或「餐前」,它的眾數是antipasti。意大利特色開胃小菜(antipasto)是作為主餐前的前菜享用。俚語yummy是指味道好極了。意大利前菜(antipasti)可以包括不同種類的芝士、切片的肉如莎樂美腸、火腿或意大利肉腸、橄欖以及烤甜椒,分碟奉上。這些食材也可以混和醃泡汁(marinade),另製成一碟開胃小菜(antipasto)。

Marinade是指用橄欖油、醋、香料和香草製成的醃泡汁。有時烹煮肉類和魚之前,亦可用醃泡汁(marinade)浸醃,加以調味。我就用了醃泡汁(marinade)浸醃我的意大利前菜(antipasto),在雪櫃中放一整夜。我的這個意大利特色小菜(antipasto),用了切片的甘筍、橄欖、蘑菇、青椒、紅甜椒、雅枝竹心和番茜。我燒滾水焯一下甘筍和甜椒,令它們更軟稔;接着用平底鍋燒熱橄欖油、白酒醋、蒜蓉、鹽、胡椒粉和糖,再把它們跟甘筍、橄欖、蘑菇、甜椒、番茜和雅枝竹心倒在一個大碗裏混和,然後放進雪櫃過夜,讓所有味道融合在一起。我姐跟姐夫都說我的意大利前菜(antipasto)美味極了(yummy)!
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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