7 replies to this topic

[kellytree]

You know italians have certain idea like fish and cheese is a big no no.
There are a lot of rules of what you can and cannot eat together ( I have a tendency break most of these rules) so my question is this:
your own personal opinon -
What is the bigest lie ( maybe that sounds a little too hard) in the italian cucina culture?

[Faith Willinger]

Ciao Kelly

The Italians are anarchists at heart, love to break rules. There are lots of examples of fish and cheese in the same dish in southern Italian cooking. So feel free to break any rules that you'd like, at least when eating Italian.

a presto

Faith

You know italians have certain idea like fish and cheese is a big no no.
There are a lot of rules of what you can and cannot eat together ( I have a tendency break most of these rules) so my question is this:
your own personal opinon -
What is the bigest lie ( maybe that sounds a little too hard) in the italian cucina culture?

[kellytree]

I have no problem breaking the rules ( thats what they are for right??)

- I always get a little chuckle when I am cooking and do something mega faux pas like mix garlic with onion -- or sprinkle some parmigiano on my pasta con tartufo.

My experience with the Italians is that yes they are anarchists at heart and love to break rules everywhere except the kitchen.

[pia]

My experience with the Italians is that yes they are anarchists at heart and love to break rules everywhere except the kitchen.

Kellytree, I don't see any transgression in what you cook. Pecorino cheese is often used for stuffing anchovies or tagliatelle are usually seasoned with butter and Parmesan, before slicing truffles on top of it (both anchovies and truffles have a strong personality, it's impossible even for cheese to overwhelm their flavour). I've never read the rule of not mixing onion and garlic in a "soffritto" (the only problem may be that chopped garlic tends to burn quicker than onion).
I think that when one cooks, any kind of cuisine, the main aim should be a good, balanced result, harmony of taste and textures, before looking for rules to be broken.
Italian cookery is either the result of long and slow cooking of many ingredients, that give something with a new, different flavour, a blend not existing in nature or, om the contrary, the enhancing of the original, pure taste of some ingredients.
If there is a non-written rule, it may be that whatever you put in your pan, there must be a reason for being there. If one ingredient is so aggressive to cover another one, avoiding it to give any influence on the final result, than why you should use the second? This is one of the reasons, for instance, for banning cream from our sauces. It makes food "soft" but it covers other flavours. Olive oil, for instance, adds its own taste in a gentle way.

[Bux]

We'll all agree that rules are made to be broken, the disagreement comes when we decide who breaks what rule. The no cheese with pasta and clam sauce is a classic rule, but I've never heard of not mixing onions and garlic in the same preparation. I just picked up a cookbook and turned to two tomato sauce recipes. Both had garlic and onions in the sauce. Pia's point about burning the garlic is well taken, but I'm wondering if there is a commonly known rule about garlic and onion together and if such a rule might have been passed on to novice cooks to keep them from burning the garlic.

Cream sauces are not common in Italian food, but are they really "banned?"

[Faith Willinger]

I went to Rome this week to check out a new restaurant, Baby, a consulting job of Don Alfonso at the Aldrovandi Palace hotel. The cooking is a fusion of Campanian and Roman cuisine. I had a fantastic dish that relates to this thread. Cacio e pepe is a traditional Roman pasta, pecorino cheese, pepper and some pasta water, usually done with bucatini. At Baby they made paccheri, wide short pasta, traditional in Campania, with the Roman cacio e pepe sauce--with the addition of scorfano, rock fish. Even my super-Tuscan, tradtional-palated husband loved the dish.

a presto

Faith

quote=Bux,Nov 19 2004, 03:59 PM]
We'll all agree that rules are made to be broken, the disagreement comes when we decide who breaks what rule. The no cheese with pasta and clam sauce is a classic rule, but I've never heard of not mixing onions and garlic in the same preparation. I just picked up a cookbook and turned to two tomato sauce recipes. Both had garlic and onions in the sauce. Pia's point about burning the garlic is well taken, but I'm wondering if there is a commonly known rule about garlic and onion together and if such a rule might have been passed on to novice cooks to keep them from burning the garlic.

Cream sauces are not common in Italian food, but are they really "banned?"

[/quote]

[Kevin72]

I've never read the rule of not mixing onion and garlic in a "soffritto" (the only problem may be that chopped garlic tends to burn quicker than onion).

I think Arthur Schwartz writes that Campanians don't do this in the intro to Naples at Table.
In Culinaria: Italy the authors make a similar observation about the Pugliese.

EDIT: Marcella Hazan says exactly what you do about adding the garlic later.

I still mix 'em, though.

Edited by Kevin72, 19 November 2004 - 10:33 AM.

[Faith Willinger]

Ciao Kevin

Loosen up. Arthur, Culinaria and Marcella are simply 3 options. Do what feels comfortable.

a presto

Faith

I've never read the rule of not mixing onion and garlic in a "soffritto" (the only problem may be that chopped garlic tends to burn quicker than onion).

I think Arthur Schwartz writes that Campanians don't do this in the intro to Naples at Table.
In Culinaria: Italy the authors make a similar observation about the Pugliese.

EDIT: Marcella Hazan says exactly what you do about adding the garlic later.

I still mix 'em, though.