The Cooking and Cuisine of Liguria

[Pontormo]

Regional Specialties of Italy

For those interested in sending Kevin their choices for the third quarter of 2006 (July-September), here is a brief account of the remaining regions. I've used blue font to highlight names of regions that I personally think would be best to postpone until cooler months. Red is used for Southern regions with an emphasis on vegetables in their cuisines, green for the remainders.

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

• 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.

• 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. (For these reasons, I personally would prefer waiting until October.) 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. HATHOR? Are you there yet? When would you like us to cook along with you?

• 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.

[hathor]

Fantastic start to this thread!! I've been having wicked computer problems. No...I'm not in Italy yet. But we should FINALLY be packing up and leaving in the next few weeks....some personal and business stuff just held up captive.

Fava beans: here's a tip from Paula Wolfert. Steam the whole pods in small batches and then toss in an ice bath. The length of steaming time depends on the size of the pod. Then you can pop the bean out of the pod and slip the outer shell off the fava in nearly one quick motion. If you do it right, you can aim and shoot fava beans pretty far across the kitchen. I've been told that the outer shell of the fava bean (not the pod) can cause allergic reactions in people.

I started making pesto last week...I think I could eat it on Cheerios and be happy.

Chufi, that meal looks just about perfect! The fish is gorgeous!!

FoodMan, I'm with you. I don't quite get the construction concept of the capon magro. I'm going to dig around for some photos and see what I can come up with.

p.s. I want to publically lobby for Umbria in October or November. Its truffle season! Anyone want to join us for the Festa del Bosco, last weekend in Oct.....

[Chufi]

You said you thought the dessert might be too sweet given its filling.  How did you like it?

←

I just ate the leftovers and I can safely say, no, it was not too sweet at all.

Fava beans: here's a tip from Paula Wolfert.  Steam the whole pods in small batches and then toss in an ice bath.  The length of steaming time depends on the size of the pod. Then you can pop the bean out of the pod and slip the outer shell off the fava in nearly one quick motion. If you do it right, you can aim and shoot fava beans pretty far across the kitchen.  I've been told that the outer shell of the fava bean (not the pod) can  cause allergic reactions in people. 

←

Yes, shelling the beans is much easier when they've been blanched/steamed.. .that's how I normally do it.. but when Marcella says to pod and shell them raw... I didn't dare to do it otherwise.. next time I will though!

[Andrew Fenton]

I've been told that the outer shell of the fava bean (not the pod) can  cause allergic reactions in people. 

And of course the bean can kill other people... pretty dangerous, those favas! (But so so tasty...)

[Adam Balic]

Genoese Buridda for supper tonight (along with wilted wild garlic and chard greens, steamed new potatoes). This is a chunky fish soup/stew, as I have never seen it made, I have no idea what it really looks like, but in this case I went for 'rustic' chunks. This recipe is based on the one given by Colman Andrews in "Flavours of the Riviera". The other famous soup/stew from Genoa is Ciuppin (which the San Francisco Cioppino is thought to derive from). Andrews describes 'Ciuppin' as a smooth soup and Buridda chunky soup, where as Anna Del Conte describes 'il Ciuppin' as a chunky soup and 'Brodino' as a smooth soup. Odd.

The fish: Monkfish, two different gurnards, a small cod and a John Dory. OK, the cod is out of place - but historically the dish was made from preserved cod, so there you go.

Onions, garlic, carrot and celery are cooked until translucent, then porcini (some recipes don't add these) and anchovy are added. This is cooked unitl softened, then diced tomato, fish stock and white wine are added. This is cooked until the veg are done (at this point I guess you puree it etc). Fish is added and allowed to cook through.

[Pontormo]

Adam: I would recognize John Dory even if it's wearing sunglasses. However, what's that fat, flat glistening fish in the lower left corner?

* * *

I haven't done my cooking yet; disappointed that there were no bluefish or makerel for an old Geonese stand-by. (Thanks for the tip on recipes in MH's Cucina, Klary, which I managed to borrow from the library again today.)

However, eG members from the United States will appreciate the following most:

I decided to track down a bottle of authentic Ligurian olive oil without spending extravagant amounts of money.

Taking the Metro (subway train) to a shopping district to run a few errands before I picked up my groceries, I went into T.J. Maxx, a place known primarily for ghastly plaster-cast figurines (I still could kick myself for not buying a bookend in the shape of the nose of Michelangelo's David a few years ago), discounted clothing and odds and ends for the home at bargain prices. They have a limited number of luxury food items way in the back: maple syrup from Canada bottled in the shape of a maple leaf, that sort of thing.

Well, one and only one of the bottles of olive oil had a name that looked like the kind of olive grown in Liguria, though I had no idea where Ama-Taggia was.

Sure enough, I got something from these guys.

I doubt I will be able to track down Italian pine nuts, but will get a chance to compare the taste of pesto made with different olive oils.

T.J. Maxx!!!!

Edited May 6, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Adam Balic]

A monkfish, a type of Anglerfish. Mostly sold as fillets, due to it's extreme ugliness.

[hathor]

And now for the history, geography, and etc. post!

As Rome dominates the region of Lazio, Genova dominates Liguria. This sliver of a region in northwest Italy is the third smallest region of Italy and is bordered by France, Piedmonte, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and the Ligurian Sea to the south. If you are geographically challenged (as I am) or just plain curious: the Ligurian Sea lies within the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is located in the northern Mediterranean Sea. Got that?

The development of Liguria really begins after the Romans enter in 2nd century BC as they develop fortified villages, ports and roads. By the 13th century, Genoa is a major marine republic. In 1796, Napolean Bonaparte conquers the Republic of Genoa, reorganizes it as the Ligurian Republic and it is annexed to France. By 1815, Liguria is united with the kingdom of Sardina (remember this when we get to pesto). In 1869, the Suez Canal opens and Genova port traffic increases tremendously. La Spezia, is founded in 1886 as a military port. By the 1960’s ocean cargo and passengers decline and so does the prosperity of the region. Now, tourism replaces the importance of heavy industry, and in July and August, the population swells 10-15 times its normal size.

Although dominated by the sea, the actual level of fishing is quite low due to scarce fish resources and pollution. According to the people at www.pescedimenticato.it, there are 550 available species of fish in the Mediterranean, but only 50 are actually harvested due to lack of knowledge. (This is somewhat off topic: but these people are promoting that we go in and eat everything? Seems a bit short-sighted to me.)

The fish varieties that do show up commonly on the Ligurian table are anchovies in all their varieties, baccala (salt cod), stoccafisso (air dryed cod) and the usual suspects: squid, cuttlefish, and octopus. Most meats, with the exception of veal, is less important, and for once, pork does not play a big role in the cuisine. What is important are vegetables and herbs, which are abundant in quantity and variety. Traditional herbs include basil, marjoram, borage, sage, parsley and rosemary.

The ever present anchovy is a chameleon, one day its served fresh, battered and fried, another day its prepared salted and finally, as has been done for centuries, preserved in oil. Each way, the anchovy takes on different characteristics and uses. Now here is something that needs to be researched: Salted anchovies were highly prized as was the salt itself. In order to avoid paying a salt tax, the ‘arbanelle di acciughe’ would eat the salted anchovies and “once the traders had arrived at their destination so did the salt, tax free.” (quote from www.deliciousitaly.com/liguriandishes5.html). What does that mean?? Were the arbanelle people or some sort of animal? How was the salt retrieved? I did a quick google but didn’t come up with much. Any historians care to comment…come on, Pontormo, this is right up your alley!

If the most famous son of Genoa is Christopher Columbus, then the most famous dish is pesto. Allegedly created by sailors to avoid scurvy, this popular dish has been around since about 800. Apparently, since its inception, there have been arguments about the proper way to prepare the sauce, the basic ingredients are: basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and 50/50 parmigiana and pecorino cheese (pecorino is simply referred to as ‘sardo’, as in being from Sardina). Traditionally the pesto must be hand ground (slowly, never with force) with a marble mortar and pestle. Only heretics will make their pesto in a food processor. For once, I side with the heretics. Pesto di Genovesse has actually just attained DOP status and if you check their website, they will inform you that pesto can ONLY be made from basil from Genova as all others simply will not be pesto. We are dealing in the realm of tradition, bordering on fanaticism, so tread lightly when discussing ‘authentic’ pesto. Here is a Genovesse saying regarding pesto, that I came across, but cannot translate, or least cannot make sense of my translation: “quando i forest sentan o gusto do pesto, no se ne van ciu da Zena!” Can someone with better Italian than mine please help out? My curiosity is getting the best of me.

Also coming from Genova is very high quality, delicate olive oil with “Riviera Ligure” being a designated DOP product.

Another traditional Genovesse seasoning or sauce is “il tocco”: made from a sauce of veal with onions, celery, parsley, tomato, mushrooms, white wine, stock, and spices.

L’agliata or agiada is also a popular sauce in Liguria, made from garlic, bread crumbs and vinegar, it is served with fried baccala, soup or a condiment with calves liver and goat.

Another famous dish, that makes use of the region’s abundant vegetables, is minestrone. For a fine recipe for this formidable soup, look up Pellegrino Artusi’s recipe. As usual, his recipes come with a good story, and his parting line for making minestrone: “I should warn you that this is not a soup for weak stomachs.”

Pasta plays an important role in Liguria, although wheat pasta seems to show up later in the cuisine, as earlier pastas were made from chestnut or chickpea flour. Earliest recipes for troffle and linguette or trenette both call for chestnut flour.

Le fritelle of friscio are popular throughout Liguria. Basically fritelle are fried dishes of either baccala or ‘bianchetti’ which are the tiny, semi-transparent baby anchovies.

Another category of dishes are the “torte”, which are delicate tortes made from any available ingredient: artichokes, spinach, rice, etc. An interesting side note: the crust of the torta would be so fine and delicate because wheat flour was hard to come by.

For all you ever wanted to know about “cappon magro’, including pictures, go to this website.website: It’s in Italian, but its pretty easy to get the gist of the dish.

From the province of Savona, a local speciality is “polenta coi cavoili” made with ‘black’ cabbage. Savona is also the home of the piquant fish soup “ciuppin”, and buridda, which must come from the French bourride. See Adam’s post upthread, I also had trouble deciphering the few different recipes I came across.

The use of dried oregano to flavor tomatoes is a pronounced flavor in the region around the port of La Spezia.

Fortunately Brad has already filled us on the wines from the region, although I did find one rhapsodic comment about the limoncello from the region. The city of Monterossa even has an annual lemon festival.

For a tiny region, there is certainly an abundance of flavors and dishes that should keep us happy and occupied for the month of May!

[Pontormo]

Judith: Thank you!

I think the saying means something like the following:

When foreigners* smell or taste pesto, it's as if they instantly know how to speak the native tongue."

*people from places other than the city of Genoa, including Italians.

Zena=Genoa's local dialect

[Pontormo]

Just a quick report on two Ligurian lunches:

1) I made the maro that Klary posted with the small amount of fresh fava beans I had at home.

Instead of using it for pasta, I spread the puree on a small slit ciabatta-like roll, toasted. Very good, although a couple of the beans were overgrown and therefore a little hard and bitter. I added more garlic and less mint than I would have liked. It was interesting to learn from Kevin the cheesemonger that one of his Sardinian cheeses made from sheep's milk is reported to be one of the best things to use for pesto; Hazan also recommends using a pecorino from Sardigna instead of Rome if possible.

2) In the same cookbook (Hazan's Cucina ) there is a recipe for Sugo ligure col pomodoro crudo, olive, caperi e acciunghe.

I used cherry tomatoes and some minced green olives in the fridge to make the sauce, including some green garlic from the farmer's market. Instead of using it for pasta, I spread it on half of the same type of roll and let it soak in for a while. This became a sandwich with a small fillet of haddock which is probably not something found in this part of the world.

Edited May 7, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[NYC Mike]

I have to admit, I am more than a little intimidated this month. Kevin, I think you were right in calling me lucky to get started in Lazio!

At first glance I thought the only Ligurian dish I have eaten is Pesto! Not so! Thanks Kevin, Pontormo and Hathor for all the great research!

While waiting for Amazon to deliver the Plotkin book we browsed the various links for something to get us started with. We found Zuppa di cozze alla marinara at this site here.

I love mussels, I would eat them every day if I could, 100 different ways. It ranks very high on my favorite food list. Mussels marinara was my grandmothers favorite, she would sit me next to her with a heel of crusty bread and a bowl between us for the shells. It may very well have been my foodie addiction moment.

We have had mussels this way before, minus the toasted bread inside. We added it today to follow the recipe but next time I'd leave it out and leave more goodness to sop up with the crusty bread. We used some leftover Frascati from last month, so not 100% Ligurian but all very good.

Adam, Chufi, your dishes look amazing!

mike

Edited May 7, 2006 by NYC Mike (log)

[FoodMan]

Our green Sunday dinner, inspired by Chufi's post.:

I made the maro from her post using frozen fava beans and mint from the garden and it worked beautifully. We snacked on it while cooking the meal.

Fresh homemade Fazzoletti two ways, one with pesto made in my mortar and pestel and the other with the maro sauce. I also pounded the favas in the mortar. Truth be told this alone is so damn good I could've just eaten these two for dinner. The one with the mint sprig is the maro sauced one.

I fully intended to make roasted whole fish like Chufi, but the store that always has good fresh fish close to home did not have any whole one. So, I picked up some fresh nice free-range chicken legs and gave them the same treatment. I used my flowering oregano instead of marjoram.

For a contorno, I made Marcella's Green bean and potato cake - Genoa style. Unfortunatly it stuck to the bottom of the pan becsue I let it sit too long before baking. Honestly this one did not taste much better than it looked. It was bland and missing some depth.

Dolci, a rustic pear crostada made with almond-milk bread dough instead of pastry crust.

The smell of those fresh mint leaves made me really want a mint julep. Yeah it is nowhere near Italian, but hey if the folks in Liguria made some good bourbon, maybe they'd serve a julep too...

[Chufi]

Pontormo, I have my eye on that same pasta sauce. Sounds so good for a summer dinner.

Elie, what a wonderful green dinner! That maro is good stuff, heh ?

And you made both sauces in your mortar! Dedicated Ligurian cooking!

I have made that same potato/green bean cake in the past and was also disappointed in it. I did not like the texture and it was indeed, bland.

[kanljung]

The ever present anchovy is a chameleon, one day its served fresh, battered and fried, another day its prepared salted and finally, as has been done for centuries, preserved in oil.  Each way, the anchovy takes on different characteristics and uses.    Now here is something that needs to be researched: Salted anchovies were highly prized as was the salt itself.  In order to avoid paying a salt tax, the ‘arbanelle di acciughe’ would eat the salted anchovies and “once the traders had arrived at their destination so did the salt, tax free.” (quote from www.deliciousitaly.com/liguriandishes5.html).  What does that mean?? Were the arbanelle people or some sort of animal? How was the salt retrieved? I did a quick google but didn’t come up with much. Any historians care to comment…come on, Pontormo, this is right up your alley!

←

I googled a bit and found several sites (e.g. this one) that explained that arbanelle is the cylindrical glass jars that is used for preserving the anchovies in slat. The jars are then sealed with a thin slate stone.

[francesco]

Judith:  Thank you!

I think the saying means something like the following:

When foreigners* smell or taste pesto, it's as if they instantly know how to speak the native tongue."

*people from places other than the city of Genoa, including Italians.

Zena=Genoa's local dialect

←

Almost. The saying seems to be written in some bastardised form of Genoese dialect and actually means:

"Once foreigners taste pesto, they never want to leave Genoa anymore."

Zena stands for Genoa in the local dialect which is called Zeneize.

[FoodMan]

Pontormo, I have my eye on that same pasta sauce. Sounds so good for a summer dinner.

Elie, what a wonderful green dinner! That maro is good stuff, heh  ?

And you made both sauces in your mortar! Dedicated Ligurian cooking!

I have made that same potato/green bean cake in the past and was also disappointed in it. I did not like the texture and it was indeed, bland.

←

Yeah, I love using my big granite mortar and pestle, it's very therapeutic. Besides my 2.5 year old son loves to "help" when I am using it and he sure did this weekend.

That potato cake has some potential I think but we really have to go "French" on it . It needs more garlic, butter, some cream and more eggs. The way it stands you are right, the texture is not very appealing at all.

[Chufi]

More green food from Liguria.

This is the broad bean and lettuce soup from Marcella Cucina. It's very simple, Romaine lettuce, a bit of onion, a potato to thicken and broad beans, cooked together in a light stock. At the end it's flavored with fresh marjoram and parmesan. Delicious!

[NYC Mike]

Wow! Looks great Chufi! .

Elie, care to share your almond milk dough recipe?

My Recipes From Paradise just arrived, what a great book!!

-Mike

[hathor]

Klary, as usual your meals look fantastic.

What type of lettuce did you use in the soup? I keep having this mental picture of wilted, melted iceburg lettuce and I can't get pass that to try these lettuce soup recipes. (Holdover from a childhood experience...what can I say? )

[FoodMan]

Wow! Looks great Chufi! .

Elie, care to share your almond milk dough recipe?

My Recipes From Paradise just arrived, what a great book!!

-Mike

←

Mike-

The bread is more or less a white bread but with almond milk used instead of plain milk or water. To make almond milk:

Almond Milk adapted from the Alford/Duguid baking book (used in Almond Milk Bread):

1 Cup almonds

2 Cups milk

In a food processor, finly chop the almonds, place them in a bowl.

Heat the milk till almost boiling and pour over the almonds. Let them soak in the fridge overnight.

Use the milk and the chopped almonds in the dough.

If you need more details, let me know and I can PM you.

[Pontormo]

Hathor: Marcella Hazan's recipe calls for Romaine lettuce...i.e. the one Klary used.

I hesitate to mention this, although it may save me from buying yet another cookbook, however, MH's Cucina is going for a mere $10 at Jessica's Biscuit right now. It may not be her classic work, but it seems to have more tempting recipes than her third book and has what we're all clamoring for this year: more books that explicitly indicate regional origins of Italian dishes.

Now, for those of you who do own cookbooks devoted to Ligurian cuisine, could you please tell me if you've found anything resembling hummus? There seems to be a lot made with chickpea flour and chickpeas are in soups. I ended up making a white bean puree to eat with focaccia later in the week, but I wondered....

[Adam Balic]

The Ligurian's have this woderful sauce called "Pesto", which I think could really catch on. We make it maybe once a month - almost certainly not to an authentic recipe.

I use: Basil*, olive oil, garlic, salt, pine nuts. In theory, a pestle and mortar should be used as this is how the sauce got it's name after all. There are various reasons for using the mortar, rather then a food processor: it is mire gentle, the sauce doesn't heat up, the texture is better. OK, for those that are interested here is an authentic Ligurian mortar and pestle. You can see from it's design the echo of a old roman capitals that were hollowed out and used, once the Vandals, Goths, Longbards et al had moved in an declared themselves Italian. Also note my food processor.

The food processor doesn't quite give the same creamy texture of the mortar.

Another inauthentic Ligurian product is sold in a large supermarket chain in the UK. This type of trofie are sold by the ton in many stores in the Cinque Terra. However, the original pasta are more like smal fine dumpling (still twisted like this) often made with chestnut flour. In the Cinque terra I have had excellent trofie made with a scampi sauce(langoustines, not the USA sauce).

Cheese. I don't add cheese to my pesto. My favourite pesto tasted in Liguria also didn't contain cheese. It is a personal preference, I find the cheese deadens the freshness of the pesto. This may have to do with the basil I can get here, which is a lot more 'minty' in flavour profile then the Ligurian basil I have had. I add cheese later. This is Sardo (Pecorino). My Tuscan relatives pooh-pooh this, but it is a good product (although stupidly expensive in Edinburgh, $75 a kilo).

Dinner - note cherry tomatoes. Not authentic in any way at all.

Edited May 9, 2006 by Adam Balic (log)

[NYC Mike]

OMG Adam, your pesto looks amazing! Thanks for the play by play!

-Mike

[Chufi]

What type of lettuce did you use in the soup?  I keep having this mental picture of wilted, melted iceburg lettuce and I can't get pass that to try these lettuce soup recipes.  (Holdover from a childhood experience...what can I say?  )

←

Hathor:  Marcella Hazan's recipe calls for Romaine lettuce...i.e. the one Klary used.

←

I couldn't find any Romaine, so I used little gems, which are, after all, I think, just baby Romaines..

Hathor I know what you mean about cooking lettuce. You have to switch from thinking of it as 'salad', and treat it as a vegetable... I also love braised lettuce (with peas and lots of butter).

Adam that's glorious pesto! So you made this one in the foodprocessor? If you make it in the mortar sometime soon, would you mind posting a pic of that for comparison?

[hathor]

The ever present anchovy is a chameleon, one day its served fresh, battered and fried, another day its prepared salted and finally, as has been done for centuries, preserved in oil.  Each way, the anchovy takes on different characteristics and uses.    Now here is something that needs to be researched: Salted anchovies were highly prized as was the salt itself.  In order to avoid paying a salt tax, the ‘arbanelle di acciughe’ would eat the salted anchovies and “once the traders had arrived at their destination so did the salt, tax free.” (quote from www.deliciousitaly.com/liguriandishes5.html).  What does that mean?? Were the arbanelle people or some sort of animal? How was the salt retrieved? I did a quick google but didn’t come up with much. Any historians care to comment…come on, Pontormo, this is right up your alley!

←

I googled a bit and found several sites (e.g. this one) that explained that arbanelle is the cylindrical glass jars that is used for preserving the anchovies in slat. The jars are then sealed with a thin slate stone.

←

Well, then, I still don't understand. Did the traders eat the glass cylinders? Kind of like eating a balloon of drugs? YUK.