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I'm sitting at my computer eating the last of my jota. It still tastes great, and the kraut is still in strands. I used the wrong type of beans, so they're mushy, but then they were mushy on the day that I made the soup. April

What a birthday present! Your friend is truly fortunate. April

Sorry, I've barely had time to log onto eGullet this past week. I don't what Italian breads might be boiled. Carol Field mentions in her recipe the the bread was baked at the beginning of winter and used as needed througout the season. The holes seem to be for ease of storage as the she states that the rounds were hung up by string. The holes would promote even drying as well. She also describes the bread as crisp and crunchy before being dried, whereas mine were soft and chewy. I did make the shanks. They were quite tasty, I just ran out of time to document the meal, and then ran out of energy to post about it. I would love to have a copy of the lamb recipe. I adore horseradish. April ETA: the actual content of the post, since I hit the wrong button the first time around!

That meal looks delicious, Kevin. So, has your wife given any hints as to her picks? April

Thanks for confirming my suspicions, everyone. I'll have to read the recipes in Culinaria more carefully. I'm definitely planning on trying to make brovade, even though I will have to substitute red wine vinegar. No winemaking going on around here. If I start some this week, it should be close to ready at the end of this month. That way, I can make more La Jota, thickened with polenta. Sorry, Kevin, I followed the Culinaria recipe this time, which called for flour. April

Ta-Da! Last month was beastly for me, and I barely had time to cook. I hope to get more cooking done this time around. I certainly feel more inspired. Amazingly, I had all of the ingredients on hand for the version of La Jota found in Culinaria: I ate the thick soup peasant-style, with just some home-made bread to accompany it. I love the contrast of the tangy sauerkraut with the starchy beans and potatoes. The recipe in Culinaria called for dried lima beans. However, can anyone comment on whether or not this is a typo or mis-translation? The beans in the photo in the book are clearly common dried garden beans. Other recipes on the web call for dried garden beans. I used dried beans that I harvested from my own garden last Fall. They cooked up very quickly and ended up falling apart toward the end of the cooking, so they're not very visble in the finished product. The bacon was the last of my stash of some locally-made smoked bacon. I would love to try this soup again, but make it with brovada. Thank-you, everyone, for your informative posts today on this region's food and wine. I'm learning alot! These cooking threads must be generating quite a bit of interest in cooking regionally. Last month, I could find several copies of La Terra Fortunata for sale around the web. Today, I could only find two, and one was a new listing. It's surely not coincidence. And congratulations to Kevin72 on becoming the new forum specialist! April

No, they're place directly into the oven after the second rise. But, the recipe calls for spritzing the rounds with water three times at the beginning. That's what makes the crusts chewy, I think. I had hesitated, since I read that shanks that were too thick would be tough. I've never prepared ossobucco, so I didn't want to ruin the meat. April

I can't seem to get it together enough to make a meal for this region, either. I did manage to bake again: Again, baking from Carol Fields' book, I made Ciambelline Valtelline, "Little Rye Rounds from Valtellina". The bread looks like giant rye bagels. They turned out somewhat soft inside, with nice chewy crusts. In her book, Carol says that rounds were dried and hung on strings to store for the winter. I do have two lamb shanks in my refrigerator, at about 1.5lbs apiece. They are too thick to use for ossobucco, so I'm looking for other Lombardia recipes that calls for lamb shanks. Any ideas? April

Does a building covered in food count? The Corn Palace in Mitchel, South Dakota is covered every year in murals made entirely of naturally colored corn kernels and various other grains and seeds. Iowa used to have at least two palaces, and I believe that Nebraska had one as well. The palaces were used to show off the wealth of local harvests. I think that it's pretty darn cool, and the ultimate way to play with your food. Carrot Top, the fiberglass turkeys that you described are likely part of a recent civic fad. It started with cows in Zurich, Switzerland in 1998, and was copied by Chicago in 1999. The venture was so lucrative that various towns around the U.S. have started their own versions. Des Moines, Iowa had pigs. You can even purchase miniature plastic versions of the various animals. The large versions are usually auctioned off for charity after awhile, so your town will eventually be back to normal. But a turkey in front of town hall--truth in advertising? (No insult to turkeys intended!) April ETA: I see that I type to slow, and cross-posted with moosnsqrl!

Sorry to be dumb here, but what's a hybrid produced without genetic engineering? If hybridization isn't genetic engineering, what is it? Middle school biology was a long time ago for me. ← Selective breeding and cross-breeding of animals is a type of genetic manipulation, in that the genetics of the animals are changed over many generations by keeping and breeding only those individuals that show desirable traits. This mimics natural selection, and you are limited to what genes already exist within the animals. Genetic engineering is a far more direct form of genetic manipulation, because the genes are altered on a cellular level. Thus, desireable traits can be introduced in one generation by inserting a gene or set of genes into cells. So, the end results can be similar, but the process is far different. Genetic engineering also allows for the introduction of genes from outside sources that could never otherwise cross with a chicken, such as fish or bacteria. April

That's very interesting. Do you know the history of this tradition? Here in the mid-western U.S., you are more likely to get a bunch of black balloons declaring that you are "Over the Hill". The cookies sound much better. April

These birds are most likely hybrids produced without genetic engineering by crossing two specialized strains of Cornish Chickens and White Rock chickens. The Cornish Game Hens in your supermarket are the same exact bird, they're just butchered at a smaller size. These birds have very heavy breasts, short legs and a naturally astronomical growth rate. The rate at which the birds gain weight outstrips their bodies' abilities to cope. They develop joint and heart problems, and their legs are often deformed. I raised these birds one year on my farm, with plenty of space to roam and no feed additives. By twelve weeks of age, walking was painful for them, and they would lay down next to their feeders to eat. I can't answer these questions, but I plan to insert the word "Frankenbreast" into as many casual conversations as I can. April

I just use ammonia. I add 1/2c to a gallon of hot water. You can increase the amount of ammonia for really dirty jobs. It works better than all of the fancy, more expensive degreasers. April

I was finally successful baking ciabatta, thanks to advice from jmolinari and hathor. I used the first of the two recipes posted by Jason above. I only had all-purpose flour, so I added wheat gluten to strengthen the dough, as the recipe called for bread flour. I made two batches. The first batch, I added the full 475g of water, 2 teaspoons of gluten and beat the dough in my mixer for the full 15 minutes. The dough made nice slapping sounds, but never really held together, and it seemed more like a batter. The resulting loaves had larger holes than in the loaf shown above, but they didn't really rise. For batch #2, I added 4 teaspoons of gluten and reduced the amount of water to 450g. Beating this dough caused my Kitchen Aid mixer to dance across my counter. This batch produced nicely risen loaves, with nice crusts but smaller holes and very "springy" interiors. I plan to increase the water again for batch #3, in an effort to get larger interior holes and even more oven spring. I also made a batch of ciabatta from Carol Field's book, beating it for 15 minutes in the KA. This resulted in flat, flabby loaves. It's a good thing that I have poultry that are willing to eat my mistakes. April

It's a piece of cake. . . Easy as pie. . . It's a half-baked idea. . . That and a nickel will get you a cup of coffee. . . One bad apple can ruin the whole barrel. . . You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. . . Cream rises to the top. . . Scraping the bottom of the barrel. . . Dregs of Society. . . Even a blind pig finds a truffle now and then. . . And you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear (but here on eGullet, you can make a fine meal!) April

,,,,grrr...I can't find my ciabatta formula. Totally agree that this is not a bread that can be kneaded. ← My apologies for not replying sooner--I had to be out of town all day yesterday. Carol Fields' recipe is definitely different than the recipes that Jason posted. The dough is still stickier than other breads that I've made, so I start out by mixing it (gently) in my KA until it holds together. With well-oiled hands, I could knead it in mid-air by stretching it and folding it back on itself. Obviously this is a less hydrated dough and a very different method. My first batch of Jason's #1 recipe is rising in my kitchen now. I happily beat the dough up in my KA mixer, and I did hear what I hope was the proper slapping sounds. I'll let everyone know how it turns out. I started a new biga as well, so tomorrow I will play around with the Carol Fields recipe. At the very least, the bread should turn out differently if I beat it longer in the mixer. April

That bread looks great. My loaves pale by comparison. I suspect that I've been under-kneading it. I'll try one of your recipes tomorrow. April

Speaking of bread baking, does anyone here have much experience with authentic Ciabatta? I've played around with the recipe in "The Italian Baker" in the past, and enjoyed the results, even though it never looks like the bread pictured on the book cover. What I'd like to know is how "sour" should the bread get, since it uses a biga, how much oven spring should I expect, and should the crust be soft or chewy? For the record, I usually get a fairly flat, sour loaf with a chewy crust. The interior isn't too dense, and it gets some nice air pockets in it. I just have nothing for comparison. I'll post photos as soon as I get another batch going. I tried to bake a batch today, but got interrupted by the veterinarian. The loaves turned into bricks! April

I just got a copy of "Northern Italian Cooking" by Francesco Ghedini. Among the recipes that caught my eye are "Loin Pork Chops with Prune Sauce" (Lombatine di Maiale con Salsa) and "Roast Capon with Walnut Stuffing" (Cappone Arroste con le Noci). If you are in the mood for baking, "The Italian Baker" has several recipes, such as Ciabatta, Pan Giallo, Ciambelline Valtelline, and for sweet, you could try Mataloc or Panettone. How do Italians celebrate birthdays? April

I had this conversation with my friend Paolo Fererro, a long time restaurant owner and Piemonte native. He tells me the Nebbiolo wines are much better for cooking than Barbera. Also Dolcetto is a good alternative to Nebbiolo. Aparently the Barbera has too much acid and causes the sauce to be unbalanced. It does not have to be an expensive Barolo of Barbaresco any good Nebbiolo will do. ← Thank you so much! It's nice to know this. The sauce for the carbonada wasn't too bad, I actually liked it better than the sauce for the brasato. Congratulations on your new home. I'm looking forward to hearing more about the food of Piemonte. April

None of the recipes that I have call for ricotta. A google search on "ricotta" and "Ciambellone/Ciambella" turns up mostly recipes in Italian which are leavened with yeast. Here are links to two recipes in English that might be closer to what you are looking for: Saffron Ring Cake and Ciambellone If you make one, let us know how they turn out! April

Are there equally compelling arguments for both issues here? Are health and culture equally important? ← Those pushing the healthy foods movement mean well, but they're going about it the wrong way. Any attempt to control weight in young people should begin with exercise. Then, moderation should be emphasized. Reading this: reduces Southern Food almost to the level of alcohol or drug abuse. Culture factors into mental and social health, as well as physical health. What price might eventually be paid if the familiar foods from which we all draw comfort suddenly become sources of shame? Well, that was an over-dramaticd statement, but why not a compromise? Collard greens, grits and beans are good for you on their own. If you can steam broccoli, you can certainly steam collards. Then, just add enough lard/bacon grease at the end for flavor. Eat your grits, but reduce the amount of butter that you slather on top. Let the familiar Southern dishes evolve, just don't eliminate them. April (disclaimer: I'm a Northerner, but I hate being told what to do!)

Actually, "pullet" is still used. It now refers to any young hen less than a year of age. What I find intriguing is that the Norman-French words now refer to the flesh of the animals, while the Anglo-Saxon words are now applied to whole, live animals. I think that "pullet" has fallen out of use because young birds are now marketed as "fryers" and "cornish game hens". April

Could you describe the textures and flavors of the ciambellones that you have eaten? I'm asking because after looking in four different Italian recipe books, I have four different recipes, each of which is different. Apparently, each region in Italy has its own variation. My favorite is the ciambella from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. It produces a dense, crumbly and lightly sweet cake. Hopefully, some of the more knowledgeable members from the Italian forum can provide more answers. April

I just tried Rose Levy Berenbaum's Neoclassic Buttercream for the first time this week. It went together quickly and easily, despite the fact that it was my first time making a "true" buttercream. The frosting piped easily and held its shape nicely. Just don't think too much about how much butter and egg yolks are in the frosting! April