Jim Dixon

Don't mean to pick on you, oh caped one, but the mispronounciation of this drives me nuts...the spelling is bruschetta, and "ch" is always pronounced like "k" in Italian, so you say brew-sketta. (my specialty is butchering French) Jim

quesadillas... peel, cube, and cook (or cook and remove flesh) mash coarsely with green onion, chili (roasted poblano or ancho, canned anaheim, pickled jalapeno, or...your choice for heat and flavor), cumin (toasted whole seeds or powder), and cheese, preferably one of the mild, fresh Mexican-style cheese Spread a thin layer on flour tortilla, top with another, cook in dry cast iron or similar heavy pan over medium until tortillas start to crisp and brown a bit cut into wedges and serve with favorite salsa Jim

Steven, Yes, I just toss the greens with the oil and vinegar and prefer that to an emulsified vinaigrette (altho' I'll make one sometimes with the stick blender...microwave a cube of frozen Meyer lemon juice, add 3-4 times as much olive oil, several anchovies, and frappe it). I have an ongoing debate with several cook friends as to the order of vinegar and oil. Some say add the vinegar first, some say oil...lately I'm doing vinegar first, but it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. I hold the spoonish half of the salad tongs over the bowl of greens, eyeball a small amount of vinegar, toss quickly, then eyeball roughly four times as much oil and toss again. I use this old saying as my guide: You need three people to make a salad: a miser for the vinegar, a millionaire for the oil, and a genius for the salt. I let each diner be the genius and add salt (fluer de sel in a cellar or Sicilian sea salt in the grinder). I've come to prefer this simple salad, especially when the lettuce is local and sweet, because it tastes so clean. You have to use a really good olive oil (and it can be either soft and buttery or intense and sharp) as well as good wine or sherry vinegar. Jim

Jinmyo You wouldn't believe how often I hear that.... Yes, this is correct. The term 'cold press' evolved to distinguish extra virgin and virgin oils from refined or rectified oils (they're called rectified sometimes because they have no taste and need to be rectified to get some) that require high temps to get out the oil. Knickerbocker's book is okay, but she oversimplifies the differences in processing and makes a couple of mistakes. For example, in Italy almost every frantoio uses a centrifuge to separate the oil and vegetable water, the final step in the pressing process. Knickerbocker says that this is how larger industrial producers extract more oil, glossing over the refining process. And most of the frantoios use modern continous presses, and the oil that comes out of these is arguablly better than that produced by the traditional grindstone and piston-type press since there is more control over pressure and heat. Since a key part of my business plan is to have plenty of oil in my kitchen, my favorite oils are the ones I import (from Campania, Sicily, Umbria, and Tuscany). Jim

Jaymes, Yes, although the words "first cold-pressed" are really marketing terms. Olives are only pressed once. That produces extra virgin and virgin oil (the difference is the level of acidity...virgin is 1-3%). There is no second pressing, just the extraction and refining I described. 'Cold' means less than about 30 degrees C (86F). Almost all presses use some hot water at some point to help separate the oil from the paste before the final separation in the cetrifuge. Cold-pressed oils are those not heated to high temperatures to extract even more oil. My advice (aside from buying oil from me, which I always think is a good idea) is to buy oil from someplace you trust. The big labels like Bertolli make an okay cooking oil, but for finishing (if you're like me, anyway) you really want what is sometimes referred to as an 'estate' olive oil. It probably won't say exactly that on the label, but these are oils that come from a specific olive grove as opposed to blends from all over the Mediterranean (Bertolli buys oil from Spain, Tunisia, Greece, etc, then blends and bottles it in Italy). You'll have to pay more, but it is possible to find decent, if not excellent, oils in the $10/liter range. Most likely they will be from Spain or Greece and have a softer flavor than the Italian oils (typically because of the different olive cultivars grown and cultural preferences in harvesting). Jim

I've come to prefer a simple green salad, just mixed lettuces and greens, most nights. I dress it with one part vinegar (red or white wine, or sherry) with four parts olive oil, measured roughly with my salad tongs and mixed with the greens. I like to add the salt at the table. And I'll have to disagree with Nina about extra virgin...but in a long-winded way, so I started a new topic. Jim

On the salad thread, Nina said that ‘evoo overpowers all but the most strongly flavored greens,’ so she preferred to use olive oil that wasn’t labeled ‘extra virgin.’ There are a couple of issues here that could use a little clarification. disclosure: I import olive oil, so take this with as many grains of salt as you like (preferably coarse sea salt). Not all extra virgin olive oils taste the same. Some are quite intense, others mild to the point of blandness. About the only way to tell the difference is to taste a lot of different oils until you find a few you like. If it’s the general olive-y flavor you find off-putting, use something else (and more about that later). A lot of the confusion stems from the label ‘extra virgin.’ Surprisingly, the term doesn’t even appear in FDA labeling rules. In the US, it can mean almost anything, and since extra virgin olive oil commands a much higher price than most other edible oils, it is often misused. The EU has strict guidelines for the use of extra virgin. The term can only be used if the oil meets processing, chemical, and flavor standards (these last are called ‘organoleptic,’ a term that encompasses flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel). I have a detailed article about olive oil classification at my site, but basically extra virgin olive oil must be mechanically produced (as opposed to refined using heat and solvents such as hexane), have an acidity level of less than 1%, and pass a taste test to detect negative flavor profiles that might come from things like poor harvesting practices or olive fly infestation. Using lower grades of olive oil (pure, also sold as plain ‘olive oil,’ and olive pomace oil are the most common) comes with another set of problems. These are refined oils, produced from inferior quality fruit or, in the case of pomace oil, the leftover mash from the initial pressing (called pomace in France, sansa in Italy). Producers use a combination of heat and chemical solvents to extract the last molecules of oil, then refine the oil to remove the solvent. The result is flavorless, and virgin or extra virgin oil is blended back in to add flavor. These refined oils can be very low in acidity and usually are bland or almost flavorless. One of the problems with refined oils is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to remove all of the solvent. There have been a few cases recently where oil has been recalled after analysis detected potentially harmful levels of solvent residue. Many producers of extra virgin olive oil claim that pomace oil should not be used for human consumption, and while they have an obvious self-interest, it’s hard to argue when we’re talking about proven carcinogens. But many of the alternatives on the market aren’t all that great either. Most vegetable oils are also refined, and while they don’t have solvent residue, the refining process can lead to the formation of so-called free radicals that promote oxidation. Oxidized fats are more commonly called rancid, and while you probably won’t taste it in supermarket corn oil, there is most likely some degree of rancidity. (Along with flavor, extra virgin olive oil can be high in antioxidants.) There’s also the whole issue of trans fats, the particularly harmful fatty acids formed when unsaturated fats are hydrogenated to make them more stable. These are mostly found in margarine and other solid forms of industrial fat, but some researchers claim that even liquid seed and vegetable oils can contain trans fats. In my kitchen I use extra virgin olive oil (and good butter) because I like the flavor. I buy a mild, blended extra virgin oil from Trader Joe’s (either the Trader Giotto 100% Italian or the regular TJ evoo) for cooking and use the good stuff for finishing when I want more flavor. If you want something more neutral, I’d suggest finding expeller-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil. I think there maybe expeller-pressed canola oil out there as well, but regular canola can suffer from the same problems as any industrially-produced edible oil. Jim

Sunday dinner outside....pretty much everything served room temp fava bean spread with mint fried sage leaves with Parmigiano green beans with anchovy vinaigrette mixed beets (pink Chioggia, gold, and white) with olive oil sliced tomatoes with olive oil fingerling potato salad with chopped capers, fresh oregano pickled cippoline (little red onions) lenticchie di Casteluccio (lentils form Umbria, similar to French green lentils, cooked with a little garlic and olive oil) Oregon albacore tuna slow-poached in olive oil

The plural of frittata is frittate. And while I was sure when I typed my earlier post that the double T was at the end of the word, I checked my big Collins-Sansoni dictonary last night and, d'oh! it's the other way around. I think I've got it mispelled the same way on several pages of my site, too. Jinmyo...good tip re the cutting board, I'll use it. Milder greens make a classic frittata al herbe...wilt a combination of beet greens, spinach, arugula, or any other green that doesn't require long cooking, then add the eggs, this time beaten with some grated Parm so it's incorporated insterad of sprinkled on top. Jim

I usually make mine like Jinmyo (stovetop until eggs set, then bake hot enough to brown top), almost always in my big #12 Griswold cast iron skillet. Typically about 6-8 eggs (varying sizes since we get them from a local producer and they're not graded) so they final product is thin. In Italy fritatte are always flipped so that the browned vegetables (or whatever the filling is) ends up on top. The usual method is holding a plate over the skillet, quickly inverting both so the fritatta lands on the plate, then sliding it back into the pan. I don't have a plate big enough for the #12, but I have done this with smaller fritatte, and the results are nice, a bit more rustic than the brown-in-oven technique. I prefer to eat the fritatta at room temp. Last night I made one with 'tre gigli' (three lilies, since allium are part of the lily family), shallot, leek, and onion (usually make quatro gigli but didn't have any garlic). Cooked (better not say 'saute') the allium in blend of olive oil and butter until slightly browned, added aggs (I beat with a bit of water), then topped with Juniper Grove smoked chevre. Last week did one with zucchini blossoms. I had a bunch but it was too hot to fry them, so cooked them briefly with shallots, topped egg with dollops of mascarpone. Jim

I've been picking a few Early Girls for the last week. They're not an 'heirloom' variety, but they are dependable, heavy bearers, quick to ripen, and very tasty. My Sungolds are also just starting to ripen, but the Green Zebras have a couple of weeks yet. On another thread Stellabella mentioned 'backyard tomato sandwiches' of tomatoes, mayo, and bread eaten over the sink. I've been making a sort of deconstructed version by lightly toasting the bread (Grand Central como), tearing it into pieces roughly the size of a tomato slice, smearing on a dollop of mayo, adding the tomato (sprinkled with good salt), then popping it all into my mouth at once. Good, and you don't need the sink. Jim

So, like I mentioned before, I've got these really big sage leaves (about 2.5 inches long, 1.5 inches wide). My earlier wrapped-around-Parmigiano-fried-in-olive-oil version was good, but too much work. So I fried them very quickly, one side only, in hot olive oil, drained on brown paper, then topped with slivers of parm and broiled until it bubbled. Just as tasty, maybe better because the leaves are crisp and fragile. Jim

I went to stage two with my kumquat-infused grain alcohol. Poured off the alcohol (debated eating the tipsy citrus, but didn't), mixed 50/50 with 1:1 simple syrup, and tasted...quite good, slightly sweeter than the limoncello I make... still needs a few weeks to mellow Jim

La Catalana, a late, lamented Spanish restaurant here, combined duck confit with peaches. The meat was pulled off the leg, seared until slithly crispy, then the peaches (halves or sections) were quickly caramalized in the duck fat. Jim

I may be repeating myself, but I often cook salmon just like skie, except I add something to the fire to generate smoke (also cook w/indirect heat, skin side down, no flip). We used smoke salmon after an overnight brine of brown sugar and salt, and cooking like this evokes those taste memories. It's also very good. Jim

One thing that affects the notion of 'palate' is that we all perceive 'taste' differently. Some things we can be trained to taste, but the sensitivity to flavor is largely dependent on the density of the flavor receptacles called papillae on each individual tongue. I found an intersting Scientific American article on taste, but can only see it by accessing Google's cached version here: article about taste (I'm not sure if this link will work) When it comes to the subjective part of palate, I like to say that there's no accounting for taste. Jim

For me, 'gelato' (which actually just means 'frozen') means no eggs and less butterfat than ice cream. Last summer Saveur had some recipes from Sicily (July-Aug 01, couldn't find the recipe at the Saveur site) that included cornstarch. I've used plain gelatin in the past, but the cornstarch also worked well. The reason for either is thicken the milk a bit (make it more cream-like) and provide a more unctuous mouthfeel. When I make it at home, I typically use a mixture of about half skim milk and half half-n-half (that's a lot of halves), but only because we drink skim so usually have it on the reefer. Jim

Adam, Thanks, I know the area around the mercado, so next trip I'll be on the lookout. Jim

brined a few shoulder cut pork steaks and boned, skinned chicken thighs (a tip o’ the salty hat to col klink), then grilled them over direct heat to brown, finished with indirect heat and the meat on sprigs of fresh oregano, served with simple oregano-mint salsa verde green beans with anchovy vinaigrette grilled fennel (split bulbs, brushed with oil, browned over direct, finished indirect and covered) and zucchini Jim

Adam, Where did you get the lampredotto? I have a feeling we won't be getting to Italy for awhile, but still want to hunt it down. Jim

white peaches...local ones from about now into early August...I peel, slice, and eat with a dollop of mascarpone pears...only edible in season...I used to think I liked Comice best, but lately have been moving toward the winey sweetness of Bartlets...Bosc are okay when none of the others are worth eating sockeye salmon...the Copper River craze brought more sockeye into the domestic market (it all used to go to Japan)..we get it from Copper River, Bristol Bay, and other Alaskan fisheries from late May into early August Rainier cherries...local Rainiers come on in June and don't last too long tomatoes...from my own backyard...my first Early Girls are just starting to red up, and the others (6 plants, 4 varieties) will have us eating the only really good tomatoes until late September (I especially like the Sun Gold cherries in the late afternoon, warm and full of sugar) asparagus...local crop pretty much over, but I ate lots of the fat ones, grilled to a slight char and drizzled with olive oil blackberries...the weed-like Himalayan, an introduced nuisance species, is still one of my favorite berries...August and September Jim

You can buy the first aid version of crazy glue at most drugstores. It'll be called Liquid Bandage or something similar, and it's essential for those little (and not so little) cuts on the fingers that even the best high-tech band-aids won't work on (and I like the 3M Nexcare band-aids best...industrial versions are used in surgery...my years working as a carpenter gave me an appreciation for good band-aids). Anyway, you can brush the stuff on (it hurts a bit for the first layer) and after a minute or two for drying you have a waterproof, antibiotic seal. The best part is that it doesn't soak up water (or food juices) like a band-aid and doesn't need to cover so much skin. Jim

When I was growing up my mother would make grilled tuna (tuna, Miracle Whip, Wonder Bread buttered on the outside) in the waffle portion of the waffle iron. I haven't eaten one for maybe 40 years, but I can still remember the flattened sandwich, complete with waffle pattern, with its slightly crispy bread and warm, oozing tuna filling. What I love about the panini in Italy is their simplicity. Bread and meat, sometimes a slice of cheese, or a slice of grilled eggplant with some mozzarella. There's never any condiment (unless you eat a tramezzino, the mayo-enriched sandwiches on soft white bread more common in NE Italy...the name comes from the verb tramezzare, to place between or to place in layers). I often pack a slice or two of Grand Central como or similar bread with a few slices of imported mortadella or maybe a cheese like good sharp provolone for lunch. I like eating this much more than the typical sandwich. Jim

Last fall in Umbria it looked like cardoons had been planted between the grape vines along the rows in the vineyard, and I'm guessing they're grown over the winter and harvested in the early spring (I suppose I could look in the garden book that's right behind me as I type this, but no). I had a sample of pack of seeds I tossed inthe garden and every one of the damned things sprouted. Ineed to thin them and will try some of the more immature stalks to see how the taste. Right now they are more leaf than stalk. I met a guy who lives in Firenze and runs a web site called Terra di Toscana. He led us on a tour of his favorite neighborhood places, most of them west of the centro near Piazza Bacaria. There was a place just down the street from the piazza that sold bird seed, dog food, and really good lardo and cheeses. Carlo claimed his city friends were amazed he could buy such good stuff in town. Wish I could remember what it was called, but might not be too hard to find. There's also a good outdoor market near the piazza. I had some great farinato in a pizza place near the train station (well, down the road a bit toward town) in Levanto, the farthest stop on the Cinque Terra rail-trail pass. Jim

My favorite jams are the ones I grew up eating and still make, blackberry, raspberry, and apricot. Both my mother and grandmother always made the apricot with orange slices (my mom grew up in The Dalles, a smallish town at the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge where a lot of stone fruit is grown), so I make it that way, too. I like the berry jams with the seeds, and we'll go out and pick 'wild' blackberries in August. They're actually an introduced nuisance species (Himalayan blackberry) but they make good jam and you can usually find a patch without going too far. We met a German woman living in Italy last fall who made wonderful jams, including a simple fig that I want to try to imitate, so I'd like copies of your recipes, too, stellabella. Last year I also made a bunch of quince jam (also made quince paste), but more for eating with cheese. I adapted a recipe for a type of mostardo (from Nigella's How to Eat) that's basically jam with dry mustard, but the heat of the mustard diminishes as it's heated. I haven't quite figured out how to keep it there if I'm going to process the jars to seal them, but it still tastes good. I used to make an easy prune jam (I was just thinking about it the other day) that was sort of like a pruny-plum preserve my sister used to bring us from Germany. I heat dried prunes in a saucepan with a little orange juice until they soften, pit them if necessary, then process in the cuisinart until jam-like. Sometimes I'll also add orange or lemon zest. This is quick and easy, and I just make small quantities to keep in the fridge. Jim