hathor

Wait!!! which one of the restaurants has the glowing phallus!!!??? You left out a most important detail!!

I agree with someone upthread that it should be technique based. But, I would start with equipment. Break down the basics: a good knife, some basic pots, etc. I think beginners get caught up in not having the gear to cook. I'm an anti-gadget person for the most part, and if finances are a concern (and they are to most people!) it would be reassuring to teach people how to work well with not too many pieces of equipment. Then the basics. What does boiling do to food? Broiling? What happens to the heat in the saute pan when you crowd too many pieces in the pa. Stuff like that. I'm thinking of how I've been teaching my son over the years. Basic flavor combinations. And please, show people how they do NOT need prepared foods or sauces. What a waste of money. I could go on and on, but I think I should stop now before someone throws a tomato at me up on my soapbox....

Evan, I would go in with you on some beef cheeks. I'm sure they can be frozen. let me know.

What about a group resolution? What if Kevin picks a region and we cook along? Just a thought....

I have a friend who is seriously addicted to this Florentine delicacy. Personally, give me a porchetta truck anyday!

Kevin, you can't just abandon Italian cooking!! What would we all do?? What about going super regional? As in picking specific cities? Could be fun. Could make you insane. Hard to say. Where are we gonna be for December?? And the Capo d'Anno meal better be a good one!!!!!!!!

Crystal brands has a pretty good worstershire sauce. and they will deliver.

Beautiful pastas Kevin! Nicely done! That veal looks exceptional. And don't get too twitchy about going too Tuscan, the border Emilia-Tuscan border has been moved around a few times, once at the request of Mussolini! What about Thanksgiving, do you have a tacchino recipe up your sleeve??

Kevin, everything is looking lovely! The real deal Balsamic is a very expensive gift from the gods. I do the reduced balsamic trick all the time and it scratches the itch, but one day, treat yourself to the real thing. Right after you win the lottery! The pork in milk dish is also big in Umbria, and the food mill does get rid of that ....sort of road kill effect. And you made the poofy bread things whose name I can never remember. It is impossible for them to be too crispy. What's up for dinner tonight?? I'm looking for inspiration, myself!

Anyone else get a chuckle out of reading Manhattan User's Guide tirades about Zagat?

Fortedei, now I'm a bit confused. I thought senape was just the translation of the word mustard....

Spaghetti bolognese is the ultimate comfort food for me. Yours looked just lovely, and bravo for making your own pasta! (we can talk about using the food processor or blender later... ) What kind of pot did you use to cook the ragu? I've had good success using an earthenware pot, you get even heating all up and down the sides. Its also good to throw in the oven on very low heat, and then when you come home after work, its just fantastic. Also, loving the tortas! Ah come on, lard is g o o o d!!! Its just gotten a bad name...secondo me! p.s. you HAVE to make those poofey fried bread things that go with salumi from E.R.! And find some brachetto to drink with it. ....mmmmm.....would make Homer Simpson's heart go pitter pat!

Citta di Castello had their truffle 'mostra' last weekend. Very local affair, most of the truffles being from Peitralunga, Citta, Gubbio and Aqualungha. My very unscientific impression was the prices seemed pretty much the same as last year, and there was quite a good supply. But, that's a very, very rough evaluation of our local market.

mmmm...that pasta looks mighty fine! I'm back in the 'old country' and just bought 3 different kinds of pecorino at the market: the red rind, something fantastic that had been aged in 'grana' and a young pecorino. A basket full of goodies. Pecorino is really the chameleon of cheeses. I'm surprised to see that the US gov't gets into the aging time for salumis. I thought for sure that there had to be a certain level of perservatives as well. That said, I know its ok to bring in aged cheeses, but I don't know the logic on that one. Kevin, your antipasto plate looked pretty good too! Looks like you did just fine! ciao!

I wasn't going to tell him about the local co-op oil.... our local molino was practically giving it away in Sept to make room for the new batch....

What about a Tuscan aperitivo instead of antipasto? Have a Negron! This cocktail was supposed to have originated in Florence. What about chicken liver crostini? That's very Tuscan. Adam, your pictures are the essence of antipasti!

Bill, what an interesting sentence. What exactly do you mean saying "Italian in all things culinary". This comment just aroused my curiosity.

Sounds like you need a little kitchen witch or kitchen god to help you regain your balance! Hey, happens to all of us! But its particularly frustrating when its an old standby! Meanwhile those quail looked damn good, I don't care if the pancetta wasn't up to snuff. What about making some plain white beans, served with some good olive oil. Real comfort food. I like mine contadini style, I smush them up with my fork and make sure the olive oil is all mushed around. If we are feeling festive, I'll throw in some fresh basil. You can't go wrong with beans!

What was the reasoning for using the crushed ice? For one thing, ice is sort of a rare commodity in Italy. Funny thing about the stocks we made, they were much more 'simple' than what I was used to doing. I always do a slight carmelization on the onion/celery/garlic, but most of the chefs were just throwing the 'trinity' into a pot of salted water. Maybe one or two of the chefs would scorch a halved white onion on the cut side before throwing it into the pot. Although for fish stock the fish bones were a necessity, shrimp shells got tossed in the garbage. I think it may hark back to that adage about the tongue not being able to process more than three flavors, that could be why the stocks were so simply flavored, but I'm not really sure. It was surprising to me and became sort of a pet project to watch the different stock techniques.

That looked like a fabulous fish class! I'm jealous! Just having access to those fish is incredible. I'm having culture shock being back in NY, all the fish here is so 'processed', no heads, no bones, just fish flesh so clean you have no real idea what fish its from. Would you mind describing how the two stocks were made? Also a little more description on the tomato-EVOO emulsion. Grazie!

Ciao Alberto! Lovely photos of the buffalo, they are rather loveable creatures, aren't they? I have a question, in our travels around Italy to mozzarella and parmigiana producers, one thing that struck us American students, was that the cows did not have access to outdoor fields to graze in or just to be outside. The cows were in one barn, and twice a day they walked to the milking barn and that was it. It seems as if your buffalo got to go outside. So, my question is: is this standard practise in Italy to not allow the cows or buffalo outside? Or is outside only permitted for organic producers? Or is it just a matter of space? Not that the animals seemed miserable, but it certainly struck us as strange. Thanks!

Here is my 2 cents on truffles: don't spend your money on the fresh ones you can get in Dallas. The black truffles lose their flavor in a matter of 2 days, and that flavor is not very strong to begin with. The only time we have half decent black truffles is when someone gives us some on their way home from collecting them. They just aren't pungent enough. White truffles are much stronger flavored and could stand up to be shipped. Maybe. For a truffle fix, go with the tartufatti funghi mixes. Even if the truffle flavor is 'enhanced' you get more flavor for the buck. They are strange, fragile things, those truffles! p.s. the soup looked great!

I'm addicted to the frigerelli (sp??) pepper. There is only one little old man in the Umbertide market that grows them. I'm a loyal customer. And I agree with you...no cheese, no herbs, the pepper flavor is that full and that good. Lovely photos. Thanks for sharing.

...mmmm....game birds. Have I ever mentioned Carla, our sexy gas station lady to you? Carla is beautiful, inside and out, and runs our town's gas station. You know how you get a windshield wash with a fill-up (or used to), well, we get fresh eggs, potatoes, zucchini's etc. Whatever she has an abudance of. The other day, we got 2 fresh pigeons! I roasted them with some prunes and we were very, very happy. Pigeon is actualy pretty common fare. And yes, we have had thrush, in a restaurant. There has been debate as to the actual variety of these tasty little birds that came on a spit. My husband and our friend ate the heads, I drew the line. Yes, Orvieto is Umbrian. Hope you can track down some of the better reds.... Most of the Orvieto whites are pretty underwhelming in my opinion. Not that there aren't some great ones out there, but they are ususally pretty small producers that don't make it out of the country.

Find Ore! He is the maestro of culatello!