pia

Before the lights will switch off on this thread, please, let me thank you for the nice words you had for me too! Pia

You have been saying almost everything about dried or fresh basil and oregano, but let me tell my opinion: dried basil is a non-sense, while I could never conceive a Pizza Marinara or Fettine alla Pizzaiola without a generous sprinkle of dried oregano just before serving.I love dried origano with tomato sauce and also with fresh tomato salads, but you need to rub the dried leaves between your hands, before spreading it on the food. The warmth of the friction makes it even more pungent. It is also delicious on grilled peppers or egg-plants (together with capers and/or black olives), on marinated anchovies, bottarga (or mosciamme) and tomato salad.

Kellytree, I don't see any transgression in what you cook. Pecorino cheese is often used for stuffing anchovies or tagliatelle are usually seasoned with butter and Parmesan, before slicing truffles on top of it (both anchovies and truffles have a strong personality, it's impossible even for cheese to overwhelm their flavour). I've never read the rule of not mixing onion and garlic in a "soffritto" (the only problem may be that chopped garlic tends to burn quicker than onion). I think that when one cooks, any kind of cuisine, the main aim should be a good, balanced result, harmony of taste and textures, before looking for rules to be broken. Italian cookery is either the result of long and slow cooking of many ingredients, that give something with a new, different flavour, a blend not existing in nature or, om the contrary, the enhancing of the original, pure taste of some ingredients. If there is a non-written rule, it may be that whatever you put in your pan, there must be a reason for being there. If one ingredient is so aggressive to cover another one, avoiding it to give any influence on the final result, than why you should use the second? This is one of the reasons, for instance, for banning cream from our sauces. It makes food "soft" but it covers other flavours. Olive oil, for instance, adds its own taste in a gentle way.

Dear Faith, This is a silly game, that I played sometimes when I was younger with my friends, on other subjects. Here it is: If you were obliged to leave Italy, what would you bring with you (related to food)? Max. 3 choices. Thank you Pia

Dear Faith, thanks for your appraisal (also on Igles’ behalf) It is my turn for questions … Let me state first that I’m well aware that the variety of Italian regional cuisines depends also on our curiosity and tolerance for other cultures. We have been “contaminated” quite often in our past history and I’m always fascinated by discovering how food makes it clear that we are not so different …! If boundaries should be traced by cooking traditions, Italy would have quite a different shape (Arab influences in Sicily, Catalan in Sardinia, French in Piedmont and Campania, Jewish in Lazio, Austrian in North-east, not to mention all the food and eating habits imported in Italy over the centuries). Indeed, each medal has two sides. By accepting new products or ideas we have been prized with an exciting cuisine, fresh, varied, tasteful, knowledgeable. On the other hand, every now and then, critics complain about the homologation of menus in many restaurants. I still remember 1999 introduction of Espresso Restaurants Guide, by Edoardo Raspelli. He lamented that most menus, from North to South, were similar, because the chefs where buying ingredients by phone from few suppliers. After the nouvelle cuisine, the invasion of rucola, of the French pré-salé lamb, steamed fish and vegetables, surviving foie-gras terrines, pigeons and poulet de Bresse imported from France, there seems to be a new trend: home-made fresh pasta (with egg-dough), tuna with soy sauce and sesame seeds, raw fish with wasabi, all kind of foams and jellies. I guess that restaurants offer what the market demands. For Italians it can be new and exciting, but how do foreigners feel about it? A perfect execution makes acceptable some degree of “betrayal” of local traditions? Do you think that there is too much of Spain and Japan in many of our restaurants? Did you meet any other “contamination”? Too much attention to “architecture” rather tan “substance”? Are we risking to loose our identity? Or there still is an Italian way to “contamination”? Will we be able to “digest” it and make it ours? Thank you for your reply Pia

They are delicious when they are fully ripe. You should try the honey made in Sardinia from corbezzolo: it's bitter and it is very good with pecorino cheese

They are quite common in Emilia Romagna

Hi Faith, I’m happy to meet you also here! I’m Pia, Igles Corelli’s wife and I’m writing in his behalf since he is not registered as eGulleter, … not yet at least. This is his question: Dear Faith, I know how deep your knowledge of Italian cuisine is and how restlessly you travel in Italy (by the way, when will you come to Ostellato?), but I won’t ask you now anything about Italian cuisine. Instead, I can’t forget your contribution when, back in 1992, we brought to Argenta (next to Ferrara, Italy) some of the most reputed American chefs (at that time, at least), like Mark Miller, Susan Spicer, Hans Röckenwagner, John Sedlar and Susan Regis (Biba). Do you remember? It was the Saperi e Sapori Festival and it has been also thanks to your advice that we accepted the challenging task to introduce Italians to the American “haute cuisine”. Still now for most Italians United States is the land of hamburgers and junk food. I remember you explaining me about the main culinary regions in the States, their characteristics, their differences; how the traditions imported from immigrants were transformed by local ingredients and, in some cases, by melting with native cookery, in uniquely American versions. You (and Mauro Vincenti) were right! It was a surprise 12 years ago, for me, for the Italian press invited to the event, for the guests, to discover great unusual flavours, superb techniques, everything far away from French influence (as we may have expected). They prepared a wonderful 5-courses dinner, almost entirely native American, with no contamination from other cultures, or, if any, marked from a long acquaintance. I had the feeling of creative freedom, freshness, as if due to the lack of any burden from traditions to be respected. Very stimulating, indeed. I’m curious to be up-dated, if you know, … how is the situation at present? Are there good chefs who propose American traditional cookery, who have been able to absorb ethnical influences in such a way that what they cook is not anymore acknowledgeable as Italian, French, Japanese, Irish or whatsoever? How are they reputed in the States (or how is their cooking considered)? Is there the feeling of belonging to a peculiar regional culture, as far as food & cooking are concerned? Thanks Igles Corelli

When I read such things, about prohibition, I'm very happy of being Italian. By the way, a friend of mine who was breeding geese for foie-gras production, confirmed that they rush towards the feeder and stay there without being forced to, until feeding is completed. I agree that life is much worst for chickens stucked in small cages ... but nobody seems to care about them ... since their meat is sold for cheap prices and has no taste nor texture. We are losing contact with nature ... and forget that nature is not fair ...

Ciao Pia! Are you talking about restaurant Do Spadin? I had many wonderful meals there with my family, during my childhood Apparently there's plenty of Ligurians here...I'm just from Genova BTW, I had one of the very best meals in my life at Trigabolo so I hope I'll enjoy again your husband's creations at Locanda della Tamerice...and I strongly recommend that place to everybody here! Igles Corelli is a genius... Pongi You are right Pongi. I was mentioning DO SPADIN! Have you been there recently? How is it now? It seems to me too that Liguria is well represented in this Forum! We'll wait for you at< Tamerice, then!!!

The word Chiappa may be naughty and funny in Italian, but in this case it derives from Genovese dialect for rock, which is "ciappa". Although in summertime many "chiappe" are happily exposed to sunbath on the rocks by the sea! I also think that the food in Liguria is great! It's simple and tasty, healthy, probably the most modern of all Italian traditional regional cuisines!

Well done, Albiston! Very good question! If Rob answers with the same precision of his previous post, we'll have the solution on the subject aroused here and widely discussed also on Gambero Rosso Forum! Almost 130 posts and we haven't been able yet to define which is our identity! Welcome Rob!

This is funny! I'm saying it with some regret, because, being Italian I'd rather prefer to say the contrary ... but Ferran Adria started to be Adria long before than Davide Scabin was becoming Scabin!

I agree with you about everything you wrote, except on the quoted part. Indeed there are varietals with extraordinary potentialities, hidden by the mis-use of oak. But after the drunkenness due to novelty, there are many wine-makers who now aim for clearness. And also there are some monuments of Italian wine-making who never lost their way. What about Valentini ( Montepulciano) , Giovanni Conterno (Barolo) , Bruno Giacosa ( Barbaresco e Barolo) , Quintarelli Giuseppe (Amarone) , Jermann ( Vintage Tunina , stainless steel only) , Gravner (waxed amphoras) , Mascarello Bartolo ( Barolo) , Massolino with his Vigna Rionda (Barolo) , Rinaldi e Borgogno ... I'm confident for our future

Other two addresses for a good pizza in Rome that I wish to share with you: PIZZARIUM - Via della Meloria, 43 ph. 06 39745416 (opened daily from mon to sat, and from abt. 11:00 am till 8:00 pm). The Maestro here is Gabriele Bonci. Don't expect a place where you can sit as well as the "round" pizza. At Pizzarium you buy pizza in pieces (usually nobody can resist and buy more than one, choosing from the wide choice of different tastes) and eat it while walking or bring it at home. It's super!!!! All made with biological flowers and natural yeast. They are light and delicious and PIANETA PIZZA - Via della Pineta Sacchetti, 432 (www.pianetapizza.it) ph. 06 35501603 The Maestro is Francesco Etzi, awarded with the 3rd classification at Pizza's World Championship 1999 (Gabriele Bonci calls Etzi "mio maestro")

Although I'm risking the OT, let me express my opinion about the evolution of Italian wine-making. I think that Italian wine-makers needed to confront themselves with French competitors with "comparable" wines on the international market. By using foreign methods and varieties they have been able to show to the community of wine lovers that Italians were also skilled in wine making and that Italy could produce high quality wines, elegant and reliable. It would have been very difficult to win our present market share by promoting the local varieties, mostly unknown abroad, although I'm convinced that they represent our great treasure. And maybe, we wouldn't have been able to produce wines as we do today without testing ourselves through the methods developped by our cousins. Thanks to the acquired reputation, we can now promote and exploit our "diversity", the wide range of local vines and classic styles of typical Italian wine-making. I don't know who has been pushing in the past and who's bringing back to tradition today, but I think it had to be so.

Well Pia, we have been looking at the Monte di Portofino from opposite sides, but mine is better! (that's Italian campanilismo for you ). Francesco

Dear Alberto, it is quite some time that we are discussing on this precise subject on Gambero Rosso Forum For those who can read Italian, this should be the link: http://www.gamberorosso.it/cgi-bin/ib3/iko...60;entry93717 I've just invited people from the GRForum to come here, read your post and, possibly, add their contribution. We haven't come to a conclusion yet. In these days I have little time, but I'll keep you updated in the future. Pia

Thank you Francesco for your words, and thanks to Craig, too, for his introduction. I'll be here as often as I can (maybe with a pause for summer holidays with my children). I'll be back on the subject of our menu in the next days. Tonight it's late but I wish to say Hello to Francesco. I'm sorry that Igles can't read English (forget writing it!) But I can be his voice, if you wish, if you have questions. Ciao Francesco! We have been looking at Monte di Portofino on opposite sides! Where are you living now? I'm leaving for Recco, my home town, tomorrow, for few days.I'm eager to smell the salty air and to fill my eyes with the silvery green of our hills ... Pia

Grazie Alberto, I'm glad to be here and thank everybody for your consideration. Back to your question ... As you probably know, both restaurants have similar good reputation on most Italian restaurants guides. I don't know Il Poeta Contadino personally, but I've usually heard the best about them. If I had to compare the two, until a couple of years ago, when Mamma Dora was still helding firmly the steering gear al Fornello, I would have defined the latter more "traditionalist", while Poeta has been considered, since the beginning, a place for Mediterranean creative cuisine. Things may be changed a bit at Fornello, since Antonella, the daughter, became the official chef. I haven't been there since then, but I'm quite sure that, despite her roots are solidly based in Puglia's tradition, she may have taken advantage of the curiosity of young people for new ideas and techniques. Not forgetting that she married a man from Mauritius, who's helping in the kitchen. I wouldn't be surprised to find at Fornello a wise, and personal, use of herbs and spices.

Grazie Bill! People from Piemonte and Liguria are often considered cousins ... Where do you live? How would you represent your place through a typical food or recipe?

Trofie is a type of fresh pasta, hand-made with flower and water (no eggs or potatos). Usually they are made with white flower, but they are also popular with half chestnut flower in the mixture. To make them manually, as they should be, you need a long experience. They look like small and stiff worms. They are cooked for few minutes (they are ready when they start floating) in salted water, where green beens and diced potatos have been cooking a bit longer. They are always served with pesto sauce. I think that Giovanni Rana or Buitoni sell vacuum-packed pasta, called troffie on the packaging, but it has nothing in common with the real one. Even in Liguria it is quite difficult to buy hand-made trofie. Most pasta shops make them by special machine. I'll ask news to my mother, who's stiull living there!

I was born in Liguria, Recco actually, a town quite famous for its Focaccia con il formaggio and for Trofie al pesto. I've been living in Milano, for many years, and now I'm located next to Ferrara, in Emilia Romagna, in a small village called Ostellato.

I'd suggest "Al Fornello da Ricci" . The address is Contrada Montevicoli in Ceglie Messapica (at about 40 km from Brindisi). It isn't far from Ostuni or Alberobello. They have a real "trullo" in their beautiful garden. Ph. nr. is 0831 377104. It should be closed monday nights and on tuesdays. The chef is Antonella Ricci, one of the most gifted young Italian women chefs, with the support of the whole family. They grow most of the vegetables, they prepare bread and typical pasta (orecchiette, capunti and many others), pickles and jams are also made by them. Very good selection of wines. It's a place where you feel the care of a family who loves the job! Pia