Slow Food Diary -Study in Italy

[hathor]

Ciao Ore! Nice to see you back!

Thanks for the photos. What else is on the plate with tuna tartare? Truffle slivers? Can't tell from the photo.

Hope you aren't too homesick...! Try and take some 'play' time, you'll feel better. Yeah, yeah, easier said than done!

[intraining]

my first module in chef school was to write an essay about some influential guy in the culinary world. i chose carlos petrini. so this thread is very interesting for me, glad you're enjoying it

[Jadrool]

Thanks, Ore. What a fantastic thread! Absolutely wonderful.

[docsconz]

Ore, Thanks for the photos. I am drooling. Those pastas look absolutely delicious. can you give any details about the pimiento sauce?

[Pan]

Hi, Ore, I just caught up on this great thread. Pardon me if you already mentioned it, but what's the name of the town you're now staging in?

[Mex-Toro]

Hi Ore:

I have been following this thread since you started it, I think it is just great, every time I am in internet, I am always eager to find out about your new experiences, the program looks great, in your opinion what would be the best advice you could give to anyone planning to attend a course in Jesi and then onto the Stage???, which could be the best way to prepare yourself for this experience??

keep posting and we will keep enjoying every line and photograph you send.

Ciao

Mex-Toro

Hi, Ore, I just caught up on this great thread. Pardon me if you already mentioned it, but what's the name of the town you're now staging in?

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[docsconz]

Mex-Toro,

Welcome to eGullet! We'll look forward to your continued posting and sharing of your thoughts and experiences. This really has been a remarkable thread!

[Ore]

Ciao,

Quick question...can you see the pics that I recently posted. On the pc I am using, they are all X'd out. I know Doc saw the pepper sauce but I hope they all went through. Thanks for the great comments too! I am glad you all are getting to experience a bit of my journey as well. Earlier today my chef and I were on RAI 2...one of Italy's main TV channels. The program was all about the food and wine of the Campania region. It was good fun! I was only really on the TV for about 2 seconds but I am not asking for more...not yet! It was filmed at the winery Di Meo and also featured other wines from the Irpinia area...where I now am.

Last week I visited Feudi di San Gregorio...boy do they have money!!! Very nice place...and a restaurant with the most high tech equipment available. But can you call a kitchen a kitchen when there aren't any burners...all electric...I think NOT!

Ahhh...got to go...

Got to get back to the kitchen...Ciao for now!

Ore

[albiston]

Ciao,

Quick question...can you see the pics that I recently posted.  On the pc I am using, they are all X'd out.  I know Doc saw the pepper sauce but I hope they all went through.  Thanks for the great comments too!  I am glad you all are getting to experience a bit of my journey as well.  Earlier today my chef and I were on RAI 2...one of Italy's main TV channels.  The program was all about the food and wine of the Campania region.  It was good fun!  I was only really on the TV for about 2 seconds but I am not asking for more...not yet!  It was filmed at the winery Di Meo and also featured other wines from the Irpinia area...where I now am.

Last week I visited Feudi di San Gregorio...boy do they have money!!!  Very nice place...and a restaurant with the most high tech equipment available.  But can you call a kitchen a kitchen when there aren't any burners...all electric...I think NOT!

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Ore,

the pics are all there, looking great and making me hungry. BTW congratulations for becoming the next Italian TV celebrity chef ! Which program were you on?

A question about Feudi: did you eat there as well? I've heard interesting things about their restaurant, which should be under the supervision of Heinz Beck of La Pergola in Rome, but it'd be great to hear some first hand experience.

[dorpsch]

Mex-Toro, will you be attending the slowfood program in January?

[Ore]

Ciao,

Here in Nusco the weather is changing and Fall is coming in early. I am at 900 meters so we are in a much different micro climate then nearby Avellino and (still hot) Napoli. All is going well at the restaurant. The Chef is in Toronto and Montreal for the week cooking at some restaurant or food show in that area. I made reservations for him to eat at Toque in Montreal…I hope his meal will be as good as mine…last July!

Here is a great picture. It is of Umberto (Bu, the nick name, is who the restaurant is named after, he is the chefs son) and the Fruttivendolo, the guy where we get our fresh produce from. There were four gourds in total which weighed over 100 KG!!! They should last us about 3 months!

I have been baking fresh bread for the restaurant for a few weeks now and with help from eGulleters I have almost perfected my recipe. Here is a link!

Last week the chef brought in some new proteins to play with. He brought in rabbit, which I am a very big fan of, and fresh pancetta…Pork Belly!

Last Spring, while I was still in NY, I made my way down to NYC for three consecutive weekends to eat three consecutive times at WD-50. By far my favorite restaurant, I tried to mimic the way WD cooked his Pork Belly. Mine came out pretty close but not exactly the same.

I seasoned my pieces of belly with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and a touch of dried wild mountain oregano. I then cryovacked each piece individually and cryovacked that piece as well – so each piece of meat was under two bags (to make sure my fatty sauce doesn’t leak out!). I then would drop one or two bags into the water of the pasta cooker and by noon the meat would be ready. Take it out and crisp the skin side very well! Yummy! I remember WD’s as a bit finer, more elegant, and perfect! It was my first time, and recipeless!

Back to some of the previous posts…

I have still not eaten at the restaurant of Feudi di San Gregorio. One Monday night (if they are open on my day off) I will make my way over there. Here is a picture of their quite famous sign and logo. The winery is situated in a very beautiful area and the dining room of the restaurant has a priceless view. Truly a place worth a lot (a LOT) of money!

Here is a picture of a recent dish. It is a piece of tuna sitting on a puree of chickpeas and chicory. Garnished with EVOO and fried tomato skin.

A few weeks back I went with my chef to cook at a Short Film Festival in a beach town called Sapri. This place was very very beautiful. Here is a picture of the beach and the calm, warm water!

This picture is of my chef and I with Enzo, the person responsible for the Slow Food chapter of Sapri. I hope to get a ride to the Salone del Gusto (Slow Food Show) in October from Enzo; Torino is about 8.5 or 9 hours from here…by car. By train I can only imagine much longer!

Ciao,

Ore

[docsconz]

Nice to have you back, Ore.

Once again, your writing and photos do nothing but whet my appetite for more!

I am curious about the fried tomato skin with the tuna. Does it have any culinary value beside the fact that it is pretty as depicted on the plate? It is certainly not intuitive, although the tomatoes from that general area are fantastic- my personal favorites being the pomodorini del Vesuvio.

[Ore]

Ciao,

I can’t believe no one here has asked for me to finish the last two weeks of the Slow Food Program! I am finding some spare time so hopefully in the next few days I will have a chance to finish that part of Italy. The last time I wrote about the school was week 8. Still left are week 9 and 10.

Look forward to that soon.

(the biggest problem is this new layout and the change of imagegullet. It takes way too long to upload pictures now)

So,

Check back in a few days!

Ciao,

Ore

OH – if anyone gets the Gambero Rosso Channel (RAI SAT), my chef will be on Sunday, October 3rd. The show is called “Collazione con Rocco” - OR - Breakfast with Rocco.

Rocco's The Restaurant premiers Sunday night too! Ahh...look out!

Doc: The fried tomato skins are horrible once in the mouth. You know that thing we call Unfunctional garnish...that is number 1 on my list, but it is pretty, huh!?!

Almost forgot...PM ME IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE SALONE DEL GUSTO! We should meet up!

Edited October 3, 2004 by Ore (log)

[Ore]

quick note...

Last night was Gambero Rosso's release of this years guide as well as the awards for this years restaurants at the Cita del Gusto in Roma. We were scored with 80 from what I hear. This place has only been open 8 months...a great compliment! I have yet to confirm but we all here at La Locanda di Bu are having a celebration!!!

Ciao,

See you at the Salone del Gusto!

Ore

[docsconz]

Congratulations!

I wish I was going to the Salone del Gusto, but I have to work sometime .

I'm still waiting for those last two weeks .

[hathor]

Auguri!! What a marvelous compliment!

(and yes...we are still missing those two weeks!!)

[reesek]

i think i'm in love!

please tell us about the last 2 weeks!!

[Ore]

Ciao,

Week 9 Week 9 Week 9 Week 9 Week 9 Week 9 Week 9 Week 9 Week 9 Week 9

We started on the region of Toscano on what would be our last week as cooking students. The chef, Andrea Alimenti, is the chef of the restaurant Acquamatta, part of the young chefs of Europe.

These few days were the most enjoyable of the whole course. The chef was extremely professional but knew how to have fun in the kitchen. He showed us many techniques that were up to date with today’s food fashion. His plates were all interesting combos of different flavors and they all worked very well together.

He made this special bread with unripe verdicchio grapes that was really good. The only down side were the huge seeds!

In order of courses – I will start with some of the more interesting antipasti and primi – then go on to secondi and dolci.

These delicious treats were composed of baccala quenelles that sat on very delicious polenta cakes – each polenta square was pan fried – served like a hand passed hors d'oeuvre.

One of my favorite preparations was this duck Prosciutto. Not anything like the real stuff from the pig, but in the quasi same principle. The deck breast was trimmed and scored on the fat side then placed under a salt and sugar mixture. It was left like that for one day. The next day it was thinly sliced and ready to eat. I am sure it isn’t the safest thing but it was fresh and the chef was first to taste – I would have gone first as I will almost eat anything raw!!! (yummy)

We ate the duck Prosciutto as is and we also prepared it with a lemon vinaigrette.

We also made some great, simple breads. One was a dough made with fennel seeds. The other was made with tomato paste in it.

On the more trendy side…the chef prepared these two starters:

Savory Pear Custard

Tomato Concasse with Fried Zucchini Flower & Tomato Gelatin Sauce

The pear custard was good – very simple flavors. The slices of pear were dried in the oven on a silpat and the big thing behind it is crispy Parmigiano made by baking some grated cheese on a silpat, when color is right, pull it off and shape it how you wish! (good luck!)

The next thing on the menu is the classic Tuscan Papa all’ Pomodoro

This dish was great! The chef deep fried the cubes of bread before putting them into the tomato sauce. Really, a very classic Tuscan dish!

The pasta dish from Toscano was a ravioli with meat sauce. I remember when I was in Italy prior to this Slow Food experience; I stayed with Jacopo Biondi Santi at the Castello di Montepo for a week. This dish was made often and during the time I was there, it was made with ground Cingiale (wild boar) that was locally hunted.

One of the most interesting new techniques was this chefs take on risotto. Here he prepared a risotto with saffron and zucchini. BUT…when finishing the risotto, butter and cheese were nowhere to be found! His style uses rosso di uova (egg yolks) and cold olio extra vergine di oliva (EVOO). This made a lot of sense and the mouth feel of this rice was amazingly creamy and smooth, without the greasy, sometimes overly salty taste of cheese and butter. Also, it was much fresher in aroma. The cold olive oil warmed up and its perfume spread throughout the kitchen!

Another Tuscan classic was the Crespelle. These crepes were made very simply – a normal crepe batter (ask for a recipe!) and then filled with ricotta cheese and spinach. Rolled and layered in a baking dish. Finished with béchamel sauce and tomato sauce, basil and olive oil!

Spinach and squid…A plate very interesting and with deep roots. The spinach is braised for a long period of time (almost like one of my moms Tunisian dishes called p’kaila) with the squid. When ready, the spinach becomes the stew and the squid is incredibly tender, soft and juicy! It is a real treat with a nice, strong, earthy flavor. Attention though – the dark green / black color of the stew (given by the spinach) will stain almost everything! (this version also had baby octopus in it.)

Wild game and fowl is a Tuscan treat and Toscano is well known for that type of meat. Here we prepared pigeon (I think it is nicely referred to as squab!?) in two ways. One was with the tomato jelly (from the appetizer plate) and a pan sauce – the other was a rolled breast with lardo and zucchini with a fennel sauce.

As you can see, there is a nice piece of zucchini next to the bay leaves. Also, the leg was rolled in pastry and fried – yummy!

This dish was a sliced breast very nicely cooked with the tomato gel and a fried basil leaf.

Next up…Osso Bucco !!!

A very Italian dish in general, this was made in a braise form within a tomatoish sauce for about 3.5 hours. It was plated with orzo (in Italian, orzo is pearled barley) which was cooked just like risotto. A very hearty, wintery dish; very easy to prepare too!

Dessert in Tuscany was a bit rustic – we didn’t spend too much time on it because the other dishes took up so much of the day. The more notable were the Torta di Riso and the Fritto Misto di Dolce.

The torta di riso was kind of like a mix between a cheesecake and rice pudding! It was good, rustic – with lemon zest and honey. Served with a crema inglese as the sauce.

The fritto misto included Apple and Pear brought by the chef from Tuscany. That was nice too but a bit early for both the fruits – we also fried some dough for a classic Tuscan dolce but I cant remember the name – it is in the photo – the dough with powdered sugar – cut in half at one end to form something that might look like feet!?!

I am going to end this session with the group pic – like normal! By this week (9) – everyone knew this was going on the web so you can see Bart (Canada) and Taka (Japan) having some fun! Ciao to all if you are reading this!

Well, that was week 9!

Soon to come…

Mozzarella di Bufala and the trip to Campania

Parma – the cheese and the vinegar

Umani Ronchi

A few more Salumi and Formaggio shots and Graduation!

Thanks for reading!

Ciao,

Ore

[docsconz]

Superb as usual, Ore, and worth the wait! For awhile I thought the pears around the custard were mushrooms! Awesome photos. If you ever get tired of preparing food for a living, I have no doubt that you can make it as a food photographer.

[Ore]

Ciao,

I am going to start off with the Campania trip and Mozzarella di Bufala. Then I will write about Parma, the cheese and the vinegar. I will then go into Umani Ronchi, a Marche region winery near Jesi. I will end with a few shots of our Salumi and cheese tastings and two pictures from graduation. Thanks for reading!

Mozz and Campania

With the Slow Food school in Jesi we went out to the Campania region (where I am now currently staging). The drive was long but we took country roads and the scenery was amazing. We stayed at an Agriturismo where they raised bufala – the type of animal used to make the Mozzarella di Bufala. Unfortunately, I can’t find the name of the place I but I do remember that the lady who runs it goes by the name Sicillia. She actually has two Agriturismos – one really nice one – with a pool, and the more rustic one we stayed at with the cows!

The area was not for from Paestum, an ancient city that we visited. Here is a shot of some of the things you can see if (when) you visit Paestum.

Nice, huh!?!

This next shot is of Dai making some pizza at a wonderful pizzeria. The name of the pizzeria is Il Panorama (or so) and it was way up in the hills – with a great (panoramic) view! The pizza is rated highly in one of the Gambero Rosso guides for pizzerias. We had a blast and ate a bunch of pizzas – some made by them, some made by Dai (Japan).

Next up – Mozzarella cheese – the real stuff!

Here is the place we visited. It was a Sunday morning, around 10.30 and the crew was in full effect, making cheese throughout our 45 minute visit.

Here is what Bufala look like!

Note – these are just calves

Here is another view – more up close!

This was the view from my window! (from the Agriturismo)

The process –

The cheese curd comes into the plant in large (20 kg) blocks. The curd is cut and put into a shredding machine so it is easier and faster to melt.

The curd is put into a large stainless steel vat and boiling hot water (the water was heated by steam just to the boil and then shut off) (unsalted) is added slowly, one pitcher at a time – the water is then drained off – the cheese maker uses a wooden dowel to stir the cheese – he brings it to one side and scoops the excess water away.

Here you can see the dowel he uses, as well as the scoop. The vat further away is being drained – the guy holding the colander catches any cheese that may try to escape

– the drained water may be used to make ricotta but most likely is discarded (the ricotta it would make would be very tough, not creamy and smooth like ricotta made by people who make ricotta).

Here is another shot of the draining process – as you can see – this is all hand made – the cheese makers all wear plastic aprons and tall boots as liquid really gets all over the place – a very wet process.

Once drained, this is what the blob of cheese looks like. One person stays stirring this blob as the others work quickly, while the cheese is still warm, to form and shape the individual pieces.

Here is a shot of the whole group – it is a 4 person team. The man on the far left is stirring the blob while the two men form and shape the pieces. The lady is making the braided mozzarella.

Here is a closer view of the two men shaping the cheese – they actually push and pull the pieces to form the right size and shape. The water they are using is hot, but at a workable temperature – still salt free.

The baths here are where the cheeses finally get to rest, in a salty environment. The water is salted with sea salt and the cheese is left to get seasoned. When you bite into a good piece of Mozzarella, you will notice the seasoned, slightly salty outer part and the creamy, tangy, creamy inner cheese. Yummy!

Here is an outside shot of the building – not a very large place at all, but very clean and organized well.

And here is their price list, hanging on the wall of the cheese store at the plant. The Prodotti Specialli all had to be ordered ahead of time – so I couldn’t buy any Burrata – by far my favorite preparation for pasta filata cheeses!

So, that is it for Mozzarella and the Campania trip – on to Parma, the cheese and the vinegar.

One weekend we went with the school to Emilia Romagna, probably the richest region (food wise) in all of Italy. We visited the Parmigiano Reggiano plant and then the Acetaia Picci – both owned by the same people.

Like with the Mozz, I will start off with the animals. These cows are fed a special diet of high quality, specially selected straws, grasses and herbs. The cows are not allowed to be given any type of antibiotic to produce the real cheese so their diet is very important, for their health and well as for the flavor of the cheese. Here is a shot from inside the barn.

Luckily, on the day we visited, a baby cow was being born. With the help of one of the workers, this calf was born quickly and was a female – so everyone on the farm was happy about that (produce milk).

note – that’s the momma cleaning up the baby!

OK – so the milk is taken over to the cheese plant – about one kilometer away from the farm. Rennet is applied to the milk and the curdling begins.

The cheese makers use wooden oars to lift the curd off from the bottom of the copper vat and slide a piece of cheesecloth underneath.

They then work and form the cheese magically into a very nice shape – the cheese is very, very heavy!

The cheese maskers then cut the piece of cheese to form to individual pieces. In this plant, there were six copper vats – so at one time they can make twelve pieces of cheese (plenty!)

After the cheese is cut, it is then divided, formed again, and then tied to rest until all twelve pieces are ready.

I think I forgot to mention that this cheese is really, really heavy!!!

After all the pieces are ready, the go into a press. This helps shape the cheese. You can see here that the cheese was made on August 5th, 2004. The number two on both cheeses is the number of the copper vat – 1 through 6 –

After it is shaped and stamped, the cheese is put into a salt bath. This bath is where the cheese picks up a lot if its characteristic flavor – also here, sea salt is used and the humidity level is always monitored.

After the slat bath, the characteristic label is pressed into the cheese – here is what that press looks like –

Here is a shot of a wheel of cheese ready to be aged. See how nice that press works!?!

So, when the cheese is ready to be aged, it is trucked over to a fairly new warehouse, across the street from the farm where the cows live. In this building, which is humidity and temperature controlled, the wheels are aged.

The cheese is stacked really high up! Take a look for yourself!

Lots of cheese, huh!?!

The cheese is aged here until it is ready for market. Afterwards, we went back to the farm and tasted the cheese. It was all very good!

Now for the cheeses classic counter partner, the vinegar.

Acetaia Picci, like I mentioned earlier, is owned by the same people as the cheese factory we visited. The vinegar is quite popular and its label looks like this.

The grapes used for this vinegar are all grown on property. I recall them mentioning that they are of Spanish origin, I can’t exactly recall the other info (sorry!). The juice is pressed and cooked down slowly; it is then aged in these barrels below – according to the recipe of the house, and how long they want it to be aged for.

Here is a shot of one of the rooms where the vinegar is aged. Basically, this was a large house. The kitchen area is where the cooked juice was made. Then, the whole house was used as the aging space. The higher up we went, the smaller the barrels got. The really aged vinegar, in the small barrels, were most abundant on the top floor of the house – maybe because it is most humid there, maybe because it is hottest – not sure – maybe because it is hard to schlep large barrels of vinegar up three flights of stairs!

At lunch, in a nearby Michelin starred restaurant, we had a balsamic vinegar lunch. All our plates had a nice amount of vinegar on them too!!

On to Umani Ronchi –

Umani Ronchi is a nice sized winery in the Marche region – near Ancona. The wines they make are all really special.

Here is a shot of the Slovenian oak barrels they use to age their wine. The barrel room was lined with clay tiles and the border of the room was lined with gravel – they say it helps keep a constant temperature and humidity level without using too much energy.

The new barrel room, designed by the winemaker’s good friend, is underground, resembling a cave. The architecture is really great.

Within the barrel room there is a really nice, well designed tasting room. Here we enjoyed a wide taste of wines Umani Ronchi produces.

Finally, here are the wines that we tasted. My favorite being the big, red, Rosso Cunero named Cumaro. The Botrytis affected dessert wine (Maximo) was very good too!

On to - the last few Salumi and Formaggio shots and then Graduation!

Here is a shot of a few of the many cheeses we tasted throughout the Slow Food course.

These were all cheeses from the northern part of Italy. Four of the six were goats milk too!

Here is a shot of a wide variety of Salumi – that solid brick of white fat, lardo, is something I hope people in the US learn to like – it is somewhat of a staple here in the Italian kitchen and I don’t know how accepted it would be to use it in the US – lard has such a bad name in the states – but always tastes sooo good!

Also, you can see some ‘nduja – the red stuff that is very soft and spreadable. And quite spicy! There is also Sopressata on the right of the lardo and a ciauscollo on the left of the lardo!

These next two shots are of Graduation – yes, we graduated, but we also put on a show for the guests of the school – we cooked for thirty people – I mostly watched as the other ten tried plating up - quite chaotic with that many people in a kitchen!!!

and FINALLY – here is a group shot with Giussepina in the middle (kitchen manager of the school).

Okay –

I hope you all enjoyed this! Thanks for reading!

Ciao,

Ore

[albiston]

Ore,

congratulations for the graduation and thanks for sharing this experience with all of us here on eGullet. This has been a fantastic and informative thread throughout and always a pleasure to read.

A couple of notes on your last post.

I notice your visit at the mozzarella plant concentrated on the shaping phase of production. I was wondering if they gave you any explanation on how they make and age the curd. That's actually the crucial step for mozzarella flavor. Maybe they just didn't want to give too many secrets away .

The grapes used for this vinegar are all grown on property.  I recall them mentioning that they are of Spanish origin, I can’t exactly recall the other info (sorry!).

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Could it be that the grapes were Trebbiano? It's the same grape used for Cognac (ugni blanc) and AFAIK the traditional grape for Balsamico.

[docsconz]

Ore, another outstanding post.

The agriturismo you stayed out near Paestum is Seliano and the woman is Baronessa Cecilia Baratta, a marvellous woman. Your post brought back many memories for me as it was one year ago at this time that I was there with my son. We stayed in the main house and werre the only guests. This was just prior to the Slow Food Congress in Naples. We toured the farm as well as got the tour of the mozzarella production. The stuff is heavenly. The outstanding ingredient that I had there for the first time were pomodorini del Vesuvio. Wow! They are the best tomatoes I have ever eaten - and they were canned. For awhile I used a photo of one of the bufala as my avatar.

After Naples, my son and I went up to Modena where we visited a parmaggiano producer very similar to the one you posted on and also an acetaia. The acetaia we visited was Acetaia del Cristo. We sampled a couple of different 100 year old balsamicos there. That was one of the highlights of my life. It was a great trip. Thanks for helping to bring it back with vivid detail!

[Mr. Blister]

Ore,

Thanks for sharing your travels with a cube locked lurker like me. Truly inspirational. I hope you continue to post.

[Ore]

Ciao,

As mentioned somewhere on page 3 of this thread - this info is quasi 2 months old - I do appologize for that but with the move from Jesi to Nusco and the work, work, work (the US should somehow incorporate this Staging thing into Labor Law - I wanna work some Italians when my time comes!!) I just got caught up.

Next up will be my post on the Salone del Gusto - my take on it - so look for it here as well as on the Salone thread.

Ciao,

Ore

(Alberto) - the grapes are Trebbiano = thanks for helping me remember. They did not mention anything about the curd. I didn't know that was the most important part of the process - it seemed to arrive packaged from somewhere else though - it looked and tasted like normal cheese curd, a bit more tangy than that of a cow - thats about it - def. gonna look into it though!

(Doc) - Thangs for naming the Agriturismo! She has been here, to Nusco, and is good friends with my chef as it turns out!

[docsconz]

(Doc) - Thangs for naming the Agriturismo!  She has been here, to Nusco, and is good friends with my chef as it turns out!

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Cecilia really is a marvellous person. She personally drove my son and I to a nearby hilltown that my maternal grandmother was born in. This reminds me that I really need to get in touch with her just to say hello.