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Hey, I have a batch of braised beef I want to turn into Cannelloni (making them into ravioli is more work than I'm willing to put in this weekend). For cannelloni from fresh pasta: Do I wrap the meat in the uncooked pasta square? How thick should the pasta be, ie to which notch on the pasta roller should I go? Cooking it: I won't drown it in tomato sauce, how do I make it warm? I figure: wrap in aluminum foil, and throw in the oven. Thanks, all.

very bitter leaves? Is there a way to remove or mask the bitterness I grew up with radicchio o radicheta along with other Mediterranean vegies growing wild in the paddocks so many good memories even thistle, cardo or cardune simply delicious. But coming back to this vegie I have never consider eating the outer leathery leaves. I tried with melting cheese and oven baked not my cup of tea. Any other suggestions.Thanks

We were at the Moncalvo Truffle Fair today so I thought I would share some pictures. The price we heard today was €3,300 per kilo so thats $4750/kilo or $2160/lb This group weighs 1500 grams and because of the large sizes the market value is about $10,000

I need some technical help with making "Fonduta." Fontina Val d'Aosta, milk, butter, egg yolks, white truffle love... Sometimes the cheese behaves badly. It gets tight, it gets grainy, its too thin... And then... how do you eat the Fonduta? Sorry if the topic has already been covered

I'd like to make pasta totally by hand- I'll have a decent chunk of time for a weekend project. (I don't have a mixer or food processor.) Which flour do you think will be better as a novice with just hands, a rolling pin and a strong will ? Durum flour or semolina flour are the 2 options I'm thinking are best, though of course I have access to AP, whole wheat, pastry flours, etc. I'd like to pick up the flour from a great bulk foods store tomorrow on the way home from work, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

For a variety of reasons I've found myself on airplanes a lot recently, and as light airplane fare have been reading some detective books by Sicilian author Andrea Camilleri. One thing that is very interesting about Italian popular fiction is that the authors often spend significant time describing what the characters are eating, and the characters are often great lovers of food. Camilleri's stories are set in the Sicilian town of Vigàta, and his protagonist, commissario Montalbano, eats fish and seafood almost exclusively (one gets the impression this is true of most everyone there). Many wonderful dishes have been described, and I find myself in serious need of guidance and inspiration in making these dishes and others like them for myself. Ideally what I'd like is a Southern Italian fish and seafood cookbook. Failing that, a comprehensive Italian fish/seafood cookbook or a fish-heavy Sicilian cookbook would be just the thing. Recommendations?

This needs to be read:The Times online Any comments? By the way, GLIS GLIS is known as GHIRO in Italian

Hi, Any suggestions for unsticking unsauced clumped together cooked pasta that's been stored for a while in the fridge? Any suggestions for preventing cooked pasta from clumping if it's not used right away? I tried adding oil to the warm pasta, but after it cooled down the macaroni still clumped together. Maybe I didn't use enough oil? Shel

Hi all, I tried posting this on the spirits board and, though I garnered plenty of reads, I got no responses. So perhaps this is the better forum to ask. We will be visiting Rome (for the first time, I'm embarrassed to admit) for a week or so in mid-November. One of the "souvenirs" I've decided that I'd like to return with are some bottles of liqueurs (or other spirits) that are rare or impossible to find here. My preliminary list includes the following: Alpestre Borsci Elisir S. Marzano Ebo Lebo Genepy Mirto di Sardegna Nucillo e curti Petrus Verdemela I'm posting to ask for your experiences and recommendations. I don't have much knowledge of Italian spirits, though I'm pretty open to trying just about anything, taste-wise (though I must confess I do not have a taste for grappa). What should I add to/subtract from the list? Thanks.

EVOLUZIONE DEI CACHI According to Hathor, persimmons are now officially ripe in Umbria and perfect for breakfast, mixed into yogurt. This got me thinking, especially after finding an excellent essay on the subject of Italy's persimmons and the different words Italians use for the fruit, depending upon their location; Kyle Phillips mentions "pomi" and "diospri" in addition to "cachi". Here's the thing. We've been engaged in a rather long-winded and now, rather discursive and repetitive discussion of traditional Italian food and what happens when you deviate from the familiar repertoire. Some of us also miss the collaborative cooking threads that were inspired by Kevin72's year-long project. It might be fun to start another. So, why not contribute a new dish to the formidable ranks of Italian regional specialties, using an ingredient that is very common in Italy, but rarely cooked in that country? At least, this is what Kyle Phillips says. I'll let someone else correct me if need be. The point is to make a dish that is clearly informed by Italian tradition, yet deviates in a fresh, new way. As much as certain high-minded discussions of the relative merits of "national" cuisines tick me off, I have to admit that I'd give the gold star to the French when it comes to pastry. Gelato and the blissful combination of hazelnuts and chocolate redeems Italy, but I am entirely sympathetic with the tradition of ending a meal w a beautiful piece of fruit and a handful of nuts. Dense, jammy crostate are not usually my cup of tea. So, making a dessert presents the most interesting challenge, as far as I'm concerned. However, why not keep possibilities open-ended just in case someone finds a perfect way to encase the fruit inside a rice ball, or dare I say, unite it with prosciutto e Parmigiana? Mostarda's way too obvious, don't you think? Keep in mind the fact that Italians only have astringent varieties of persimmons, i.e., the kind that need to ripen until very soft before consumption. So, anyone interested? A deadline can be established once interest is determined and we can make certain that ripe persimmons are available to participants.

I know this has been discussed, but rather than rehash old threads I thought it was time to revisit. Having recently moved my usual rotation of restaurants has moved as well. In addition, places change. So, my usual sojurn to Jersey City to Casa Dante has now become a longer trip, but this place to me has always been worth the drive. I just can't seem to get it into my usual rotation due to the distance, drive, friends, etc. I always liked Cafe Italiano (Englewood Cliffs), but I haven't been there in a good couple of years -- and I really have to try the Cliffs Steakhouse next door before a return trip to Cafe Italiano. I was going there both pre and post liquor license. The chef, and I think there might have been a change somewhere along the line, always had some nice specials that were well implemented. I specifically remember a seafood risotto with a very nice sauce that was excellent. I haven't been there in quite some time, but David's (Cliffside Park) was a place I always enjoyed -- small, always packed, but excellent food. I lived around the corner when I first moved to the area, and then after moving it will still a "neighborhood" place. This is another place I really want to get back to. E & V -- guilty again, haven't been since a business lunch a while back, and another "really need to get back to" place. A bit of a sleeper for me has been Granita Grill (Westwood) -- BYO, quiet, nothing super-fancy, but good, tasty, quality food. A few have fallen off my list as well -- changes, for the bad, ownership, management, chef, etc. (don't need to go there, LOL). Anyone been to LuNello's in the new location (not so new anymore)? So, what about some other places? Neighborhood kind of places? Even the big names in your area. I think many know about the big names, that seem to be all over. What about some of the neighborhood places -- all over -- Northwest Bergen, Passaic, Essex, etc. If enough people post we could have a ton of neigborhood places all over the place. Thanks. Eric

Having read about how delicious the tromboncino is and having failed at growing them in my garden, I have now acquired one from a neighbor. I'd love to hear about traditional ways of preparing this wacky-looking squash. (My neighbor calls it by the Italian nickname which I can't begin to spell but which I suspect is rather off-color.)

Hi, I am hosting a dinner party this coming Saturday. One of the dishes planned includes home-made bowtie pasta. The dough is just all purpose flour and eggs. I did a test run last week and the bowties turned out great. I made them at night and left them out, under a tent of plastic wrap, for about 18 hours, before they went into the boiling water. But here's what I'm worried about: for the actual dinner, I'm probably going to need to make a couple hundred or more bowties. It's a fairly time-intensive process (hand shaping each one) so I'd rather do a third Wednesday, a third Thursday, and a third Friday, or something along those lines. I have no idea, however, how the already shaped bowties will hold up if I make them as early as Wednesday, and don't drop them in water until Saturday afternoon. Thoughts? Can I just refrigerate in covered container for 3+ days? Will the shape hold? Is there anything I should do to prevent it from drying out, or turning to slime? I don't have much experience refrigerating pasta dough; every other time I've used my pasta machine I've cooked the pasta within a day and a half of making it. Also, alternatively, would it make sense to cook it before Saturday, and just refrigerate the cooked-product? Par-cooked, maybe? Sorry if this is a simple question, over-complicated. I just don't want to find out on Saturday that Wednesday's bowties have turned to brittle, or to slime.

I just got home from a cycling trip to Tuscany. While I was there, I ate two kinds of "rustici" cookies. I had never heard of these cookies before. They were delicious. I bought one bag at a grocery store and they were commercially made by Corsini. The ingredients listed are just hazelnuts, sugar, egg whites and salt. The other kind was from a specialty store and also was flavored with chocolate and a hint of cinnamon, I think. The cookies are small drop type cookies that are basically finely chopped hazelnuts held together by a cross between biscotti and meringue. I am assuming that some of the hazelnuts listed in the ingredients are actually ground hazelnuts. I could not find a recipe on the internet. Does anyone have a recipe or an idea of the rough proportions I should start experimenting with? Thanks.

i'm using giuliano hazan's book, the classic pasta book, for this recipe but i'm still not sure when the sauce is ready. the recipe says to heat the tomates for 10-20 minutes 'until the tomates have reduced and separated from the oil.' but, i'm not exactly sure what that means or what that looks like. how do you know when the sauce is ready?

I'm doing a major recipe re-organization and I'm finding lots of similarities between my recipes. For one thing, my Swiss Buttercream preparation (I mistakingly called it Italian in the title...the Horror!) looks suspiciously like seven minute frosting, minus the butter. I also have a recipe for safe meringue, which follows almost the same procedure as my swiss meringue. Do you think I could sort of average out all my meringue recipes and get one basic one that I can use for different applications. 1. 7 minute frosting 2. safe meringue, torch it baby 3. buttercream, with the addition of butter Seems like that would really simplify things? Anybody got a versatile recipe?

I have been asked to prepare Chicken Marsala for 50 people. This is for a luncheon so I don't have much time to prepare in the morning. I must do it the day before the event. I assume I shouldn't cook the chicken completely through since they will be sitting in a chafing dish for a bit. I just want to make sure the chicken isn't tough. Any ideas? Thanks!

As a service for all visitors to Piedmont this autumn here is a list of the Truffle festivals in Piedmont’s central region province of Asti (AT), Cuneo (CN) and Alessandria (AL). Festivals marked with an asterisk* are major Truffle Fairs (Fiere Nazionali) or Gionata del Tartufo, which indicate a big local festival day in which truffles are part of the whole event. · Oct 7 - Montigliole Monferrato (AT); Scurzolungo (AT); Odalengo Piccolo (AL) · Oct 14 - Montigliole Monferrato (AT); Castagnole Monferrato(AT); Bergamasco (AL) · Oct 21 - Mombercelli (AT); Moncalvo* (AT); Tagliole Monfferato (AL) · Oct 28 – Moncalvo* (AT); Incisa Scapaccino (AT); Trisobbia (AL); Brignano Frascata (AL); Sardigliano (AL) · Nov 4 - Canelli (AT) & Montechiaro * (AT); Nizza Monferrato* (AT); San Damiano d'Asti(AT); Cella Monte (AL); Avolasca (AL); Serralunga di Crea (AL) · Nov 11 -Canelli*(AT); Castelnouvo Don Bosco (AT); Costigiole d'Asti (AT); Murisengo (AL)* Alessandria* (AL); Tortona (AL); Paroldo (CN) · Nov 18 - Asti* (+ Cucina e Cantina) (AT); Murisengo (AL)* San Sebastiano Curone (AL) · Nov 25 - Villafranca d'Asti (AT); Castelnouvo Don Bosco (AT); Acqui Terme (AL); Vezza d’Alba (CN); Tortona (AL); Casale Monferrato (AL) · Dec 2 - Cortazzone (AT) · Jan 27 – Scagnello (CN) And of course the granddaddy of them all the 77th Truffle Fair in Alba, every weekend from 29 Sept to 11th November (this year it has been extended beyond October) and I should mention the World Truffle Fair at Grinzano Cavour Castle on Nov 11th

We veered off topic on another thread, and wound up discussing something that has much wider implications. When does one cross the line from traditional regional cooking to non-traditional? How do you serve very traditional dishes and still push the flavor envelope? Is there any reason to cook totally traditional dishes, if you want to be a cut above a trattoria? Can a restaurant attain and/or maintain "stars" cooking completely traditional, regional foods? At the moment, I'm most intrigued by what's going on in Spain. Now, I have not tasted the food, I've only experienced them through Docsonz's eyes and words and other research on my own, but there seems to be a connection, a grounding to the traditional foods while they are expanding the limitations of those dishes. To me, it's critical to know, understand, appreciate the foundations of regional cooking before you go blasting into the kitchen. I've wrestled for 2 seasons with how to sophisticate the classic combination of melon and prosciutto. I've tried pulverizing dried prosciutto, I've tried melon sorbetto, melon aspic...but nothing comes close to the texture and flavor contrasts of the original dish. For me, this exemplifies what I try to do in the kitchen....respect the original dish, while attempting to seduce the diner with a new rendition that is equally satisfying. I haven't found the answer yet, but that's ok, the journey to finding the answer is a pleasant one. I don't think it is 'enough' to constantly remake the traditional dishes, even if you use the finest ingredients and the purest, most classic preparation techniques. Traditional dishes sprang from the ingredients and techniques that were available at that moment in history. To me, it's ok to now push the boundaries with new preparations and techniques. I don't want to work in a food museum, if you know what I mean. edit to add link to Docsconz's topic

Notes from an Italian tasting 2004 Mastroberardino Greco di Tufo Nova Serra – this wine was now showing a bit of colour, had a nicely developed nose with almost none of the typical cheesiness of the varietal, and was soft, full flavoured and had good length. 2002 Jermann ‘Were Dreams, Now its Just Wine’ Bianco Venezia Giulia – also putting on colour, with a waxy floral nose, decent but not great. 90% chard, 10% pinot bianco 1995 Torracio (Cantine Colli Amerini) – Umbrian Sangiovese. Showing some age in the colour and nose, which was a bit rubbery, a whack of acidity and still pretty evident tannins. Not sure where (or if) this one is going. 1996 Virna Barolo Riserva (Lodovico Borgogno) – mellow primarily fruit nose, mature and elegant, drinking well now but will hold. To me, this was surprisingly forward. 1990 Lungarotti San Giorgio – another Umbrian wine, about half cabernet blended with sangio and canaiolo and released in 2000. A nutmeg, cocoa and cheese nose, full bodied and tasty with a long crisp finish. IMO this wine has peaked and will hold but not improve. 1997 Frescobaldi Mormoreto - a cab sauv can franc blend, but the franc didn’t come through too much in this vintage so none of the greenness one sometimes detects. Ripe fruit nose, simple and sweet on palate with lots of pepper and tannin 1999 Poliziano Asinone Vino Nobile – big fruit, and sweet, but needs more time to come together. 1993 Azelia Brico Fiasco Barolo – mature tar and rubber nose sweet entry, some tannin, good length, no tar in mouth. Drinks well now. I’ve been getting a lot of enjoyment from 1993 and 1994 Barolos. 2000 Piaggia Carmignano – the Incredible Hulk of Carmignanos. Like a Californian wine, international style very weighty with gobs of sweet fruit. 1997 Pio Cesare Barbaresco Il Bricco – mellow nose of cherries, carrying more acid than tannin but could use about 3 more years. Quite nice. 1998 Le Macchiole Paleo - this cab and cab franc blend has been getting good reviews and big prices in recent years. Dark wine with nice depth in the nose, cedar and fruit, sweet and elegant on palate, a modern style wine. 2003 Donna Fugatta Ben Rye – wonderful Sicilian Passito di Pantelleria. Muscat nose, not too sweet in the mouth – a very pleasant dessert wine.

I was eating in a regular pizzeria tonight in Florence (regular meaning not fancy, 85% pizza, no Wolfgang Puck frou-frou stuff) and I was once again struck by the fact that there was/were no black pepper mill(s) but there was a rare item in my experience, a bowl of red pepper flakes. Now, I'm older than your Italian-American mother or grandmother or greatgrandmother and I recall when the only restaurants in America that had black pepper mills were Italian; thus query 1, why did native Italians, opening Italian places in the US, feature black pepper mills when American, French, etc., ones did not? Second query, for years the primary delivery system for hotness (in my recollection) has been whole red peppers in bottles of olive oil, but tonight I got the real, un-oiled thing as flakes, just as one would, again, in the US, by those same Italian-Americam immigrants. On the France Forum this sort of ? would start a food fight, but I'm just looking for a calm historico-socio-cultural explantion. Thanks all (and it's not true that everything is closed in Italy in August, I'll report on my fantastic finds Monday) Ciao, John

Hi guys, We are planning to attend the US open next week in flushing and was wondering if any egulleter's can recommend an italian American restaurant in Queens ? So far I'm pondering Don Peppe's on lefferts BLVD , but I have no inkling of where the restaurant is in relation to the US open. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks. --Pat

Mr. Duck and I will be heading to Italy next month. His sister lives with about 20 other people on a farm near Siena. We always eat very well there, but on our last visit, one of her housemates hinted that he wanted me to cook an authentic Chinese meal. I’m delighted to oblige. The dishes that I’ve had in mind are not the fancy banquet-style stuff, but more Ah Leung-type dishes, since that is what I do best. I'm willing to adapt to what is available, and am planning on bringing some jars of sauces and condiments, but: What type of fresh ingredients I can get in Italy? Ginger? Tofu? Scallions? Greens? Where can I find them either in Siena or Florence? …and what can I NOT bring into Italy? Thanks for your help!

Before I ask friends to go looking for him... Does anyone know if Mauro Berardi (the dried herb stand) is open at the Campo dei Fiori in August? I got several herb mixes 2 years ago (our guide highly recommended them) and they are fantastic. I have friends going to Rome and wanted to put in an order, but I know a lot of Italians take August off. If anyone has any particular mix they like, please let me know. I've tried the meat, the fish, the tomato sauce and the arrabiata.

I'm going to Italy in mid-October, one week in Tuscany (based in Montalcino) and one week in Emilia-Romagna (based in Bologna). My main interest is in tasting the authenic foods and wine of these regions, and I would love to get some info on tours of olive oil producers and wineries in Tuscany, as well as tours and tastings in Parma and Modena. I'm really looking for unique, authentic experiences, so I know I need to dig a little deeper than what is generally available to tourists searching the web. Does anyone have recommendations?