A year of Italian cooking

[Kevin72]

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.

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We get that here, but it's obviously nowhere close to as fresh and I found it indistinguishable from ricotta salata at that point.

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!

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We had "pork jerky" in Rome that was rubbed with chilies. Really good stuff; lasted us the rest of the trip.

[FoodMan]

I also find the Proscuitto we get here and especially the Canadian Pancetta much saltier than the European stuff. Same goes for other things like Serrano.

[Kevin72]

I think that's because of the longer cure, right? Sits longer in the salt and takes on a more assertive flavor.

[Behemoth]

I also find the Proscuitto we get here and especially the Canadian Pancetta much saltier than the European stuff. Same goes for other things like Serrano.

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I've given up on imported hams in favor of the Salumi (Batali) stuff from Seattle. Okay, no boar, but everything that I've tasted so far has been great. It must be the shorter cure times, much more delicate. A place near me brings it in, but you can order it online too.

[albiston]

I think that's because of the longer cure, right?  Sits longer in the salt and takes on a more assertive flavor.

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Any particular reason why the cure is longer (or has to be longer maybe) in the US?

[Kevin72]

I'm thinking maybe something to do with likelihood of spoilage or bacterial infection? As in, if it's been in a cure for 300 days it has a 2% chance of spoilage or infestation but at 400 days it's .05% or whatever . . . figures are obviously made up on my end, of course.

Or maybe it has to do with how well the U.S. felt that it would withstand shipping.

[Kevin72]

Previously, I've discussed my favorite way of cooking vegetables, learned from Mario Batali and Faith Willinger: braise it slowly in olive oil, an aromatic, and chilies, then finish with mint. This works not just as a contorno, but is also an excellent condimento for pasta. So, last night, we had spicy spaghetti with pumpkin.

In this Batali recipe, you caramelize some onions and chilies, add the pumpkin and get them browning as well and cook until they are softened through (I add water and cook it off). Toss with spaghetti, mint, and pecorino, the key in these kinds of pasta dishes.

Again, I can't emphasize enough how pure and sweet the vegetables emerge from this process. Try it, if you haven't already.

[hathor]

mmmm...that pasta looks mighty fine!

I'm back in the 'old country' and just bought 3 different kinds of pecorino at the market: the red rind, something fantastic that had been aged in 'grana' and a young pecorino. A basket full of goodies. Pecorino is really the chameleon of cheeses.

I'm surprised to see that the US gov't gets into the aging time for salumis. I thought for sure that there had to be a certain level of perservatives as well. That said, I know its ok to bring in aged cheeses, but I don't know the logic on that one.

Kevin, your antipasto plate looked pretty good too! Looks like you did just fine!

ciao!

[Kevin72]

There's a good dose of speculation in what I'm saying about the salumis, mind. Though I'm pretty sure on the whole prosciutto/100 days extra thing; I just can't remember where I heard it. And speculation again, maybe one way around the preservative issue was then to require the longer initial cure?

[Kevin72]

A Farewell to Tuscany weekend.

Saturday night we had a Tuscan seafood sweep, dictated largely by the market, and inspired by recipes from my various Tuscan cookbooks.

We started with shrimp in arugula sauce, based on Giuliano Bugiali’s Foods of Tuscany cookbook.

The shrimp are steamed, peeled, then steeped in a marinade of pureed arugula, some of the shrimp’s cooking water, lemon juice, and olive oil for a few hours. Serve with bread to mop up all the marinade.

We then continued with a spicy clam soup. For maybe the third time ever, my local market on this day was carrying very tiny clams, similar in size to cockles or vongole verace. They even made that nice tinkley glass-like sound stirring them around!

Last week when we went to New York, we ate at Mario Batali’s flagship restaurant Babbo and had their steamed cockles in tomato broth. This was an attempt at a recreation, though I didn’t get anywhere close to the intense, tomato flavor that Batali’s dish has to it. Also, interestingly, I cooked it in a pot I normally cook our oatmeal in. I buy steel-cut oats and then cook them very slowly with a few cinnamon sticks overnight in a low oven. So despite being well-cleaned out, the pot had apparently, tagine-like, absorbed the cinnamon flavors and gave it up back into the dish. Not entirely unpleasant, either, but certainly unexpected. I got flashbacks from Sicily cooking!

We finished with roasted snapper with potatoes and tomatoes.

Edited November 1, 2005 by Kevin72 (log)

[Kevin72]

Panforte, take two.

This time I used Divina's Recipe that she so generously provided. I heated the honey and sugar in the microwave so it wouldn’t seize, and baked it much less than I did the first time out. And I was well pleased with the results. Moist, intense, flavorful, no bitterness, and not at all hard. Thanks Divina, Anzu, and Pan for all the tips!

Edited November 1, 2005 by Kevin72 (log)

[Kevin72]

Sunday night was the foray into game I had hinted at wanting to do at the start of the month. It was based on descriptions glimpsed on various menus when we were strolling around San Gimagnano.

We started with bruschetta e lardo, the cured fat in question having been taken back with us from New York last weekend. I chopped a good hunk of it up fine in a food processor, then spread it over the hot-off-the-grill bread and it melted right in to create a sweet, rich new layer of decadence. I had a version of this in Florence at Cibreo and this actually brought back memories of that item.

The primo was papardelle with a quail ragu.

Papardelle is a common pasta pairing for a game ragu of some sort or another in Tuscany, most typically boar, hare, or duck. I’ve done a duck version of this before and found that it got lost in all the big flavors of the dish (besides the added expense of having to buy and break down several ducks since duck legs aren’t so commonly available in Dallas). Of all the game birds I can easily get to, I feel that quail has a most distinctive flavor and decided to make a ragu of them based on a secondo recipe for roasted quails and tarragon from Pino Luongo’s A Tuscan in the Kitchen cookbook. I browned the quail off and then simmered them with white wine and stock until they were off-the-bone tender, then shredded the meat up and tossed it back in the pot with some tarragon. (Tarragon is actually a very common herb in Tuscany and Luongo relates that it's virtually a weed since it grows everywhere). Very distinctive, earthy, autumnal dish.

The secondo was grilled boar chops with a chocolate-chianti sauce.

I had mentioned that the Central Market (a gourmet, Texas-only chain similar to Whole Foods) nearest me carried boar last fall but they didn’t sell well. When talking to the butcher there, he revealed that another one, closer to downtown, did carry them. I called to confirm this, then headed off Saturday. Naturally I get there and nobody knew what I was talking about. I nearly had a nervous breakdown (oh what I do for my food!) but after insisting that they keep checking they finally dug some up. On the plus side, for all my stress, I did see those lovely little clams at the neighboring seafood stand and snapped those up for that night’s dinner.

So I was going to marinate the boar chops in red wine, rosemary and juniper berries as Luongo recommends to do with all game. But then I decided I wanted the pure taste of the game to come through, which was in itself only a surface rationalization since I realized when I got home that I was out of juniper and didn’t want to go back out. So I seasoned ‘em and tossed them on the grill, then served a reduction of chianti, stock, cinnamon, and rosemary with bitter chocolate stirred in at the last minute. The boar was pretty good, different-tasting, a more rich note to it, and certainly not the fiasco that the attempt at rabbit was.

Dessert was a Florentine apple tart from Mario’s show which he says in similar to the clafoute (sp?) technique. I’m not familiar with what that technique is but you basically layer fruit on the bottom of a dish, then spoon a leavened, sweetened batter over the top and pop it in the oven. A nice capper for the meal.

I just recently realized, quite wistfully, that I didn’t have any vin santo to go with the meals this month, and here in particular it would have been a fine way to end the meal.

[Kevin72]

Halloween night we tucked into some pumpkin soup, a now fairly traditional meal that is served at some point during this week. I roast the pumpkin for a deeper, sweeter flavor and add buckets of sage. I’ve done any number of condiments with this from chili oil, to parmigiano, to pecorino, and all are good compliments. I even made it Spanish-style once and added some pureed roasted peppers and a good jot of pimenton over the top.

We had a similar soup, again at Cibreo, and this was probably the standout dish, quality-wise, from that meal. (The other standout, for other reasons, would be the roasted chicken head that came with the stuffed neck I ordered).

So that concludes Tuscany. I again wish the weather had been a little more cooperative, and in fact once again the weather reports show some unseasonably warm weather possibly heading our way by week’s end (though Halloween was appropriately blustery and bleak). Too, I feel that I blundered some key dishes on the way and so that added to some frustrations, though I was pleased with the final group of meals we capped the month with.

Two arch-Tuscan items I didn’t get to make but would have given just one more weekend: ribollita, the famous minestrone that is further fortified with bread and served in varying degrees of thickness. Truth be told, though, that damned pappa al pomodoro soup I made earlier in the month made for two weeks worth of lunches and just kept regenerating no matter how much we ate, so I was leery of another bread-based soup. The other item was arrista, a bone-in pork roast, very simply seasoned when compared to porchetta.

[lexy]

Have you ever made your own pasta? (I know, I could go back through the thread, but there are 22 pages of it now ) It could add some additional drama to the last two months of your goal

[Kevin72]

Yes, quite often. The papadelle, for instance, was homemade. About the only kind I don't make are the thin string pastas and the tubes. And yes, learning to make it was quite the challenge initially. I can't tell you how many temper tantrums that lead to on my part.

[Chufi]

I never cooked (or ate! ) quail, but that pappardelle dish really makes me want to try some! What's your favorite Italian way of cooking quail?

[Kevin72]

A good starter recipe is to wrap their breast meat in pancetta, stuff the cavity with garlic and rosemary or sage, and then braise them with white wine.

They have a pretty delicate, almost sweet meat so alot of recipes play up that angle. I was quite fond of the quail in cognac I did for Le Marche, and normally, the grilled quail skewers with pancetta cubes and polenta that I did earlier this month is one of my very favorites. Here again, you marinate them in honey, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to give them a nice glaze after grilling. I did quite enjoy this most recent preparation; it's something to consider once you've had them by themselves to enjoy their flavor on its own.

I should note that the quail I can get here is almost exclusively "sleeve" or "glove" boned meaning the ribcage has been removes, which cuts down considerably on the production and makes them much easier to pull apart for this pasta recipe.

[FoodMan]

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.

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I made it a point to look for the Alessi oils you mentioned Kevin, hoping to find an alternative to my current favorite-without-being-too-pricy oil (Newman's Own Organic EVOO, has excellent olive flavor, produced in Tunisia for $9.99/750ml at Kroger). However, I could not find any at my local HEB. Instead I noticed that they have Colavita brand with oils from different regions like Alessi. I believe they had at least 2, one from tuscany (of course) and the other....I can't quiet remember, somewhere south near the heal (yeah they had a map on the bottle ). The problem is that each bottle is 500ml and cost $20! Mamma mia...I can buy top notch oils from CM for that much money. Ever tried it though? Is it worth that price tag?

Elie

[Kevin72]

No, if I'm going to shell out $20 for Olive oil I go with Frantoio, one of my favorites. It has a very grassy, peppery flavor and I love it. I don't think I've seen Colavita's brands. CM doesn't carry the Alessis though? How odd.

Edit: Puglia is where that other kind came from. It is an olive oil powerhouse and produces most of Italy's olive oil, even, unfortunately, some branded and marketed as coming from Tuscany or other regions.

Edited November 1, 2005 by Kevin72 (log)

[FoodMan]

No, if I'm going to shell out $20 for Olive oil I go with Frantoio, one of my favorites. It has a very grassy, peppery flavor and I love it.  I don't think I've seen Colavita's brands.  CM doesn't carry the Alessis though?  How odd.

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I have not checked at CM yet. Only HEB. I agree about Colavita's price. I guess it might be good, but for that price I am almost sure not as good as others.

[Behemoth]

I have not checked at CM yet. Only HEB. I agree about Colavita's price. I guess it might be good, but for that price I am almost sure not as good as others.

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Man Elie, I need to know how you deal with the olive oil situation. I used to buy a nice and reasonably priced brand I was turned on to by some guys at the italian market in Philly, but here I've been going with Colavita extra fruity. I think it's actualy quite good. Frantoio also used to be reasonably priced in Philly (this was my go-to garnishing oil), but here it is astronomical, and only available in musty old "gourmet" stores so has usually been on the shelf too long. Would try others but I've been bitten a couple of times and that's money I hate to waste since I really notice it. I'm starting to appreciate how spoiled were growing up, no? (For those of you not spending a lot of time on the ME and Africa forum, Elie and I grew up in the same part of Lebanon, a big olive oil producing area. )

[Kevin72]

I was shocked and angered at how cheap Frantoio is on the east coast. I guess now I know why Mario says that it's his "cheap cooking oil" though.

[FoodMan]

I have not checked at CM yet. Only HEB. I agree about Colavita's price. I guess it might be good, but for that price I am almost sure not as good as others.

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Man Elie, I need to know how you deal with the olive oil situation. I used to buy a nice and reasonably priced brand I was turned on to by some guys at the italian market in Philly, but here I've been going with Colavita extra fruity. I think it's actualy quite good. Frantoio also used to be reasonably priced in Philly (this was my go-to garnishing oil), but here it is astronomical, and only available in musty old "gourmet" stores so has usually been on the shelf too long. Would try others but I've been bitten a couple of times and that's money I hate to waste since I really notice it. I'm starting to appreciate how spoiled were growing up, no? (For those of you not spending a lot of time on the ME and Africa forum, Elie and I grew up in the same part of Lebanon, a big olive oil producing area. )

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The Newman's Own brand is pretty good with a nice fruity taste and reasonable price. It's been my everyday olive oil for some months now.

[Nathan P.]

I was shocked and angered at how cheap Frantoio is on the east coast.  I guess now I know why Mario says that it's his "cheap cooking oil" though.

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I have to ask; how much is it on the east coast. It is $17/750ml on the west coast.

And, are we going to see an Italian take on Thanksgiving?

[Kevin72]

I have to ask; how much is it on the east coast.  It is $17/750ml on the west coast.

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That's about what I saw on the East Coast. Here in Texas though it goes for anywhere between $20-$24.

And, are we going to see an Italian take on Thanksgiving?

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