Pontormo

"E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle." --Dante, Inferno XXXIV Regarding crostate and galettes, perhaps there are so many English-language references to free-form fruit tarts that use either the Italian or the French term because of Northern California and the influence of both Italy ahd France on the development of its cuisine. At any rate, at the height of the season, I made Judy Rodger's free-form peach crostata (Zuni Cafe) with the most incredible pastry ever. She waxes poetic about Divina's beloved Central Market whereas Deborah Madison follows Alice Waters in calling these things by a French name. * * * Just a note to say that tonight I continued in the bean-eating traditions of Tuscany by making a minestra di ceci that was quite good. Usually I rely on Marcella Hazan, but instead, returned to the book by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano. They require chopped up cheese rinds in the cheesecloth bundle of herbs, by the way. Can't see a nonna out in the Tuscan hills counting out six peppercorns to pack into a piece of loosely woven cotton while sheep bleat in the background. Excellent texture when puréed, not too thick. Sun-dried tomatoes provided the acid, turning quite light and pleasant after a long cooking and made the soup a lovely, warm color. Drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with Romano. Rainy night. Stars in the sky clouded over but there they were, little tiny ones instead of ditalini in my bowl. Trans.: And so we left to see again the stars

[No, but...]vI saw a photo from Scott Peacock's restaurant where he serves a bowl of shrimp and grits with a plank of French Bread over the bowl... Although,it might seem to be too starchy and perhaps it is too starchy to be healthy, it tasted awesome. Really, it was not overwhelming at all.. ← Oh, I believe you. I do. I don't think you're in danger of worrying about too much starch at this point in your trim life and you do seem to eat your vegetables... * * * Toliver: Great idea about blindly selecting post (or page) from Dinner Thread. Could also do a blind search for one word in that thread, say "lamb" or "parsnips" if that's what you've got in your fridge. However, Shalmanese is fortunate to live in a city with a public library where he might find something he knows he neglected in those boxes back home. What I like about Daniel's idea is that it forces us to pick up books we own but don't put to use. * * * Just a brief note to say that I cooked another recipe in the book I selected last week (Second Helpings... by Meyer & Romano). Nothing truly revelatory since it's rather close to the kind of recipe I am drawn to at this time of year: Minestra di ceci, a bone-coating Tuscan soup of puréed chickpeas flavored with lots of rosemary (a bit too much only because the herb makes me think there ought to be roasted fowl, pig or lamb or at least potatoes), garlic, the usual aromatics and sun-dried tomatoes. The latter surprised me since they weren't too assertive and of course, lightened the weight of the dried beans. Surface is sprinkled with parsley and Romano (Siena, especially is known for its sheep's milk cheese) and drizzled with olive oil. Little pasta shapes and reserved chickpeas lend textural diversity. Solid.

Manhattan.

Elie & Kevin: Cf. post number 43 above. If you conduct a google image search for Italian sites with the words "crostata" and "mele" you'll see justification for Kevin's original question. I am used to seeing crostate lattice-topped with jammy fillings, but galettes are called crostate sometimes on English-language sites. Ecco (Italian sites). One site in English. P.S. Cf. Dinner thread for Hathor's steak, raw, posted there for Daniel.

You may not know that eG members have been cooking the food of a different region of Italy each month. I have a jar of leftover fregole in my cupboard as a result. Here's the thread, linked with the first pictorial documentation of results from Kevin72. However, look further for more and see the beginning of the thread for links to web sites devoted to Sardinian cuisine. It's standard to use them in a brothy dish of clams.

Wonderful challenge!!! Polenta is not foreign to desserts and cream-style corn on top of mashed potatoes is pretty sweet. Since mashed potatoes are sometimes found in cakes and fresh corn swirled into buttery polenta... Also I am reminded of the way The Bread Baker's Apprentice advises you to prepare cornbread. A larger grain of cornmeal is recommended, i.e. what is sold as polenta--or grits, no? You're supposed to soak the meal overnight in buttermilk at room temperature. Some ideas: from Babbo or here. I'm not sure if someone else has made the same proposal, but what about playing with different kinds of kernels like hominy?

Oops ! Wrong thread, but I get to say I love the upside down glass with tea caviar standing in for beads of moisture on a hot Southern day. Clever.

Wendy, I was hoping you'd report news of your three weeks in Italy. What riches we have this week with your great photographs and Divina's food blog. (I now understand the nickname TallDrinkofWater, too.) I want the figs and the cinghiale with polenta. If there are any more hole-in-the-wall enoteche or restaurants you really loved for particular reasons, I hope you'll leave a note or two in the pinned threads at the top of this forum since there are so many queries for up-to-date information from eG members planning trips.

Magnificent array of seasonal dishes, Kevin. The artichoke and potato purée looks especially different and good. I don't know if I've ever seen a specific term for "free-form" fruit tarts in Tuscany. Franci could fill you in on the Italian word for what I call galettes (buckwheat crepes in Brittany go by same name) if there is a specific term. Crostate often are topped with criss-crossing strands of pastry that reveal a jam or marmelade-like fruit filling. I always thought "crostata" to be a generalized word used for pies or tarts, distinguished from "torte" or cakes. Was the recipe for the pastry called "pasta frolla"?

Elie, you KNOW I am in awe of your baking skills, don't you? Just because I don't care for something myself doesn't mean I can't admire its beauty, the skill that went into making it, and appreciate the fact that all of us have different taste. If you like it, that's all that matters! It's just that when I have spent months living in Italy it was in Florence and I just wasn't crazy about saltless bread. I'd tend to buy other types when given the opportunity. Let's say I like it more than panforte so I can incur the wrath of Pan, too. Funny, some time this summer I forgot to put salt in a batch of bread I prepared and a Dame d'Escoffier who did some of her training (staging? not sure) in Italy overheard me me telling this to someone else. She piped up, saying, "Well, you've just made pane Toscana!" We started talking. She said a longtime friend of hers in the culinary world says you can't get good bread in Florence anymore. I wouldn't go that far--and do intend to bake at least two Tuscan specialities during November. Your wife's crostini look delicious. The texture of your bread, perfect, too. The lardo's impressive and I now need to cook dinner since the pork chops are making me hungry. * * * Divina: thanks for the confirmation regarding crostini and the surprising discovery about cookies that Florentines all call BIS-cotti di Prato. I think any story about Caterina de Medici is considered suspect these days. However, the HIGHLY salted spinach you get in Florentine restaurants is up there as one of my favorite things.

Chufi: The word "lepre" simply didn't register as hare for me since I was thinking of "lapin" vs. "coniglio." In any respect, I don't know if Carol Field's recipe for a Tuscan grandmother's sauce calls for the livers of rabbit (not to be found inside hares, true, unless they're terribly aggressive) as a substitute for ones from hares. In her book on Tuscan food, Nancy Harmon Jenkins includes a recipe for pappardelle all'anatra since she says the dish you prepared is difficult for most home cooks since it's hard to find hares, let alone follow the instructions of most old, original recipes which begin "'first catch your hare'" (p. 89) and then go on calling for the blood, lungs, heart, etc. NHJ lists simply the duck's liver, saying the dish is associated with Hathor's nearby Arezzo. * * * As for my crostini, turns out the use of anchovies and capers is not uncommon. * * * And Pan, since you like biscotti di Prato so much, if you haven't seen it before, check out Adam Balic's Tuscan thread on a visit to his in-laws.

First, Divina, it's great to see that you're blogging at this time of year! I imagine that you have a fairly set schedule for the days you spend with your classes, but I hope that if the market at Sant'Ambrogio is on your itinerary, you'll take us there. I'm especially interested in seeing different types of zucche and learning how you prepare them. It's too late for chartreuse green peaches, but are there blood oranges from Sicily yet? There's a thread devoted to great Italian sandwiches that's all about your beloved Central Market. Hathor challenged Andrew Fenton's boasts by showing us porchetta in Umbria. I would love it if you could take us to a place with arista--like the little hole in the wall where San Pier Maggiore used to be, near the big post office or wherever you like to go. Maybe a tripe stand, too. * * * Not really about culinary matters, but related to blogging: What I don't understand about your problems with Italian internet service is the fact that back in the early 90's it seemed that banners and storefronts throughout Florence all promoted Apple. It was so easy to find shops selling cords for foreign laptops, printing files, etc. Nowadays, there's an internet business on virtually every commercial block. Is domestic service so bad because most people rely on these businesses and don't have connections at home? * * * P.S. Just saw your new post. Sigh. Thanks for showing the price list after your breakfast this morning which all of us North Americans can use to compare to our options.

Tonight, I made the crostini di fegatini that I mentioned earlier as a typical Tuscan antipasto. I am linking a report in Daniel's Cookbook Roulette thread given its source. Rest of dinner was not exactly assembled in traditional fashion and probably the only other Florentine quality was the sautéed spinach. Does anyone know why dishes prepared with spinach are called "a la Florentine"? Anyway, it was my first spinach after the recent scare and it was also quite good.

Daniel, hold your horses! While I chose Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe last week, I waited until I finished all of this week's shopping before starting to cook from it. I think one reason the book may end up in a lot of used bookstores is because it seems to be something Danny Meyer and Michael Romano threw together out of the belief that it was about time to produce Book Number Two, rather than something that emerged out of a gradual change in the menu at the restaurant. The writing emerges from a whirlwind eating spree throughout Italy, so there's a pronounced an Italian imprint on the recipes. It turns out I actually made one salad from its pages earlier in the year, right after purchase: a molded lentil, beet and chevre salad that smacks of Alice Waters and Lulu's Provencal Table. Tonight, in light of this month's turn to Tuscany in the cooking thread down in the Italian forum, I made crostini di fegatini which is ubiquitous as an antipasto in that region: a chicken liver spread on small toasts. I ignored the recipe's call for deep-fried croutons and went traditional with baguette slices, just lightly toasted or grilled. This may have been only my second time buying chicken livers, certainly the first with plans to make them the featured ingredient. Incredibly tasty in a recipe that is more intricate than probably an authentic Tuscan one, but extremely simple. Pancetta; onion; olive oil; sage; juniper berries; an unusual pair of anchovies and capers; and reductions of white wine first, then stock, all flavor the seasoned chicken livers before the final swirl of butter and whirl in the processor. Warm, really really good and not too rich. Ate this virtually as a main course rather than an antipasto, deciding now that it's not just a nostalgic evocation of Florence, but that I just finally might like chicken livers. There are a few more recipes in the book that caught my eye, so I'll pop back with a few more reports later. This was and is a great idea, Daniel. * * * P.S. Regarding Miz Lewis and her shrimp and grits, does the recipe call for scooping them onto toasted bread? I know that Sicilians deep-fry rice balls coated in breadcrumbs, and that gravy on biscuits has a lot of flour, but that seems awfully bountiful when it comes to starch.

I actually like Vace, too, and it's handy especially since individual slices are sold. About a third the size of one at Ray's, a pepperoni, onion or spinach slice is handy while running errands. My problem with Vace's is the quality of the crust, mostly a matter of ovens, perhaps, but also prep since it's bland, unblistered and looks more institutional than it actually is. The plain pizza is good to order. Since I am not from Philly, I recommend picking up some really good arugula before you go over and a bottle of red wine unless you want one of theirs. Ask for slices of imported prosciutto and after you reheat your pie back home, sprinkle surface with arugula and then drizzle on some olive oil and drape slices of prosciutto over that. The arugula wilts. Ummm. Of course, red chili flakes and a bottle of beer's fine, too. And since I have a soft spot for New Haven-style I am curious about Comet, though the reference to white clams I swear I read earlier made me think Pepe's might be the source of inspiration.

Looks absolutely wonderful, Klary! As for livers, I am making due with chicken. Also picked up juniper berries. I don't know the difference between rabbits and hares, especially when it comes to eating their visceral matter. Please explain.

Here's a link to an announcement over my local regional forum concerning a chef demo at the farmer's market where I volunteer. For those of you eager to acquire more cookbooks devoted to Italian regional cooking, here is the link to the relevant cookbook by Fabio Trabocchi who is from Le Marche. His Zuppa di Castagne was glorious. While Judith may be in the best position to find out how extraordinary it is, I figure anything with cognac, mushrooms, cream and this much butter would make frozen, peeled chestnuts taste pretty good. In fact, the chef relied on vacuum-packed, peeled chestnuts. I am paraphrasing the instructions from the hand-out we distributed at the market. I assume it's in the cookbook, especially since it's one of the first Trabocchi says he created, inspired by the beginning of the season in Le Marche in October. Serves 6 12 T (6 oz.) unsalted butter 2 oz. slice of pancetta, kept intact* 2/3 c chopped shallots 2/3 c peeled, chopped celery root 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms 1 1/2 lbs. (weight after peeled) chestnuts, coarsely chopped 1/2 c cognac 5 c chicken stock 1 bay leaf 1 sprig sage Ditto, thyme 1/2 c light cream or half & half (he used latter) 1-Melt butter in large saucepan. Cook next three ingredients in list above (p, s & cr) for around 10 mins, until celery root softens. Remove from medium heat and set aside. 2-With rest of butter, saute mushes and chestnuts over med heat till latter are golden. Dump into saucepan you put aside. Return this to med heat for 5 mins. Season to taste with S & P. 3-Pour in cognac off heat. Carefully flame, but hold match just above surface of the liquid so nothing gets intense or dangerous. Just ignite the vapor. Let it evaporate, so flame goes out. Return pan to M heat and add stock. Tie herbs together with twine and dump them in. Bring to gentle simmer, stirring with wooden spoon occasionally. Circa 30 mins. 4-Remove the slice of pancetta from soup*. [Eat it, I say, or Shaya, give it to your sons. I'm sure this step is for the sake of texture.] Working in small batches, ladle contents into blender. Aim for a very smooth, uniform consistency. Return to pan, stir in cream. Season. Serve warm. I swear this is paradisial. Great for an autumnal dinner party. ETAdd thanks to Franci and her lynx-like eye; she caught an error that has been corrected. I'll add, too, that soup with mussels sounds really good.

Well, he didn't and so the Busboy cameth. Since the chef and two of his staff had the routine for a book-tour demo down pat, they arrived early, equiped with their own burners, copper pots, bottle of cognac and my favorite: a large heavy-duty metal funnel with dispenser capabilities so soup could flow quickly and cleanly into awaiting lines of little cups for samples. The cookbook sold out. It looks great and with Peter Kaminsky (my second favorite writer on pigs after EB White) as co-author... The chef was charming as was the sous-chef (?), Stefano from Cuomo, who eagerly pulled out his knife when I brought over a little box from Toiga filled with chestnuts. Toiga was the only farm selling fresh chestnuts today; the two other farms who sometimes bring them were out. I meant to return them after the demo, but Stefano seemed so eager and nostalgic about the ones he gathered back home that I handed them over in thanks. I'm paraphrasing the recipe for the chestnut soup over in the Italian forum in a thread devoted to soup. It's one of the best I've ever had anywhere in my life and I am passionate about good soup. He also made the same risotto that the Post mentioned with an accompanying recipe.

I just made some yogurt, draining half to thicken, preserving about a cup and a half of whey which I've reserved. I was planning to substitute it for some of the liquid when baking this week. I was wondering if anyone here has done this before. I'm not sure it will make a discernable difference in taste, if there is anything particular it might be perfect for...

Klary: If it's not too late, let me add that you should save the liver. If your butcher cleans the rabbits for customers, ask him or her to reserve several. I have a recipe at home. I'll have to figure out the source, but the instructions say that chicken livers can be used, but rabbit is better. ETA: It would have to be for another day since it's another primo. However, given the recommended substitutions, I imagine rabbit liver could be used for a crostino-spread. Carol Field's In Nonna's Kitchen has a recipe for spinach pasta sauced with fresh sage, grappa, only 5 ounces of the livers, onion, and a couple of tomatoes. Serves 2-3 as main dish. Looks good.

2 Amys is the place to find Neapolitan pizza in this area. The restaurant is loved not just by food critics and "foodies," but by parents of small children, so you need to be reasonably tolerant if you go early on a Friday evening, say. Lines are out the door at times on weekends. However, everything is wonderful, not just the pizza, and the space accommodates quiet as well as bustle. Just off Wisconsin Avenue, NW, near the cathedral. This will do, but I am afraid you would not trust what is said above if you go here first. I am not fond of the unmitigated imported canned plum tomatoes that adorn its simple pizzas, but in other respects, it is good, especially the olives and extras. ETA: After reading davecap, neither of these places are like the kinds of very American pizza places you'll find in Philly, at least from what I gather browsing the PA Pizza Club thread.

I would rarely turn down a slice of fresh, homemade bread, but I would were it pane Toscana. I'm all for the impulse that led Elie to sprinkle his pasta with chili flakes. Fat, white beans with salt, pepper and a good olive oil, straight, yes, even if slightly scorched. Same with grilled porcini. But saltless bread with unsalted butter and sicky-sweet preserves for breakfast? The butter is great, but give me fiocchi di mais, a banana, milk and a cereal bowl instead, please. Or go to the bar for a warm bombolino alla crema covered with sugar and filled with vanilla custard.

Fabio Trabocchi of Maestro will be at Dupont Circle this Sunday. The award-winning chef will be cooking at 11 am, feeding you some time before 11:30 and eagerly willing to sign your copy his new cookbook, La Cucina of Le Marche some time before noon. The latter part of the title refers to the place of his birth, under-represented on the bowing shelves of English-language books on Italian regional cooking. Urbino's perhaps the most famous town in Le Marche and olive all'Ascolana--deep-fried stuffed olives--possibly the most familiar of its culinary specialties here in the US. The Post recently published a story related to the new publication.

There is so much good advice here that I have just been nodding my head, especially after the posts by Phawless and Chufi, who Franci seconded already. I usually shop with 1-2 dishes or meals in mind, but rarely without the intention of making something else entirely if specials or newly arrived vegetables catch my eye while shopping. If I find a recipe after the trip that calls for 1-2 crucial, unanticipated items, fine. After that second trip later in the week, I still buy and spend less. I prioritize items on lists. On the left, things I absolutely need. On the right, staples that are running low that I'll pick up if there is a bargain or if I've been particularly frugal. On the bottom, a list of promoted specials at local stores. Perhaps the best cost-saving tip I can offer is something I learned from friends who keep an eraser-board on the front of their refrigerator where they write down things they've just bought for the week, leftovers, what's in the freezer... I often do something similar on the computer (tres nerdy), and with things in the pantry in mind, figure out meals for the week ahead that I can make with what I have at home, with the addition of mushrooms and cream I'll need to pick up, more chicken legs and wings to make stock, and so on. If I don't feel like making or eating something planned this way, fine. Nonetheless, I am throwing out less this way. I also have started to freeze more produce or other items I fear I won't get to before they've spoiled. Better to take a few minutes to blanche expensive haricots verts from the market and spread them out on a jelly roll tray to freeze before bagging them than to let them rot. Much as the idea of relying heavily on dried beans instead of meat is more of an ideal for me than a way of life (not that I consume a lot of animal protein), I find one of my prejudices against the perceived monotony of dried beans is slowly changing when I use meat to flavor dishes, such a smoked ham hock for black beans cooked slowly in the oven. Dinner with green rice, an avocado-orange salad (both on sale), fried plantain and a dollop of homemade yogurt. I used to clip coupons every single week, but find that they're best for non-food items. Most foods they encourage you to buy are highly processed, ice cream in January or "Buy 3..." Every so often there are good deals on cooking oil, canned tomatoes, oatmeal, even dairy products that have matched discounts at only one supermarket chain. I have saved as much 35-67 percent that way, but never at the store where I get most of my fresh produce, milk, etc. Mostly, I just rely on the store's discount card.

Why not start a thread called "My Adventures in Southern Cooking"? Or "Yankee Does GRITS" or something along those lines, complementing your thread devoted to cultural anthropology? Then all other outsiders could join in, coached by the experts. (I scored 19% on the final quiz devoted to Dixie/Yankee linguistics and my buttermilk pancakes are based on Deborah Madison's recipe. Nonethelss, I have been buying buttermilk almost weekly those days. Addictive ingredient, though, would never drink the stuff straight.) Also, glad to see you've an open mind about okra. I agree about size and freshness. My favorite prep is from a book by Paula Wolfert, though.