albiston

Gambero Rosso, September '04 Issue Editorial. Could Spain be an example of what the Italian restaurant business needs? This month's editorial compares the Italian and Spanish restaurant situation, with a look at laws, political protections, image issues and leading personalities (or lack thereof) in both lands. Wine Editorial. A new wave of "extreme" wines is gaining ground in Italy. Wines made with unusual wine-making techniques, often giving products far away form the accepted quality standards of today. Is everything negative though? The editorial looks at how some of these "extreme wines", like Gravner's Ribolla from 2001 (note: a white fermented in huge ceramic amphorae with long skin contact) might be an example of how unusual yet great these wines can be when properly done. The case: Francois Simon's Toscane(s). A review of the Figaroscope critic new novel, laden with gastronomic citations. Reportage: the future of Italy's cuisine. A special feature presenting 20 of the most interesting young Italian chefs. The article looks at their view of cooking, professional history, relationships with their colleagues, and research between tradition and creativity. A brief overview of the 20 chefs picked by Gambero Rosso: - Fabio Barbaglini, Caffe' Groppi, Trecate (Novara) - Enrico Rippa, will be at the helm of Bruno Ceretto's new project in Alba - Davide Palluda, All'Enoteca, Canale (Cuneo) - Paola Budel, Galleria dell'Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milano - Nicola Cavallaro, Ama, Milano - Davide Oldani, D'O, Cornaredo (Milano) - Matteo Pisciotta, Osteria del Sass, Besozzo (Varese) - Nicola Silvestri, Il Gelso di San Martino, Cazzago San Martino (Brescia) - Riccardo Agostini, Povero Diavolo, Torriana (Ravenna) - Massimo Bottura, Osteria Francescana, Modena - Massimiliano Poggi, Al Cambio, Bologna - Marco Garfagnini, Ninan, Carrara - Paolo Lopriore, Il Canto de 'Hotel Certosa di Maggiano, Siena - Enrico Pezzoti, La Trota, Rivodutri (Rieti) - Niko Romito, Reale, Rivisondoli (L'Aquila) - Rocco Iannone, Il Faro di Capo D'Orso, Maiori (Salerno) - Carmelo Chiaramonte, Il Cuciniere del Katane Palace Hotel, Catania - Pino Cuttaia, La Madia, Licata (Agrigento) - Ciccio Sultano, Il Duomo, Ragusa - Roberto Petza, S'Apposentu, Cagliari Indovina chi viene a cena, (guess who's coming for dinner) Italian and French chefs meet. In this episode: Gennaro Esposito and Nicolas Vagnon. Vagnon, enfant terrible and acclaimed as one of the best neo-bistro chefs of the Parisian scene (Le Table de Lucullus) meets Esposito, one of Italy's raising stars and chef at Torre del Saracino. Great wines Focus on Fiano and Greco di Tufo. An overview of the many new wine-makers and an in-depth look at the best producers: Feudi di San Gregorio, Mastroberardino, Pietracupa, Villa Raiano, and Colli di Lapio. Vertical wine tastings: Masseto, the Merlot wine from Ornellaia. Sweden Special: see the post on the Elsewhere in Europe forum ← Wine tasting Over 30 Euro: Saffredi '00 Le Pupille (92), Barolo Cerquio Tenuta Secolo '99 Contratto (91), Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Casa dei Bepi '98 Viviani (90), Montefalco Sagrantino 25 anni '00 Arnaldo Caprai (90), Bolghieri Rosso Superiore Paleo '00 Le Macchiole (88), Casalferro '00 Barone Ricasoli (88). between 8 and 30 Euro: Barbera 2001 under 8 Euro: everyday wines from international grapes Contrappunto Luciano di Lello praises the quality of the 2001 Aglianico del Vulture, some of the best Aglianico made in the last years. The Chef's school: this Month Anthony Genovese, chef of "Il Pagliaccio" in Rome cooks thyme flavored loup de mer with mushroom mashed potatoes, fried borage and Fondant Tropea onion, Lamb skewers with ginger caramel sweetbreads, puntarelle and crunchy polenta, White chocolate tart. Books. Reviews of: Ricette di Osterie d'Italia, Il Pesce (Slow Food) over 600 fish recipes and related information, from regional names to fishing methods; Patricia Gaffney's novel "Il cuore nel Piatto" (Salani); Il Cibo dell'Altro (Edizioni Lavoro), an essay on Torino as a melting pot of culinary traditions; Elsa Petersen-Schepelern grilling book, Grigliate (Luxury books); Bibliotheca Culinaria's Antipasti a collection of starters recipes from 28 of Italy's best chefs; Torte from Maxine Clarke (Luxury books), a collection of savory and sweet cake recipes. Nutrition and Health. Vitamin E, food and the importance of this vitamin for our health. The Hotel: Il Monastero, Ischia (NA). Part of the project of renewing the Castello Aragonese of Ischia, this new hotel occupies the former convent. The conversion of the old cells to hotel rooms is only apart of the restoration project, involving the nearby chapel, cloister and gardens. The Agriturismo: Tenuta Stoccatello, Menfi (AG). A pleasant agriturismo, near the beautiful Porto Palo, now also producing liqueurs according to ancient recipes. The Wine Bar: Uve e Forme, Roma. A new address in the growing Rome wine-bar scene, in San Lorenzo. Interesting food-wine pairings from sommelier Sabrina Iasillo, previously at Uno e Bino. The artisan: Il Gelatauro, Bologna. This well known ice cream shop, acclaimed as one of the best in Europe from the Observer and the German magazine Focus, reopens in its new home, near Porta San Vitale. The Artisan:Fontegranne, Belmonte Piceno (AP). A small producer from Marche, focusing on raw milk cheeses inspired by the French and Piemontese tradition.

On the last issue of the Italian food and wine magazine Gambero Rosso there's a two page "review" of Francois Simon, journalist at Figaroscope, new book Tuscane(s). The so called review is quite confusing. I only got that there's a great deal of open and hidden references to well known French and Italian food world personalities, and that it takes place, at least partially, in San Vincenzo, Tuscany where one of Italy's best restaurants, il Gambero Rosso (no connection with the magazine) is located. Has anyone read the book or knows the resonance it had in France? It sounds like an interesting read, if only my French weren't so poor. Looking on amazon.fr I also found out Simon oublished another book titled "Comment se faire passer pour un critique gastronomique sans rien y connaître". Sounds even more intriguing than Tuscane(s).

I agree with the fact that when I'm alone I don't, most of the times, really feel like cooking so I usually turn to quick dishes, especially pastas I can't make when my wife's at home. My no.1 choice? Carbonara! My wife doesn't like the almost-raw egg taste so in those very rare occasions she's away I use the chance. Usually I make enough for two-three people and wipe it off without problems. Otherwise pasta with garlic and chili loaded sauce. Last time I was alone I tried a recipe mentioned in a book from Andrea Camilleri, a best selling author in Italy, called "i perciati ch'abbrusciano" or the perciati (a kind of long hollow pasta) that burn. The burning part is easily explained. The sauce (for one person) is made up of: oil, onion, two garlic cloves, two anchovies, a teaspoon of capers, black olives, a chili pepper, tomato, basil, black pepper and grated pecorino. Salty, hot, delicious !

Which is a pity, isn't it? I did some online research on Palombini and their website claims that they lead in the Roman market. I didn't see it served in either Napoli or Florence. The coffee in Napoli was fantastic as well, but I didn't note any of the brands, because I was quite happy with Palombini and naively believed that it would be easily available back in the US. Well, depends on how you see it. On one hand it makes many of these products hard to find, on the other it adds to the variety of the offer. I prefer having more to chose from, but that's just me. Consider that many of these producers do a great job with the small quantities they work with but probably couldn't handle a larger market without decreasing quality. If they would be bought off by bigger competitors, like it has happened for some regional brands, the products might become easier available but there would always be a risk of "taste" becoming more uniform between the different brands owned by the same company. It would be cheaper to buy coffee from few sources in bulk instead of having many different ones. The ideal solution would be that of having a serious coffee trader select and sell these blends for the foreign markets.... Anyone interested in forming a joint venture? I put the idea and you invest the money ?

Kimbo is a good everyday brand and probably the leading one in Naples. It's so popular you can even find fakes on sale in Campania . But, as much as I'd like to claim the contrary being a Neapolitan myself, I find it's inferior to Illy. In general I agree that Southern Italy has better coffee than the north but Trieste is an exception. There's a very old coffee making tradition there. Passalacqua is better than both Illy and Kimbo but rather than the Vesuvius blend I'd go for the 100% arabica Moana blend or the Harem one, but I like my espresso not too powerful. Both make a fantastic velvety espresso. It might be difficult to find many Italian brands in the States because most are small producers with little sales outside their local areas. One thing I enjoy doing whenever I go somewhere new in Italy is sampling the local espresso brands: there's always a very good one to pick out.

sbcparis, welcome to eGullet! we'll all be looking forward to your tips. Have fun in Italy!

I would agree with Gambero Rosso's system being a well-thought common-sense one. It is nonetheless based on a 100 point system, different from Parker's but inspired by him. The approximate equivalent of the GR glasses is 70-79 pts, 1 glass; 80-89 pts 2: over 90 pts 3 glasses. This point-glasses relation is not always exact: an 88-89 points wine from an emergent wine region might get a three glasses award as a recognition of excellence. What might be interesting is that quite a few Italian wine lovers are not too happy with GR's system especially regarding the 80-89 pts wines. I've often heard the complaint that there should be a way to separate wines over 85 pts from those below this score. Reminds you ofthe way some people "read" Parker, doesn't it ? BTW, Brad: GR also gave Clelia Romano's Colli di Lapio an 87, in their last issue, they didn't like Caggiano though, too heavy and alcoholic was their comment, I think. And I couldn't agree more with you, if people won't buy Colli di Lapio even better, it's my favorite Fiano too. Mind sharing ?

Sorry for the wait, I had to find a little time to wirte it up. I posted the recipe on RecipeGullet, here. Hope it does resemble the one you're looking for.

Zucchine alla scapece Serves 10 as Hors d'oeuvreor 6 as Side. Scapece is a common method in Southern Italy for preserving vegetables and fish. In the Neapolitan tradition anchovies, aubergines or carrots are used for scapece, but the most common ingredient is zucchini. The traditional oil for frying the zucchini is olive. It might seem like a waste to use olive oil, but I find it does make a difference in taste. You don't need to fill a fryer with oil. A flat wide pan with 2 cm deep of oil will do fine. You can also keep the oil, filtered and refrigerated, and use it for vegetable dishes such as ratatouille. It will add a little extra taste to the dish. The cooking of the water vinegar solution has the function of reducing the strength of the wine vinegar. Depending on how long you cook it the scapece will end up being more or less sour. I use about 5 minutes but some recipes call for 10. 2 kg medium zucchini 2/3 c white wine vinegar 2/3 c water 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 handfull of mint leaves olive oil for frying salt and pepper Slice the zucchini into 3-4 mm thick rounds. Place the sliced zucchini in a colander sprinkling with salt. After 1-2 hours rinse them and pat them dry. Heat the oil (to about 200C) and fry the zucchini in batches. The zucchini are done once they start to brown slightly. Remove the first batch of zucchini and arrange them them in one or more layers in a serving bowl. Sprinkle some pepper and place a few mint leaves and garlic slices between each layer. Continue till all zucchini are done. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the frying oil on top. Place water and vinegar in a small pot and bring to boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid just simmers for another five minutes. Pour onto the zucchini and leave to rest at room temperature for at least 24 hours before eating. The water/vinegar mixture should be just enough to fill the gaps between the zucchini. After 3-4 days the flavor is at its best. Serve as an appetiser, alone or together with other Italian style antipasti, or as a side for fatty meat dishes. Keywords: Appetizer, Side, Vegetarian, Vegetables, Italian ( RG1159 )

Zucchine alla scapece Serves 10 as Hors d'oeuvreor 6 as Side. Scapece is a common method in Southern Italy for preserving vegetables and fish. In the Neapolitan tradition anchovies, aubergines or carrots are used for scapece, but the most common ingredient is zucchini. The traditional oil for frying the zucchini is olive. It might seem like a waste to use olive oil, but I find it does make a difference in taste. You don't need to fill a fryer with oil. A flat wide pan with 2 cm deep of oil will do fine. You can also keep the oil, filtered and refrigerated, and use it for vegetable dishes such as ratatouille. It will add a little extra taste to the dish. The cooking of the water vinegar solution has the function of reducing the strength of the wine vinegar. Depending on how long you cook it the scapece will end up being more or less sour. I use about 5 minutes but some recipes call for 10. 2 kg medium zucchini 2/3 c white wine vinegar 2/3 c water 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 handfull of mint leaves olive oil for frying salt and pepper Slice the zucchini into 3-4 mm thick rounds. Place the sliced zucchini in a colander sprinkling with salt. After 1-2 hours rinse them and pat them dry. Heat the oil (to about 200C) and fry the zucchini in batches. The zucchini are done once they start to brown slightly. Remove the first batch of zucchini and arrange them them in one or more layers in a serving bowl. Sprinkle some pepper and place a few mint leaves and garlic slices between each layer. Continue till all zucchini are done. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the frying oil on top. Place water and vinegar in a small pot and bring to boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid just simmers for another five minutes. Pour onto the zucchini and leave to rest at room temperature for at least 24 hours before eating. The water/vinegar mixture should be just enough to fill the gaps between the zucchini. After 3-4 days the flavor is at its best. Serve as an appetiser, alone or together with other Italian style antipasti, or as a side for fatty meat dishes. Keywords: Appetizer, Side, Vegetarian, Vegetables, Italian ( RG1159 )

There has been a thread on fennel pollen before, with some tips on possible uses. While the discussion on uses of fennel pollen is very appreciated, I would like to invite anyone wishing to contact Ore regarding his offer to do this, as Ore himself properly suggested, strictly by PM. Any forum posts regarding this particular point will be removed.

Thanks for the explanation. I ignored the Arabic origin, but it doesn't surprise me. I always thought the latin origin theory sounded a bit wooly since the recipe quoted as the original scapece was simply indicated as liquamen and I never found a direct reference to an "esca Apicii" anywhere. Must be another one of those cases where we Italians try too hard to give an historical tradition to our cuisine. On the other hand the Roman recipe is very similar to what scapece is today so I wouldn't be surprised if the general technique was known a long time before the introduction of the term.

I was making zucchini alla scapece last night and I started chatting with a friend about the different theories that exist on the origins of this dish. Scapece is a general Italian term describing dishes in which the main ingredients are flavored and preserved by the use a vinegar based marinade. The recipes can vary quite a bit but the term is found in central and (mainly) southern Italy. I find the similarity of the Italian term, and technique, with the Spanish escabeche is hardly coincidental. In Italy there's a few different theories, all slight variations of two main ones, about the origin of this term and I was wondering if any of them has an equivalent in Spain or if there are alternative ones. The first and most popular one claims that both scapece and escabeche come from the Latin esca Apicii, Apicius's sauce. This term should refer to a special liquamen recipe, invented by one of the many roman cooks who called themselves Apicius, made up of white wine vinegar, garlic, mint and probably garum. Another theory claims that the term escabeche originated in South America and was brought to southern Italy by the Spanish where it became scapece. What do the Spanish experts say?

Artusi talks more about the origin of the name than of the dish. On the other hand he also writes: (capitals and comments between aprenthesis mine) I can't really imagine butter as a traditional Tuscan element. If your Tuscan friends still don't believe you, this painfull detail should finish them off

Here I come From the Artusi: I didn't translate costola in the above quote since I'm not sure which cut Artusi is referring to, every Italian region has different names. So yes, you're absolutely right Adam.

Thanks everyone for the compliments. My hope is that, apart giving some background information on the Italian restaurant reviewing world, this will also manage to be usefull to those asking for advice to places where no other eGulleter has ventured before. Robert, you bring up a very interesting subject. There's quite a few "local" guides like the ones you mention. Slow food publishes a similar line of guides called "itinerari" and there are many other less known publishers that sometimes manage to do a very good job too. The main problems many of these local guides have is that it can be hard to find them anywhere except in loco and that they're not always up to date. For example the information in the Slow food itinerari guides are, to my knowledge, updated only every few years. By the way, I believe there are no other Critica & Guida Golosa books at the moment but I wouldn't exclude new ones are planned.

You'll find plenty of restaurant tips for Bologna on this thread.

I've put together a brief overview of the Italian restaurant guides with general notes, on-line access and reputation they enjoy in Italy. I hope it will be useful to all those looking for information on the Italian restaurant scene A note on criticisms to the guides: Italians (and I'm no exception to this) have a really individual character. You won't find one of us agreeing with the next over a recipe, so you can imagine how the situation with restaurant guides is. For this reason I was not too sure I should have added praises and criticisms to the guides in this post. On the other hand mentioning both positive and negative views these guides receive on their home ground helps put them in perspective. I've tried to keep the critiques pertinent to those issues which come up for each of the guides more often and ignored once-off ones. Michelin Italy Started in 1955. Still the top selling guide in Italy and on Italian restaurants, although it is losing ground to the others. Comes in the well known classic Michelin format: stars (up to three) for the level of the food, crossed forks and spoons as an indicator of the luxury level and so on. On-line access: trough viaMichelin, requires free registration giving access to all the Michelin guides and a wide number of additional on-line services, like route-planning. Its fans say: Michelin is Michelin. The history and tradition of this guide are undeniable. It is still considered by many the most reliable of the Italian guides and is, with little doubt, the most used by foreign tourists. It certainly is the most influential and seems to be the one most restaurateurs and chefs look at. Being mentioned, or winning a star, can have a big economic impact, bringing objectively more customers to the restaurant, with a net increase in business. The same can't be said for the other guides. Its detractors say: the main criticism is very simple, Michelin is French and has no interest in promoting Italian food, rather the contrary. The Italian press, but not only, have often wondered at the very stingy attitude the guide has with stars in Italy. Quite a few gastronomic critics expressed the suspicion that there was a clear policy from the Michelin guides management to underestimate and diminish the efforts of Italy's top restaurants. The criticism have become even stronger since Edoardo Raspelli, former editor of the Espresso guide, revealed, through info obtained from Michelin employees in 2000, how Michelin Italy worked (and probably still works): only 8 official inspectors for the whole of Italy and decision on 2 and 3 stars taken in the French offices. Ristoranti d'Italia dell'Espresso One of the first serious Italian guides was started from L'Espresso, Italy's largest selling news weekly, in 1978, under the impulse, and help, of the French Gault and Millau. The grading and symbols are quite similar to those used by the GaultMillau guides, based on a 20 points system. On-line access: requires paid registration, 12€ per year access fee. Acess, only in Italian, trough the kataweb portal. Its fans say: Espresso is the most reliable Italian guide made by Italians. It's the model others in Italy followed, one way or another. Even the late criticisms to the guide (see below) have not changed the fact that Espresso continues to be one of the best sold guides. Its detractors say: the Espresso guide has received a rather big blow to its reputation after the resignation/firing of founding member and former editor in chief Edoardo Raspelli in 2002, and the attacks Raspelli himself has written against the guide from the columns of la Stampa. The real reasons behind this change at the helm are at best cloudy and probably political interests more than gastronomic ones were the reasons for the decision taken by the editorial board of the Espresso. Gambero Rosso Ristoranti d'Italia It was first published in 1989 from the same-named food and wine magazine. The restaurants are graded on a 100 points scale divided as follows: cooking max. 60, cellar 20, ambience 10, service 10. Forks are assigned as follows: from 70-79 one fork, 80-89 two, three above that. Each restaurant receives a short description and a price range/quality indication. Its selling numbers are close to those of the Espresso guide. On-line access: free access to the guide, requires registration to GR's girone dei golosi also granting access to the online wine guide and extra info. Only in Italian. Its fans say: Gambero Rosso has quite a big fan base in the foodie scene in Italy which sees this guide (and magazine) as the main force promoting Italian food in a smart way. In the last few years a particular effort has been made to help young rising stars acquire much needed visibility. Its detractors say: the guide's efforts to promote Italy's restaurants often end up hitting back. In some cases GR goes overboard when grading their own favourites, and is too hard with those who don't follow its philosophy. Another weak spot seems to be the regional differences in grading and establishment choice, especially for the places with lower scores, making the guide not always a reliable choice. Osterie d'Italia The guide was started in 1990 by the then Slow food-arci gola movement. It only covers osterie and similar serving traditional fare below a certain meal price range, 35€ without wine at the moment. No grades are assigned but a few symbols are: a snail for the best picks, a wine bottle for worthy wine choice, cheese for interesting cheese selections and so on. The guide is probably the no. 2 seller for tourists, after Michelin. Sales are on the increase and the guide has now reached the same level as the Espresso and Gambero Rosso guides. On-line access: free, through registration. Site also available in English, restaurant descriptions are only available accessing the site through the Italian page. Its fans say: Osterie d'Italia is generally seen as a reliable source. Slow Food has a wide network throughout Italy which assures a very good knowledge of local eating places. The guide is the only source concentrating on traditional food at its best. Its detractors say: The main criticisms regard the price range and editorial policy. In some cases the quoted 35 € price mark can be more easily exceeded than not. Some critics consider Slow Food's decision to cover only traditional places a move towards "fake folklore for nostalgic people and foreigners" and away from the reality of what Italy today is. There's quite a number of other guides in Italy, selling way less than the above mentioned ones: Quattroruote, Accademia della cucina Italiana, etc. One that deserves a special mention is the restaurant guide from Luigi Veronelli, father figure of the Italian wine tasting scene. His guide, started in 1977, is available online as are his hotel and wine ones.

Well, nice to hear that you liked the dumpling theme and the IMBB idea... since I'm the one who started it Maybe a little explanation on IMBB wouldn't go amiss, I'm not sure everyone knows what it is. "Is My Blog Burning?" is a food bloggers cook-together. Each month a different blog hosts the event and choses a theme. I had the idea once I noticed how certain recipes would appeared on different blogs very close to another, sometimes even on the same day. The name is a little joke, I just thought that one thing that every cook has in common is sooner or later burning something. There have been seven editions already, counting this one on Dumpling hosted by Jarrett of life in flow, and there's already more planned. In case anyone's curious here's the previous ones: soups, tartines, cakes, rice hosted by Pim, fish and grilling and barbecuing. (Edited to stop running in circles, right ?)

Neapolitan savory potato cake, gatto' (or gateaux) di patate Serves 12 as Hors d'oeuvreor 8 as Main Dish. Gatto' di patate is a classic dish of Neapolitan home cooking. It is usually served as main dish along with one or more vegetable dishes, for a pasta-free meals, but can be easily used as a starter. The term "gatto' " comes from the French gateaux. It is only one example of the many influences of French on Neapolitan dialect. 1-1/2 kg floury potatoes, whole 50 g butter 75 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano 50 g grated aged caciocavallo or pecorino Romano 4 egg yolks 2 egg whites 1 T finely chopped basil 100 g salami or cooked ham (or a combination of the two), finely diced 100 g provola (i.e. smoked mozzarella), missing that any mild smoked cheese will do, diced 150 g cow milk mozzarella, diced 1 c warm milk (if needed) salt bread crumbs and butter for the cake pan Boil the whole potatoes. Once done drain the water but keep the potatoes warm in their pot. Taking one potato at a time, peel and mash them. A ricer works best, but a hand masher is OK, especially if the potatoes are nicely floury. Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Add the following to the mashed potatoes in succession: butter, parmesan and caciocavallo (or pecorino), ham and/or salami, the egg yolks and the chopped basil. Stir well after each addition. Once everything has been added taste if the salt is OK. Usually the cheese will make the "dough" of this cake salty enough, but it's better to check twice. Whip the egg whites and fold into the potato mixture. If the mass feels too resistant to stirring you should add a bit of warm milk. Do this carefully, a few tablespoons at a time. Take a 25 cm round cake pan, butter it and coat with bread crumbs. spread half the potato mass at the bottom. Lay the mozzarella and provola on top and cover with the rest of the potatoes, spreading them to obtain a nice flat top. Dust the top with bread crumbs and place a few tiny pieces of butter on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until the breadcrumbs on the top start to brown. Wait at least 30 minutes before serving for the cake to firm up while cooling, while the cheese remains melted. I like it even better after a few hours, once it reaches room temperature. No more melted mozzarella but the flavours will have had time to blend better. Keywords: Potatoes, Italian ( RG1153 )

Neapolitan savory potato cake, gatto' (or gateaux) di patate Serves 12 as Hors d'oeuvreor 8 as Main Dish. Gatto' di patate is a classic dish of Neapolitan home cooking. It is usually served as main dish along with one or more vegetable dishes, for a pasta-free meals, but can be easily used as a starter. The term "gatto' " comes from the French gateaux. It is only one example of the many influences of French on Neapolitan dialect. 1-1/2 kg floury potatoes, whole 50 g butter 75 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano 50 g grated aged caciocavallo or pecorino Romano 4 egg yolks 2 egg whites 1 T finely chopped basil 100 g salami or cooked ham (or a combination of the two), finely diced 100 g provola (i.e. smoked mozzarella), missing that any mild smoked cheese will do, diced 150 g cow milk mozzarella, diced 1 c warm milk (if needed) salt bread crumbs and butter for the cake pan Boil the whole potatoes. Once done drain the water but keep the potatoes warm in their pot. Taking one potato at a time, peel and mash them. A ricer works best, but a hand masher is OK, especially if the potatoes are nicely floury. Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Add the following to the mashed potatoes in succession: butter, parmesan and caciocavallo (or pecorino), ham and/or salami, the egg yolks and the chopped basil. Stir well after each addition. Once everything has been added taste if the salt is OK. Usually the cheese will make the "dough" of this cake salty enough, but it's better to check twice. Whip the egg whites and fold into the potato mixture. If the mass feels too resistant to stirring you should add a bit of warm milk. Do this carefully, a few tablespoons at a time. Take a 25 cm round cake pan, butter it and coat with bread crumbs. spread half the potato mass at the bottom. Lay the mozzarella and provola on top and cover with the rest of the potatoes, spreading them to obtain a nice flat top. Dust the top with bread crumbs and place a few tiny pieces of butter on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until the breadcrumbs on the top start to brown. Wait at least 30 minutes before serving for the cake to firm up while cooling, while the cheese remains melted. I like it even better after a few hours, once it reaches room temperature. No more melted mozzarella but the flavours will have had time to blend better. Keywords: Potatoes, Italian ( RG1153 )

Not only in America, I assure you. Many of my Italian friends believe Americans only eat hamburgers and hot dogs all day. And they think grilling is barbecuing . It's hard to fight stereotypes when you never experienced life in a foreign country on your own skin. Or better: on your own tongue. There might be another reason for this. In Naples and surroundings snails, eaten in a sort of tomato based soup, are prepared only in some times of the year, like Easter. As far as I know that's also true of other places around Italy. Maybe you just missed the right moment.

Bux, snails are eaten in Italy but I agree with you about their absence from most menus. I have read an article about snail farming in Italy some time ago, which I'll have to find for more exact info. What I remember is that Italy's production is not enough to cover the yearly consumption, so quite a bit is imported from France and Spain. A part of what is consumed is often picked in the wild. I also think snail seldom appear on menus of more up-scale places since they're pretty much considered street or country fare. I know they're consumed in quite a few places in Southern and Central Italy. I'm sure there's others on the forum who can fill us on the details for regions like Sicily, Puglia and Latium. My personal knowledge is limited to one of the trademark recipes of the island of Ischia off the Neapolitan coast. I even have an approximate recipe somewhere. As soon as I find it I'll describe the dish in more detail.

Sorry, no intention to be arrogant on what "Italian" food is. The dressing you talk about is clearly not strictly Italian from Italy but still represents one of the many evolutions Italian food has had abroad. I find the topic, and recipes like the one you mention, fascinating. Italo-American cooking, cocina Italo-Porteña from Argentina and many others (last ones I discovered the Italian-Japanese and Italian-Chinese cooking mentioned in the hawaii forum) all have a common root but manage at the same time to have a unique character. My curiosity was meant in this way.

Franci, thanks for the correction. BTW, are these made only for christmas?