Pontormo

My Barbie doesn't eat potatoes.

There's also this thread devoted specifically to San Marzano tomatoes. The local Balducci's carries Le Valle DOP at $2.99 for 35 oz. cans; for $1.99 you can get same brand, but made with tomatoes from numerous sources--I am guessing--processed in San Marzano. I have both types at home and going to conduct a taste test one of these days. However, I don't agree completely with a post upthread in the link provided here that claims it's not worth buying the least expensive of the two. The $2 can is superior to most brands of canned Italian plum tomatoes I've had, that is, ever since Whole Foods took over one Italian company that processes organic tomatoes. It may be that the DOP's will blow my socks off (it's cold and rainy today), but I associate DOP more with assurances that a product or food item comes from one particular place and that place only than with quality, even though the two often go hand and hand and there very well may be a quality of terroir that endures with the canned tomatoes from the fields of Sarnese Nocerino that elevates them above all others.

Are turkey eggs just bigger than the ones your chickens produce, or is the taste distinctive?

I knew you'd come through, April. Buttermilk pancakes are one of my favorite things in the world & I'm grateful one of the major supermarket chains in town carries it in pints. Actually, I was thinking about a bread baked with yeast. A Jane Grigson/Beard recipe for bread with walnuts, walnut or olive oil and milk, I thought, might be okay to produce with sour milk because there are competing flavors, though I also wondered if it would just give a slight, sourdoughy taste to a simple, plain free-form loaf.... ...or end up tasting as bad as the milk would be were I to drink it straight. Should I just do pancakes or make a rhubarb cobbler instead? P.S. What's the difference between "merely soured" and "spoiled"?

[Moderator note: The original Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 1)] There are no stupid questions, right? I've got some whole milk in the fridge with a sell-by date of 4/10. Is it okay to use in baking bread? Or will it impart an unpleasant taste? I am just not sure about the relationship between soured milk that one deliberately produces with vinegar for certain baked goods and the genuine article that bears different shades of white and texture until shaken. Chuck it?

I believe focaccia is poofier; you can split it in two to use for sandwiches. The salad is beautiful.

Forgive me for manipulating your instructions, Sandy. However, I just contacted the store and discovered that Niman Ranch's guanciale is currently in their cases although not always available. This cured hog's jowl can be found in New York, Seattle, parts of California, but not here in D.C.

Source: The Market Master, Donne Malloy-Murray & Bernie Prince, Co-Director, FFM

Would you, John, elaborate on the final comment made? Or others, since I know the Slow Food movement is well known by many who read this forum. The fact that Alice Waters has become such a strong US promoter of the organization makes a lot of sense because her own devotion to elitism on the one hand and a kind "populism" on the other seems in keeping with the reasons Carlo Petrini launched his organization. By "elitism" I am referring to the search for superior, organic produce, Chez Panisse, DOP products, and by the latter, managable work schedules for one's employees, Edible Schoolyards and measures taken to retain alternatives to the MacDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome. **** I don't wish to take this discussion off track, so Alberto please pipe up if you think a new thread is in order. However, I discovered the Academy of Italian Cuisine while searching for web sites that feature Italian regional cooking. I am curious and would like to know if this group intersects with Identità Golose in any way, or how it relates to the Slow Food movement...if it does at all. Is Slow Food considered too political whereas other groups wish to distance their aims and activities from anything that smacks of activism?

Before this thread slips back to page 2, Ann I have to say your decorative use of pie dough is absolutely beautiful! Maple leaves suit fall, and these delicate ones, spring.

Calimero: Your ravioli is inspiring. It's wonderful to have someone contribute to the thread from Rome. Would you be willing to indulge us with a few pictures of what's available at the Campo de' Fiori or your local market now?

The source you mention also neglects the produce purchased at farm stands and farmers's markets. When there's a good year for plum tomatoes, there's nothing better. Regarding Classico, I wonder how many years back Lynne R Kasper did her show. The early line was fine, but the company swtiched to tomato puree (water & tomato paste) and made a few other cost-cutting moves. I thought Barillo also went through a similar process recently; I find Phaelon5's list sound, too. Whole Foods carried a medium-expensive brand for a while with a photograph of a dreamy-eyed young Italian woman on the label. I'm not sure if the Paesano brand is the one I am thinking about, but when the Diavolo type was on sale, I picked up jars and found I liked it with sausage or meatballs.

Yes, yes, don't I know. I was referring to other aspects of life in this area and in particular, this city, ones that keep me tethered as much as I long for more naturally irrigated, glorious mountaneous places out West. To remain on topic, the superiority of produce that comes from California (when weather isn't quite so alarming) is also a bonus for chefs who respond to the call.

Actually, I asked about the mozzarella in carozza for a very specific reason related to Rome...which some of you may have guessed. Kevin, I appreciate the reference to anchovies very much since it's quite appropriate as it turns out. What you describe sounds delicious, yes. I bought the mozzarella, but it looks as if I will need to buy an appropriate white bread.

I have questions regarding Mozzarella in Carozza. Is it considered Roman? Most importantly, is it always made with slices of bread as in recipes I have at home? I thought there was a version in which the cheese is breaded, but not prepared as a fried panino.

I believe "alla Giudia" tradtionally refers to golden-fried artichokes without any coating other than olive oil; a batter would present problems during Passover, certainly. Artichokes are Roman. Artichokes are the food of Italian Jews. Regarding the rest you may be right, although Batali links fried foods sold on the streets particularly to Rome. I'm not sure why unless the obviously wonderful tradition migrated to other regions; there's a great little place close to Piazza San Marco in Florence, just around the corner that I used to sneer at in my "Holier Than Thine Diet" days until I caved in and developed a more generous attitude towards the pleasures of the world. Regarding the names, though, you say "bucatini", I say "perciatelli"....

The thing is, you'd have to live in Vegas were you a successful chef or cook in D.C. chasing the bigger bucks. There would be more to do in the wee hours after work, but would the higher salary increase the quality of one's life?

'Tis the season. I am bumping this thread up. Anything new to share? P.S. Challenge to Cook-Off participants: Risotto, anyone?

I got as far as previewing a post for a new topic on this subject before stumbling across this thread ---thanks for all the great suggestions! I love rhubarb, too and after weeks of costly stalks, found the first promotional sale of the season this weekend. When I make crisps, I always include crystalized ginger, so I am pleased to see a cake that includes that ingredient. Compotes of rhubarb, strawberry & mango are wonderful with plain yogurt at breakfast. Question: Do strawberries really add something to rhubarb crisps? See remark concerning compote above; I've just made it that way in following a recipe. They're traditional, seasonal, etc., but are they an additional flavor, worth including?

P.S. So, you watching "Girlmore Girls" or inserting labels on your open-fridge shot?

REALLY interesting section here, Sandy. Thank you!

Oh, cow-horned goddess, mate of the sun, protector of mothers and kings, What a feast! Your stuffed pasta looks expertly made and gorgeous in the broth with the fava beans. I love your mother's question. Everything in that meal looks perfectly orchestrated. It's great to see that you are going back in time to use S&A of Eating Well. I hope your guests had fun and appreciated the symbolism of the lamb which also evokes next month's region--a real contrast as well as complement to Kevin's more refined, sophisticated dish with the herby lemon sauce. As far as the artichokes go, is there something different about the method or recipe you used that you think worth sharing?

I've read another article based on these statistics and also found them interesting. One of the problems is that the person claiming to have the allergies isn't lying; the doctor's diagnosis may be to blame. I don't know if pediatricians still blame food allergies for problems they see in their patients at the rate they did 20-30 years ago, but I know at least a handful of people who were told they could never, ever eat wheat (NOT gluten; wheat) again who are now scarfing pizza with abandon. My parents were told this after I was tested. All those swollen, red bumps left after needle pricks up and down my arm looked like scientific evidence. We believed the kindly doctor and lab technicians. I did cookies, croissants and spaghetti instead of cigarettes, booze and pot. Nothing bad happened. As adult, I was told I probably grew out of it. Years later, visiting a friend in New York who had a very severe, serious allergy, I was shocked to find her with a huge slice of Ray's. HER doctor told her these things weren't 100% sure, but she had better continue avoiding foods containing wheat flour. She was livid; couldn't believe the lack of sensitivity behind such cavalier professional advice. Told him off and is living happily ever after.

Speaking of plates, I envy you for your earthenware. Italian? The olives look like they're worth a shot. We all talked about the importance of antipasti in Piemonte, but Rome seems to be another place where one could have a veritable tapas party al' Itaniano. As for bucatini, I still would like to know why De Cecchi calls it perciatelli and why Rustichella d'Abruzzo calls triangulated quills trennette, a word used for linguine up in Linguria. Then there's the dried, hollowed shape either Barilla or De Cecchi calls gnocchi...

Perhaps someone who's studied the matter knows how the tradition came about, but in the US, ricotta and dried, packaged noodles with ridged edges are often used, frequently with shredded mozzarella in addition the traditional Parmesan. It seems to be an Italian-American thing, adapted and transformed by folk who have as much Italian blood in them as I do. Canadians out there, is it a Italian-Canadian thing, too? In New England, where I grew up, most Italian-Americans emigrated from Southern Italy and Sicily. Perhaps there are some timbales that this variation on lasagna evokes. However, the party line on much Italian-American cooking of the 50s & 60s is that it became "Baroque" in celebration of the financial security and success found in the New World. Thus, lots and lots of extra meat--sometimes even meatballs if not layers of browned ground beef and sausage and prosciutto--extra sauce, extra layers, extra cheese.... Stuffed pastas such as cheese ravioli and penne coated with ricotta and spinach, aparagus or other vegetables also may be sources of inspiration. Who knows, maybe even moussaka, since ricotta or cottage cheese are suggested substitutes in cookbooks addressing Americans back when feta was not commonly found in supermarkets. I also prefer a simple lasagna that sticks to Bolognese roots, made first with homemade spinach pasta. Marcella Hazan also publishes a recipe that layers tender artichoke hearts with bechamel and Parmigiana Reggiano between fresh noodles which I made long, long ago when artichokes were not $3 a pop. There's a Piemontese version with anchovies and no sauce. Just these two suggest why home cooks felt free to develop lots of different types of baked pasta dishes with broad, flat noodles, even if it doesn't explain how the American type became standard.