hathor

If the gods are listening... I second that emotion! You read a recipe and then have to interpret where the author came from so that you can figure out what his particular biases or influences are.... or whatever. ...I want an index. Italy is too 'new' of a unified country to just lump it all together. (I love vino verdhe...its supposed to be cheap, and its all about spring and summer...stand tall drinking your vino verdhe!) And why shouldn't we tell stories? Friends sitting around a table...discussing food and adventures. By the time we get to the south of Italy...we'll really be telling stories to each other!! Now I'll be on the lookout for a chef clock.

I second Mrbigjas: amatriciana is soul food. Very satisfying. Did you make it with bucotini? That's a pasta I don't normally like, but it words with amatriciana. Pontormo: great fusion Roman dinner! Indeed...all roads do lead to Rome! There is a classic road sign in Perugia that once caused an argument in our car. Me: "Turn right, that way goes towards Rome." Husband: "No, the sign to Rome says turn left." We drive back to the sign, and there are two signs for Rome: one pointing right, one pointing left. Didn't have my camera with me. We make a variation on the zucchini dish a well...I like the idea of adding some pepperoncino. Anyone else having trouble tracking down Lazio wines? I can probably find some Est!Est!!Est!!! but that doesn't really rock my boat... Last night was saltimoboca....everyone else making it created an immense craving for the dish!

I wasn't even hungry...then I started catching up on this thread.... fantastic looking food everyone! Brad, that write up was great. I really appreciate the effort and the info. We've got a gang coming for Easter dinner, and I'm trying to go as Roman as possible! Wish me luck!

Take a look at Michael M's recent trip to Rome! We have an imbedded reporter!

Great looking meal Kevin! What kind of fronds were they on the fennel? It look beautiful. So who started peas and mint, the English or the Italians? I haven't seen any decent artichokes around in the market. I'm very sad.....

The buon compleano was really and truly spelled out in curved bits of nori. It was pretty amazing...!

Chufi, just so you don't feel alone in the world of sushi-humor....check out this sushi birthday cake. I didn't make it, one of the Japanese chef that went to Ital.cook with me made it. Took him all day and we demolished it in 15 minutes! Try to see the Santa Claus birthday candle...its a very special touch!

Anyone have this month's Gourmet Magazine? There is an article about having an Easter feast a la Emila Romagna.

Great info Pontormo! I need some time to go thru those links. I'm in a Scappi obession mode at the moment. My research led me to believe the Estrucans were further north than Rome, but I'll go back to my sources again...no, that can't be. I know there is a necropolis right outside of Civitivecchia. Most of the info I've come up with on Civi..linked it very closely with Rome. The guide books mention it as just a passing thru point, and I'll second that. Unless you need to be at the port for a ferry or for some other reason, its not that much fun and there are better places to spend your time. We wound up there a bunch last summer and the thrill wore off ..... But, Viterbo is a fine place to eat and poke around.

Anna, you get a large gold star for perserverance!! And form making me laugh! That sounds like one of my stories....!

Gorgeous haul at the market Nathan! Just a beautiful meal. Something about working on Lazio and Rome just is making me hungry all the time. Just a word about the carciofi giudea (sp?). When I've had it or prepared it, you need to trim the artichoke down to the tenderest center part, no stem, and then press it flat. Almost like making it into a Star of David. (get it?) This doesn't effect the flavor any, and I have no worries that yours were completely divine. For me, the hardest part is trimming and losing all that good artichoke, even if I do make an artichoke stock or something out of the trimmings.

There is a sweet green pepper that I used to get in Italy all spring and summer, I don't know the name of it, but it was a short, stubby pepper. ← Friggiarielli or friggiarelli is the name of the peppers; another addition to the things I really miss about Italy! ← As usual...you are right! I had forgotten the name. (I'm missing fava beans today....)

Anche io. i've been asking this question around and about eG and it seems that N.Americans don't cook anymore. They're intimidated by their kitchens. Check out the Dream Dinner thread if you really want to become disturbed. I don't understand. There is a serious disconnect going on.

Marlena: the turnips are all April! I'm just a drooling spectator.

Well, I read thru this whole thread to see if anyone else had this one: a very dear friend has an aversion to ....flour. She cannot touch it or even think of it. She also has an extreme aversion to cotton wool. Its that bad that I can't even tease her about it.

There is a sweet green pepper that I used to get in Italy all spring and summer, I don't know the name of it, but it was a short, stubby pepper. I bought these peppers at a Japanese market (!!) because they looked sort of similiar and they actually cooked up just the same. Pan fried for a few seconds in olive oil, then add some salt and maybe some tomatoes. Excellent. I've never seen the exact same pepper variety in the US. Too bad. Actually there was only one supplier in the Umbertide market, a very gnarled old man that would bring them in every week and I would take more than I could possibly eat.

Ciao tutti. I usually write a little geographical and historical piece introducing each region. I thought I would challenge myself this time, and research Lazio without a focus on Rome. There is such an abundance of information of information on Rome, it seemed unnecessary. I wondered, what about the roads that don’t lead to Rome? The region of Lazio is on the west coast of central Italy, bordered by the Thyrrenian Sea, Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise and Campania. This area was called Lazio or Latium even before the birth of Rome. It is comprised of 5 provinces: Frosinonoe, Latina, Rieti, Roma and Viterbo. Over half the population of Lazio live in Rome. In the province of Riete are the Sabine Hills in the north east portion of Lazio, bordering on Umbria and Abruzzo. The village of Rieti was an important site for the people of the Sabine nation, as it lay on the Via Salaria; a salt route used by the Sabines to fetch salt from the salt marshes at the mouth of the Tiber river. It is speculated that this trade in salt led to the beginning of the development of Rome. Dating back to 1700 BC in ancient Babylonia, there is mention of the high quality of olive oil from this area. Common olive varieties that thrive in this area, which is more arid than Rome, include: carbonceli, pendolfinio, moraiolo and rosciola. The province of Frosinone, includes the area known as Ciociara, which is south of Rome and north of Naples. The province of Frosinone proper was created in 1926 out of areas that were previously belonging to Campania, Latina and the Kingdom of Naples and because of this and the proximity to Rome, it does not have a strong cultural identity. However, the area, loosely known as Ciociara has a long and strong cultural heritage. The name derives from “ciocie”, a type of footwear with a double sole that is secured to the foot by turning the laces 12 times around the leg. This area has both cultivated land and pastures. It is known for excellent quality meats such as mutton, goat, poultry, young castrato lamb and a very prized variety of suckling goat that is traditionally slaughtered for Easter. During the cold months, there is a famous type of pork liver sausage flavored with orange peel and bits of apple. Fish come from fresh water lakes and rivers, and at one time the fresh water shrimp were an important product, but now they are quite scarce. These fresh water shrimp were also prized in Riete, but are no longer commonly available. Apparently there is an incredible bean called, “Cannellini di Atini”, where the only flavor description I could find was that you must try it to believe it! The area is also know for zucchini flowers fried with egg, flour and milk, but not stuffed as you might find in Rome. Viterbo is in northern Lazio and was known by the ancient name of Tuscia romana. The ancient city at one time vied for the Papal seat and even built a papal palace to convince the pope that Viterbo would be a better place to be headquartered than Rome. In 1270, the Holy See had been vacant for 3 years when the bickering French and Italian cardinals were brought to Viterbo to choose a Pope. The burgess confined the cardinals in the palace, and resorted to curtailing their food intake which promptly led to the election of Gregory X. How else do you appeal to bickering French and Italians? Viterbo claims that the famous ‘acquacotta’ (a vegetable soup incorporating wild herbs such as chicory and mint and hard, stale bread, with a final splash of olive oil) is indigenous to Viterbo, but Frosinone also lays claim to this soup. Typical pastas made only with water and durum flour are Lombrichelli, pasta stracccia and gnocchi col ferro. Other pastas, like fettucini and papardelle are made with egg. The barnyard supplies the chicken and rabbit for cacciatora (pan fried in the manner of the hunter). Another famous regional specialty is “pignattaccia” which is a stew of beef, pork, entrails and vegetables slow cooked in a crock. In this region, fish can either come from the sea, simply prepared by grilling or frying, or from fresh water. Of particular note are the eels of Lago Bolsena. Another interesting dish, of indistinct origin, is the “Carrots of Viterbo”. Although the original variety of carrot has vanished, the dish is still prepared using the common yellow carrot. The dish appears to have originated in the 15th century and calls for long slices of carrots to be dried in the August sun, then placed in vinegar for a few days. Then the carrots are heated in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, cloves, nutmeg which gets complimented by choices of chocolate, pignoli, dried fruits. The carrots were stored in earthen pots and usually accompanied boiled meats. To the south of Rome, lies Latina with only a population of half a million. Here you find the beginnings of Southern italy with its bleached countryside, cactus and prickly pears. The Latina area is almost equally divided between mountains and coastal plains. It produces the herb eating Lenola goat which is prized for its delicious flavor. This was an impoverished area where every scrap of food, every fish bone was used, any herb that could be found or even a stone from the sea would be used to flavor a soup. I leave you now to discover the cuisine of the province of Roma. There are literally mountains of information on the cuisine of Rome. But as dedicated eGulleters, I propose that next April we meet in the province of Roma, in the town of Ladispoli for”La Settimana Gastronomica del Carciofo Romenesco”. What say you?

Who ever has leftover artichokes?? Lets see, last month's obsession was frico. Its looking like artichokes this month!

Divina (Judy Witts) co-hosted a panel with Kate Hill and Fergus Henderson called Saints Perserve Us: A Pigs Tale. It was creative, and thought provoking. They began with a photo presentation taking us from slaughtering a pig, to pig products in the market, to the end product at St. John's. The pig has almost mythical importance in French and Italian cuisine. You butchered in the winter and ate the pig all year long, no wonder there is a reverence for this animal. After the presentation there was a lively and interesting discussion about the future of small butchers in North America. Its not a rosy picture by any means. At one point, Fegus suggested that we all hug our butcher; which seems like a very good idea. Pontormo, that's the only eG-er that I'm sure about, but I'm sure there were others. (I bet you would have enjoyed the session on Scappi's Opera!).

April, if I was anywhere near a farm in the middle of nowhere, I'd be banging at your door. I'm a fan of turnips in general, and pickled turnips?? That just is two of my favorites in one thing. The turnips were such a lovely color. I HAD to sneak in one last Friuli dinner. I know. I know. We are supposed to be in Lazio. But I was in the market and the bronzine looked really good, and I had that bottle of Blau&Blau burning a hole in my wine stash...so one thing led to another, and we had burnt garlic brodetto of bronzine and clams with spaetzle. I figured some sort of spaetzle must show up in Friuli! The Blau & Blau was a beautiful compliment to the brodetto, not particularly complex but fresh, fruity and strong enough to stand up to the strong flavors of the brodetto. Ok. OK. I admit it. I got carried away with the faded edge thing on the photo.

I'm sorry Russ. I've never heard of it...but, I promise to do some research next chance I get.

Ciao Shaya!! Mind if I jump in here? Regional Italian cuisine is most certainly defined by ingredients. Preparation comes into play in terms of social issues: cosmopolitan urban cooking reflects the influences from other cities and countries, while rural and coastal cuisine reflects the generally poorer population that needed to work outside, so you have the slow braises and stews. And that's a very short answer to a very complex subject. What a gorgeous and drool inducing beginning to this region! Carbonnara. Artichokes. What could be better?? I have easy access to Belle Italia...if someone one wants me to send off some guanciale, PM me. I ride my bike over, so the shipping charge is very nominal...just what UPS wants! Woo-hoo...now that I'm home again I can get back in the kitchen.

Judith Umbria, we should be back in Umbria by early May (please God!) and we'll plan a dinner at LaRocca. You can taste my lumache! (these are sea snails though, not the land buggers).

Kudos Kevin for at least trying the blec-ky pasta! Corn starch sauce? I bet you were not too far off from the inteneded result. One of these dishes invented out of necessity perhaps?

Beautiful meal April! The rotolo looks beautiful and I like the shar-pei look...gives it character. Kevin: cut the goose head off and throw it out long before the spouse gets home. There's lots of stuff that should stay only in the kitchen...if you know what I mean.... I agree with Adam...just tender goose meat, never mind the color. Now you guys have made me nervous...I never had a problem with goose before and now I'll be tense when I make another one.... Ellie, your pasta looks just perfect. If you were to do it again, would you make the same sauce or would you consider trying butter/sage. Somehow that seems the classic compliment to squash/pumpkin pastas. What else would you use prune vinegar on? That sounds really excellent and like a condiment that could be used in a few places. What about with some roasted lamb?