Chimico

They are called "topinambourg" even in France. True, the name comes from the name of a tribe in a brazilian island, called "Topinamboux". A group of natives arrived in Paris, when Queen Maria de Medici was ruling (with her son Louis XIII). At the same time large quantities of this tuber arrived on the Paris markets, and people thought it came from the same brazilian Island. Infact the "Topinambourg" was first discovered in 1605 on Cape Cod and it was coming from North America /chem

Absolutely. And if you want wine in your risotto, by all means, prepare a delicious "Risotto al Barolo" ciao /Chem

Thanks! That was interesting (But I sincerely doubt that 63.8 would be much different than, say, 64 or 63.6) Unfortunately I do not have access to a temperature controlled wather bath like the in the pictures you linked, and I managed to do it with a simple thermomether, and a big big pot of water, with a small small heat ciao /Chem

It is not necessary to use wine with Risotto. /chem

Yes

It was delicious /chem

But at 60 C the white should not coagulate yet . and at 65 C the yolk should not be totally runny I ate it with a bit of salt and black pepper /Chem

You might want to take a look here: http://www.wel.it/Cucina/cercaCucina.it.html where it describes the recipes of the other provinces of Veneto There is an english translation, but I don't know how accurate it is http://www.wel.it/Cucina/cercaCucina.uk.html ciao /chem

Hi recently I tried to cook an egg, in a water bath for 1 hour, at 65 C/149 F degree, which is the temperature where the yolk just starts to coagulate and in the albumen only one protein, of the many contained, has already coagulated. Here is the result Since I am not sure how accurate my kitchen thermometer was, and one degree more or less can make the difference, if you ever had an egg cooked this way maybe you can tell me if it really looks like it was supposed to be... I was not able to find a good picture to compare with (even at Herve This or Pierre Gagnaire websites) ciao /Chem

The fastest for me (and quite typical here in Italy) is the "Aglio olio e peperoncino" EVOO + a couple or finely crushed garlic cloves (NOT SLICED!), a coupe of hot dried chili peppers. When the garlic is just turning golden throw everything on top of your spaghetti (al dente!) and add parmesan cheese. Some would add a bit of grated bread, or a couple of anchovies in the EVOO (when the heat is off. They just melt in the oil) This is the fastest way to eat a tasty spaghetti dish (aside from adding only EVOO, or butter and parmigiano, of course ) ciao /Chem

I would suggest, if you are unsure about a particular recipe, or you want some substitution, to ask in an Italian forum. Post in english. Many Italians can understand (simple) english these days. I usually post in the same forum where Franci is a moderator: www.gennarino.org and in this one: www.universocucina.com/forum/index.php where I noticed also a few italians that live in the US and canada. ciao /chem

Yes. I usually cook Polenta for about 45 minutes. /chem

Well, except for the microwave part, (no Italian would put a delicious slice of Prosciutto Crudo in the microwave oven ) the same happens here in Italy:) pregnants are usually advised not to eat "salumi" (to avoid Toxoplasm). Some doctors would allow for "Prosciutto Cotto" since it is cooked. ciao /Chem

I took a rapid look, and it is full of disinformation or scientific inaccuracies. Canola is *not* a GE product. It is a result or a more traditional breeding, and it was designed to have a low Erucic Acid content, the compound that make rapeseed oil unsuitable for eating. Canola oil is perfectly eatable, and has very little in common with its toxic cousin. ciao /Chem

Yes Francesca, I've heard that many times here in Italy: some say that EVOO has a "higher smoking point", but they usually omit "higher with respect to what?" My guess is that, traditionally, the other common fats used for frying (many many decades ago) were butter or other animal fats, and they have a really really low smoke point. So this misunderstanding has grown in Italy, but infact it is true that EVOO has a lower smoking point than many other oils. Of course as you refine it, you get higher smoking points, so Virgin Olive Oil is higher than EVOO, and Olive Oil is even higher, but still somewhat lower than other oils like grapeseed or safflower ciao

Cento is usually my go to brand because it is available at the store I shop at regularly Hi. If you were able to find a *true* San Marzano you are lucky! Around Naples is, practically, not grown anymore commercially, since it is easily attacked by a fungus. All big italian brands of canned "San Marzano" tomatoes are really "Tipo San Marzano" (San Marzano-like), since they use a hybrid similar in shape (F1 hybrid). And often it comes from abroad. by the way: when I buy crushed tomatoes for my pizza I buy the Mutti brand, which I find slightly superior to other brands. When I lived in the US (loooong time ago) and wanted to buy some cans at my local Safeway to make pizza I remember I used to read all the labels, and discard every can that contained spices, flavorings and correctors of acidity, and buy the one containing only crushed tomatoes and salt, nothing else Ciao

Great forum (and great job!!) a few comments: Pizzoccheri are usually cut into small flat rectangles less than 1 cm. wide. You can take a look Here at the "Accademia del pizzocchero" Taleggio is not the right cheese: it is too creamy. Typical cheeses are "Casera" and "Bitto", that have a texture similar to "Fontina" Also, you should boil Pizzoccheri in the same water with the vegetables (after the potatoes are cooked) You can check here at the Codice della Cucina Lombarda for the recipe (sorry, it's in italian) Red wine from Valtellina is more typical: Sassella, Grumello and Inferno for example. Rather strong wine Also, I read somewhere in the topic about "how italian children celebrate their birthday". I am sorry to say that we *used* to have a party at home with a cake, but nowadays, especially in large cities, is becoming more and more common to go to.... McDonalds for a McParty ciao p.s. Sorry for my english: it is a bit rusty