The Cooking and Cuisine of Friuli Venezia-Giulia

[Bernaise]

OK I am gob-smacked as my Brit friends like to say!

My father was born in a small town outside of an equally small town called Fagagna and my mother is a native of San Daniele.

I have lived in the Friul for months at a time. I can't wait to make a small contribution and if you would like, write a bit about some of the Christianized-pagan rituals and eats of the area.

As a tease....there is a sauce called "morcje" which is the milk solids slowly rendered out of butter and fortified with a tiny touch of cream. It forms a foamy like substance but tastes of nuts and the last time I was there it was napped over a ragout of mushrooms ='foncs dal bosc' and served on soft polenta.

[hathor]

Ciao Bernaise! Yes, yes and yes, please tell us everything! Particularly the pagan festival stuff! Oh, and a wee bit more info on that butter dish would be nice. Tease, hmmm....

Pontormo: I used parmigiana because I need to use some up before it goes rock hard. I don't add any flour to it either. I've tried it both ways and prefer it w/out. Although occasionally (sp?) I add some cayenne pepper to it to give it some zing.

[mrbigjas]

bernaise, that morcje sounds great--i've always wondered why no one does anything with milk solids from butter... i can't imagine the amount of butter you'd need for a decent amount of it though!

i noticed in reading several of those recipes that ludja linked to, they called for the onion or garlic to be cooked in the oil or butter, and then removed. is this common practice in the area? do you just throw them out, then?

[Pontormo]

I appreciate the link to Kevin's blog in January 2005 since Friuli-Venezia Giulia is covered beautifully. Orzotto with mushrooms is one of the dishes prepared.

Thank you, too, Hathor, for information on your frico. I am still trying to track down a local source for montasio. If unsuccessful, I may try using the last bit of Lombard capra in the fridge.

And Bernaise, it's wonderful to see both you and Ludja here, given your ties to this region. I would love to learn about your times in that part of Northern Italy and what your family knows about its traditions, especially as they pertain to seasons, important feast days and food. (While looking at online library catalogues, I found an Italian publication devoted exclusively to demons and witches in Friuli. It also seems that linguists have studied the dialect in great depth.)

* * * *

Last night I made Friuli Basil Soup with Vegetables, Beans and Barley, a recipe from Marcella Cucina where the photograph of the dish inspired my grocery list.

Last year, Kevin discussed the way he prepared Jota; the technique for this soup is identical in that three or four pots are on the stove at once before all the ingredients are combined. In this case, barley, pre-soaked cranberry beans, and vegetables are all cooked separately before they are combined. The recipe is perfect for vegetarians, nourishing, and for me, a wonderful introduction to the region.

I was influenced by comments made about Marcella Hazan's milder palate. Instead of boiling everything, I increased the number of onions and garlic cloves and sauteed all but one clove of garlic in olive oil first, before adding a chopped carrot, a cup of celery leaves (! this ingredient intrigued me), potatoes, zucchini and an entire bunch of deep red chard. These stewed in a minimal amount of water until they were mush.

Instead of pureeing the entire batch, as recommended, I left some solid, before combining the thick brown sludge with the grain and beans, pouring in olive oil and adding green beans and peas. After the flavors merge and new vegetables are fully cooked, a little butter and finely chopped basil are stirred in.

From what I understand, temperatures will climb steadily in the week ahead and by Saturday, we will be walking around in tee shirts and sandals. Last night, however, furies rode the wind, so this soup and a thick slice of bread were all that I needed.

[Bernaise]

My first trip to Friul was in the 70's when there was a "heritage preservation movement" in full swing!!

All of the street and town signs were "defaced" which is to say that the Italian spellings were spray-painted and replaced by the Friulano names or spellings. Having lurked about and contributed small bits to this site from time to time I am confident that people here are more informed and scholarly than me. So here are some of the details I found fascinating during my stays. Any town that ends in acco or icco are typically celtic in origin. Tavagnacco becomes 'Tavagna' and Ciconicco becomes 'Cicunins'.

On a visit in 1981, I witnessed, probably for the last time, a tradition which I was told was called know as the 'uvierte' this is translated as the 'the opening'. Everyone from the local town and apparently in older days from as far as the local 'borc' walks together just before the suns rises from farm to farm and arrranges stones in a distinct pattern and sings songs and prays that whatever is planted there will flourish and a harvest will be succesful. This is more touching when one considers how often hailstorms would wipe out an entire summers' work and that under the feudal system at least half of the production was handed over to the "lord". In 1981 it was revisited as a tribute to some very elderly persons, but oddly, a priest attended -and according to my Uncle Emilio or Barbe Milio-"no surprise, the church always pushes it's well fed nose where it is not wanted."

Barley is a common feature in lots of winter food...and although pork is king so is butter which doesn't seem to get as much play.

One of the dishes I enjoyed was "uardi e urties" barley and leafy greens-I believe are part of the nettle family and about 20 different green herbs-such as sorrel, mache. Also the more fragrant herbs, but in smaller and more toned down ways. A dish like this is a long cooking affair and typcially better reheated.

Next installment: different sausages some with milk and february bonfires!

[hathor]

i noticed in reading several of those recipes that ludja linked to, they called for the onion or garlic to be cooked in the oil or butter, and then removed.  is this common practice in the area?  do you just throw them out, then?

←

Mrbigjas, this is commonly done in quite a bit of Italian cooking. The garlic is just tossed away. Breaks my heart, and in honesty, there are only a few dishes where I'll actually obey the recipe and toss the garlic. Obedience not being my strong suit....

[hathor]

I wrote this after a ‘class trip’ to Friuli Venezia Giulia when I was a chef-student at Ital.Cook, which is a Slow Food sponsored school dedicated to teaching foreign chefs about regional Italian cooking.

Friuli, Apr 28-29, 2005

What an amazing trip we have had. The first word that comes to mind is hospitality, a most genuine, sincere, pleasure in sharing the wine, the food, and just the beautiful countryside.

Thursday morning we were up at 6:00 a.m. ready to pile into the Pullman bus, which by no stretch of the imagination, is comfortable. I’m only 5”2” and my knees are up around my throat, but I’m getting smarter, I brought my pillow.

At around 11:30, we rolled into our first stop in Friuli: Edi Keber. Now, picture this, after 5 ½ hours in the Pullman, after winding around and around on country roads that rolled over the spring countryside, we untangle ourselves out of the bus and have landed in a gorgeous vineyard. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and that yellow house right over there is the last house in Italy. We are literally a stones throw from the Slovenia border. Signor Keber was kind enough to give us a brief history of the area, about how borders were laid down that put his brother in Slovenia and him in Italy. Even with my limited understanding of Italian, I’m sure we got the ‘sanitized’ version of what must have been a very difficult time for everyone.

We started with a tour of the vineyard, where we were encouraged to feel the strange soil. It looks like shale until you pick it up and it literally crumbles in your hand. The stony consistency of the soil reminded me of the stones in Chateauneuf du Pape, and I’m sure they serve the same function keeping the grape roots warm. Then we moved on to his impressive cantina, part of which was an old stone potso (water storage well). We also engaged in a long conversation about the muffa (mold) and how he treasured the muffa he had growing and didn’t want to sterilize his cantina to meet international standards. Although I believe he does export and the bottle storage area was immaculate. But he had left much of the rock walls exposed and these dripped with moisture. Who can resist that yeasty smell of a dank cantina? Not I.

Then a wine tasting lunch that was simple and wonderful. We started with the Tokai, which is a light, fresh, summery wine. Then onto the more complex Collio which is a blended white wine. And along with this were home baked breads, cheeses, local salumi and a delicious barley based soup. All the traveling had certainly been worth it.

After we finished the soup, and by the way, we cleaned the pot out, Signor Keber brought out a bottle of his personal stash. And as he explained to us that he created this wine from the 2002 harvest, he never stopped stroking the bottle, as if it were a dear friend. This was an unfiltered wine, ‘turbido’ that he created only to please himself. If you do not like it, that is fine with him. If you do, then ‘piacere’. I thought it was lovely, you could practically taste summer in the glass. It was a complex blend of fresh peaches, and lemons and sea breezes and we were very honored that he chose to share this with us.

And then it was time to move on. We looped around some roads, crossing right near the Slovenia border with our cell phones picking up the Slovenia network, and headed to La Subidia where the cooking part of our day would begin. La Subidia calls itself a trattoria, but don’t be fooled, its very fine dining. Nestled down in the bosco, it is the definition of bucolic. As we shuffled ourselves into the front door, there was a large, welcome fire in the fireplace with a huge pot of boiling water. Within moments we were being given instructions on polenta making.

The large cast iron pot had a metal paddle in it that was attached to a crank. The polenta was poured into the boiling water as the crank turned the paddle to keep stirring the polenta. Although this was very welcoming, and the coffee we were instantly served was delicious, we were quickly herded downstairs to begin our Fruiliano cooking lesson.

It had been arranged to have 4 chefs come to demonstrate their cooking. As we settled into our chairs, the first chef deftly boned a goose in less than 3 minutes. The guy was an amazing goose boner! Chunks of goose were seared and a sauce begun. In the meantime, we had another polenta lesson.

At some point, the fireplace version of the cooked polenta came downstairs, And as we gathered around a budding tree by an old table, we watched as he plopped this huge vat of polenta on a rickety round board that had seen many a polenta plop, he then ‘cut’ it into portions with a thick string and we tasted polenta that was chewy and fireplace smoky and delicious. A far, far cry from that stuff you get in plastic tubes in the ‘gourmet’ counter.

By now, the goose was done in a luscious red sauce and we had our spoons all ready for him.

The next chef is a streghe. A magician with herbs. And a more convivial, warm, lively guide to herbs and Friuli you could not find. Her restaurant is called “Sale e Pepe. La Cucina de Theresa”. She has an amazing way of balancing flavors.  We had yet another polenta, this time a ‘black’ rough cut polenta that was served with butter toasted polenta, grated fresh horseradish and grated apple. It was superb.

Then a tasty little herb frittata, savory version and a sweet version.

Most of the dishes were sampled outdoors under the budding tree, overlooking the horse barn and the flowering rosemary, and the sun dappled tennis court. Oh, how we suffer.

Then we were invited to dinner. Can you imagine after all we had tasted and sampled, it was now dinnertime? And we were invited to dine in the private residence of the proprietor! So we trundled up the stairs, onto a magnificent outdoor porch overlooking this picture perfect countryside, and into a cocktail party! This was far beyond anyone’s expectations! Delicious ‘frico’, fried cheese treats were being passed, a huge proscuitto was being thinly sliced, large white asparagus with a spiral crust appeared and a delicious Collio wine was being poured. Truly, we had all died and gone to chef heaven.

Then dinner began in earnest and I honestly lost count of the courses. Each course brought a new wine to our glass. It was an amazing, amazing feast. Culminating is some fantastic venison and then roasted pork. Somewhere in all of this was a honeysuckle sorbetto intermezzo that was the embodiment of that delicate flower. There was a tortelli nut filled desert. And a sort of wanton, herb filled fried ravioli resting on a whipped honeysuckle cream. And 2 kinds of desert wine. We were all just stunned with the generosity of our hosts. And then the parting goody bags filled with grappa, and goose pate, goose prosciutto, cheeses. Just a stunning, stunning evening.

Capped off with complete hilarity when 6 of the guys staying at our agrotourismo realized they were all sleeping in letto matromoniales!

The next morning, by 9:00 we were watching Adriatic scampi and clams being pulverized into fragments the size of the risotto grains they were joining in the pan. We were shown the intricacies of making a particular pepper brodetto with orata that was completely and totally divine. We nearly licked the pot clean.

The next chef made some more polenta, this time with a luscious rich sauce of local cheeses. There was even a spectacular ‘herb gnocchi’, the chef initially said it was composed of only herbs, but after lots of questioning, there was some flour added to hold the gnocchi together.

And on and on it went… until it was time to leave our most generous host at La Subida (34017 Cormons, Gorizia Tel: 0481-60531) and go to taste some wine.

My notes get a little fuzzy here after a few cantinas, and just when we were starting to groan that we were onto yet another cantina…we went to Skok. Here is a name to watch. A young couple that currently has a very small production, only 3,000 bottles, runs the vineyard. But. The wine is simply outstanding. I can honestly say that, for me, this was the best red wine of the trip, a lovely merlot. And again, our hosts were charming, with lovely ‘nibbles’ and sausages, adorable dogs and beautiful gardens.

My only regrets are that I haven’t been able to get back there and explore the region again with family and friends.

Edited March 5, 2006 by hathor (log)

[Pontormo]

Hathor, what a wonderful document of your experience in this area. Now I understand your nostalgia better.

I am fascinated by those herbal gnocchi, especially the sauce. I know you said their creator was not especially forthcoming, but could you tell what kind of flour was used for the gnocchi? Egg, I presume? Ricotta or potato? Herbs in the gnocchi AND that brilliant green sauce?

It seems that the favored herbs are the same that we've been using during our month in Piemonte, and to some extent in Lombardia: sage and marjoram. I was surprised by the basil that finished off the soup that I made last night. Any others?

[hathor]

Pontormo, regarding the herb gnocchi, the chef used a ton of different herbs. Everything and anything he could get his hands on and that was available in May. As far as flour, your guess is as good as mine, but I'd bet on Tipo 00. He didn't admit to any eggs. Trade secret apparently. Sauce was a simple brown butter.

[Pontormo]

Thanks, Hathor!

To encourage members who have not yet sent a PM to Kevin listing their personal selections for Quarter 2 (April, May & June), I have been compiling the following overview. It is not the final word nor objectively comprehensive in scope. Nonetheless, I do hope it proves useful. (Since re-formatting a Word document here presents err, challenges, I have edited the document a little bit to ease reading after posting it. Red is used for regions we have not yet explored, green, those we've covered. However, italics are omitted for Italian words.) Anna Del Conte's Gastronomy of Italy is my primary--if not exclusive--source.

Regional Specialties of Italy

• Valle d'Aosta Mountainous region known especially for its Fontina. January 2006, combined with Piemonte given historical unification and affinities, although most members favored the latter.

• Piemonte Butter, butter, butter and milk. Cows and the nebbiola grape rule. Barolo especially makes this region, along with Toscana, most celebrated for its wines. However, the elegant white truffle of Alba is of great significance, too. Chocolates, especially gianduia. Sformati, or savory flans; risotto; braises. Anchovies, especially in bagna caoda. Antipasti are extremely popular, more so than most secondi. Cardoons. Trout with herbs, mushrooms and red wine sauce. Herbs, especially sage, play significant role. Major city: Torino, capital of the House of Savoy. Asti. Bra & the USIG. January 2006.

• Lombardia Ossobuco with Risotto Milanese perhaps its most famous combination and Gorgonzola most beloved cheese. Tortelli stuffed with pumpkin and sweet ingredients. Pizzocheri. As in Piemonte, butter prevails. Many dishes influenced by Renaissance court traditions, especially in Mantua. Veal chops, or pork, with meat flattened and breaded, flavored with sage. Marsala and sometimes grappa are used to flavor pasta fillings and sauces. Peck's in Milan, a food-lover's haven. Panettone, a studded Christmas cake, is gaining international popularity. February 2006.

• Trentino-Alto Adige Northern-most region with strong ties to Austria. Rye flour. Buckwheat polenta. Mushroom polenta. Apples. Pig. Strudel. Perfect for winter.

• Friuli-Venezia Giulia Contrast of cucina povera and refinement, most notable, perhaps, in soups versus Prosciutto San Daniele which many prize over the crudo of Parma. As in many humbler regions, vegetables and the pig dominate. Among the noteworthy soups the stew-like Jota may be most representative: made with pork, beans and sauerkraut or brovada, fermented turnips, in Friuli. Orzo (barley). Herb frittatas; seafood along the coast where clams and mussels are cultivated. Asparagus. Roots of Lidia Matticchio Bastianich make this region accessible for home cooks in search of recipes. March 2006.

• Veneto Squid ink strands and bigoli, thick noodles made with a special form or press; otherwise, polenta and rice are favored over pasta, as in risi e bisi, rice with peas. Radicchio. Fish. Poultry, including duck with pomegranates. Padua, Vicenza and Verona as well as Venice. Region's Pinot Grigios are big among US drinkers who feel obligated to have wine instead of beer when invited to a dinner party.

• Emilia-Romagna Sigh. Lasagna, tortellini and in general fresh pasta made with eggs, stuffed or not, in timbales, light broths, cream sauce. Controversy surrounds its Ragu Bolognese—here on EGullet and elsewhere. In addition to the importance of Bologna, there's also Modena with its balsamic vinegar, Ferrara with its bread, and Parma with its cheese (best in the world; this is NOT an opinion, but fact) and ham. Fruits are excellent, especially cherries, peaches and now kiwi. Region is well represented in cookbooks written in English, most notably The Splendid Table which Kevin featured in his blog last year. Warming, filling dishes suggest that November would be the first month I'd recommend for returning to this region.

• Liguria Pesto Genovese! Salads, fruits and foccacia! Olives, especially prized as fruity oil. Candied fruits are also a virtue. Beside the distinctive basil, marjoram rules in dishes that honor herbs while largely avoiding spices. Porcini and other mushrooms. Mussels, though fresh fish is not as central a component of this region as one might think. "If I were to be told I could eat dishes from only one of Italy's 20 regions, I would unhesitatingly choose Liguria," writes Anna Del Conte who was born in Lombardia. I'd bargain for at least five, but would like to feature this region in June.

• Toscana Celebrated for the wines of Chianti, especially, and unpretentious foods simply prepared such as grilled porcini glistening with olive oil and steaks high in the hills, squirted with lemon. Florentines are known as contrarian bean-eaters who gorge on tripe in the streets. Tourists usually buy paneforte, a dense fruit cake, when visiting Siena; they should then take the train to Lucca for some olive oil, a major component of Tuscan cuisine and go on to Prato for biscotti to dip into Vin Santo. Soups are great, especially ribollita made with beans, bread and cavolo nero. Arista, a luscious, herby pork roast; salami with figs; boar. Chestnut flour and walnuts. Along the coast: eels. Again, the region is a popular subject for Anglo-cookbook authors.

• Le Marche Seafood! Its brodetto, a great fish soup may be best known, but mussels are also important here. Braised beef. Porchetta. Pecorino. Cauliflower. Apples, peaches and cherries. A great antidote to some of the regions with heavy, filling food.

• Umbria Hathor's beloved region, a place to gawk, and in Assisi, a goal of pilgrims, tourists, scholars and high school students from France. Grilled meats in the open air. Salami flavored with wild fennel. Head cheese from piggies. Norcia's pig butchers and products are of renown. Boar. Black truffles and squab. Wonderful lentils. Polenta, pasta (including thick, hand-rolled strands) AND pizza. Soup called blò blò represents the rustic cooking of this region well…but there is also chocolate in Perugia should you care to indulge.

• Lazio The home of Rome, center of an empire from 27 BCE until the beginning of the fourth century, and now, the trattoria. Guanciale, especially in spaghetti (or penne) alla carbonara and fettuccine Alfredo. In addition to the great pastas, there is also farro, a hulled wheat similar to spelt. Arancini, or grain balls, are made with rice or farro. Pizza is white and meats are braised, stewed or stuffed and rolled. Broccoli rabe. Artichokes with mint in the spring and pumpkin in the fall. Stracciatella. Pecorino! While Mario Batali experienced conversion somewhere on the outskirts of Tuscany, Roman influences dominate Molto Italiano.

• Abruzzi Del Conte unites this region with Molise, claiming that while political administration separates the two, their cuisines are indistinguishable. Coastal areas, of course, known for fish. In mountains and inland, pork, some sheep and poultry. Chili peppers tell us we are moving south on the Italian peninsula, most notably in dishes diavoliacchio. Ventricia, as the beginning of the name implies, is made with pig's stomach, using chili peppers, wild fennel and oranges! Brodetto also prepared here, without saffron. Another soup called Le Virtu is traditionally prepared at the beginning of May, using up the vegetables left over from the previous season as one looks ahead to the riches of the next harvest.

• Molise See above. Inexpensive wines from these two regions increasingly available in North America.

• Puglia Major agricultural center on the southeast coast, thus vegetables dominate. Tomatoes, fennel, peppers, chicory. Raw fava beans dipped in EVOO. While some critics cannot get over what they perceive as an overpowering "burnt" taste, its red wines are now being more widely distributed worldwide. A summer month seems ideal.

• Campania Home of Naples and the birthplace of pizza…and [some would say THE] ragù. One of the first regions where Indian buffalo were introduced, the prized source of mozzarella, object of a heart-wrenching moment (set in Rome, though) shared between father and son in the great masterpiece of Italian Neo-Realism, The Bicycle Thieves. Vegetables reign, with the crown perhaps worn by the tomato of San Marzano, though it should be noted that locals are sometimes called mangiafoglie, or leaf-eaters. Fritto misto. Veal rolls. Torte di vedura are made with escarole, artichokes, etc. Cheese is essential as well. Since its Christmas traditions were honored last year, it would be interesting to turn to this region in a warmer month this time around.

• Basilicata Arguably the poorest region in Italy. Pig—especially in sausage. Ragù. Chestnuts. Chickpeas (ceci). Bread. Peperonata. Chilies. Hard, salty ricotta.

• Calabria Natural surroundings stunning if also an area of poverty. Vegetables dominate cuisine. Chestnuts. Grapefruit and oranges. Eggplant Mushrooms. Chilies. Pasta is extremely important. Cheese is made from sheep's milk.

• Sicilia Another sigh. Pastry!!! Gelati! Eggplant! Tomato! Pasta! Seafood, especially sardines, octopi and the lamentably endangered swordfish. Watermelon jelly. Elusive pistachio paste. Almonds. Apricots. The best oranges in the world, streaked with fuschia, wrapped in thin, crinkly, colorful papers as if candy. Other wonderful citrus fruits. Artichokes. Ties to Greek, Arab (spices!) & Norman worlds make this region especially interesting. Major impact on Italian-American cuisine.

• Sardegna See final comments on Sicily above; island cultures are especially appealing for cooks given both their historical importance in conquest and trade, and a degree of isolation that sometimes invites idiosyncratic traditions. Here, Spanish influence is found in native dishes, although Genoa & Piemonte also invaded. Fish, though most dishes seem to have been inspired by outsiders. Its bottarga is prized. Lobster. Cassola, a local fish soup. Most important are meats, whether kid and herby game birds cooked on spits or pasta mistu in which animals are stuffed inside larger ones, one after another, like so many edible Russian dolls: a tradition brought back to Piemonte and ultimately Napoleon's court. Gender-specific roles in the traditional kitchen: men grill and women bake. While bread is extremely important, local pastas are noteworthy and include malloreddus and culingionis, a type of ravioli sauced with tomato or ragu. Local cheeses include pecorino sardo, ricotto in all stages from fresh to hard for grating, goat cheeses and an excellent feta.

Edited March 7, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[mrbigjas]

so anyway, y'all mind if i join in the fun here a little bit? i'm not a great photographer, but what the hey.

before i mention my little dinner inspired by this thread, i just wanted to point out this link, which i kinda randomly found while googling stuff. it's a straight up listing on food network's site of all mario's shows. i think i hit some back-end part of their site since it's not set up to be real user-friendly, and there aren't even recipe links in all of them, but it's a reference anyway.

so, i made and purchased several things tonight inspired by the friulian theme.

first, paparot, the spinach soup, recipe from one of mario's shows:

that white chunk in the middle is a piece of garlic, badly lit. it's just spinach in broth, after all--i gotta go ahead and leave it in. one thing i couldn't tell from this recipe, because i'm not familiar with the soup is how thick it should be. the recipe calls for 2/3c polenta and 1/3c flour, stirred into two quarts of soup. that seems pretty thick to me, and i was making less than that, so i just stirred in fine polenta until it had a texture that seemed like what i wanted. it was pretty brothy--to make it right, should it have been thick?

another dish we had was a herb frittata, with basil and sage and leek and chervil. i know chervil isn't italian, but i had it in the drawer, so in it went. i screwed up the formation of it, though, flipping it badly so all the herbs ended up on one side and it was horribly misshapen, so i didn't photograph.

fricos and prosciutto san daniele (OK i bought that), served with a salad which was just spring mix:

i don't know that i've brought prosciutto san daniele before. it's got a completely different texture than the prosciutto di parma. it's paler pink, it's softer and silkier, it's less fatty and pungent and stringy than parma. damn good.

in reading the links on this thread, i thought the notes about fricos were interesting--many of the sites pointed out that aged montasio should be used. opening up lidia's italian table tonight, she specifically says that younger montasio is best. who's right? anyone? doesn't matter--i bought what they had, and used it, and if there's anything better than cheese fried in its own cheese fat, i have yet to have it.

anyway, having leftover polenta was the reason i did this tonight. so the final dish of the night was from lidia's italian table: polenta, gorgonzola, and savoy cabbage tart.

i had to make them in those gratin dishes, because i didn't have enough of anything to make a full tart the way the recipe describes (that's life when you're cooking for two). and following lidia's note that 'you may also use any vegetables you like,' i used leeks instead of cabbage, because that's what i had. that odd foam coming out is... i guess from the leeks and potatoes and cheese? and water from the polenta? anyway, it was good. thanks to all for the inspiration to do something a little different.

Edited March 7, 2006 by mrbigjas (log)

[Kevin72]

Everything's looking great, I don't even know where to start.

Thanks for adding your memories, Bernaise! I remember you from my thread last year, and I still want to hear more about this "goose with 100 herbs" you mentioned!

Hathor's trip writeup sealed the deal that Friuli is one of my favorite regions when she wrote it originally.

Thanks for the region summary, Pontormo. Maybe we'll pull this out from now on at the start of every thread . . . ?

[Kevin72]

Here's how it's stacking up for Q2:

April: Lazio/Rome

May: Liguria

June: Sardinia

These three regions are in a three-way tie for most votes. Lazio has gotten the most votes for April, and, not to try to sway the group or anything, but like Nathan I think that it's a perfect time: height of artichoke season, and Easter. (Nathan, I walked into our Whole Foods yesterday and they had an enormous display of gigantic globe artichokes with a foot of stem attached. Next to them are were the smaller red or purple variety, which both Whole Foods and Central Market started carrying last year. They have much less choke than the globe kinds, and are more soft and supple. Love 'em!)

Are we comfortable with this lineup then? Don't want to take the thread too far off-track, so either a brief public vote and move on, or move further discussions to PMs.

[Kevin72]

Gah! bigjas beat me to it:

Paparot, the spinach and polenta soup. I really like it; it doesn't seem like there would be much going on, but it just tastes so nourishing and was one of the dishes I had in mind when I said the cooking of Friuli Venezia Giulia made a good transition winter/spring cuisine.

As to your question about thickness, mrbigjas, mine turned out midway between a really runny polenta and a thick soup. No residual or loose liquid or broth. Bear in mind that this will thicken even more as it sits. I used the Plotkin recipe; forgot that Mario had done this on his show.

Everything else looks great. Man I've been craving San Daniele since the month started.

Edit: Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the chervil thing. Per Plotkin, Friuli Venezia-Giulia is a very herbal cuisine and uses a lot of herbs that one doesn't normally consider "Italian", so it was right at home in that mix.

Edited March 7, 2006 by Kevin72 (log)

[hathor]

Wow! Everyone has been very busy. Excellent summary, Pontormo! Should be useful as we move on.

Kevin, I'm fine with the Q2 order you suggested. Anything where I get to cook with lots of artichokes is fine by me. Not that I'm not completely jealous about the artichokes with the stems.

Mrbigjas, great looking meal. I love that polenta tart. What a great idea. And yes, whatever herbs you find, use them. This region is very herb-centric, lots of variety here and they are not at all shy to use them.

[hathor]

And now for my tale of Sunday's dinner.

“the best laid plans of mice, men” and me oft go astray.

The plan was to have a small Oscar watching dinner party on Sunday night, just 4 of us. And it would be a F-VG themed dinner. Naturally.

So on Saturday, my husband and I cycled down to a new wine store that I had read good things about, and that specialized in Italian wines. Pansanella & Sons at 115 South St. is an absolutely lovely store, with charming and knowledgeable staff. We bought 4 bottles of Friulian wine and a couple of Sicilian wines because I can’t think of too many dishes that are complemented by a little nero d’avola. We even went back for a tasting that afternoon and wound up with an invitation to visit an Umbrian vineyard that is run by the son of Sassiacia. All good, all on plan.

The menu was to have been some frico (I’d tracked down some montsaio cheese, not aged) with a little tocai. A primi of polenta bianca with fresh grated horseradish, apple and ricotta. Then an amazing type of brodetto that starts off where you burn the garlic in the pan, which was taught to us by one of the chefs from Friuli. (Quick version of the recipe: burn 3-4 cloves of garlic in a little EVOO, remove from the pan, take some firm fleshed steaks or pieces of fish, bronzine works wonderfully, and dredge them in flour/salt/pepper, then sear the pieces, now add some excellent, very reduced fish stock, simmer for 10 minutes and serve immediately. The story is that this brodetto was created on a fishing boat and the chef accidentally burned the garlic and the rest was history. Now why the fishing boat chef was also toting along some fume` is another story entirely….) The vegetables were to be roasted brussel sprouts and pured yellow turnip with vanilla bean (not Friulian, but a nod toStudio Kitchen and completely seductive).

Dinner was set for 7:30. The phone calls started at around 6:30 and by 6:45 the intimate dinner party was up to 10 people. Our friends and family are known to ‘troll for dinner’ at our house…. Quick trip to Gourmet Garage and now we had steak for my carnivorous nephew and asparagus for my brussel sprout hating girlfriend. And a buffet table set up so we could all watch the Oscars. Not the nod to Friuli I had envisioned, and all the wines will wait for a more suitable and quieter venue, but a good excuse to cook some more!

[mrbigjas]

Paparot, the spinach and polenta soup.  I really like it; it doesn't seem like there would be much going on, but it just tastes so nourishing and was one of the dishes I had in mind when I said the cooking of Friuli Venezia Giulia made a good transition winter/spring cuisine.

As to your question about thickness, mrbigjas, mine turned out midway between a really runny polenta and a thick soup.  No residual or loose liquid or broth.  Bear in mind that this will thicken even more as it sits.  I used the Plotkin recipe; forgot that Mario had done this on his show. 

Everything else looks great.  Man I've been craving San Daniele since the month started.

Edit:  Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the chervil thing. Per Plotkin, Friuli Venezia-Giulia is a very herbal cuisine and uses a lot of herbs that one doesn't normally consider "Italian", so it was right at home in that mix.

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excellent, thanks for the info. paparot is definitely on my list to make again--there's something really right about it, and next time i'll thicken it more.

and i've never loaded up a frittata with that many herbs. that was good.

now i have another question: does jota keep and/or travel, or does it fall apart overnight? we're having a "soup day" with my family on saturday, but it's a three hour drive so i'd have to make it on thursday or friday evening. many bean soups improve from sitting overnight, but i'm picturing the sauerkraut disintegrating or something--if so, i'll look for something else...

[Kevin72]

No, jota is a prime example of wanting the flavors to merge and develop. And, at least in the recipes I use, a good deal of the sauerkraut does dissolve, just as part of the natural cooking. It's another "synergy" dish that the whole is much better than you'd ever think the sum of the parts would be.

[Pontormo]

Mister BJ: I am grateful for the link to the index for Molto Mario since there are five shows on Friuli (all but #3 are tied to recipes) in the initial list with further relevent episodes in the lower depths. Now I know what to do with the leftover marscapone in the fridge.

The entire meal you cooked looks wonderful, especially the soup that Kevin also prepared (see Hathor's signature line). Spinach is a favorite of mine, so thanks for the second endorsement. I also love stuffed polenta. Since I have long made a version of the dish with layers of ragu bolognese, I gather several regions do something similar, the variable determined by favored local traditions.

And Hathor, your story's quite amusing. I hope you'll report back on those wines once you've opened the bottles.

* * *

Regarding Q2, I am very happy with the proposal.

Just, ONE request for change. On the east coast and northern climates, basil is readily available once summer arrives, with at least six different stalls at the local farmer's market offering bunches. Therefore, I would prefer turning to Liguria in June and Sardegna in May. I am not sure how much seasonal crops were taken into account in matching the island with June.

[mrbigjas]

golden. thanks kevin.

pontormo--glad you liked that stuff. the baked polenta was good, but i had purposely made it a little runny the other night when we first had it, so it didn't set up quite as firmly as i would have liked--i suspect that's also the reason for the leakage, is the extra water. but it tasted good, and i like the idea. next time i make polenta, i'm going to try it again, with the cabbage this time.

Edited March 7, 2006 by mrbigjas (log)

[Kevin72]

And, as to the question of the age of the Montasio used in fricco: Plotkin gives two recipes in his book for fricco: one is the thin, crackly, wafer kind and uses older Montasio. The other is a much thicker kind that you literally coat a small pan with and cook slowly and needs a young, very young even, Montasio, so maybe the style you're going after has something to do with it . . . ?

Didn't Lidia or some part of the Bastianich family have a fricco bar in New York a while back?

[hathor]

A frico bar??? Good lord. I'd be the size of a house.

Regarding frico techniques: I do it in the oven with a silpat. No stickage and moldable. The trick is to let it wait and cool for about 20 seconds before you try and take it off the silpat. I think the oven method gives the best crisp-ness. Might try my youngish Montsaio tonight and I'll report back to the group. Oh, the sacrifices we make!

[mrbigjas]

And, as to the question of the age of the Montasio used in fricco: Plotkin gives two recipes in his book for fricco: one is the thin, crackly, wafer kind and uses older Montasio.  The other is a much thicker kind that you literally coat a small pan with and cook slowly and needs a young, very young even, Montasio, so maybe the style you're going after has something to do with it . . . ?

Didn't Lidia or some part of the Bastianich family have a fricco bar in New York a while back?

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yeah, she talks about it in the intro to the frico section, in Lidia's Italian Table.

man that would be deadly.

[Adam Balic]

Leftover Gulasch di Cervo. I have been making a few different types of goulash over the last year, this is one of the more interesting tasting ones. I think that the red wine and vinegar give a lift to what can be a rather heavy dish. One issue I have is that the online sources I looked at suggest 'cumin', surely caraway seeds are more likely?

Once again it suffers from brown food syndrome, but you known what, brown food often tastes very nice.

[Kevin72]

Deer, right?

I suspect that it may be a mistranslation since "comino" is Italian for carraway.