Pontormo

Thanks for adding the links, Mrbigjas. Because we are so fortunate to have Franci's expertise this month, I just didn't do the hunting I had intended. I'd like to add that I bought a used copy of Ada Boni's book on regional cooking through Amazon.com for very little money. (Then, there were a few copies for only $1.90, but the prices might have soared as high as $4.10 plus shipping due to recent sales.) I am finding it handy. While not as ample as one of the links Mbj supplies, here are just a few more links I am adding, some from the usual sources: Rustico, Ital. Cooking & Living, and The Splendid Table where the recipe is basically what Franci demonstrated, here called Pizza Rustica. Also, consult Mangiere bene, Clifford Wright, Faith Willinger, and Phillips at About.com, recipes linked at bottom of brief survey. I imagine Puglia has regional web sites of greater specificity waiting to be uncovered. By the way, Franci, I was interested to learn that "olio santo" is used in Puglia just as it is in Sicily. Clifford Wright includes a recipe for an Arab-influenced version that adds bay leaves, garlic and cardamom to three different forms of pepper (white & black peppercorns plus a red chili pepper).

I looked only because I recognized the name of one commentator on the main board index and am a bit overwhelmed. I will definitely return. Meanwhile, I can't help but smile when looking at the photograph I've snipped here. Wish I could clip the following so you can see them side by side, but I am respecting the wishes of the online source. Scroll down to the second image below the text, the second box by Joseph Cornell. I only wish the picture's quality were superior: Pantry Ballet (1942) Uncanny, huh?

I haven't read through the entire thread, but my general impression is the word was coined in recognition of a new demographic: people who love & obsess over food in a non-elitist--possibly more democratic--way that distinguishes them from gourmets. For this reason, "foodie" does not bother everyone. It serves a purpose. It's respectable. It's especially worn well by people with a self-deprecating sense of humor . Over time, foodies and gourmets became virtually indistinguishable, except for the fact that the former word is new and because it marks a trend that is no longer novel, some of us find ourselves cringing a little when we hear it. Who uses the word "yuppie" anymore? Yet new waves of young professional urban men and women swell every year, come June. Because the word "gourmet" has been around a bit longer, fewer people react the same way. It's a bit self-conscious or even pretentious--again, ONLY when viewed from certain perspectives--since it smacks of class and there's that French thing going on. I find the word "foodie" a bit twee. Yet I am at a loss for finding a nice, short simple word in English that serves its role--other than gourmet. This is where the beauty of German comes in. We need a nice Noun composed of a gazillion syllables ending with perhaps mitSchlagessenzulieben (with-whipped cream-to eat-to love).

No, actually, I like the creativity of your proposal and was trying to offer alternatives in the spirit of your idea. I think that olive oil is best left as it is and think you're far better off having one or more really good examples of different olive oils to pour on your range of tomatoes, room temperature. Down in the Italian regional forum, some of us were really happy, for example, when we went out of our way to find Ligurian olive oil to make pesto and other tradtional foods from that region; it tasted decidedly different from other oils we have used. Since distributors are taking advantage of the current craze for Italian food as it factors into the Local Food/Terroir obsession, you can find oils produced exclusively from the olives from one specific region in most major cities in the US. The alternatives were pure brain-storming since I don't know nothin bout El Bulli/Keller/Lee Bros. stuff. Where's BryanZ these days? You need the microchemico crowd to show you how to foam, otherwise make whipped cream, then fold in an herb pureed in a little olive oil. Avocado mousse, plate drizzled with basil-olive oil? Variations thereof?

From what I understand about copyright law and eGullet policy, the following is legitimate. I will be paraphrasing a recipe I have not tried, but do want to give credit to both the author and the book: Mimmetta Lo Monte's Classic Sicilian Cooking was published by Simon & Schuster in 1990 in tribute to her family and heritage. Photographs, history and recollections punctuate each chapter. Here's something from the section devoted to crostate, or pies, in the final chapter devoted to Dolci; "maiale" translates as pork: PASTICCIO DI MAIALE Pastry 3/4 c sugar 1/8 t salt 2 3/4 c A-P flour 8 T unsalted, cold butter 3 extra-large eggs Filling 1 3/4 pounds lean pork loin, ground 1/3 c water 4 more X-L eggs, separated 2 c sugar 2 c cocoa 1 1/2 c toasted almonds, ground coarsely, skins left on 1 c ground citron (or conserva di zucca*)[This sounds excessive. Taste & adjust.] 1 t cinnamon Zest of 1 orange Zest of 1/2 a lemon White from an additional egg for brushing and sealing the pie Butter for coating Flour for dusting Oven: preheat to 350 degrees F. 1. Make pastry: Mix first 3 ingredients. Cut in butter till consistency of breadcrumbs, then add eggs just until dough adhers. This can be done in food processor. Chill in fridge for 30 mins. wrapped in wax paper. 2. While waiting for dough to chill, prepare filling by first adding 1/3 c water to pork and saute around 10 mins. until completely cooked & no longer pink Pork should be in fine crumbs, not clumps. N.B. Original recipe says cover and cook pork for 30 minutes, but this seems excessive to me for today's pork. I leave judgment up to you since I have not tested recipe. 3. Once meat is cool, mix in egg yolks, sugar, cocoa, nuts, citron, cinnamon & zests until thoroughly blended. 4. Divide chilled dough into two pieces, one 2x bigger than the other. Coat a baking dish measuring ca. 12 x 7 inches with butter and dust with flour. Roll out larger ball of dough and line dish or pie plate. Brush bottom with egg white. Roll out the remainder of the pie dough and have it ready to fit over the top. 5. Whip the 4 egg whites till stiff. Gently mix them into the park mixture. Place filling onto the crust, moistening edges with egg white. Cover with reserved pastry. Seal and crimp edges. With knife, make 3 rows of cuts on the top crust to allow steam to escape. 6. Bake for 40 mins. Increase temperature to 375 degrees for 15 more minutes. Let cool before serving. Sounds cool? Guy food for watching The Sopranos ? Please make, photograph and post pictures along with comments. *Squash conserve sometimes made with watermelon rind or chayote squash by Italians stuck in other lands.

Why not do basil, cucumber, cilantro, chive or mint instead? I like the consistency of olive oil poured onto tomatoes at room temperature, personally, and don't care for it all that much when it's solidified in the fridge. I also think there's something about tomatoes that is gelee like. It's the viscosity of the guts as well as the flesh. Personally, something herb-infused the consistency of whipped cream sounds more appealing. Even a Parmigiano-Reggiano or feta as ice cream. Maybe a cucumber granita or mint sorbet.

Ling: that evening of desserts looks like a dream you had when you just happened to have a camera in hand. Patrick: I found this terrine, though I must say I prefer your individual portions. There have been so many posts lately of desserts with layers of gelee, that I have gotten curious. It looks pretty straight-forward or is there something I should know to look out for in making or layering it?

burrata is available here in philadelphia from either dibruno bros or claudios...since it's puglia month over in the cooking through italy threads, i might have to hook it up. ← According to Gary Allen, writing for David Leite's Culinaria, there is one good US producer of the cheese, although the creamy interior differs: cf. this short article.

Your menu tweaked: Antipasto: Peperoni con la Mollica Roasted red peppers cut into strips. Sauteed in olive oil with carmelized onions, golden raisins (plumped by soaking), breadcrumbs, pine nuts, a little bit of grated caciocavallo or pecorino. Side dish, usually, but why not serve as an appetizer with some good olives? Bread on side. If you're careful with your peppers and keep them intact, you could stuff them with a light, high quality ricotta, a little Parmigiano Reggiano and a T of snipped chives. However, before fish course(s), I would skip something with a lot of cheese. The only thing I fear about the chevre and roasted peppers and onions is that the three together would be extremely rich. Red stains on dainty silk top after crunching down on toast the wrong way. A simple plate of roasted red peppers, perhaps scattered with capers, a few excellent salt-packed anchovy fillets dressed only with really fine olive oil may be cliche' to some of us, but a revelation to someone who does not eat this way normally. Not every course has to be elaborate. Impress with ingredients instead. Keep things light since it is so, so hot outside and if you think anyone will have butterflies under such circumstances. Primo: Linguine with Daniel's clams if you'd like, but learn what Buford has to say in Heat about how to prepare a simple, quick version of the dish that will make you both very, very happy. Keep the shells in the bowl. Finish cooking the pasta in the liquid the clams spill forth when they open in the pan. Invest in really good dried Italian linguine. If you forgo the onions in antipasto, instead of the clams, toss the strands with onions that have carmelized after stewing for nearly an hour until they're the color of chestnuts, rich and sweet tangled with minced parsley and flakes of excellent cheese. Secondo: Just three beautiful fresh atlantic scallops, done in olive oil, garlic and some parsley placed prettily on a salad bed. Or see what Henry made Ling for breakfast in that thread, recently, with pureed peach drizzle to complement their sweetness. Skip the garlic. Brown in butter; goes better with sweet puree and it makes this course distinct from the pasta if continuing the seafood theme. A bundle of greens, very lightly dressed in a simple vinaigrette (no garlic. shallots left in red wine vinegar for 15 minutes till nutty always make guests go owww! what's in the salad?!!) could be placed to the side, instead, with edible flowers here or there. Girls love flowers. Nothing too filling, but this would be the proper way to do a meal in Italy if you serve only 2-3 ounces each of the pasta first; it's not a main dish unless you're doing a simple home meal or scarfing down food late at night with friends. Forget the salad course. You've had that on your plate. Dolce: I agree about seasonal fruit. Impress her with knowledge of what's fresh at the market this time of year. Peaches when poached blush. Perhaps you could buy some excellent cookies (amaretti or macaroons) to serve with the poached fruit and ice cream, or crush and mix them into the ice cream with a few raspberries, blueberries or blackberries. (Let ice cream soften slightly to do this and then pop it back in freezer.) Contrast or complement with color of the peaches is nice and the texture, the crunch of cookies, welcome. Chill a liter or two of Italian water, one still, one sparkling. If you don't know a good place to buy wine and a merchant to trust, ask here, too. One decent white that complements the seafood would make the evening special. These are all just suggestions. Have a wonderful night!

Ricotta? I'm convinced it's a matter of Italian grass. Please don't disillusion me about the way the cows, bufale and sheep are fed in Italy. Even the most humble mozzarella and their relatives at Italian supermarkets and dairy cases in bars taste better than the fresh mozzarella we now can get around here. And what I wouldn't give for a platter of figs and salumi now... However, I am all for the idea that you have to be there to enjoy certain things. I shudder at the picture of Earth as one united, harmonious culture alla Star Trek. * * * Actually, when I started this thread I was thinking more along the lines of things that would be practical as imports and ought to be acessible, more readily available here and less costly were the rest of our fellow citizens more aware of oh, say, frico. I would not have had the trial I had in tracking down Montasio (BTW, the one WF store I pestered and convinced to reorder the cheese after the Dept. manager said it never sold now carries it regularly and finds it runs out. However, restaurants are some of its clients). Because I live in a big city, I can get farro. However, a small bag at Dean & DeLuca costs around $6, $9 in my small neighborhood Italian grocer. A bag of the same stuff at Essalunga, twice the size, organic: about 1.20 euros three summers ago. Emmer wheat would grow here. It's superior to the wheat berries that Health Food stores sell. It cooks as quickly as rice. What I missed during our time cooking Sardinian meals was bottarga. Couldn't find it anywhere.

Have you left yet? Just in case you haven't looked through the recent Sicilian cooking thread, I'd say go for DOP pistachios from Bronte (if in a sealed package) and a couple of jars of pistachio paste. Make sure you're getting a product of superior quality, made simply with Bronte's pistachios and sugar and not a lot of filler and additives. If you figure out a way to make sure the bottles don't break, I'd also go for one exotic fruit-based syrup and/or special liquor made with ingredients rare or impossible to find here. Look for cheeses (ones coated in wax? I am not sure what Customs will allow, so check first) that seem very, very local.

I confess. I HATE nutella. Cloying. Too icky sweet. Pain au chocolat. Yumm. Cinnamon toast? Midnight snack during an old movie. Nutella spread on bread? Yuck.

Even the flavor of the gelato is in keeping with the source of the recipe. Purple. Exotic. Looks wonderful. I've found a few recipes for ice cream that don't use an egg custard base. It's good to have confirmation that such recipes work.

You're right! I consulted Elizabeth Schneider's *Amaranth to Zucchini* last night and found the first entry useful. She says the type I have (size & color) is usually found in Chinese grocery stores. Since I've made falalfel, I'll use it in a Middle-Eastern side dish with feta.

There is a Swiss vegan organic farmer in nearby Maryland who enjoys growing greens that nobody else brings to market. This past weekend he was selling what he called Jamaican spinach. I looked it up on the web and found out that it's in just about everything, favored for soups, that is, if what I have is indeed Calaloo. The reason I am doubtful is that my leaves are smoother, shaped like inverted, wide teardrops and are brightly veined with a purplish red, most noticeable on the reverse side. Quite beautiful when newly picked which is why I bought them. Two days later after being subjected to extreme heat, they are limp and in dire need of cooking. I will probably just saute it as a side dish, but would be interested to learn if you've had anything memorable on the island that you'd like to mention.

Not any more ! I like turning leftovers into something completely different. Last night, I made a side dish called The Priest's Mistress's Potatoes or Sticchiu 'l Parrinu in Sicilian, basically a layered casserole of cubed potatoes, red onion, fresh tomatoes and oregano that stew under olive oil. I used what remained tonight to make Corn Chowder. See the long commentary by a cook from Washington, D.C. in July, 2004; that was me before I knew about you all. Inspired by a wonderful source, I do think it is one of the best recipes around for one of my favorite things to eat in the summer when indoors with an air conditioner. A wonderful dinner with buttermilk cornbread (with kernels baked in, of course) and a simple Purple Cherokee tomato salad. Of course there is one serving left and a bit of poached salmon, so...

Well, since Philly may do things differently than Brooklynites do, maybe call it "Italian-American Cooking and Cuisine" and start your own thread. I've already mentioned that I saw Italian-American developments in Sicilian and Puglese dishes. In September, especially, I am sure we'll see more. ETA: Expat Cucina?

Thanks to DaleJ in another new thread, I am adding a link to a seed company here in the US that updated its catalog for the year in light of new offerings of Puglia's famed vegetables: Seeds from Italy. The Rossa Italiana is the Italian dandelion green that I bought to make a simple, but wonderful pasta dish. Presumably this is what mrbigjas has at home now. A different farmer at the market grows white, egg-shaped eggplant. Didn't someone mention the lampascioni? Incidentally, Franci, that last image you posted of panzerotti is what is known as a bite for Daniel here at eGullet

Even this year? Thus far, I've been disappointed with the local peaches and some of the ones shipped from Georgia that I've tried. In an exchange with Ling in Vancouver, I've heard similarly and just assumed that the weather during this growing season is to blame. The flavor is not as intense.

Many years ago, perhaps a decade after Marcella Hazan published her classic overview of Italian cooking in English, I moved from the East Coast to the Midwest where there was a thriving farmer's market on the far side of town. Walking past the stalls for the first time, I stopped and stared at a display of bright yellow bell peppers. I couldn't believe it. While I cooked my way through almost all of the pasta recipes in the two volumes in her book, I had to make do with red as the author suggested. I was so thrilled that I bought as many as I could carry and shipped a large box of them to Manhattan as a birthday present for someone who loved Italy as much as I, although she was rather amused by the ecstacy produce inspired in me. Now, of course, yellow, orange and red bell peppers are common in supermarkets throughout the United States. They're next to broccoli rabe. Real Parmigiano-Reggiano is also there, if sometimes shrink-wrapped or pre-grated. Italian butter may be expensive, but you can get it for a 21-hour birthday bash in Australia. In turn, farmers are bringing things to the market that are new to them if not to Italians: different colors, sizes and shapes of eggplants; those bright red, squat tomatoes with rippled edges; greens. The quality of Italian-style domestic products continues to grow, whether at Salumi in Seattle or La Quercia in Iowa. Despite the soaring popularity of Italian food throughout much of the English-speaking world, new cookbooks continue to publish lists of mail-order sources and stores to call for ingredients that prove hard to find. Some places remain stubbornly indifferent to Italian food. Even in big cities, merchants nod their heads and agree X is wonderful, but doesn't sell. This thread is a place to document successes, failures and to ask questions or offer advice. When in Itay, what did you eat or cook that you wish you could get back home? If it lasts, it may chart progress or patterns. I'll start. Cardoons may now be plentiful in California, thanks largely to Alice Waters. Folk from Texas buy them, too. However, here in Washington, D.C., I got the impression that Whole Foods USED to carry them a few years ago, but discontinued the practice. One chef serves them in his flagship restaurant since he's from Piemonte. It was grown with middling results by one Swiss farmer, just as an experiment, so I managed to track it down eventually. Most people I consulted had never heard of it and thought I was asking for cardamom.

Franci, thank you so much for all you have contributed just on the first day of this new regional thread! P.S. I got to know several people from Lecce while living in Florence. Bruno felt his region's wines were grossly under-valued, holding up a box of it in a kitchen we shared, lamenting that it got sold in Tuscany in such an ignoble fashion. It will indeed be fun to learn more about their home-cooking from such a talented native...and from Kevin's enthusiasm and nostalgia.

• Trentino-Alto Adige Northern-most region with strong ties to Austria. Rye flour. Buckwheat polenta. Mushroom polenta. Apples. Pig. Strudel. Perfect for winter. • Veneto Squid ink strands and bigoli, thick noodles made with a special form or press; otherwise, polenta and rice are favored over pasta, as in risi e bisi, rice with peas. Radicchio. Fish. Poultry, including duck with pomegranates. Padua, Vicenza and Verona as well as Venice. Region's Pinot Grigios are popular. • Emilia-Romagna Sigh. Lasagna, tortellini and in general fresh pasta made with eggs, stuffed or not, in timbales, light broths, cream sauce. Controversy surrounds its Ragu Bolognese—here on EGullet and elsewhere. In addition to the importance of Bologna, there's also Modena with its balsamic vinegar, Ferrara with its bread, and Parma with its cheese and ham. Fruits are excellent, especially cherries, peaches and now kiwi. Region is well represented in cookbooks written in English, most notably The Splendid Table. Warming, filling beloved dishes suggest the heart of winter and feasts. • Toscana Celebrated for the wines of Chianti, especially, and unpretentious foods simply prepared such as grilled porcini glistening with olive oil and steaks high in the hills, squirted with lemon. Florentines are known as contrarian bean-eaters who gorge on tripe in the streets. Tourists usually buy paneforte, a dense fruit cake, when visiting Siena; they should then take the train to Lucca for some olive oil, a major component of Tuscan cuisine and go on to Prato for biscotti to dip into Vin Santo. Soups are great, especially ribollita made with beans, bread and cavolo nero. Arista, a luscious, herby pork roast; salami with figs; boar. Chestnut flour and walnuts. Trillin likes his farro. Along the coast: eels. Again, the region is a popular subject for Anglo-cookbook authors, perfect for October when the weather begins to turn or winter when all you want is a warm bowl of thick soup or a big hunk of meat. • Le Marche Seafood! Its brodetto, a great fish soup may be best known, but mussels are also important here. Braised beef. Porchetta. Pecorino. Cauliflower. Apples, peaches and cherries. A great antidote to some of the regions with heavy, filling food. • Umbria Hathor's glorious region, a place to gawk, and in Assisi, a goal of pilgrims, tourists, scholars and high school students from France. Grilled meats in the open air. Salami flavored with wild fennel. Head cheese from piggies. Norcia's pig butchers and products are of renown. Boar. Black truffles and squab. Wonderful lentils. Polenta, pasta (including thick, hand-rolled strands) AND pizza. Soup called blò blò represents the rustic cooking of this region well…but there is also chocolate in Perugia should you care to indulge. Hathor has requested that we turn to this month in November during the mushroom festival and while she is still there. • Abruzzi Del Conte unites this region with Molise, claiming that while political administration separates the two, their cuisines are indistinguishable. Coastal areas, of course, known for fish. In mountains and inland, pork, some sheep and poultry. Chili peppers tell us we are moving south on the Italian peninsula, most notably in dishes diavoliacchio. Ventricia, as the beginning of the name implies, is made with pig's stomach, using chili peppers, wild fennel and oranges! Brodetto also prepared here, without saffron. Another soup called Le Virtu is traditionally prepared at the beginning of May, using up the vegetables left over from the previous season as one looks ahead to the riches of the next harvest. • Molise See above. Inexpensive wines from these two regions increasingly available in North America. • Basilicata Arguably the poorest region in Italy. Pig—especially in sausage. Ragù. Chestnuts. Chickpeas (ceci). Bread. Peperonata. Chilies. Hard, salty ricotta. • Calabria Natural surroundings stunning if also an area of poverty. Vegetables dominate cuisine. Chestnuts. Grapefruit and oranges. Eggplant. Mushrooms. Chilies. Pasta is extremely important. Cheese is made from sheep's milk. Just in case there are new people joining these cooking threads, here are the old, brief descriptions for remaining months. Colors coded more or less: red for regions that seem autumnal to me, blue for cuisines that respond to winter, green for spring, though this is not a science. Hathor's Umbria is marked with purple for November.

With the distinctive seafood couscous, just about everything truly significant has been made! The only category that I feel I neglected is dolci due to the weather. If you'll notice, Sicily has inspired more posts than even Lazio or our very first region. Since we began Sicily a few days late, why not linger? How about changing the rules and starting the first Monday of each month?

Ling, is that the cauliflower in tiny bits around the gorgeous, plump olives in the foreground & on the green beans in the background? Around here, it's too hot to grow again until fall. This is by no means a farewell to Sicily, especially since the rest of dinner was rather American: poached salmon prepared late last night, a Greek yogurt sauce & a blueberry-corn relish with lemon basil, colors set off by a turquiose glass plate. Now that tomatoes are finally in season, Patate allo sfincione were in order. Cf. Elie's true sfincione upthread. This is also known as Sticchiu 'l Parrinu or The Priest's Mistress's Potatoes. N.B. Clifford Wright pluralizes his translation of the clerical name of the dish, but I am going to give the monotheistic guy credit for another kind of singular faithfulness. Small cubes of potatoes are put at the bottom of a well-oiled casserole, followed by a layer of diced red onion, and seeded (should be peeled, but given the state of fruit this year, I figured all the potential source of flavor was needed), chopped tomatoes. In Sicily, the woman's got to tend a garden while the padre takes confession--she an Eva of sorts while he doles out "Aves" to sinners--so fresh oregano was substituted for the more potent dried herb. This layer is seasoned, then drizzled with oil. Process is repeated and baked for quite some time given raw state of potatoes. When done, the red of the upper layer of shriveled tomatoes deepens under the oil and the herbal scent builds. Possibilities for leftovers here are endless. The dish is sometimes made with meat and called either sciarabbaddazzu or sciarbuzzia. I might turn it into a gratin to render the rich, stewed potatoes into something more crusty. There's always frittata or focaccia.

Before I read the book and had little more than the long comparative book review in The New Yorker as a basis for knowledge, I spoke to someone at Whole Foods and asked him if he had heard about Pollan's critique. This was even before any of the three open letters. He responded with skepticism. A week ago while I was shopping, he looked for me and told me he read and liked the book a lot. He didn't see what the big deal was and felt that Pollan wasn't giving his company too much of a hard time. Ever since reading the book, he started to buy milk from pasture-grazed cows. "Did you see we're carrying it now?, he asked. "Only 10-20 cents more than the regular organic milk." He also has made more of a concerted effort to go down to the farmer's market once a week and likes the change a lot.