Pontormo

Logging in one last time today--this time I mean it--before I put on my Asics and walk brisky for an hour or more in the cold, invigorating air...this new thread is just too addictive. I finished a quick read through Kramer, so I will jump in to mention that he includes a very long discussion of stock where he recommends using FOUR chickens, tons of vegetables and calls for letting a stock simmer overnight in the oven or 9-12 hours if you can manage. His personal gripe is with the diminished flavor of most birds available to readers in the U.S. Thinking back to some things that Lida M B prefers to put in her stocks, including the turkey that was indispensable to the patriarch of an Italian-American [i know, not the same, but bear with me] family in Brooklyn who always made the soup for major celebrations, I am guessing that a big blast of assertive flavor is more essential in some Italian dishes than the exact nature of that flavor. As conservative as Italian cooking is and as insistent as it is upon the quality of its ingredients or the exact nature of the ingredients (see Ragu thread) that go into authentic dishes, I imagine we're seeing one place where flexibility is possible and personal taste is allowed. After all, there are many different versions of authentic dishes. Folklorists, linguists and anthropologists will tell you it is as difficult to find the "pure" or "true" form of a cultural phenomenon as it is to keep it from "corruption" or change. Kramer admits that he finds chicken-based stock superior to beef in most things, citing a taste-testing of French onion soup in which the non-traditional chicken stock used by one cook received the highest praise. He finds the taste of combined meats too "muddy." I can't resist adding that I was pleased to discover not only that Piedmont is serious about its anchovies (see reference to bagna caoda above), but that hazelnuts rule. Gianduia has got to be my favorite when it comes to Italian chocolate things, so I will have to bake at least one cake. As for the remark about cornmeal's importance, I am also interested in its use in dolci. However, what I would like to try making is pasta that includes a small amount of cornmeal along with farina produced from wheat. If you shelve copies of *Gourmet,* look for Andrea Lee's article in the issue of May 2004. The writer lives in Turin whose pastries are acclaimed. Finally, if you rent DVD's, add The Best of Youth to your queue since much of the plot in this incredible work takes place in Turin, the former capital of the House of Savoy and the site of Piedmont's major university, a hothouse for idealistic political dissent. It releases next month, when I for one, will still be making sformati, risotto and anchovies with salsa verde. Basta. Enough. More later about other cultural and culinary matters in Piedmont.

Sandy, errr, regarding your edifying example... Question remaining: what would our host be wearing were we to go Chez Fresser for, as you put it "beef 'n' beer"?

'Scuse me? Never saw this one before, though I'm assuming "MMV" = "mileage may vary" and "OL" = "out loud." ← Edited because this makes me very self-conscious about my use of language. (Patrick S. responded to query about "McDonald's" already, although I appreciate your customary flair and edifying example.)

Now, of course, it is a bit bizarre that a possessive form, "McDonald's," ends up as a proper noun in common usage. It's been so long a part of our culture that I don't even know what "McDonald's" once modified, though I imagine I'd find the answer in Fast Food Nation. One thing I'd like to know is if you follow the rules of Strunk & White or not. Shouldn't that be "McDonald's's copywriters" above? EBTMMVSCAMUOL

This is quality stuff, Fresser. I wonder if the copy writer was impacted more by the poet e.e. cummings or the radical African-American feminist scholar, bell hooks? Surely, the capitol letters will help McDonald's grow the economy real good.

Be very careful if you shop at Whole Foods. They have large cans with a white label that are decorated with small, schematic images of plum tomatoes in a flat, bright red. Each tomato is accompanied by the word "San Marzano." If you look at the fine print on the back of the can, you'll see that the tomatoes are grown in some unidentified location in the U.S. I saw the cardboard box a shipment came in once and believe it was stamped "Product of Canada." And thank you for all the links! One that Doc supplied led to an exchange about a simple tomato sauce recipe by Marcella Hazan that calls for a generious amount of butter. Even though I had been cooking from her two-volume classic publication for over two decades, I tried it this summer for the very first time, using fresh tomatoes since the ones at the farmer's markets were so wonderful this year. It was a revelation and a reminder to stop turning to the same old pages over and over again.

While Galileo no longer is on the tip of everyone's tongue on this thread, as some of you may know, the chef is from Piemonte, a northern region of Italy that is currently being explored in a thread you will find in Italy & Italian Cuisine: This Year's Resolution I should explain that this new thread devoted to the cooking of various regions of Italy was inspired by a terrific thread by eGullet member Kevin72 who spent a year exploring the food of Italy, region by region. The popularity of that thread has inspired a new collective effort in which interested eGullet members are learning more about the foods and dishes of regions that Kevin was not able to explore, or to return to provinces of Italy whose riches deserve further representation. I am posting this, in part, to bring this effort to your attention. However, in conjunction with that forum's thread, I would be interested in anything residents of this area have to say about local resources or trends in restaurants. I am reminded somewhat of the movie, Big Night where there was a valient attempt to teach the meatball-and-spaghetti crowd about the pleasures of risotto (a specialty of Piemonte, by the way) and the elegance and diversity of Italian cooking. While Silver Spoon is gettting a lot of hype, one trend is towards publishing cookbooks that focus on specific regions, replete with bibliography, and often information about the cultural history of that region as it impinges upon food. Now that we are a long way away from the problems that plagued the characters played by Tucci and Shalhoub, can it be said that restaurants are following the same trends that publishers are? Are we beyond a distinction between Northern and Southern Italian food? For example, I have mentioned Galileo above. I understand the restaurant has its own cookbook, filled with typos, which nonetheless offers recipes that represent Piedmontese cooking. For those of you have eaten there, have you noticed that the menu reflects the chef's regional loyalties? What about Dino's where Venice's winged lion serves as its logo, yet diners seem to praise the prosciutto plate more than anything else? If you have any tips for shopping for hard-to-find ingredients from specific regions, please share. If you'd like, please send me a personal message if you intend to participate in the year-long venture on Italian Cooking. (Note the reference to cheese at Whole Foods in the thread linked above.)

Wow! Thanks, hathor, for the concise and comprehensive overview!

The photographs do look great! I managed to retrieve the book by Matt Kramer which is quite interesting. Are others using this volume? It looks as if Molto Italiano is also relevant since Batali includes several recipes for sformato, a type of savory flan I would like to try eventually. I just wish we had cardoons, a vegetable I don't recall ever seeing in the United States even though they are apparently grown in California. Since I have roasted beef stock in the freezer and love soup, this week I will be making palline di carne con le mele in brodo, in this case, with meatballs made from ground veal. I was intrigued by the combination of meat, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano and grated, chopped apples in addition to the usual egg and milk (no bread). After the palline are browned, wine is added to the pan for flavor, and allowed to evaporate. Once the meatballs simmer briefly in the stock, the soup is served simply with a dusting of more cheese. One thing I'd like to know is why beef and chicken stocks are interchangeable in so many recipes in this book. I believe Marcella Hazan has a number of recipes that are equally flexible. The major exception in Kramer's book is in the series of recipes for risotto which all call for chicken stock, of course. Since the risotto and Gorgonzola of this region are both two of my favorite things, it looks as if I will have to make a chicken stock next weekend. (Dolce is recommended instead of picante.) While shopping yesterday, I spoke to the Kevin who heads the cheese department at the Whole Foods store that I tend to use, a really knowledgeable man and a kind soul. He promised to order some cheeses from Piemonte that he doesn't normally stock. I was pleased to find the Fontina di Val d'Aosta that is recommended in the recipes I linked to this thread yesterday. According to Matt Kramer, Val d'Aosta was once incorporated into the region we are exploring, so its cheese and version of the Swiss fondue appear in the fonduta of Piedmont. However, he also says that at least at the time of his publication (1997), there was no legal distinction between the artisanal Fontina Valdostana made on farms and the industrial version that is also made from raw milk. (Implied: high cost not always justified.) He claims that using the cheaper Fontal produced from pasteurized milk does not affect the taste, and recommends it instead. Perhaps eGullet members may wish to put on a bow tie and compare on their own. As far as speculations above go, I wonder if Adam Balic has ordered white truffles to make us all gasp.

Yeah, maybe Jeffrey Steingarten's recipe (from his 1st book) for the egg pasta made with 20 egg yolks and tons of white truffle is very appropriate this month. ← Could we apply for an emergency egullet scholarship?

Actually, what I SHOULD have said more graciously above is that Elie and I are probably not alone in being new to the cooking of Piedmont. Thus, the topic fits the didactic aims of eGullet very nicely, indeed. As Kevin suggested in his introductory post, sharing knowledge would be of benefit to us all, so it would be nice if posts here provide some of the information we learn as we try recipes. I am sorry that I will not be able to document my research visually...not until later in the year. However, I will try to find photos on line or provide extra background material. BTW: I got my wish. The temperature is dropping. And if you haven't seen the story about McDonald's and a victorious Apulian baker in Food & Media, do check out the heart-warming thread.

See series of entries above that include bibliography in English (Kevin's) and Italian as well as links to Eden's recipe here on eGullet and two of many, many that I found on google after plugging in the name of the dish photographed above. The entry in English includes recipes for a complete meal. I have not tried a keyword search on Piedmontese food yet, but I imagine that there is a wealth of online sources. My public library has the book by Kramer, so I am crossing my fingers once I log out, hoping it is on the shelves. Also see advice about Swiss Cook's blog and see this forum, too, for a thread on a week in this region. My guess is that you'll need a good, authentic Fontina (see my links above for specfications) and Savoy cabbage. Wines from the region would be ideal. I know some of you would shoot darts with your eyes, but I do wish we were having a colder winter with more than one light snowfall to get me into the mood.

Sounds wonderful....I love using smoked ham shanks for soup, too. Go to the regional forum for Italy and see the very brief thread on Italian soups where I refer to an inspirational cookbook that I checked out of the public library. There are lots of Italian recipes that would be great with pork-based stock, especially this time of year with beans, as you mention, lots of vegetables (onions, carrots and celery sauteed with diced pancetta in olive oil, for example, then shredded Savoy cabbage, chard or kale) and grains, whether farro if you can get it, or barley. Judy Rodgers also has a recipe for a stock which she makes with a pig's head at her restaurant (Zuni Cafe), though she recommends its use for deglazing pans when you make pork chops, etc.

Just found recipes online in Italian here and in what appears to be an English translation here. ("Cow broth! Ummmmm....!") This sounds very close to pizzoccheri, or wide buckwheat noodles with Swiss chard, potatoes, Fontina and Parmigiano.

More bibliography. Scroll down to back issue, no. 56 of The Art of Eating. Since I am unfamiliar with the cooking of this region, I would be grateful if entries could provide some information about dishes such as Eden's Seupa Valpellinentze.

Of course it does. But for many of us, I think that's why we're here. Personally, I thought asafoetida smelled a bit like armpit. ← I LOVE the smell of asafoetida!!!! I add it in dishes that don't call for it simply for the chance to open up the bottle. As for nutmeg, I can do without it in bechamel. Too easy to overdo. Ick with vegetables or lasagna. Wonderful in cookies. Cloves? A pinch can sometimes be too much. Tiger Spice tea is loved by many, but not me. Dandy stuck in oranges left to dry. Fine stuck into onions to flavor broths. Great in hot cider when it's dark, cold and snowing.

The intriguing title of this thread caught my eye. I must defer to all of you for your expertise on the central focus of this discussion. However, the following addresses comments above: Marcel Duchamp is one of the most important figures among all known Western artists of the twentieth century and a major influence not only on his peers, but on generations of artists, critics, scholars and the sort. Most influential was the notion of the ready-made, a "found" mass-produced everyday object that was transformed into a work of art by being presented in a new context and called a work of art by the artist. For example, a porcelain urinal turned upside down, entitled "Fountain" and placed in an art gallery instead of a restroom, signed and dated, is a work of art simply because the artist says so. Admire its sheen, pure, simple lines... The idea is that it is the mind that makes the work of art, not the hand. Thus, Duchamp may be seen as the culmination of a process that can be traced back to the late medieval and Renaissance periods, when Leonardo, most notably, argued that artists were intellectuals and not mere craftsmen or manual laborers. There was not one art critic, but numbers, who represented the opinions of the general public who scoffed at his work and called him a hack, most notably at the revolutionary Armory Show in New York (1913). This was not a bad thing. Artists intentionally tried to shock Mr. & Mrs. Smith. To Be Modern meant to bid the past "Adieu" and "Good Riddance." It would be like Spanish cuisine made purely of foam and a sequence of countless small plates without the one big pan of paella. Clearly, at the beginning of the following century, our response to tradition has changed both in the culinary world and in art. As we all learn on eGullet, we all have different opinions and different tastes. Knowledge can inform both. And to bring this back on topic to food if not the various merits of the restaurants under discussion, I will add that Duchamp entered the professional kitchen to be inspired to create one of earliest ready-mades out of a bottle rack whose form he found particularly striking. He is also known for reading sexual content into an early mechanical chocolate grinder.

I will eat more turnips in 2006. It's not that I don't like turnips and am taking on a duty. I like them fine. It's not that I don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. Never had that problem. It's just that when it comes to root vegetables, I usually buy the same old same old. Turnips are sweet and lighter than potatoes in soup. They are glorious roasted. Then, on to the next item that sits in the folding chair at the far end of the gymnasium, dress pressed, hands folded in lap, dangling her legs, swinging them back and forth, waiting, just waiting to be asked to dance.

Just a reminder: There isn't going to be a court appearance. The judge will not be dismissing nothing or anything. The chef did not get her hands on the camera. (If she did, she would not have taken the action that most of us are deploring here, the request for a letter from her lawyer.) No one punched anybody. The wife's dress did not go to the drycleaner's due to a huge blood stain. DC Foodie did not agree not to post photos because there were two goons standing at his doorway when he and his family returned to their home that night. Noah is fine and has not dyed his hair and is not living under an assumed name.

Detox already? Tomorrow is Epiphany, the last day of Christmas for much of the world, BUT Ethiopians celebrate the day AFTER, Saturday, January 7. No more cookies? Really?

For those of you who missed the brief announcement of RL's departure in the Post, do note that she's planning to open her own restaurant. You'll still find her most Sundays at the farmer's market at Dupont Circle, if not loading up a pick-up truck at least for a while...

So true and touche. The notion of plagiarism, after all, is fairly modern. We are getting off topic here, and I am contributing to that. Enough.

Interesting. I actually wrote a letter to the editor complaining that the recipe for a soup that they published to promote a new book by Jack Bishop essentially was a knock-off of a recipe by Deborah Madison. Minor changes made were to simplify the procedures and change it just a litte bit, the changes seemingly inspired by the recipe Madison offers on the facing page of her book! It would have been decent to acknowledge debt, which many cookbook authors do. I wonder if the Post stole the idea of the story from me?

Molinari Pradelli, Alessandro. La cucina piemontese : una appetitosa carrellata culinaria tra le ricette tradizionali e moderne di una cucina regionale che ha saputo preservare nel tempo la genuinità e la varietà dei sapori originari. Rome: Newton & Compton, 1998. Number 267 in series entitled Quest'Italia. Source: New York City Public Library. See the link to the catalog that I provide in thread concerning Italian bibliography. Judging by my online search at the BNCF, this author may actually be the editor of the series since there are many, many books listed under his name, each devoted to a different region of Italy. Also, I encourage you to check out Swiss Chef's blog since he has contributed to the thread already. There is a demonstration of a kind of egg noodle that is made in this region. The comments about what "went wrong" by using ONLY ten eggs from a store vs. more from a farm are quite interesting.

This link to the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze lists 24 books. To see the full entry for each book, click on the circle with an image of a magnifying glass that is found to the left of each entry. Please note that the BNCF times sessions in which online searches are conducted. I learned this by trying the link I offered originally in the thread on Italian Bibliography. If you fail to find a list of 20 books on the first page--followed by 4 more entries on the next page--it probably means your session is timed out. (In this case, you will see one line of text vs. the list.) If this happens, look to the left for a series of buttons. To find the comprehensive thread on cooking, first click the button with the word "Nuovo" to begin a new search. A good key word to use is "Culinaria" vs. "cucina" (under "parole chiave" or "sogetto" for subject). In a minute I will add one entry from the two relevant texts at the New York Public Library. I actually used the author's name to find the books at the BNCF.