Pontormo

What was IN the pansotti? (Veal scallopini at WF are made from the leg. Ingenious substitutions. This is SUPPOSED to be cucina povera.)

Mike: Congratulations on the firsts, including first bottle of Ligurian olive oil to survive a trip to your kitchen. All looks wonderful. If you go back to the link for Michol Negrin's Rusticocooking, at the bottom is a type of spinach pie called a focaccio that I THINK she said would be good prepared with crescenza as one of the fillings. I envy you the bounty that is NYC. Now that I see what the flatbread looks like, I know what kinds of alternatives to look for; I was contemplating matzah until I saw your shot. * * * Also, regarding the blandness of the green bean & potato polpettone, one author recommends using leftover green beans that have been coated with pesto. She feeds them into a grinder and feels the pesto perks up a dish Colman Andrews might fit into a category of Ligurian cuisine that would not inspire many outsiders to stay in Genoa forever. However, he has an affection for the good home-cooking of the region's "cucina povera". Flavors of the Riviera is proving to be a really good book, albeit the photographs are almost as plentiful as mine and the pen-wielding reader who used the library's copy to give a report for the local association of culinary historians ought to know there's a new circle in Dante's hell for people like her/him. It's scholarly while still engaging. The recipes are interesting. However, what I really like is the cultural comparison it provides by setting up the French Riviera and Liguria as mirror upon mirror. Enjoying the image of swimming with the little fishes, I decided to make BAGNUN last night. No fresh anchovies in these parts, but every once and a while there are fresh sardines, a recommended substitute. I am not sure I would have bought them were they not already packaged since the smell was suspiciously too fishy when I broke the seal on the plastic. Decapitating them and removing the guts made me wonder a bit about fishaterians. The dish proved sweetly fishy and delicious: the sardines are cooked in a sauce of onions, garlic, parsley, tomato and white wine and then placed on top of Mike's flatbread, although in my case, toasted baguette. Green beans on side. Dutch dessert: Klary's roasted rhubard compote with orange peel mixed with thick yogurt.

When we were still in Lombardia, Kevin at Whole Foods put in a special order for crescenza. If it's not seasonal (why would it be? it's a fresh cheese ), and you haven't been utterly converted by all the buzz created by Michael Pollan, you might call up the WF in Manhattan to see if they'd do likewise. * * * My apologies to KJ for not noticing even earlier that the question regarding anchovies and cylinder jars was answered. I must read more slowly, more carefully and retain. * * * All the new photographs are beautiful. Hathor, you have a way with presentation, especially, that strikes me as being in the spirit of traditional Italian regional cooking; I love the sprig of mint and the reserved fava beans sprinkled over your bowl of maro-coated pasta. I hadn't thought about making soup, but you all are tempting me, especially with references to fresh herbs and that parsley in the center of the chickpea soup. (A recent chef's demo at the market placed a wonderful salsa verde made with fresh garlic and arugula on top of sauteed prawns and new asparagus.) * * * (I do have chickpea flour, too, and was thinking about farinata except I just get sick of the Piemontese version back in January.) * * * I also appreciate more details about fried ravioli. I'm going to try it. Finally, I urge you to consult the linked entries on Rubber Slippers in Italy above. The plate of the region's "fritto misto" looks wonderful. I wonder if there will be more ramps at the market THIS weekend...

Might this be related to M.F.K. Fisher's observation below? In The Cooking of Provincial France (New York: 1968): 85. Cf. The role of soup in Lulu's Table by Richard Olney. This post relates to Fisher's specific reference to "provincial families." Perhaps the most prominent reference to supper in U.S. is in the comic strip, Peanuts. Snoopy celebrates Suppertime with an ecstatic dance.

And if any three-year old speaks of supper, she is in the august company of Shakespeare: (Act 4, Scene 3 of Hamlet)

In the real and literary worlds of Charles Dickens, there was breakfast (Oliver Twist); lunch (N.B. negative connotations of lunch here in Hard Times); dinner (Bleak House); AND supper (David Cooperfield). Especially interesting work of culinary history on Dickens and dinner is reviewed here in The Guardian (April 30, 2005).

At the end of Jane Eyre (1847), when the heroine returns to Thornfield and finds Rochester in need, Charlotte Bronte writes the following, a conversation between her two protagonists in which Jane speaks first:

Favorite name: strozzapreti.

Kelsey: I'm impressed. It is heartening to know that you're interested in such a sophisticated book. I hope your review inspires other students and teachers in your school to read it too. P.S. Check out the most recent issue of The New Yorker (May 15, 2006) where Steven Shapin discusses Michael Pollan's book in conjunction with two related publications that address organic farming as Big Business.

Nonetheless, the Trattoria La Carbonara cooks penne for what it claims as its signature dish. When in Rome...

My mum keep saying that it used to be a very affordable food and very popular but then the price increased rapidly (I believe could also be due to decreasing Cod stock). ← Baccalà crops up frequently in Carole M. Counihan's Around the Tuscan Table, an anthropological study that focuses on one extended Florentine family of humble origins (contadini). One of the most telling photographs in the book is the chalkboard announcing the day's specials at what is simply described as "an elegant restaurant." In March 2003, Baccalà alla livornese was going for 12,50 Euros, one of the priciest items on the menu. On the other hand, Counihan reports, dried codfish was a staple for Florentines throughout the first half of the 20th century, especially for peasants and those of "modest" means during the winter months. Her sources (in their 60's and 70's) tell her it was the cheapest thing of all and the first thing they purchased after selling their eggs, chickens and rabbits, using the little left over for household necessities. Younger generations she interviewed had little taste for the baccalà that their elders still craved. Dishes prepared with the dried codfish really went out of favor in the 1980s. I suspect that a certain number of years had to lapse for baccalà to lose its associations with poverty and lean times. Nostalgia transformed the humble stuff into something desirable, exotic for Florentines used to eating well, and of course, for tourists.

Regarding the original rant and words used to identify the third meal of the day, it might be interesting to leaf through novels from the 18th century to present day for clues. Moll Flanders to Saturday? * * * After your children come home from their school dinners, do they find you in the kitchen peeling vegetables for small, intimate dinner parties with friends?

Izzie's grapefruit soda & tuna/avocado roll snuck into the movie theater.

Low? Compared to what? My bottle from TJ Maxx was $17 for 3/4 of a liter, supposedly reduced from $26. Cf. fairly recent thread on olive oil under General Food Topics (?) regarding EVOO designations and the like.

At least in the parts of the world known problematically as the West, well before the time of the Last Supper, there were only two meals a day: a kind of breakfast served late in the morning and then the main meal when the sun was still up. Was Christianity's increasing influence and its love of the number three both reasons for the move towards three meals? Or were changes in the concept of time and systematization of labor behind the new tripartite division of the day into three discrete dining experiences? In other words, were changes really as late as the 18th century? Why then and not the 19th? I still remember the days when businesses, government agencies, libraries, churches, etc. closed during a 2 to 4 hour period in Italy so people could go home to eat their "pranza" or lunch and not "cena" as in the Last Supper. The practice has changed, I had always thought, due to horrible American influences and the growth of tourism. (There were nonetheless established traditions of serving a daily pasta and other substantial dishes at bars, markets, and so forth.) Was that ever the case in the U.K.? * * * Does Jamie Oliver have suppers in the evening? His program to change the way British schoolchildren eat mid-day is called School Dinners.

Kevin: Thank you for all of your responses. The reprieve from all those braised and roasted meats that began the year is something I am enjoying enormously. I am looking forward to more vegetable-based cuisines from Southern Italy once summer begins. The one thing that puzzles me about surveys of Ligurian cuisine is the fact that cookbooks mention how little seafood figures in such a coastal region, while at the same time featuring quite a few dishes such as Adam's gorgeous soup and Klary's beautiful bass. I am not sure I want to tackle salted cod, though. As for the question about ravioli, I should have conducted a search before asking. Based on your comments, I found this very interesting series of relevant entries on Rubber Slippers in Italy. Scroll down to the Latte Dolce. (I also hope Andrew Fenton is reading this thread. The discussion of panettone should amuse him.)

Two questions: 1) In the link to your beautifully made ravioli, is the fenugreek the green that resembles watercress to some degree? I've only seen the dried herb. 2) I'm planning on making the Rustico focaccia with spinach that calls for thin sheets of dough without any yeast or leavening agent whatsoever. (It's the first link I posted here, with lots of documentation.) This seems unusual to me; I've never been to Genoa. Has anyone made or had something like this?

That looks beautiful, Hathor! I'm happy all of you introduced me to maro, especially since fava beans will be available from a local farm a few weeks from now. Look up a few posts regarding my surprising, triumphal success in finding the right olive oil. Cf. clues I mentioned since I am sure it's available there in NYC. I made pesto along with the rest of you last night using Ligurian oil, sea salt (French, but can I assume a shared sea?), trenette (Abruzzi's understanding of the word, but dried pasta), Chinese pine nuts and FRESH GREEN GARLIC from the farmers's market, i.e. from the same Swiss vegan who sold me my first cardoons. Alas, I should have purchased Sardinian cheese, but had some Roman pecorino at home. Normally, I use a combination of Parm Reg and Romano, olive oil and butter, for a richer sauce with lots of garlic. This was a lot more delicate in taste. I am not sure I would have known the difference between Tuscan & Ligurian oils with all that basil and garlic. However, I did taste oils from my bottle of 365 Tunisian olive oil (processed in Italy) & the Ligurian one first. There is a decidedly spicier kick to the former, as if it were arugula/rucola whereas Liguria's oil was as mild as parsley. I hasten to add, NOT bland. Good. Making pesto in the blender is messy, but I LOVE cleaning up afterwards. * * * Interesting article from Saveur. Thanks. I am looking forward to basil grown outdoors.

P.S. A special WOW for that pizza, Shaya! And Adam, I must say your wry description of your mortar betrays a bit too much about the kind of circles in which you exchange discourse.

Sorry, I missed this cry for help, but as Francesco's kind corrections regarding my attempt to crack Genoese dialect demonstrated, it sounds as if we might need Adam's expertise instead. This ain't my kind of history. I CAN tell you that medieval city-states (such as Siena and Florence) tried to lure their native-born sons back home to paint, sculpt or design towers ineptly by offering tax-free status...and that Siena's Campo is slanted since salt was stored below. * * * All this pesto looks great! I can't believe the timing!! It's as if all of us in this regional project are as in sync with one another as the eGullet women who report their cravings on the PMS thread ! (It's off-topic, so I'll be brief: look for a posting soon about my East-Coast raised cardoons. And if ANYONE knows a new way to cook artichokes that we didn't do in April, I cry out for your help ! Send a PM! Thanks.)

N.B. In response to Post #30: There is a thread on Savory Rhubarb in the other Cooking forum that you may wish to consult regarding chutney. I've roasted some cut stalks, coated in olive oil and studded with salt (for a different kind of recipe) and they softened quickly, yet remained nicely intact. * * * I tried Klary's method for making a compote in the oven and highly recommend it because the pieces retain a kind of structure that gets lost on the stovetop*. I recommend using orange juice--not too much--instead of water. My stalks were not as nubile as Klary's, so their water content may have been much, much higher. I found that I had added too much and with a lid on, they stewed a bit more than I wanted them to. Next time I will try making this without covering them, perhaps stirring them after ten minutes, if not sooner, so they are not quite at that state where they're about to melt into a dew. *Also did this since I like to stir fresh strawberries into the puree just after taking it off the stove.

Hathor: Marcella Hazan's recipe calls for Romaine lettuce...i.e. the one Klary used. I hesitate to mention this, although it may save me from buying yet another cookbook, however, MH's Cucina is going for a mere $10 at Jessica's Biscuit right now. It may not be her classic work, but it seems to have more tempting recipes than her third book and has what we're all clamoring for this year: more books that explicitly indicate regional origins of Italian dishes. Now, for those of you who do own cookbooks devoted to Ligurian cuisine, could you please tell me if you've found anything resembling hummus? There seems to be a lot made with chickpea flour and chickpeas are in soups. I ended up making a white bean puree to eat with focaccia later in the week, but I wondered....

I felt the same way at the same market, especially since I was shopping close to an hour before everything was about to shut down and there were still piles of ramps left on the table. However, I was standing next to a chef who picked up a bunch ruefully and complained to his friend that he would have to pay $25 a pound to his distributor. He thought the ones at the market were a steal. The stand was taking advantage of the fact that it was offering a unique product that is around for a short time. * * * Actually, I had logged on to post this linkto the Web site for Babbo where ramps are the featured produce for the month and Batali offers a recipe. The site inspired me to make spaghetti carbonara with ramps which was delicious. Cf. Post #53 here regarding risotto with ramps.

I fall in JAZ's camp regarding the use of a copper-bottom pot for risotto, one with tall sides. I purchased a 5-quart Dutch oven for the first time in December at a local store that specializes in wine and imported food, but also sells cheap produce and discounted household items. (The new inventory includes greater variety as well as a few slow-moving items from the regular stock, such as the doll-sized Staubs at half-price.) It's from a line called Staub Basics (Basic? Basix?) and cost me all of $40. Instead of the distinctive dark stalactites inside the lid, the surface is plain. You can just barely make out "MADE IN FRANCE" beneath the creamy-colored enamel. The nob on the top is cast iron as are the handles; in fact, it resembles a Lodge Dutch oven, if a colorized version. So far, I have been very pleased. It's perfect for braising, stew, long-simmering sauces and large batches of thick soups. The only drawback I can see is that the enamel seems a bit thin and I notice a few porous marks on the exterior. It may wear more quickly than more expensive Staubs.

Just a quick report on two Ligurian lunches: 1) I made the maro that Klary posted with the small amount of fresh fava beans I had at home. Instead of using it for pasta, I spread the puree on a small slit ciabatta-like roll, toasted. Very good, although a couple of the beans were overgrown and therefore a little hard and bitter. I added more garlic and less mint than I would have liked. It was interesting to learn from Kevin the cheesemonger that one of his Sardinian cheeses made from sheep's milk is reported to be one of the best things to use for pesto; Hazan also recommends using a pecorino from Sardigna instead of Rome if possible. 2) In the same cookbook (Hazan's Cucina ) there is a recipe for Sugo ligure col pomodoro crudo, olive, caperi e acciunghe. I used cherry tomatoes and some minced green olives in the fridge to make the sauce, including some green garlic from the farmer's market. Instead of using it for pasta, I spread it on half of the same type of roll and let it soak in for a while. This became a sandwich with a small fillet of haddock which is probably not something found in this part of the world.