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Everything posted by Kevin72
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I always tell my wife that she's my culinary muse. Whenever I come across a recipe I want to try out, I imagine her reaction to it, and I'm forever trying to outdo myself in impressing her. My mom certainly passed on the culinary genes to me. She handmade everything when I was a kid and I have distinct memories of watching and helping her in the kitchen, particularly kneading dough for bread. My two biggest "professional" influences are Marcella Hazan and Mario Batali. When I really started getting into cooking, I happened across Hazan's Classic Italian Cookbook and read it like a book, cover to cover, twice, and pretty much spent the next year cooking almost exlusively out of there. Then, just when I was getting bored with it, I turned on FoodTV one day . . .
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We actually got into a conversation Saturday night about where the flatbread for that meal would've come from. My brother and my mom both commented that the flavors all seemed very Greek. So, ideas?
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Hey, Algeria's close to Calabria, and the Spanish did rule there at one point, so . . .
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Sunday’s meal were a few more Italian-American classics by way of Calabria. We started with “true fusilli” Puttanesca. Can you tell I have new dishes to show off? Fusilli’s traditional shape is a long strand of spaghetti wound up like a corkscrew. It is used a lot in both Calabria and Sicily, mainly, but I’ve seen it mentioned (and called something else) in Puglia. To make it by hand, you need to first roll out a single strand of spaghetti (itself a chore!), then wind it around a knitting needle and let it set up, and carefully remove it. You gotta be kidding me. Even I’m not that devoted, so instead, Rustichella d’Abruzzo came to my rescue. Puttanesca sauce, an aromatic mixture is said to be named because it could be quickly whipped up by prostitutes and the smells would lure any man into their brothel. That’s one of many variations I’ve heard, and the most common. Garlic, anchovies, chilies, capers, olives, and tomatoes are gradually added one on top of the other and simmered. I detect the faintest whiff of a feud with Naples running through Cucina di Calabria. Author Mary Amabile Palmer has a section on pizza, including the famous Margherita, which she vaguely says was created "In Southern Italy". When she discusses puttanesca, she says that Naples claims to have invented this sauce, but its flavors instantly say it's from Calabria. [Please note, Alberto, that by cooking this dish when I'm doing Calabria I am in no way endorsing that it, not Naples, invented the dish! ] I have a confession to make here, and I hope it doesn’t lead to a knock on my door late at night: the first time I made this dish, I didn’t have the chilies it called for. I did have, and used, Tabasco sauce, and since then, whenever I’ve made this dish, I can’t not use it. It sends the perfect, vinegary, nearly smoky jolt right through the whole dish. Chicken is outstanding when braised in this mixture, by the way. The main was a variation on pork chops with “pickled” peppers from Erica de Mane’s book, Flavors of Southern Italy. She offers a tamer version that uses fresh peppers glazed with sherry vinegar and white wine, rather than the jarred, pickled kind. I used mild Hatch peppers, a varietal from New Mexico that has caught on like crazy here, and one of those few foods that is still very much attached to a specific time of the year: mid to late August. At any rate, the fresh peppers and onions retained some of their crunch and kept the dish vibrant and flavorful. With it, to mop up any runoff juices, we had roasted potatoes.
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For the inaugural meal in the new kitchen, a spread of Calabrese antipasti and elaborate contorni. First up, we had a couple of spreads. One (on the left in the pic below) was maccu, another puree of dried favas. Unlike the austere Pugliese version, however, this time the beans were flavored with fennel seeds, chilies, onions, and dried oregano. The second dish (on the right) was murseddu, “Version 1”. Murseddu is a humble dish making use of the leftover parts of an animal, usually lamb, after it has been butchered. Purists take note: I won’t be making this with ‘nduja, the “sausage” of cured liver and lungs that is traditional to this part of Italy and often the choice ingredient in this dish. Nor did I even use fresh organ meats: this was based on a version Marlena di Blasi offers in Regional Foods of Southern Italy and is simply leg of lamb stewed with tomato paste, chilies, garlic, bay leaves, and read wine, then pureed in a food processor for a more refined texture. Both of these items were served with grilled flatbread to spoon them over. Next, stuffed peppers. The stuffing was dried oregano, sardines (gotta use up that monster can I bought to cook Sicilian dishes with!) sundried tomatoes, bread crumbs, garlic, and pecorino. The fourth dish was eggplant parmigiano. Culinaria: Italy credits (unconvincingly) Calabria with this Italian-American classic. As I’ve mentioned before, I grill the eggplants for this dish, a tip I picked up from a vegetarian Italian cookbook. It lends the dish a lighter feel and a nice, smoky flavor. Layered with tomato sauce, basil that our new house's previous owner left behind (and is twice as big as my attentively cared-for batch:angry:), mozzarella, and parmigiano. Dessert was cinnamon-ricotta gelato. I really like gelato made with ricotta: it creates a smooth, rich, luscious texture most like the gelati I’ve had in Italy.
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Hathor: Good point on the onions, never heard that before. Regrettably I made a large batch of it and have had to live off it for the past week for lunches. But yeah, it's very bland; I get over it after about two spoonfuls. I do not know about roasting veggies over salt. My parents got me a Verona cookbook in Italian when they were there this spring. I can make my way through the recipes pretty well but I miss out on what I really like to read cookbooks for: background, history, storied behind each dish, etc. What did you mean about Umbria? Judith U, no offense at all meant by calling you a lurker . . . just meant I was amazed that my thread brought a new poster amongst us!
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The Dallas Observer just last week did a cover story on the small wineries that are cropping up in the DFW area. Two or three were, if I recall correctly, directly in the Dallas city limits. You'll need to do a search on their homepage to find the article, since it's a new issue as Wednesday. York Street should be fun. Best meal I've had in Dallas in a while. Very seasonal menu, so just go for what strikes you. Their peach soup has gotten some raves on this board, if you're looking for a quintessential dish there. Fort Worth's a nice little day trip if you have the time. Enjoy your stay, and let us know how it went!
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eG Foodblog: Adam Balic - An Australian in Scotland
Kevin72 replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Oh. Greece. Well, all right, I'll let it slide. So that means you're doing Mexican? This Texan will be watching you very, very closely. -
I'm liking all this Kahn's love in here.
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Wow, I brought out a lurker! Welcome, Judith, and thanks for the compliments. We brought some Taralli back from our trip to Puglia and they weren't that hard . . .but I think these were a tourist-y aberration: they were more like shortbread. At any rate, the ones I made were little rocks after they got that second bake. You had to pick off the inedibly outer edges to make your way to the not-quite-so-hard interior. I think I'd be just as happy to settle for the stuff just available in New York sometimes . . . Speaking of which, we're contemplating a fall-ish NY weekend jaunt for our anniversary. Babbo or Esca are on tap for the Italian restayrant, but that still leaves lunches and one more dinner open. Any eG'ers reading this, please PM me suggestions. Also looking for good markets, food places, etc.
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eG Foodblog: Adam Balic - An Australian in Scotland
Kevin72 replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Sorry, I meant do you plan to travel there and do one of your famous pictorials? And do Vietnamese! You already have the chili paste on hand. -
eG Foodblog: Adam Balic - An Australian in Scotland
Kevin72 replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
*eagerly awaiting next installment on the ragu* Have you or will you do a getaway to Northern Africa, with your interests in that region? Or did I miss it back when? -
Kahn's Deli in Rice Village is, to me, the end-all, be-all of deli sandwich heaven. Back in The Day, I could put a whole reuben down myself, now I need my wife to pitch in. Bring a note from your cardiologist!
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I was just about to respond that your question had "Alberto" written all over it, but he's quicker on the draw than me! See, THIS is what I'm talking about with Sicilian food. Never encountered anything close to it in my research, and now I'm wishing I was still cooking from that region to try this soup out. Man oh man.
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As usual, I am quick to contradict myself: after stating how difficult it is to grow crops in Calabria, I turn around and make a vegetarian soup from one of their most famous products: sweet onions. I made a Calabrese onion soup to have for lunches this week, using sweet Walla Walla onions to stand in for the famed onions of Tropea. Onions and bay leaves are simmered in lard until they are collapsing, then cooked in broth spiked with wine. Here's another different tweak that I like: make bruschetta, but instead of rubbing it with a piece of garlic, rub it with a piece of hot fresh chili pepper. Gotta have that heat in there! Unfortunatley, it didn't much carry through in the finished product. Pretty standard onion soup. No pics; I figure we all know what a bowl of melted onions in broth looks like.
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A Mano is widely available here, and I enjoy it quite a bit. In fact I don't think I've had a bad primitivo yet. It will definitely continue to stand in when searches for wines from Basilicata and Calabria turn up short. Thanks for sharing on Basilicata. The same article that clued me in on Ostuni and Alberobello in Puglia also had a writeup on Matera, which is enjoying some renewed interest as it is where Passion of the Christ was shot.
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I'm definitely on the lookout for Aglianico (the famous red wine from Basilicata). I know I've seen it somewhere around here but now I can't remember where. Had to "settle" for a primitivo from neighboring Puglia and it was really good. Any more thoughts on Basilicata?
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eG Foodblog: Adam Balic - An Australian in Scotland
Kevin72 replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Is this menu another commentary on Edinburg summers? -
I think I've liked the Jersey ep the best as well, so far. Loved the Soprano's credit re-enactment and of course the Batali stuff at the end (and then the closing scene!). The cheese farm visit was also fun, and mouthwatering.
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It wasn't quite that tough. Not sure about fish varietals, where they're from, etc. I just buy 'em and eat 'em.
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Well, here again we're thinking the same. I wondered afterwards if a shallow pan-fry would've worked better. That sounds like a very clever variation on eggplant parmigano there! I used opa to stand in for the swordfish and it starts out a little darker-fleshed, but the wine flavor did carry through nicely. A little overcooked (seems like opa and mahi mahi are both prone to dry out easily when cooking) but sitting in the oil bath helped it a little.
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Thanks! The pitta is, indeed, whole wheat. It's based on Culinaria: Italy and there's a picture of it in there where it looks like it's made from wheat, so that's what I went with. I also experimented with trying to "bake" it on a pan over the grill to give it a more smoky flavor, but the interior wasn't getting hot enough and I finished it in the oven. Didn't pick up any of the smoke, either, that I could tell.
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Sunday, I made various Calabrese breads: The two loaves on the left are Pane Calabrese from Cucina di Calabria. On the right is pitta. In Cucina di Calabria, Mary Amabile Palmer describes pitta as a stuffed pizza similar to a calzone. In Culinaria: Italy, it is a large, baked ring, sliced and then topped in a variety of ways. This is the version I went with, and topped it with some grilled tomatoes, green onion, and dried oregano: Another antipasto for Sunday night were fritters of roasted eggplant. Prick whole eggplants with a fork and then grill until nearly collapsing. Strip away the peels and then mash together with red pepper, garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, flour, and cheese. Deep fry and serve; I went with leftover chili paste from the previous night and pecorino. I found them unpleasantly soft in the middle, and was worried they’d be like the ill-fated fritters when I did Liguria that absorbed all that oil. The main was grilled fish (opa) from Marlena di Blasi’s Flavors of Southern Italy cookbook. This is a modification of a recipe for swordfish, wherein the fillets are marinated in red wine, then drained and blotted dry. Meanwhile, you make a flavored oil with chilies, garlic, and bay leaves and let it steep while the fish marinates. Once the fillets are drained and dried, you massage in half the oil and toss them on the grill. When they are done, remove and set them in the remainder of the flavored oil and let them soak it up for a little while, then serve, preferably with more bread to mop up all the oil and juices.
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Saturday night we had a meal from Basilicata. As references on this region are so very few, it definitely gets the short end of the stick and as of right now I only have two meals from this region planned for the month. Calabria and Basilicata are two of the poorest (economically) regions of all of Italy. In doing more research on these areas, I have to reiterate what I had said when asked about them a few months ago: they have notoriously difficult soil and so lack the abundance and range of vegetables that Puglia, Campania, and Sicily have. This is not to say that they don’t grow them or that there aren’t traditional vegetable dishes: Mary Amabile Palmer, in Cucina di Calabria, acknowledges the difficult soil, but then goes on to say that it makes vegetables even more dear to their hearts: they have to make the very most of what they get out of the ground. Where was I going with this? Oh yes. Well, what can grow, and abundantly, in these two regions are chilies, and they figure prominently into the cuisine: both are considered the spiciest regions of all of Italy, as well. And all those chilies serve another purpose: with so much going on in each dish, you feel more satisfied, even if you’re eating less. So, with several antacid tablets already lining my stomach and a couple more on standby, we plunged in. Primo: Bucatini with chili paste. When I realized that I had so little to go by in way of cooking references for Basilicata, I rushed to the store to see what was out there. I did a little skimming through Rusitco, by Micol Negrin (and will purchase it soon). Here’s another cookbook that outlines each region of Italy and then gives some dishes from it. I remembered the title but not much in the way of preparation or ingredients, so I may not be doing it much justice. But here’s how I prepared it: taking a tip from the famous Mexican cuisine chef Rick Bayless, I pan-toasted some sweet dried chilies (pasilla and I can’t remember the other kind; they are the two on the left in the pic below) in a skillet, then tossed them into the boiling water that would be used for the pasta. Let them reconstitute for half an hour, then put them in a blender with a fresh jalapeno, garlic, and basil, along with some of the soaking water (the rest was brought back to a boil and used to cook the pasta in) and olive oil to make a paste. Cook the bucatini the full package time, then toss with the paste and serve. Oooh boy, did it sting. These are the various types of chilies I’ll be using this month. The two on the left are a sweeter, dried kind commonly used in Mexican cooking. The third kind are chile de arbol, a spicy pepper that is stands in for the Italian peperoncino. One will give a dish a nice, pleasant tickle, two will definitely give it a kick. The last is a spicy fresh red pepper, I forget the name. The secondo were patties of Lucanian sausage. Calabria and especially Basilicata are renowned for their love of pork and have particular skill in making various salumi and fresh sausages. Basilicata’s original name was Lucania, and it has been postulated that their fresh sausage, called Lucanica, is a forerunner of the famous Luganega sausages, sold in one long coil as opposed to twisted into links. I don’t have a meat grinder and sausage extruder (yet!) and so I have to make the sausage into patties: It’s hard to see much similarity in ingredients between this product and Luganega. Lucanian sausage, or at least this recipe, is mixed with ginger, ample chilies, and red wine; Luganega is sweet and mild, lacking even the ubiquitous fennel seeds. With the grilled sausages we had wild mushrooms (trumpet and shiitake) braised with chilies, red wine, and tomato paste. So, yeah, chilies in every dish last night. We definitely did feel “full” afterwards, were blanketed in sweat, and even a little dazed and dizzy from all the spice. This is going to be fun!
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For August, I’m doing the first regional double-header: the humble, fiery foods of Calabria and Basilicata, forming the “toe” and the “arch” of The Boot, respectively. In doing two regions in one month, I am not in any way trying to imply that their cuisines are limited or interchangeable. It’s just that I’m woefully uninformed on them both as there is so little cooking literature out there. There’s Cucina di Calabria by Mary Amabile Palmer, and cookbooks on Basilicata are nonexistent, as far as I know. This is also a full month for us: we’re moving into our first house next weekend and we’re going out of town for a wedding the last weekend of August. So I won’t get a chance to cook as extensively as normal, but again, this is not meant to be any kind of reflection on their respective cuisines. Cucina di Calabria begins with a heartbreaking historical account of not just Calabria, but all of the mezzogiorno (the regions south of Rome: Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Sicily, and Calabria) and their generations of oppression at the hands of one group or another. She details the massive immigration wave from Italy to the U.S. in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, which included her grandparents, and the families torn apart and left behind as a result. Throughout the rest of the book are essays on the cuisine (coming closer to the end, when it would have made more sense to include it in the introduction), travel and geography of Calabria, and various traditions, songs, dances, and stories. At first I thought that a lot of the recipes were just the same old, same old, but then I realized they all seemed so familiar because Calabrians (Calabrese?) formed the largest percentage of Italians coming to America in that turn of the 20th Century Immigration wave. (Did I hear that here, on eGullet?) So a lot of Italian-American mainstays are Calabrese in origin. So that will be the main new reference material this month, other than the usuals (although Mario Batali never did shows or many recipes on these two regions). So to make up for such a thin month, anybody can, as usual, share their own experiences or upbringing in Calabria and Basilicata.