A year of Italian cooking

[mrbigjas]

For the secondo, we had tonno del Chianti, a recipe from Paula Wolfert's superb Slow Mediterranean Kitchen cookbook. The "tonno" in the title is actually pork, which is liberally seasoned with black pepper, bay leaves, fennel seeds, and salt, then left to sit overnight.  The next day you submerge it in oil, then bring to a gradual simmer and cook for a long time, some in the stove, and some in the oven.  Let it sit in this oil (in the fridge) for a few days to develop its flavors, then reheat gently and serve.

i assume you don't use your $30/bottle artisanal olive oil for this...

[Kevin72]

Hell, I was cringing just using up half that jug I got in the supermarket for $17.

I guess true Tuscans would insist otherwise, but yeah, I wouldn't go for that. All that heat and those other flavors would break down alot of the oil's flavor I would think.

[Adam Balic]

Hell, I was cringing just using up half that jug I got in the supermarket for $17. 

I guess true Tuscans would insist otherwise, but yeah, I wouldn't go for that.  All that heat and those other flavors would break down alot of the oil's flavor I would think.

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Kevin - very good quality olive oil from local co-ops is relatively (OK very cheap), so it is used in a most cooking. Life is pretty good when you have a plate full of squash floweres fried in Olive oil, a bottle of wine and obviously a loaf of bread. For what ever reason the flavours of the oil do come though as well.

[hathor]

I wasn't going to tell him about the local co-op oil.... our local molino was practically giving it away in Sept to make room for the new batch....

[Chufi]

happy anniversary Kevin!

That cannellini bean soup is one of my favorites too, but it has never looked as beautiful as yours, with that swirl of liquid gold on top.

[Behemoth]

I wasn't going to tell him about the local co-op oil.... our local molino was practically giving it away in Sept to make room for the new batch....

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It's true in Lebanon as well. And so many dishes feature olive oil (and lots of it) as a main flavor component.

[Kevin72]

Kevin - very good quality olive oil from local co-ops is relatively (OK very cheap),

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I wasn't going to tell him about the local co-op oil.... our local molino was practically giving it away in Sept to make room for the new batch....

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. . .

[Nathan P.]

Kevin - very good quality olive oil from local co-ops is relatively (OK very cheap),

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I wasn't going to tell him about the local co-op oil.... our local molino was practically giving it away in Sept to make room for the new batch....

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That is just annoying to hear. My local oil producer has a retail price of ~$25 per half liter. Motivated by the comments of those in Italy, I sent them an email last night asking when they are going to put on a special for locals who show up at the press with their own bottles.

[divina]

Looking good!

Sorry I haven't been here to contribute.. but it is high season here and I am cooking like crazy!

a few things...

here is my panforte or panpepato recipehere

I only heat the honey and sugar together and I find that boiling them too much make them hard!

I like to use just almonds..

here we have access to candied Melon, Pumpkin, orange rind....that makes it fabulous, but I think that other dried fruits are nice too, but not raisins, would like figs, pears apricots..

there are other regiona desserts .. with just figs and walnuts that are nice too!

As for the Panzanella, I also soak in water.. prefer it! Vinegar should blend in..and not drown out the flavors!

Tuscans aren't into huge Antipasti, crostini are always part, chicken liver of course, sausage and cheese as ADam mentioned, prefered RAW!!! but also good broiled.

salami.. salami.. salami!!! wild boar, finocchiona, tuscan with pepper and large pieces of fat.. or yes ...LARD!

Need some homework?

Fried polenta crostini with wild boar sauce..

minestrone

Crespelle alla Fiorentina

Ravioli Nudi ( on my site)with walnut pesto

Peposo ( on my site) a beef pepper stew

Biscotti di Prato ( for Adam)

White truffles are in season now!

check it out on my blog!

Judy

[MarkDM]

Kevin,

It's ridiculous- I'm so busy with the restaurant I can't get the travel notes from my Basilicata/Puglia trip written (from last May) and I can barely keep up with your culinary adventures. Living in Florida I can empathize with your despair of the heat. Today, we just dipped below 75 degrees I think for the first time since April. As we approach the relatively cooler season I plan to introduce some of what I consider cool weather Italian dishes in the restaurant- the cannelinni bean soup, all'amatriciana, and some of the heartier Tuscan dishes. Will let you know how the customers like it. I'm at www.peppermillofclearwater.com.

Mark

[Pan]

Judy, do you prefer Nannini's panforte to Sapori? I did. And there are so many other interesting confections in their store on the Banchi di Sopra in Siena. I recall really liking their torrone, for example.

Is there any evidence of what was used in panforte instead of chocolate before trade routes were opened from Europe to the Americas?

[kellytree]

bean soup is my favorite winter dish.

It is so easy to make, dirt cheap to make, and until now I have never had any left over!

[divina]

Most panforte is without chocolate!

I have a fabulous book by Giovanni Righi Parenti where I will look up the history.

the DROGHE is one of most fabulous blends I buy, a really rich sort of pumpkin pie spice.. or rather what pumpkin pie spice SHOULD be!

there is Spezie Regina and Droghe, which were sold by Farmacy's ( Parenti's family is one of these)

They are also used in Meat sauces and sausage making, gives an incredible flavor!

which is also what was used in savory dishes with wine, before tomatoes came into cooking too!

[Kevin72]

We went to New York this weekend for an anniversary present, so no cooking. We did meet none other than Hathor and her husband for a fun dinner at Le Streghe though!

The plan was to stock up on all kinds of neat salumi and cheeses and then come back and have a little meal Monday night with them. I snapped up a couple of items at the Italian market in Chelsea Market but held out thinking that Italian Wine Merchants sold some as well (they didn't). We popped into a few delis in Little Italy but didn't pick up any more; most of what I saw I could get back in Dallas. So we had the meal anyways, just with stuff I bought more locally.

Take this, Ballic!

The two cheeses were two different pecorinos; the one on the left was a Siennese variety (I think) that we bought in New York, the other is a softer, much younger kind that I really enjoyed. Didn't get the name, of course. Then you have, right to left, salami Toscane, finnochiona (sp?), and rosemary ham from the Tuscan province of Canada. In between the cheeses is some anonymous little salami as well. Served it with that loaf of saltless bread I mentioned previously that didn't rise so well; but it actually did turn out well so that's a relief. A more sourdoughy note to it this time, though.

Salumi misti, or affettati misti, is one of my all-time favorite meals. Even as a kid growing up, I loved it in the summer when we'd get a hunk of brie, some fruit, and some other kind of cheese and do a supper out of it. I even remember thinking that this sort of meal is why people like wine and started getting interested in that concept from there.

When we went to San Gimagnano, we walked up and down the main drag and kept popping into various salumerie and buying a hunk of this, a piece of that, and finally ended with a little bottle of wine. Then we walked to the outskirts of town, sat down on a bench overlooking a valley of fiery autumnal trees, and dug in. A little light rain was falling, but it didn't bother us. The smells of chimneys from the town wafted over us as we ate, making us even hungrier as we went along. Perfection.

[Kevin72]

BTW, in that pic above you see a bottle of Alessi olive oil "Toscana" style. They've recently rolled out a whole line of region-specific oils--I've also seen a Puglia variety, an Umbrian one, and an unfiltered kind. The Tuscan one is the best of the lot. At any rate though, they're all really good, and surprisingly cheap. I'm not claiming that they'll compare to the right from the mill co-op olive oils that SOME of us apparently have access to (Adamhathornathanp) but they're pretty serviceable.

[Kevin72]

Finally got Divina to weigh in, yay! Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. I'll be looking more closely into your paneforte recipe soon. Why wouldn't you want to use raisins? Is it just part of the tradition not to, or does it do something to the mixture? And I KNEW that the honey/sugar thing played a role in the final results.

Boar is frustratingly hard to come by in Dallas, despite the fact that most of the domesticated kind sold in the U.S. is raised on a farm in Texas. Our Central Market store carried boar last fall, but hasn't this year. I asked the butcher counter guy about it and he said that of the 40 lbs they ordered last year, they only sold 4 lbs of it and had to throw out the rest. I'm still looking around though.

[Kevin72]

Kevin,

It's ridiculous- I'm so busy with the restaurant I can't get the travel notes from my Basilicata/Puglia trip written (from last May) and I can barely keep up with your culinary adventures. Living in Florida I can empathize with your despair of the heat. Today, we just dipped below 75 degrees I think for the first time since April. As we approach the relatively cooler season I plan to introduce some of what I consider cool weather Italian dishes in the restaurant- the cannelinni bean soup, all'amatriciana, and some of the heartier Tuscan dishes. Will let you know how the customers like it. I'm at www.peppermillofclearwater.com.

Mark

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It's probably 40F outside as I write this, maybe even lower! I think the high yesterday was 62. Yessss!

Forgive my geographic ignorance, but where were you in relation to the hurricane's landfall? Hope everything made it through OK. And if customers don't like Tuscan fare, then there's something really, really wrong in Clearwater.

Impressive website! Your chef has quite a pedigree!

[Adam Balic]

Pecorino Senese/Senesi? It has a red rind from being rubbed with tomato paste (formally sheeps blood). Hey, your lucky to be getting all that, I have trouble getting it without traveling there.

Absolutely the best finnochiona I have had was produced from the Cinta Senese breed of pig. The fat in this was as soft as butter and not cut up too fine. Guess you can't get this in the States?

Nice picture, I had no idea that Texans were so competitive?

Edited October 25, 2005 by Adam Balic (log)

[Kevin72]

Pecorino Senese/Senesi? It has a red rind from being rubbed with tomato paste (formally sheeps blood). Hey, your lucky to be getting all that, I have trouble getting it without traveling there.

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I don't think so; the rind wasn't red.

Absolutely the best finnochiona I have had was produced from the Cinta Senese breed of pig. The fat in this was as soft as butter and not cut up too fine. Guess you can't get this in the States?

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I thought the fat in the Toscana salami was pretty well represented. Wouldn't be surprised if there was some breed holdup in getting that kind of salami to the U.S. though.

Nice picture, I had no idea that Texans were so competitive?

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Insecure, competitive . . . whatever. Though I will say my photo wasn't as artfully (un)arranged as the antipasti plates in your shots, and I can't get that warm, golden glow you suffuse your pics with.

[Adam Balic]

Yes, the fat is userly more distributed as you say, but this one was a little different, maybe as it was a small producer?

Does the USA allow import of meat goods like salami? Not the case in Australia, so I guess I assumed the same for the USA. Hell, I send you some the next time I am there if that is the case.

Natural light or photoshop does the trick.

A pity about the boar, but I have found that there is a big difference between the wild hunted stuff in Tuscany and the farmed Wild boar we get in Scotland, the latter is very mild, more so the domestic pork, the former can be quite gamey (I guess this comes down to sex, age and diet). So if you have access to good pork, try some of the wild boar recipes, especially some of the richer recipes, like the sweet and sour sauce with chocolate.

You know, I wish I had been smart enough to have thought of doing this project of yours. Your cooking just gets better and better and I am in awe of you bread making skills.

[Kevin72]

Thanks for the compliments, Adam.

I guess the key with importing salumi and cured meats into the U.S seems to be persistence. Prosciutto di Parma's been allowed in for over a decade now I think and that really opened the floodgates for other products, including the more recent San Daniele Prosciutto. We do require a longer cure, I think 100 more days on top of the standard 300 for Prosciutto, so that's why it tastes more sweet and meaty "over there". Alot of other cured meats follow the same route, they just need a much longer cure (e.g., why also pancetta is better over there). "Fresher" meats do not get a pass so cotechino and, I'm guessing mortadella (and maybe pancetta?), have to be made local in the U.S. or Canada. I don't think guanciale or lardo have made the cut yet so you've got upstarts here doing those as well. Nothing on the bone so you won't get prosicutti with the hoof on them. There's occasionally some hysteria induced by one livestock issue or another that shuts off shipments for a while but then fortunately we open it right back up. No unpasteurized cheeses can be shipped over; hopefully they'll give up on that one soon but I don't really see it happening.

As far as I know, you can't bring back any salumi with you from a trip, even if it meets the standards for commercial shipping. And I don't think you can privately mail them, either.

slkinsey's pretty knowledgeable about this stuff; maybe he'll venture along and chime in.

[divina]

the colr coding on the outside of pecorino's isn't where it is from, but for the aging.

Some has tomato paste, some ashes, then we get into the more flavoring techniques, such as Chestnut leaves, leftovers from winemaking,burying them in ashes, or in caves .....

I can buy a 2 day old pecorino that make me cry! i is made on Tuesday and sold on Thursday, in the spring, called Marzolino.

Pork shoulder works well for the Wild boar recipes.

also I would sugges Acqua cotta, or other recipes from Maremma, where the Butteri are. Tuscan cowboys..home on the range!

I had some INCREDIBLE chili rosemary aged beef that they carry around to snack on that I want to learn.. tuscan Beef Jerkey.. in cubes!

[lexy]

So now that you're coming up to the final stretch of your goal, what's next? Are you going to take a little cooking sabbatical? Launch into the cuisine of another country? A year of Taco Bell and frozen Lean Cuisine out of cooking exhaustion? I really enjoy this thread and I'll be sorry to see it end, so I hope you've got an enormous Italian year-end cooking blow-out planned to ease the pain

[Kevin72]

Actually I am getting a little anxious about it ending. It's been my main, everpresent project all year and I don't know how to occupy my time afterwards. How will I call attention to myself?

I'm nowhere near as knowledgeable about other cuisines and cultures so it'd be a while before I attempted others. I have some ideas, and actually I probably will do a little sabbatical afterwards and let my wife cook (and get us on a diet!).

That said though, yes, I'm planning quite the blowout the next couple of months.

[FoodMan]

Launch into the cuisine of another country? A year of Taco Bell and frozen Lean Cuisine out of cooking exhaustion?

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Please say it isn't so!!!!!!!!

Here is my take on what you can bring in the country, it all depends on the customs agent. Coming back from Spain this summer I had among other things, sausages, cheese and anchovies. The agent asked me what I am bringing in, I said "sausages, cheese and anchovies" , he says "Welcome back home" . I'm guessing if he was to go by the book he could've taken all of them and I would've been one sad tourist.