hathor

It's that fava bean puree that is haunting my dreams...where it is in a flat bowl with a ribbon of olive oil....

I don't know if there's some kind of Pugliese dialect name, but the word I know is rosticceria, plural rosticcerie. ← I knew that I wasn't even close to spelling it correctly! thanks!!

OOOOPPPPPSSSS!! Sorry!!! It was you, and it was damn good!

What's the point of an unshared thread? I love those stuffed artichokes...wow!! Tobasco sauce! Very interesting, and heretical. Reminds me...I need to put that on the list to bring to Italy!

Is it off topic if I ask an egg question. Stan, you seem to know your eggs. What does a particularly thin shell mean? Type of feed? Our egg man in Italy has the thinest shells on his eggs. The trick is to get them home in one piece, and I've yet to get them ALL home. Eggs at NYC's greenmarket averaged in the $6.00 range. By the way.

Octopus ragu. Variation on Divina's recipe. Soften some chopped garlic, onion and chili peppers in olive oil. Add the octopus, when the legs start to curl, add some hearty southern Italian red wine, pureed tomatoes. Cover the pot with a layer of paper, then put the cover on the pot. Do not peak until its done. Low heat. 45 minutes. Very, very dark red sauce, tender polpo, spicy and good. Served with cheesy bread to sop up the juices. I know, I snuck in cheese. Cheesy bread is one of those things that just evolved in our household. Puree some parmigiana, EVO, chili peppers, whatever herbs you are feeling, last night it was oregano, and a pinch of salt. Spread on the bread and bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese bubbles. Turn off the oven and leave the bread in so it gets all hard. Its great for sopping up sauces, or as a bottom layer for cioppino type dishes. And Foodman...this was thanks to you! Your description of the pork with vinegar peppers just made me have to have it!

Yup, you found Castro. It's just a little village, with a very cool port. But, its a really small village. And if we ever find ourselves sharing a bottle of wine, I'll tell you the story about the town slightly north of Castro, where there are thermal springs. It's one of THE strangest places I have EVER, EVER been. We refer to it as the time we went to the "Mother Ship." Puglia is a wild place!

Thinking about the sagne pasta in Puglia, look what I found last night. They are shorter than Pugliese sagne, but essentially the same pasta. Served with a very richly flavored Calabrese style octopus ragu, while we gathered together and watched the penultimate Sopranos. It will be an end of era for our Soprano suppers!

Stevarino. gorgeous pictures! What an awesome experience. Puglia is seafood nirvana. Mark Bauman, you won't have any trouble at all finding small family run trattoria's in Pulgia. Here was one of our favorites. It was mostly raw shellfish, but it was outstanding, although their white wine packed a wallop....or maybe it was the abundant sunshine. Whatever, you are in for a treat. Stevarino, did you go to any of the rotisserias? Not sure how to spell that. Rotisserie places? Incredibly good.

I can't imagine ricotta forte being sold or catching on in the US. Too many perceived health code problems it would be skirting. But as Hathor said, you get it or you don't. I loved it; it made my jaw hurt it was so pungent! My wife hated it. ETA: That pasta has an insanely long name, if it's the one I'm thinking of. Or is it the sagne you've posted before? ← Yes! Sagne! I don't know why I can never remember the name. I think that I've seen ricotta forte at Di Paolo's in NYC. Maybe they sell a pastuerized/purified version?

I never heard of the guy, so I'm coming in with a clean slate. The article just struck me as glib and sort of silly. I would certainly never have thought that he was a food journalist as he seems to pride himself on his Everyman's ingorance. And where the hell does he get a full on flapjack (flapjack??) breakfast i NYC for $6.00??

I can only drive the Puglia bus for a little bit....I really do have to do some work! But, here is the sign for the temple of fried foods in Castro. You're not going to find it any guide..that I know of. The anchovies were fillet, with a bit of some sort of fresh pecorino in the middle and then a crunchy outer coating. I thought I had a picture, but I think that we ate them much too quickly. This was another standout, knock your socks off dish. Its that pasta..whose name I'm drawing a dead blank on....it's been twisted around a wire or umbrella spine, and the sauce is a simple marinara with the addition of that rock-your-world aged pecorino that comes in a jar. Oh my, my, my. Either you adore it, fondly smell your old socks to bring back the memory, or you gag on move on. It is divine! I

Wow, Elie, that pizza Calabrese just looks amazing. Italian tuna fish is nothing, nothing, nothing like Starkist! And lard is under-used and under-valued, IMHO. Honestly, in all 20 regions, I've never seen round pancetta. I guess it exists. My question is why is round ubiquitous here, and flat there? And, just because this is Italy, this is also called pancetta. It's uncured strips of pork belly, fried, and finished with sage and a splash of vinegar. (Belongs in the Umbria thread.)

That fava bean dish is brilliant! I love pureed fava beans, but I've gotten 'stuck' on how to serve them. Fell into the same old-same old trap. Stevarino: did you do any fried fish? I seriously had the best fried fish of my life in Puglia. There was a small town, Castro, with a very small trattoia, where I considered begging to stage just because I had never, ever tasted such a light, crispy fried fish. The stuffed anchovies were a thing of beauty.

I've a good size house, with an open door, and a big kitchen. It would be an honor to host the anniversary potluck! Beautiful meal Shaya! Does anyone know why pancetta is round in North America? It's one of my mysteries of life. In Italy, pancetta is a big chunk, like bacon, never round. Foodman, I bet you know the answer. Maybe we need a pancetta thread...

Tupac, bravo! Have a wonderful, wonderful time! I think it would be really helpful to you to scroll thru the Italian forum, a bunch of us 'studied' the different Italian regions. Each month we took on a different region; it is a goldmine of info. I think that Kevin72's signature line has a link that you can follow. When you get to Umbria....let me know! Maybe you'll stop by for a visit!

Maureen, thanks for taking the time to answer my very broad based question. I think it may be a long, uphill slog to re-educate the masses. A worthy slog, but a long one. And I think that you are dead on when you say it is a circular problem. A possible factor in this perpetuation of the generic, is a desire by people to eat what they have always been used to eating.

I forgot all about pork chop with vinegar and pepper...I love that dish! Yours looks especially good, Kevin. I was just fantasizing about the ultimate potluck....all of us who participated in the regional cooking threads, having one big potluck dinner. How much fun would that be??

That makes sense. It is not innovation that is the issue. It is misrepresentation, ignorance, the perpetuation of ignorance and lack of respect that is the problem. ← Stevarino, you get bonus points for creating that Olive Garden special.....! But you are both making a very valid point. Well said.

Shaya, I'd use a hard wheat, durum flour, no egg. Do you need a recipe? PM me, ok! For you, it would be a very minor challenge, I'm sure! Fantastic photos Stevarino. I don't know how you made the promise to, but "you done good!"

Something in the back of my head is reminding me that brocoletti does not mean broccoli... But frigarelli are certainly peppers, and it does get spelled different ways, depending on the region.

Pontormo, that's a very interesting question: "when does a living culture decide that it is set and established...." You could parallel that to language. A living language must accept outside influences to better communicate with a broader audience. It is certainly a balancing act to respect tradition and exhibit individual flair, and it seems to me that this is something that the Spanish chefs have a handle on.

Umbria does the salumi and figs thing as well. It's just not as hot as it is in Rome. Marinated eggplant/zucchini sound wonderful...especially as it's lunchtime and I'm hungry!

I should put this into my signature line: "Warning: I cannot spell or proofread." To the best of my knowledge the peppers are spelled:frigerelli. Friggere, meaning to fry.

Yes, I'm respectful of Italian culture, or at least I think I am, but I cannot be a pure Umbrian chef. If I were, then all my pantry contents would be pure Umbrian. Which is the case with most of my neighbors. Remember when we were cooking Sicilian and I ran up to Guido's to get a piece of frozen swordfish for couscous. I mentioned to him that I want to make a Sicilian couscous and he looked at me as if I had taken leave of my senses. I know. I know. I jumped the gun on the tomatoes. That's why they went into the oven, I was hoping that a bit of a roast would concentrate the flabby flavor. I tried to resist. I swear I did! I think you may have hit the nail on the head with the combinations thing. To generalize my experience, (and with Italians its almost useless to generalize) they are extremely wary of combining flavors, let alone new flavor combinations. This could also be a factor in why they don''t eat out very much. Maureeen, could you explain more when you say there is a 'subculture of regional mixing in the lower reaches of the mass-tourism sector."? Stevarino, I'm not sure that just knowing where it comes from makes it ok, and what does that mean, 'make it ok'? It's ok to me because I'm willing to try the flavors of oregano, tomato and tallegio. But would it be ok to a Piedmontese? Does the 'ok' part come because I've a broader experience with different cuisines? I don't know the answer here. I'm just thinking out loud. But I do think that you are 1000% right when it comes to "Italian restaurants" on a global scale being irresponsible by presenting Italian food a s a generic food category. Of course the same could certainly be said about Chinese or Indian cuisine.... I find the Spanish avant garde culinary scene very interesting. Reading thru Docsonz's Voyage in Creativity is an excellent examination of how tradition and innovation are being melded.