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Now that is an excellent write up Kevin!! I don't think I need to do a write up this month! An odd ingredient from Abruzzo, or at least a surprising ingredient, that I adore is the saffron. There is a small amount cultivated, when it is steeped it is the color of compari, and it's taste is full and smooth and just incredible. If you happen to come across Abruzzo saffron....snap it up. It's worth it.

There was a Brewer's Plate fund raiser at the Terminal last night....sounds like a very fun evening! My son went, and sent me some photos that I thought you guys might enjoy. I'm just the proud mother of someone who is turning into a second generation eGulleter! I posted his write up and some more photos on my blog if you are curious. It seems that Philly is ahead of the curve in trying to develop a sustainable food supply. Bravo!

Alinea's anniversary is May 4th and May 6th is a Sunday. ← So, you're thinking this press release comes from someone at The Onion?

Did anyone else see the announcement that Alinea will close on May 6? That's a shocker. Seems that Chef Achatz wants to pursue a career in acting. Here's the blurb from Michael Ruhlman's blog. edit to fix link

hmmmm....maybe next weekend!

Great write up! And fantastic pictures....thank you for sharing your trip with us! I love 'haute barnyard', that is an excellent description. And yet again, Spain is calling me....the chefs there seem to have a handle on expertly blending traditional flavors with modern techniques. Thanks again, Bryan! P.S. I think my favorite plating may the the exuberant crazy Anarchy 2007 desert dish. After all those precise, stunning food arrangements, it was refreshing to just see some passion and freedom running riot.

Katie, you've always impressed me with your wine knowledge...but your mixologist skills are astounding! Vanilla-lavender sours....my, my, my. Can't wait until we are in Philly again and can visit. Pork belly, squab leb confit and visions of banana tarte tatin dance in my head! And to the two of you debating brodo: you are having a traditional, classic, Italian "discussion". I'm sure Artusi would be chatting along if only he could.

I think you may have identified one of the best aspects of eGullet: conversations we have had over a number of years. But, to go back on topic: You have probably done the job of many a book editor, you've figured out what makes a regional cookbook work. That sense of place. You have to wonder why its so elusive or difficult.

Ludja, Ital.cook, is the Slow Food school in the city of Jesi, in LeMarche that I attended 2 years ago. Can it already be two years?? Oh my, time flies. The school's curriculum centers around the Italian regions....each few days we had a chef come from a different region, along with his ingredients. It was a wonderful experience. Somewhere around here on eG is a thread from when I was there.... Kevin and FM, you are both raising interesting points about cookbooks and regionality. In my conversations with different tourists, I'm always surprised at how little is known about the differences between the regions. And cookbooks, like this one from LeMarche, don't help the matter. A region specific cookbook should invoke all the flavors of that region, and teach us how to use those indigenous ingredients. Which brings me to a question that I was pondering today while chopping up the ingredients for lunch. I made some spaghetti with an anchovy sauce. The sauce had garlic, onions, parsley, anchovies, chili peppers. Could this be considered a LeMarche recipe? The anchovies and chili peppers are common ingredients in LeMarche dishes, as is garlic. Never an abundance of garlic, but a small hint of it. You could find this simple preparation in LeMarche certainly, but also in Puglia, Calabria, Sicily, Lombardia, Abruzzo etc. Is this a pan-Italian recipe? Meaning, it crosses borders? And if so, what are other pan-Italian recipes? Risottos and polenta come to mind. Seems my mind was wandering while chopping parsley!

Elie, those look delicious! I agree with you that we haven't made enough dolce this month. I don't have any sort of sweet tooth, so I tend to forget about the dolce....but I have some great recipes from Ital.cook. One particularly interesting one is a filled cookie that has an orange peel/parmigiana stuffing. If anyone wants the recipe, PM me. Warning: the filling tastes really good and you wind up eating a lot of it before it gets to the cookie!

In case anyone is interested, Mitch makes a damn fine negroni!! And I ate more than my share of the foccacia!! I disagree about the shellfish stew. I thought the viscosity of the stew juice was just right and the shellfish had been cooked perfectly. The gauntlet has been laid down....I guess I'm hosting the Abruzzo dinner for next month, right Mitch?

I was curious what you guys would have to say about this place. Interesting. We wound up there last night, and I have to say that I was impressed. It looks beautiful. It was also a quiet, cozy, Sunday evening, and we were in need of something soothing, so it was all good. Most of the dishes were exceptionally tasty. The crab/asparagus flan was a bit bland for my taste, but others at the table were very happy. The fried cheese/frozen apple foam tapas was a very good and surprising flavor combination. I haven't been to Spain, so I can't make any claims of knowledge for 'correctness', but for tasty, small plates to share over a nice bottle of wine, it was excellent.

"For well he knew a woman hath no beard." –Chaucer, The Miller's Tale That was a naughty choice of a quote! Beautiful write up. I've also discovered that a very simple, very quick cook on the shell fish works wonders and enhances the natural flavors. Like the "poor mans clams" that I made awhile ago. Meanwhile, the flaws in the recipe are pretty serious, and that's not good. And just to let you know, Mitch made some very, very delicious butter and sage pasta with that papardelle....as well as a savory seafood stew....and some yummy cheeses from LeMarche. All these great flavors tasted very much like the real deal. An excellent meal! We were very fortunate to be invited to share his bounty!

Staging is usually unpaid work in a kitchen. Pretty much the same as an internship. Choose wisely.

Nice teaser shots, MItch!! Hope the fishmonger makes you happy! Kevin....it's not so bad with the fish. Make the stock, let it cool, then pick thru discarding all the icky bits. My challenge is to wait until its cool. Pontormo: you are on the money with 'village-ism"!

Absolutely gorgeous Franci!! I am positive that I can smell it from here!

Kevin: I just had an "ah-ha" moment. You can't/shouldn't make fish soup with fillets. You need little fishies with lots of little fishy bones. That's where the flavor comes from. It's the reason why I haven't made a LeMarche brodetteo yet, I can't find any bony little fishes. It's just a thought..... your shellfish stew looks delicious and I would love some right about now! Or some absorption pasta....or a vegetable.... I've been stuck in various airports since last Friday so I'm a bit delirious and more than a bit cranky....!

I debated mentioning this, but I just think it's too funny not to share with you. I've been invited by Chef Lenny to be a judge at a meatball contest. South Philly v. South Jersey. Oh my. After my little hissy fit about Italian-ness and authenticity, this must be some sort of cosmic payback. What can I say? Other than all this talk about meatballs... I had to have some for dinner. And my recipe comes via my Sephardic mother-in-law, who came from Turkey and used Ritz crackers as a key ingredient.

Franci, that Fugazza is just beautiful!! You are amazing!

Good point!

Elie, I find baccala to be pretty mild. After is soaked for a few days, it's pretty harmless. I give the uncooked fish a little taste, if its still very salty, you can boil it for a few minutes, and that tames it right down. I was taught that stoccafissa is air dried, and baccala the salted. But, as Franci says...it's more confusing than that! This dish is from the other night, and it's not strictly from Le Marche, but its common to all of central Italy...and probably most of northern Italy. Just a simple ravioli with a porcini sauce. I know in LeMarche and Umbria, they make it using that 'panna' stuff that you get in the little cartons. I don't really know what panna is, I know it's not just heavy cream, and its probably full of all kinds of nasty stuff that I don't want to know about; but it makes an excellent base for sauces. I refuse to read the ingredient list. I made my version with a small amount of heavy cream added at the end. God, porcinis are a wonderful thing!

Nice round up John! Now we have to get you to come up to the Alta Tiberina!

OH...the box is gone. Next chance I get, I will head over to Despana and look at the box again, it does have a list of ingredients on the back, in a number of languages and I'll report back. I must say that it didn't have that artificial sweetener taste to it. But, I'm certainly not an expert. As I recall, it was the only version that they had for sale. But, I wouldn't rely too much on my memory!

Many thanks for the info! I didn't know I bought the 'sugar free' variety...it was sweetened with honey, so I don't think it was at all for diabetics or the calorie conscious. It made a marvelous 'gelato' type ice cream, but as a sauce ingredient for something savory....it could be amazing as a balance for spice. It has such a good, strong concentrated almond taste. Certainly a fun ingredient to play with; however there is a warning on the label that eating too much can cause a laxative effect! A museum?? Yet another reason to plan on coming to Spain! thanks again!!

We have a lovely Spanish gourmet store down the block, and ever since Docsconz's write ups, I've been wandering over there to experiment with different ingredients. Yesterday I came across "El Lobo", a soft almond paste, flavored with honey and pressed into a bar. They had crumbles of it to taste, and it was delicious. My question is: what it traditionally done with this almond bar? Just eat it? Use it as a pastry ingredient? I made it into a sort of gelato, finished with some saba syrup and candied/spiced orange peel. I was pleased with it, but kept wondering..."what are you 'supposed' to do with it?" Thanks!