Erica De Mane

Still Life with Potatoes, by Vincent Van Gogh, 1888.

Recipe below: Tiella Pugliese with Potatoes, Red Peppers, and Anchovies

I had a heartsick week. My cat Buddy, who was my best, closest, most loving cat ever, died of cancer. It’s been three days now, and I can’t say I’m anywhere near over the hump on the path of grieving. I feel as if my insides have been scraped dry. But I’m still me, and in times of trouble, I cook. I cook hard. Layering food can calm a broken heart. Structure is soothing. Seriously. When I’m sad, I often make a lasagna. I didn’t make a lasagna this time, but I did put together a tiella Pugliese.

My cat Buddy loved my cooking, especially anything with scallops, calamari, shrimp, or clams, and frankly he didn’t always need them cooked. Love you Buddy.

This is an unusual layered casserole from Puglia, my father’s part of the country. It’s a piatto unico, always anchored by a few layers of potatoes. Most people don’t think potato when they think of Southern Italy, but it’s not all pasta there. Some fine potatoes lurk around. Tiella is both the name of the dish and the name of the dish it’s cooked in.

You start with potatoes. Sometimes you add rice. But then you might put in an inner row of mussels still in their shells, or slices of salt cod. Often tucked in somewhere are tomatoes, zucchini, or sweet peppers. I’ve eaten one tiella that contained artichokes. You’re layering up and baking some of the good things you have on hand to feed your people. All the flavors meld to form a seamless whole. You sprinkle a little caciocavallo inside to gently and deliciously hold the thing together. You cut it like a lasagna. This felt solid and correct for the time I’m in now. Good food helps.

Tiella Pugliese with Potatoes, Red Peppers, and Anchovies

(Serves 5)

Extra-virgin olive oil
5 large Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced very thin—peel them if you like, but I didn’t bother
2 red bell peppers, roasted, seeded, peeled, and then cut into strips
Salt
Black pepper
Aleppo pepper
1¼ cup grated or thinly sliced caciocavallo cheese
6 canned Italian tomatoes, crushed with your hands
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
10 oil-packed anchovies, roughly chopped
6 or 7 big marjoram sprigs, the leaves chopped
6 or 7 big thyme sprigs, the leaves chopped
A big splash of dry white wine
A handful of homemade breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Pick a nice looking casserole dish that will hold all the layers. I used a 7-by-10-inch Le Creuset rectangular one, but an equivalent oval or round dish will be pretty, too. Drizzle in a little olive oil, and lay down a layer of potatoes. Add the red peppers and some of the caciocavallo, seasoning with salt, black pepper, and a little Aleppo. Drizzle with olive oil.

Add another layer of potatoes. Then add the tomatoes and red onion and garlic. Scatter on the anchovies and half of the herbs.  Top with a sprinkling of caciocavallo. Give it another drizzle of oil.

Layer on the remaining potatoes, season with salt, black pepper, and Aleppo. Sprinkle on the rest of the herbs and any remaining caciocavallo. Drizzle on the wine.

Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs, and drizzle with oil. Season with salt and black pepper.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Take off the foil, and bake until the top is browned and the potatoes are tender, about another half hour.

Let the tiella rest for about 15 minutes before you cut it. Serve it hot or warm.

I served it with an arugula salad, and it seemed exactly right.