The Cooking and Cuisine of Friuli Venezia-Giulia

[FoodMan]

really cool article about Istria in NY Times with Mark Bittman and Lidia.

[hathor]

I saw that article, it looks wonderful...and my "I wanna go there" list is already way too long!

[legourmet]

What's the green in the brodetto?

←

There is a sweet green pepper that I used to get in Italy all spring and summer, I don't know the name of it, but it was a short, stubby pepper. I bought these peppers at a Japanese market (!!) because they looked sort of similiar and they actually cooked up just the same. Pan fried for a few seconds in olive oil, then add some salt and maybe some tomatoes. Excellent. I've never seen the exact same pepper variety in the US. Too bad. Actually there was only one supplier in the Umbertide market, a very gnarled old man that would bring them in every week and I would take more than I could possibly eat.

←

Are these peppers similar to the Spanish "pementos de padron", a variaty which is both sweet and hot.

[hathor]

Ciao Heinz. I'm sorry, I don't know the Spanish variety so I can't answer, but frigarelli (sp??) are never hot. Just green, crunch, tasty, addictive.

[legourmet]

Ciao Heinz.  I'm sorry, I don't know the Spanish variety so I can't answer, but frigarelli (sp??) are never hot. Just green, crunch, tasty, addictive.

←

Ciao Judith

you may find a description about this culinary roulette here I like these peppers very much.

[hathor]

They certainly look the same, are cooked the same, and have the same addictive properties! I just don't remember ever getting a hot one, and I've been guilty of eating more than my fair share! The only fair thing to do is go to Spain and do a taste comparison. When do you want to go?? I'll bring the frigarelli.

[legourmet]

They certainly look the same, are cooked the same, and have the same addictive properties! I just don't remember ever getting a hot one, and I've been guilty of eating more than my fair share! The only fair thing to do is go to Spain and do a taste comparison. When do you want to go?? I'll bring the frigarelli.   

←

I'll be in June on the Isle of Mallorca and will have tons of these tasty green peppers.

Now I'm a little bit confused. I took a short look into my cookbooks and found "friarielli" to be a sort of broccoli. Friarielli was the only term which sounds like the term you mentioned.

Edited May 29, 2007 by legourmet (log)

[hathor]

I should put this into my signature line: "Warning: I cannot spell or proofread."

To the best of my knowledge the peppers are spelled:frigerelli. Friggere, meaning to fry.

[legourmet]

I should put this into my signature line: "Warning: I cannot spell or proofread."

To the best of my knowledge the peppers are spelled:frigerelli.  Friggere, meaning to fry.

←

Sorry, I didn't want to make corrections on your posts. I just browsed my Italian cookbooks for a recipe for frigerelli and didn't find any. Just the one I mentioned. The recipe neapoletana "friarielli con salsicce" and that's fried broccoletti with sausages.

I did a Google search and I found it. Here it is the answer

[hathor]

Something in the back of my head is reminding me that brocoletti does not mean broccoli...

But frigarelli are certainly peppers, and it does get spelled different ways, depending on the region.

[Naftal]

Hello- I am very interested in Northern Italian cooking styles. Could anyone tell me what the essentials in a Northern Italian pantry would be? What would they always have on hand? I'm thinking olive oil, wine vinegar, cornmeal, rice, cheese,onions and wine. What do you think of this list? what should I add? What should I subtract?

Edited June 5, 2007 by Naftal (log)

[Kevin72]

This will be the frustrating adage that it really matters by different regions. That's a pretty solid foundation though. Maybe have some fresh pasta frozen on hand as well. Home-made broth or stock frozen as well. Cured meats, such as pancetta and prosciutto in the fridge. For particular cheeses, most defintely parmigiano, maybe asiago. If you're particularly wanting to be stocked for Friuli, you'll want montasio cheese on hand. In addition for Friuli, you'll want access to a number of fresh herbs and spices. Sauerkraut and horseradish as well. Butter and even lard also play a key role as cooking fats in the far Northern regions.

[Pontormo]

Naftal: Welcome to eGullet and the Italian cooking forum!

Your instinct to select one of the ten individual cooking threads devoted to northern Italian regions was good. Why not spend some time reading through the posts not only in this thread, but also the others?

Usually Kevin and Hathor sum up the principal components of each region's dishes at the beginning of the threads. It's hard to generalize and best to stock up based on specific types of meals you wish to prepare. Jot down notes as you find discussions of Ligurian olive oil, types of rice from Lombardia and the Veneto or the flour that goes into making fresh pasta from Emilia-Romagna. Perhaps it's time to splurge on Italian butter or Sicilian anchovies when preparing dishes from Piemonte. I'd invite you to spend time in Southern Italy now that summer approaches.

However, I'd also consider taking advantage of the fact that there are a number of Italian cookbooks that provide overviews of all regions. Cf. Lidia's Italy or Micol Negrin's Rustica; Anna Del Conte & Marlena de Blasi have written books just on the north. Often such books provide the kind of guidance you require and at the end, recommend sources for ingredients that may prove hard to find.

You'll find references to these books and an excellent index in Kevin72's year-long cooking resolution, a font of good information linked in the signature line of all his posts.

[Kevin72]

[hathor]

Good advice from Kevin and Pontormo...as usual!

You need a good barnyard: some chickens, rabbits, geese, ducks, a cow and a pig!

Seriously, those barnyard animals all show up in northern Italian cooking, but you don't really need your own barnyard!

[Shaya]

Finally after drooling over the frico made in this thread I made my own tonight. My Italian Market that usually carries Montasio did not have any today; so I settled for a friuli-style cheese. I used a rainbow chard from the farmer's market. My husband and I really loved it. I bought extra cheese so I will have to try wild mushrooms or something later in the week.

Rainbow Chard

Swiss Chard Frico - blanched, sauteed with olive oil and onion, panfried with fruilano cheese

Edited July 2, 2007 by Shaya (log)

[hathor]

I ADORE rainbow chard, so pretty, so tasty. Looks like you ate really well this weekend!

[Naftal]

Hello- Since you are discussing (were discussing) frico, I thought this would be a good time to ask a question:is montasio fresco similar to what some other Euroeans call frommage blanc? Please excuse any spelling errors.

Thanks

[Pontormo]

Hello- Since you are discussing (were discussing) frico, I thought this would be a good time to ask a question:is montasio fresco similar to what some other Euroeans call frommage blanc? Please excuse any spelling errors.

    Thanks

←

No, not at all though I could see why you would think "fresco" implies a new, fresh creamy cheese. However, that kind of dairy product would spoil rather than turn into a solid block while aging let alone a crisp, gooey fattening mess when exposed to heat. Look at the beginning of this thread or at links in the link below to see what Montasio DOP looks like. It's sold in basically three different stages of aging, including young when it's a mild semisoft cheese. Frico is best made with the third stage or aged cheese, but also fine "mezzano" or in the medium stage that I've been able to find at Whole Foods.

It's freaky, actually, Shaya. I've been frustrated in all attempts to buy Montasio ever since I first lucked out and discovered the pleasures of frico. Just recently, as reported in my local food board, a friendly cheesemonger alerted me to the fact that I could indulge once more. A wedge is in the fridge awaiting its onion, potato and maybe garlic scapes. Who knows.

[Pontormo]

This post is dedicated to Shaya, our gnocchi expert.

I've been having fun browsing through Lidia's Italy and noticed the perfect thing for using up some leftover beet greens that I had braised in chicken stock w lots of onion and their bright yellow stems. I also had sweet Italian sausage in the freezer, a couple of Russet potatoes and as luck would have it, a bunch of sage from the farmer's market. Since I had to make a trip to the supermarket, I also picked up ground veal for the filling, though it really wasn't necessary.

So, I ended up making something that is otherwise more suitable for cold months since it is incredibly filling, and I found, better to think of as an American-style main course than a primo: OFFELLE TRIESTINE.

According to Anna Del Conte, offelle are sweet pastries, a specialty of Lombardia and Emilia where they are made either w pasta frolla or pasta sfoglia (Emilia only) and often folded into half-moon shapes and stuffed.* As early as the 16th century, Bartolomeo Scappi lists offelle reali among the sweet and savory dishes that appear in the first round of credenza offerings at banquets.

In Trieste, offelle are stuffed potato gnocchi. Basically, you make a simple gnocchi dough and roll out balls of it into disks, cut them into circles, heap them w filling, then fold the round over and crimp the edges to form half moons.

Ms. Bastianich provides great advice for making the dough: spread the riced potatoes out on a tray to dry for a while, then sprinkle them with flour before proceeding with the recipe. On the other hand, I had to consult online sources to determine just how thick the dough should be (about 1/4 inch) and found that using a cookie cutter of the recommended size resulted in offelle that look overwhelming. Next time, I'd aim for something smaller than 4-inch disks. One of the nice things about stuffing gnocchi is that cutting rounds isn't as time consuming as it is when you're using sfoglia since potato dough is so malleable and you don't have to feed your scraps through a roller after each cutting.

The savory stuffing is seasoned only w salt & pepper, no cheese. After being cooked and drained, the offelle are sauced simply w butter and sage and sprinkled w Grana Padano if you're going all out for authenticity.

Once inspired to stuff gnocchi, the possibilities are endless. I considered using roasted garlic scapes and then saucing the dish with wild mushrooms.

*Judith, are you thinking what I'm thinking when it comes to potential house specialties at Erba Luna? A mixture of wild herbs harvested by moonlight...

[hathor]

Pontormo, the hills around here are so bloody steep....I'm not going out harvesting at night!! But, come wild erbe season, I know just where to go! We've got a massive field that grows this huge variety of wild herbs. About the same time as when porcini season is in full bloom. Or whatever it is that porchini's do.

that recipe sounds excellent, by the way...!

[Pontormo]

Agnello da latte arrosto

Not exactly a seasonal dish, nor even spring lamb despite the name, but just wanted to add a quick report since this dish is something I'd definitely turn to again. Another good choice from Lidia's Italy.

I happened to buy lamb shoulder blade chops, a cut we've discussed here before regarding Rome & nearby Umbria and scorched fingers. There was stock from a grilled lamb in the freezer, fresh sage, so...

Chops marinate 24 hours (or 17) in dry white wine, red wine vinegar & EVOO with crushed garlic cloves, a squat piece of cinnamon stick, sage leaves and rosemary. S & P. All mixed w cut up onion, celery and peeled carrots.

The whole kit and kaboodle gets thrown into roasting pan along with stock. 425 F. Tent w foil, tightly sealed, but a few air vents, for an hour. Then another hour sans foil, turning meat every 15 minutes or so, till liquid's reduced and tender lamb turns a beautiful crusted brown. (Additional stock was needed to prevent drying out & scorched vegetables.

Chops to the side. Mash the veggies in the pan and with them still there, pour out liquid, do the scraping business w pan and more stock to get all the browned bits. Defat.

Then this is the best part: mash the vegetables down through a sieve into the defatted juices, pressing down as hard as possible so some of the carrots, at least come through the mesh. Heat up if needed. Pour over your chops. Sweet, thick & rich!

Didn't have turnips, but braised radishes w their tops as a contorno since it seemed a bit regional.

[hathor]

Pontormo, that sounds really delish!! I always forget about the roasting in milk thing, and it's so tasty.

[salutistagolosa]

I should put this into my signature line: "Warning: I cannot spell or proofread."

To the best of my knowledge the peppers are spelled:frigerelli.  Friggere, meaning to fry.

←

Sorry, I didn't want to make corrections on your posts. I just browsed my Italian cookbooks for a recipe for frigerelli and didn't find any. Just the one I mentioned. The recipe neapoletana "friarielli con salsicce" and that's fried broccoletti with sausages.

I did a Google search and I found it. Here it is the answer

←

yes, regional variations just drive everybody's crazy: so, as far as I know in Campania, "friarelli" refer to the green peppers above in summer, and to broccoli in winter! In Abruzzo they are also called "friggitelli", again from "friggere"/to fry (generally deep fry).

I think pimientos del padron are much smaller than friggitelli, and shaped a bit different.

[legourmet]

I think pimientos del padron are much smaller than friggitelli, and shaped a bit different.

←

You are absolutely right. I had the pimientos de padron in June on the isle of Mallorca and end of July in Italia the friggitelli. The shape is different and also the taste. The friggitelli taste "greener" a little bit unripe and more like bellpeppers than the pimientos.