Pontormo

You purchased guanciale imported from Italy legally in the United States? I was told by a neighborhood grocer that they only sell domestic pancetta because importing the Italian product is illegal. I am not sure why, exactly, since we get Chilean sea bass, lamb from New Zealand...

I don't find Giovanni's in any guide altho Il Latini where I've eaten before, is in all. Is it new? Open in August? (that you know)2. How many more days will you be posting for and will you give us your top-bottom choices at the end? I'm loving this. John ← John, you'll find references in the thread you initiated: Nishla, thanks for the report, especially about O d' G which is unfamiliar! Sorry you missed the reference to a perfect spot next to Santa Croce (to the left of the basilica's incorporated belltower) in the guide to Florence above in this forum. Caveat emptor for next trip: those tour guides leading you to the "artisan's shops" all get commissions from the places they take you.

Ciao, tutte, tutti! Remember these cooking threads? I had to browse all the way to page 5, I think, to find Liguria. Is anyone else still cooking regional specialties these days? I just wanted to report that I finally made the polpettone di fagiolini that I had been eyeing for a while, in part, because the farmer's market had my (almost) favorite type of green bean* for the first time this Sunday and because I somehow misplaced the new potatoes I bought to make Salade Nicoise. Essentially a vegetable torta, the dish also required the use of the first spring-form pan I ever bought and haven't used since, oh, maybe three or four moves ago. Anna Del Conte's recipe does not reflect mainstream tradition which I am linking first with this Italian recipe so you can see that it is customary to incorporate even more potato than green bean in many of the Genoese recipes, as in at least one way pesto is served. However, this somewhat more mundane version omits the potato as did mine. I took liberties, having gotten just a little tired of the taste of dried porcini which I would prefer to acquire once more, so I finished up some fresh mushrooms in the fridge, instead. No onions, but garlic. Del Conte replicates the effect of quagliata, a creamy, fresh cheese by combining ricotta and sour cream. I lacked even 2 T of the former, so a light chevre took its place. She also calls for soaking a good country-white bread in milk and sautéeing the squeezed crumbled mess with the mushrooms, garlic, marjoram and processed, blanched beans, so one isn't drying up the custardy mixture with gobs of breadcrumbs. All in all, a quick, light dish that would indeed make excellent picnic food and would readily endure further inauthentic riffs such as a little prosciutto or maybe a very light sauce were it served slightly warm instead of room temperature. Except for the bit about turning on the oven, it also was a perfect response to summer's taunting humidity. *Called Jade, organic, and extraordinarily flavorful. Green beans I could do without happily were I limited to supermarket shopping; they're utterly boring and often woody or unpleasantly textured. My favorite at the local market are closer to fagiolini though sold as haricots verts for $18 a pound.

When your spring-form pan does not have an airtight seal, what compensations do you make? Should I line it? Hope for the best with heavy coating of EVOO and breadcrumbs? Or play it safe with a regular pie tin? This is a vegetable torta*, so it's bulky, but there are 3 eggs and a little sour cream. *pound of finely chopped green beans, mushrooms...

Thank you.Seen first on Serious Eats.

You were not the first to dream that dream--cf. Piero della Francesca's slumbering baby and what's suspended high above the quiet group.* It's definitely not deviled, though.*Brera Pinacoteca, Milan. Therefore commonly called The Brera Madonna.

Quasi-chauvanistic, but in the long thread I linked, even Bleudavergne (French resident & extraordinary, sophisticated cook) agreed that chevre's pronounced flavor can easily detract from the delicate taste of zucchini flowers rather than complement it unless your cheese is very, very mild. If you have access to a really good ricotta, I'd go with that and trust those who give the summer squash its most familiar name.

Hmmmm...do I sense a challenge coming on? I won't elaborate since it might be a good scenario to consider at some later date. Meanwhile, first, to quote you: "Patience, woman!" See how good I've been in waiting for this blog to begin? Thank you for including a cool, unfamiliar fruit in your very first documented meal! I'm looking forward to this week. I wonder if it's possible to take us to whatever counterpart you have to Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market in your hometown. Any outdoor markets? While I realize the weather is rather mild, I am curious about what fresh foods are available during the winter and where all the produce you buy comes from at different times of the year or growing season. I.e. how local do you eat? What other nearby or distant sources for other ingredients do you have? Are Aussies at all concerned about "carbon footprints" or whatever else preoccupies locavores & farmer-market groupies in the States?

^Interesting point about "fried," Sam, but I'm going to have to take issue w the argument since one of the truly outstanding qualities of the potato is its charisma. It gets along with just about everyone and everything and every method imaginable, but forges especially remarkable bonds with fats even though they don't last very long. Married in the deep-fryer or skillet, the Golden Couple is consumed much too quickly after the relationship is consumated. Nonetheless, thank you for mentioning gnocchi again. I also agree that three is too limited a number. Many of my favorites have already been mentioned, including the closely related rosti and Pommes Anna. As far as comfort foods go, I have to praise Marco Polo for the description of his wife's roasties. My British stepfather appalled an ex-son-in-law who was raised by a butcher; though the holiday roast stayed in the oven until all the red and pink escaped from the beef, the potatoes in the pan would make my short list. However, they would not rank as high as the chips (always round) he plunged into a pot of lard until a heart attack and a doctor forced him to throw away the wire basket. New candidate that would make the cut for the top three: Suzanne Goin's potato & heirloom tomato gratin from Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Oh my! I made it in early September for a visiting friend from Northern California to accompany a perfectly roasted chicken. Thin layers of beautiful potatoes from Heinz Thomet (a local organic farmer) alternate with caramelized onion, basil and in my case, Purple Cherokees, Green Zebras, Brandywines and other lovely pinkish types. The mixture stays in the oven for nearly two hours, the three main ingredients essentially stewing in an herb-laced cream until the tight seal on the casserole is broken and the top browns.

While it would take a little patience to track down established threads on zucchini blossoms in the cooking forum, here's one rather long one in the Italian forum. I prefer simple, dipped in a light tempura-like batter and deep-fried as is or stuffed w a light, fresh cheese as mentioned above. Serve as is or as filling in a thin sandwich on good crusty roll, just w a slice or two of an equally good ham. There's a Greek recipe in RecipeGullet, too. Try using the search engine for further ideas since it is too late, I fear, to stuff your blossoms. Better to use the wilted flowers picked several days ago as you would zucchini or another vegetable: as an ingredient in a frittata or risotto, for example, if not the Greek recipe. In the future, plan on buying the blossoms on a day you'll be able to cook them. They're fragile (and pricy where I live) and best enjoyed while fresh as a daisy.

Welcome to my cupboards! I have a jar filled with the grains that I purchased nearly a year ago. Popping them is not a wacky suggestion. Common. It's supposed to cook up as a tasty alternative to rice--or quinoa. Miracle food. Lotsa protein. Deborah Madison has a recipe for amaranth cornmeal bread (feel like baking in the weather you've been having?) And since you are in Limeless Land, I'll PM the gist of the recipe if you're interested. In brief: make a sponge w bread flour, yeast, water, a little honey and nonfat dry milk (ha!), then the dough contains whole amaranth, amaranth flour (guessing you can pulverize those beads), cornmeal, WW flour & more bread flour plus corn oil and salt. The leaves are quite good. Here's a thread I started. Guess who is referred to in the first sentence (he's selling cardoons from your Umbrian seeds and bitching about how prickly the inferior Italian variety is!): Jamaican Spinach. Here's a thread begun by Gifted Gourmet. (Cf. posts after and inclusive of #6 especially. It really is like baby millet, a grain I've used in baking bread but am not crazy about as a side dish.) P.S.: Michel Richard (of Citronelle) coats popcorn w melted chocolate first and then dusts them w fine cocoa powder, treating them (and grapes) as truffles so to speak. Hmmm.... I say dump them into polenta and fry it up or feed it to the chickens.

^It would be worth your while browsing through this thread and investing in David Downie's fine cookbook (see beginning of this thread). Recent contributions from new member Maureen B. Fant suggest another promising font of information. As for the soup, it sounds somewhat related to a great asparagus soup in The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Tree and Leaf had some great late season asparagus last year, though I fear it's too late. (It's up the farmer rather than the plant to decide when to stop cutting off spears and only Cinda was still bringing them to market last Sunday.) English peas really are a June thing, though, from what I understand.

MFK Fisher once lamented the fact that so few of her dinner guests reciprocated with invitations to dine at their table, intimidated, no doubt, by the challenge of feeding her as well as she fed them. I gotta say, Charles, the quality of your writing here and elsewhere on eGullet lately may inhibit the sharing of other personal fantasies. Thank your for ecumenical references to food traditions that do not hail from Southern France. I'm pinchin' myself for adding this, but I think you've got to have at least a few things a vegan can eat just as a courtesy to at least one of the farmers who is bound to fill your larder. And in the alcove over in the corner, passed on the way to the restrooms, a cluster of paintings, all of cheese danish.

Edited to remove question and post, instead, a link to a recent announcement in The Washington Post that I missed: "Another New Market" (W June 13, 2007).

Ron, first, welcome to eGullet!Someone has already pointed out the fact that peaches are not yet in season. Becoming familiar with the local growing season helps. In general, it is best to avoid buying fruit that isn't in season even when it's shipped from afar. (There are exceptions; apples store well and farmers plan accordingly, though a crisp apple in October is superior to a stored one in June.) Vegetables are a somewhat different story and we on the East Coast benefit not only from the hearty greens that nearby farms manage to grow in tunnels during cold months, but from durable goods that travel well. Nonetheless, I'd grab local asparagus picked 50 miles away less than 24 hours ago in early May and shun asparagus flown in for Christmas. Becoming familiar with seasons helps. I just tried searching online and the first good reference I found is not a perfect match since it's from Tennessee. Nonetheless, the list seems useful: Local Growing Season for Produce. As you rely more on the RTM or farmers markets, you'll become more aware of variables that include weather. For example, this year orchards in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and other parts of the South suffered dramatically after an early warm spell and subsequent freeze. As a result, peaches will be scarce this year. However, at least one local farmer (West Virginia) says he managed to save his peach trees, so you might be lucky once the season begins in July.

This report promises a wealth of information for other eGullet members. I also look forward to more news inspired by a happy stomach.

I hesitate in saying this, but the attitude is dangerously close to that of the narrow-minded midwesterner who won't eat his vegetables and bans foie gras.Florence may be the "citta degli stranieri", but in the midst of stalwart traditional foodways, Eito, a reportedly good Japanese restaurant, has been around as long as I can remember. Danny Rock has been doing brisk business, though, here of course, you have to take the relentless effect of tourism into account. Note the reviews on the Web site are all from guidebooks geared to the young set. It may be that Coquinarius is run by non-natives; at any rate, they make an excellent American-style cheese cake. I might add that one of the best places to judge insidious changes is in Essalunga and other large supermarkets. I've mentioned elsewhere on eGullet that I rented a room from an old woman who was very surprised to learn her "Philadelphia" (cream cheese) was not Italian. Kellogg's fiocchi di mais may be purchased by expatriates, but I have seen more than one Italian pick up "biologico" versions or more frequently, muesli, as a change from the typical quick stop for "caffe ed una brioche" in the morning; that would be a croissant as opposed to an eggy risen thing, but as French as it is Italian. Meanwhile, back at the supermarket, there are cartons of spremuta. Not sure how Italian that is, except I see more foreigners paying extra for fresh squeezed grapefruit juice in bars whereas Italians tend to prefer syrupy canned fruit juices cut with water with maybe a little more sugar added to the glass. I first fell in love with Greek yogurt in Italy--back in France there was only Yoplait or Swiss brands at the time. Membership in the EU, I am sure, will have more and more of an impact. Then, a case for outside influence can be made for the ubiquity that is a dado of Star. Now that more Italians are buying bread at these large chain stores rather than a decent bakery (harder to find these days), there are even some Wonder bread types of sliced loaves. A more positive version of that would be an open-minded response to the breads of others as obsessed with the idea of Organic as the Italians are: multi-grain loaves that would feel at home in Brattleboro. An American who married an Italian and spends her summers in a tiny rural area outside Florence always whips up a batch of brownies for social occasions with her neighbors. They may be exotic, but the gesture has made her very, very popular.

The coriander, yes, upright, stems in the water as you would store asparagus spears. The mint, while more resilient, goes black and mushy when there's lots of moisture. Instead, I'd stick a dry piece of paper towel in the bag and stick it in the vegetable bin if it's not going to get crushed. It could keep for a couple of weeks that way. Nigel Slater has a few innovative recipes for salads. I just made a brilliant one with little nobby chunks of seeded cucumber, quartered French radishes, Italian parsley, lots of mint, all tossed with feta and dressed with strong red wine vinegar and drizzled olive oil. S & P as needed. Another is a take on tabboulleh w fine bulgur, parsley, mint and diced mango. Mint's in a lot of pasta dishes. Quite yummy. Visit the Italian forum for maro and more ideas (just do a search on google since this board's search engine doesn't recognize 4-letter words.) I've got a bag of mint that is threatening to go soon and I plan to use up most of what remains by making a mint syrup. It keeps for a while. Here's the first recipe that comes up: Emeril's. Good for drinks, iced tea, drizzled over ripe melon and berries...

Surprise, surprise, you made gnocchi! Happy, happy birthday, buon compleanno e bon Anniversaire! No cake, I could understand, but You mean to say you let the celebration begin without Artichokes???!

Disclaimer: I am an armchair fan, only. I've never gone to Italy to eat, though food definitely factored into other decisions that led me there. I picked up a heavily marked-down copy of the first edition that no doubt anticipated the revision. However, I value its use as a reference on individual regions, specialties and good, pithy characterizations of the local scene, complemented by descriptions of place. I especially value writing about Italy that isn't mushy. I turned to it often during the cooking project Kevin and Hathor launched. Therefore, what you have to say is of great interest. Perhaps Russ Parsons may have something to add.

Ave Maureen piena di grazia. ETA trans: Hail M-- full of grace

I don't know all of them, but it looks as if you won't starve, though you may have some hikes, bus and taxi rides in store for you.While I prefer Cinghiale Bianco next door, I've eaten in Cammillo a few times, always well. Traditional fare in what a Florentine might describe as more "elegant" (not in American sense of the word) setting than the laid-back neighbor. The street, Borgo San Jacopo, is in the Oltrarno, so it's not especilally close. Judging by the name, Del Carmine, is one of the many establishments close by, also in the Oltrarno; the piazze and side streets (e.g. Casalinga) around Santo Spirito and Santa Maria del Carmine have quite a few places to dine, some outside if the weather isn't dreadfully sticky. Some of them are very good, but divina could fill the the gaps. Il Latini: I'm sure Divina has it on her Web site. Family style w communal seating at long tables, a bit too well known by tourists at this point, but fine. Not sure I've been to Buco Mario, but it's also respected and a cut above. Pane e Vino is in Plotkins first edition--on a very short list. Baldini rings an invisible bell; can't picture it.

What? No onion rings? * * * Perfect menu, Kevin. Judging by the sausages, it looks as if you've acquired some new equipment since 2005. Braciole were the first Italian-American food I learned how to make, so this is nostalgia-city.

Since activity on this thread has waned, I'm just going to provide the answer in the form of a plug: Seduced and Abandoned. Hilarious; dark humor and for Netflix subscribers, available.