Best 7 Agrodolce Italian Recipes

BALSAMIC GLAZED CIPOLLINI ONIONS (CIPOLLINI AGRODOLCE)

Steps:

• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Drop in the onions and boil 2 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
• Use a small, sharp knife to slice off the top of the onions, then slip off the skins. Trim any hairy roots, but leave the stem end intact so that the onions don't separate. If the onions are larger than 1 1/2-inches diameter, slice into halves or quarters.
• Heat the butter and oil in a medium (8-10-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming and begins to smell nutty, add the onions to the pan. Cook 5 minutes, or until the onions are browned, stirring occasionally.
• Sprinkle the onions with the sugar and salt. Pour the water and vinegar over them (the pan will sputter). Turn the heat down to medium and cover the pan. Cook 5 minutes.
• Uncover the pan and continue cooking until the liquid in the pan looks syrupy and has large bubbles, another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with the thyme and serve.

CHICKEN AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Coat chicken with flour.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook chicken with garlic, ginger, and bay leaves until chicken is browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Mix wine, vinegar, and honey together in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until sauce is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add orange juice, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and continue cooking until sauce is reduced by 2/3, about 10 minutes. Strain reduction sauce.
• Pour strained reduction sauce over chicken; add pine nuts and simmer over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

CAPONATA "AGRODOLCE" (SWEET AND SOUR)

Steps:

• In a very hot pan, separately cook the vegetables over a medium-high flame with a bit of the olive oil. Cook the onions and the garlic together in the same pan in a little more oil. Set all cooked vegetables aside in a large bowl.
• Make the "agrodolce": Combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and reduce by half over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
• While vegetables are still warm, combine with the roasted peppers, olives, and capers. Pour the "agrodolce" vinegar over the vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped herbs and marinara sauce and stir.
• Serve the caponata at room temperature.

PORK AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Brush a baking dish with olive oil.
• Whisk tomato paste, vinegar, honey, mashed anchovy, green onions, garlic, rosemary, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper together in a large bowl to make the agrodolce.
• Cut pork shoulder into roughly 3-inch pieces. Add to the bowl of agrodolce and mix by hand until coated. Transfer pork and sauce to the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven, flipping pieces over halfway through, until pork is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add a splash of water if pork appears too dry. Skim off fat as desired.

ZUCCHINI AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Prepare the zucchini: Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Slice the zucchini into 1/8-inch-thick rounds, long ribbons or both. Lay out in a single layer on two wire racks set inside two sheet pans.
• Salt the zucchini lightly and evenly, and let sit for about 20 minutes to draw out the water. Blot dry with paper towels, then leave in the oven until the slices become a little leathery, dry and sort of papery. It'll take a little over an hour.
• Make the agrodolce: In a small, nonreactive stainless-steel saucepan, simmer the vinegar with the sugar over medium heat until syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add the chile flakes and turn off the heat. Stir in garlic slivers.
• Meanwhile, finish the zucchini: Heat about 1 inch of olive oil in a wide sauté pan over medium-high until it shimmers. Test with a chopstick to see if it's ready to sizzle. Fry the leathery zucchini in batches until golden brown, 20 to 30 seconds. Move quickly - they fry quickly. Drain on the racks.
• Arrange the warm, fried zucchini in a heatproof dish and generously scatter mint leaves on top, then spoon the still piping hot agrodolce all over the mint and zucchini. You will smell the mint leaves bloom under the heat of the agrodolce, like tea leaves in hot water. Let rest for about 15 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to meld and permeate.

STRIPED BASS IN AGRODOLCE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12- to 13-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shallots, stirring occasionally, until browned and just tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add wine, vinegar, water, sugar, raisins, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and bay leaf, then briskly simmer, stirring occasionally, until shallots are very tender and liquid is thick and syrupy, 40 to 45 minutes. (If liquid is reduced before shallots are tender, add 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer.)
• Pat fish dry, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold fillets in half, skinned side in.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté 4 folded fillets, turning over once, until deep golden, 4 to 6 minutes total. Put cooked fish (still folded) on top of sauce in heavy skillet. Wipe out nonstick skillet and sauté remaining 4 fillets in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same manner, transferring to sauce.
• Cook, partially covered, over moderate heat until fish is just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

CHICKEN AGRODOLCE (AN ITALIAN SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN)

Steps:

• In a large plastic bag, combine flour and chicken breasts, toss to coat.
• In a large skillet, saute floured chicken breasts in olive oil with the whole garlic, bay leaves and allspice berries until chicken is browned.
• Remove chicken to a plate.
• To the skillet, add honey, vinegar and wine; cook to reduce slightly, about 10 minutes on medium-high heat.
• Return chicken to skillet, add orange and lemon juices, salt and pepper, and cook about another 20 minutes or until chicken is done and sauce is reduced slightly.
• Remove garlic, bay leaves and allspice berries from sauce.
• Add pignoli and heat through, another 5 minutes or so.
• Delicious with angel hair pasta or a nice risotto.