hathor

And I would leave it at that.

What about subbing fava beans? Just be sure to get off the extra layer that some people are allergic to. That sounds like an excellent dish, with the green beans. That Campania eggplant I was talking about the other day is also good for picnics because it gets served at room temp...or picnic temp.

So, what happens when you mix regions? We've spent the past 2 years exploring the regional cooking of Italy. And it's been a fantastic exploration; any of us who participated learned many, many things. So, what happens when you mix regions? There is hand wringing from town to town, let alone whole regiosn. What got me thinking about this was something that I made for lunch today. Sliced tomatoes (could be anywhere in Italy), layered over some tallegio (Northern Italy), with a sprinkle of dried orgegano (southern Italy...the mezzogiorno). I stuck it in the oven long enough to melt the tallegio. The result was excellent, cheesy goodness that was completely balanced by the acidity in the tomatoes, with the oregano adding a herbal note. Much more savory than combining tomatoes and mozzarella. Did I cross the line? Is this not Italian? Does such a thing as fusion Italian exist?

Good lord. I'm so glad the French colonies were invited.

Just thought I might share this experience with you. Over the Memorial Day weekend, I wound up at Stu Leonards in Danbury Ct. It's a large 'dairy' grocery store that is set up in a terrifying, claustrophobic, maze pattern, has Stephen King-like singing animals posted around, brick floors that are uneven and make even more noise; in short, it gives me nightmares. But, every once in awhile, I get sucked in, thinking, "Oh come on. Stop being a weiney snob, it can't be that bad." Back to cheese: I stopped by the cheese counter, where a woman was cutting up pieces of Grana Padana for tasting. She handed it to a man and said, "It's called Grana Padana and itsparmesan chesse." I took the bait, and said, in my most 'well, isn't it great to be here' voice, "Excuse me but Grana Padana and Parmigiana are not the same cheese." She said, "Oh, here it is." The man tasting the cheese spit it out and said, "It's hard as a rock." (which it wasn't. I tasted it.) The cheese lady went on to tell me more stories about people tasting cheese. One woman said why would she want to eat grated cheese with her wine? Sometimes, a little reality check is a good thing. In Stu Leonard's world, parmigiana comes in plastic tubs and that's just the way it is. I bought some tallegio, and moved on.

Ah, you partied like it was 1976! Excellent! You partied like there was no fear of fat, transfat, carbs, French food, or anything white (the latest fear fad). Maybe you'll start a trend: Fearless Eating!

They certainly look the same, are cooked the same, and have the same addictive properties! I just don't remember ever getting a hot one, and I've been guilty of eating more than my fair share! The only fair thing to do is go to Spain and do a taste comparison. When do you want to go?? I'll bring the frigarelli.

Stevarino, this is so much fun! No double cooking on the rapi? All of my neighbors insist that you boil once and then toss the water and cook again. This is supposed to get rid of the bitterness. Great photos!

Wow!! What a great experience! I love the bread, with DOC protected yeast. I should know the name of that red fish, but I never remember, and pointing at them works just fine. I have bunches of photos of monkfish...they are just so 'photogenic'! This is a great thread, thanks for sharing your experience with us!

Stevarino: were you in a chef program in Puglia? I had puntarella for the first time a couple of weeks ago in NY, it's the first time I've ever eaten it. Delicious. We were with a Florentine friend who said that it was a very popular vegetable in Rome. She also explained some complex prepping was required. What did you do with the puntarella?

Ciao Heinz. I'm sorry, I don't know the Spanish variety so I can't answer, but frigarelli (sp??) are never hot. Just green, crunch, tasty, addictive.

Stevearino: did you make the Tiella? What's in it? How was it? Details..we need details! Photos or no, please share with us!

Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook has an excellent recipe for tartare. I need to get out more often, had no idea this was considered a 'dangerous' food...

Beautiful meals Elie and Shaya! I'm in recovery mode from our son's graduation. Let's just say it was.....wild....no police, but a visit from the Block Captain....... I served a Campania version eggplant that is simple and my absolute favorite version. The only 'strange' part is that it is meant to be served room temp. The sauce is just tomato, onion and a ton of fresh basil. The eggplant is fried after being dipped in egg and flour, layered with fior de latte mozzerella, finished with grated parmigian. That's it. No photos because I couldn't even FIND my camera in all the chaos.

I saw that article, it looks wonderful...and my "I wanna go there" list is already way too long!

Sounds like you scored a beautiful burrata. When it's good, it's divine.

Ciao Maureen! Its nice to see a new face, and a Roman face at that! I've never seen 'chiodini' in the market, what color are they? season? size? All the usual questions! Thanks!

I was thinking about you Pedalforte! I figured you would be following the Giro d'Italia! Liguria: pesto and a nice crisp white wine. That should keep those guys going!

Patate Raganate... I forgot about that, in all of its lovely variations. It seems as if tomato season will never come, but that is part of the pleasure....the anticipation. Has anyone noticed how we seem to be focusing more on Basilicata than on Calabria? Love of the underdog?

Come on Haivart...that's a tease!! Give us the gory details! What cheese? What wines? We live to drool on our keyboards!

Pontormo, that pork sounds really delicious. I like the sound of the eggplant dish as well. Fresh oregano? That's unusual, isn't it? Did it taste different, better, the same? What did you think?

This thread is torture. It's like reviewing favorite sex positions. "Oh, yeah, well what about..." I'd forgot about the pleasures of aged provolone....mmmmmm.....

Sandy, I agree with your points about making clean food available to the masses. It's distressful that organic and/or local foods are expensive, more expensive than conventionally grown. (I love that new term: conventional. So pesticides and massive subsidies are now considered conventional.) But, I'm not clear on who you are referring to when you say the affluent are looking down their noses at the affluent. Do you mean the farmers at the market are looking down on the head guys at Slow Food? Or Slow Food head honchos looking down their noses at the customers at the market? The Slow Food head honchos seem to fallen into the dreaded trap of self-importance, but the local movements are on the ground, trying their best to save our heritage. Let the talking heads talk, but please, farmers, don't stop doing what you do. We, the non-farmers, need you very, very much.

Suzi, that sounds wonderful! I haven't had Les Charmes chardonnay in ages, and I remember really liking it. Happy Anniversary!

Dividend, I LOVE that Mr. Bento thermos. What a great idea! Very cool lunches. Thanks for the kind words about maro, that was one of my favorite flavor discoveries in the Italian regions. Who would put mint and fava together?? I've had a terrible, awful, very bad stomach bug, and today was the first day that I could eat lunch. Good roasted pork Cuban sandwich and some chicken soup.