Californians love the foods of Italy -- little surprise given our similar climates, vegetation and terrain. And our chefs routinely travel there in search of new recipes that can be adapted to local tastes and ingredients.
Winter is the time when we like the slow-cooked foods of Italy: complex ragu sauces, rich cannelloni, savory osso buco and eggplant Parmesan. But in summer, we want "light" Italian, and we want it quickly. Some of the best examples of this genre come from Italy's small - and mostly obscure - islands. These dishes feature local ingredients - notably seafood, olive oil, lemons, tomatoes and wine. Sound familiar?

Two of Italy's island groups are Capri, Ischia and Procida in the Bay of Naples; and the Aeolian islands, off the north coast of Sicily.

Capri (that's CAH-pree) is famed for its Blue Grotto, chic visitors, and the ancient ruins where Tiberius once escaped his truly dysfunctional family. Because of all the tourists, the local cuisine has been somewhat lost to international tastes.

One Caprese favorite, however, has spread widely: a basil-accented mozzarella-and-tomato salad. Of course, its success demands superb ingredients. Make it with prematurely picked supermarket tomatoes and mass-market cheese, and it's pedestrian. Residents of Capri also cultivate lemons and olives; oregano grows wild. All these flavors show up in island food.

Another source of island cuisine is Ischia, best known for hot springs and radioactive thermal baths. These are a legacy of its volcanic origins, as is its soil, which is ideal for grapes and citrus trees. Not surprisingly, fish and seafood show up in anything-goes risottos that are a hallmark of the island.

Only a few miles from Ischia and Capri is tiny, picturesque Procida. It's a fisherman's island, with few hotels and only a handful of restaurants that cater to tourists; most visitors are Italians with vacation and weekend homes.

Artichokes are a hallmark of the cooking of Procida; they're both cultivated in neat plots and found growing like weeds on scattered patches and cliffs. They're very tender and can be eaten in their entirety when they're young, which means they're far more versatile for cooking than their American cousins.

The best known of the craggy Aeolian islands, about 30 miles off Sicily, is Stromboli; it's an active volcano that inspired a bad movie with Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini. The largest and most developed is Lipari, where typical dishes reflect the island's dependence on fishing.

FISH STOCK

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 to 3 quarts water
• 1/2 cup light dry white wine
• A few pounds fin-fish frames, heads (no gills), fins, tail, skin and meat
• A few peppercorns

LINGUINE FRUTTI Di MARE FROM PROCIDA

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound fresh linguine or other long pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil (a strongly flavored oil is fine here)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 pound mussels (3 or 4 per serving)
• 1 pound clams (3 or 4 per serving)
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
• Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in pot that has a tight fitting lid. Add the garlic and saute for 1 or 2 minutes. Don't let it brown. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the clams and mussels, cover, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shellfish open (discard any that don't open). Remove shellfish and keep warm.

Reduce the wine/broth slightly, adding a small amount of olive oil and wine, if necessary, to make enough sauce. When pasta is done, drain, then mix with sauce and parsley. Add shellfish and let sit a minute or two over low heat until shellfish heat through.

Don't add cheese just offer salt and pepper.

Serves 4 as a first course.

PER SERVING: 390 calories, 18 g protein, 33 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat (3 g saturated), 118 mg cholesterol, 208 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

CARCIOFI ANTIPASTO

This dish, served in a modest restaurant in Procida's main port, isn't subtle, just delicious -- especially when the rich tomato sauce is sopped up with good country bread.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (16-ounce) can roma tomatoes, or equivalent in ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 stem fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 pound small, tender, young artichokes, trimmed, cut in half
• Salt and pepper

PER SERVING: 195 calories, 3 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat (2 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 231 mg sodium, 6 g fiber.

CAPRESE ANTIPASTO OR SALAD

Buffalo-milk mozzarella is a soft white cheese with a surprisingly subtle flavor. The delicacy of this dish calls for a mild-flavored olive oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
• 8 ounces buffalo-milk mozzarella
• Fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons high- quality but not strong olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

PER SERVING: 230 calories, 12 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 18 g fat (8 g saturated), 44 mg cholesterol, 217 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

CAPRESE GRILLED SWORDFISH

Cut the swordfish into thin slices; this makes it easier to cook uniformly and keep moist.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound swordfish, cut into 3/8-inch-thick slices
• Fresh lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Chopped fresh oregano
• Salt and pepper

PER SERVING: 125 calories, 20 g protein, 0 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat (1 g saturated), 40 mg cholesterol, 91 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

FISHERMAN'S SPAGHETTI

This dish from Lipari is for garlic-lovers only.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup forceful olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound vine-ripened tomatoes, or a 16-ounce can Italian tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 sprig fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 sprig fresh basil, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar, or 1 teaspoon tomato paste if tomatoes aren't ripe (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound assorted chunks of fin fish and calamari
• 1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
• Fresh basil or Italian parsley leaves, for garnish

Add seafood: Uncooked fin fish take about 5 minutes to cook, calamari and cooked fish take only 1 to 2 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente; drain and toss with the sauce (not as elegant as serving the sauce on top, but better tasting.)

Portion into serving bowls and garnish with fresh herbs. Serves 4.

PER SERVING: 660 calories, 29 g protein, 95 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat (2 g saturated), 141 mg cholesterol, 221 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

STEAMED MUSSELS

This is best with small Prince Edward Island or other North American native mussels, not the huge green-lipped variety from New Zealand. It makes a great appetizer.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 pounds fresh mussels

PER SERVING: 320 calories, 27 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 15 g fat (3 g saturated), 151 mg cholesterol, 651 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

SEAFOOD RISOTTO

Unlike many seafood risotti, this subtle dish from the port of Ischia doesn't include tomatoes. The seafood you use depends on what's available and what looks the freshest in the fish market; the amounts are up to you.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups fish stock (see recipe), or 2 cups clam juice plus 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup olive oil (not too strong)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 bunch Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
• Lemon slices

Add all or a selection of the following:

• Clams or mussels in the shell, scrubbed
• Shrimp or prawns, peeled, deveined
• Squid, cleaned, bodies cut into rings, tentacles cut in manageable pieces

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute for a minute or two, then add the garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent -- don't let the onions or garlic brown. Add the rice and saute for a few minutes, stirring to coat all grains with oil.

Add the wine (it should sizzle), stirring until it evaporates. Start adding the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and making sure all the stock is absorbed before adding more. After about 20 to 25 minutes, test the rice for doneness. Bite a grain; like pasta, the white core should just disappear when the rice is done. (Sometimes the rice takes longer, up to 30 to 40 minutes.)

Just before the rice is done, add seafood as follows:

• Clams or mussels, 5 to 6 minutes before rice is done
• Raw shrimp, prawns or calamari, 3 to 5 minutes before the rice is done.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with slices of lemon.

Serves 4 as a first course.

PER SERVING (without seafood): 380 calories, 7 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat (4 g saturated), 8 mg cholesterol, 34 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

5/31/95 © 1995 , San Francisco Chronicle, All Rights Reserved, All Unauthorized Duplication Prohibited

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