The Cooking and Cuisine of Trentino Alto Adige

[Kevin72]

Thank you both. Very recently our Central Market started selling a more specifically TAA-labelled speck as opposed to a more generic product, usually from Austria or Germany. I find it more subtle and appealing than the kinds we previously had.

This was the first time I'd seen boned shanks as well; I'm curious to know what Asian dishes in particular call for it. But the market is amazing; they even carry pork blood!

[Franci]

Franci

we made it a family affair to make your apple streudel this weekend and had a great time doing it.  My wife and three year old had a great time spreading sugar, cinnamon, apples, raisins and nuts.  I will try to post a picture, though it will only be of what is left as we could not wait to long after it came out of the oven to cut into it.

grazie per la ricetta

Dave

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Dave, I am so happy that you and the family had fun with it!!! How did the dough work?

Looking forward to see the picture

Thank you both.  Very recently our Central Market started selling a more specifically TAA-labelled speck as opposed to a more generic product, usually from Austria or Germany.  I find it more subtle and appealing than the kinds we previously had. 

This was the first time I'd seen boned shanks as well; I'm curious to know what Asian dishes in particular call for it.  But the market is amazing; they even carry pork blood!

←

Kevin, you are working for all of us! I feel a little ashamed. I thought of making something with buckwheat but I left my spaeztle grater in Italy and now I am thinking about the buckwheat cake with a blueberry jam filling or the Meraner Torte.

[Franci]

Thank you both.  Very recently our Central Market started selling a more specifically TAA-labelled speck as opposed to a more generic product, usually from Austria or Germany.  I find it more subtle and appealing than the kinds we previously had. 

This was the first time I'd seen boned shanks as well; I'm curious to know what Asian dishes in particular call for it.  But the market is amazing; they even carry pork blood!

←

Ah, I forgot, i am thinking of an Asian dish that maybe uses those shanks, and I actually would be something that you find also in Italian cooking. I always amazed when I find similarities in my husband chinese family and Italian food: pork with beans! In Italian would be fagioli con la cotica.

[legourmet]

Ah, I forgot, i am thinking of an Asian dish that maybe uses those shanks, and I actually would be something that you find also in Italian cooking. I always amazed when I find similarities in my husband chinese family and Italian food: pork with beans! In Italian would be fagioli con la cotica.

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Have been lately in an Italian restaurant and ordered "fagioli con le cotiche" not knowing exactly what it is. I like white beans very much. What I got was "White beans and pork-rind in a garlicy tomatosauce sprinkled with chopped parsley. Does that dish belong to a specific region ?

Edited January 30, 2007 by legourmet (log)

[Kevin72]

Allowing for differences in the type of bean used and some of the flavoring elements, versions of the dish can be found throughout the peninsula.

[Kevin72]

Well, admittedly not a surprise, but this thread wound up being our shortest regional treatment. Hopefully everyone's interest will pick back up for next month's region, the Veneto. I won't be able to get a writeup up until later today or tomorrow morning, however.

Anyways, for lunches for it looks like the next two weeks, I made the barley soup again from one of Pontormo's links:

When I was making the soup, after I added the barley there wasn't enough left to warrant keeping, so I threw that in as well. Predictably, it set up like Quik-crete and sucked up every drop of liquid in the pot. It's quite the starch bomb, what with potatoes in there as well. I used smocked pork hocks instead of the ham bone called for and the barley really soaked up their flavor so it's a satisfying, meaty tasting soup, perfect to slurp on yesterday as I watched snow(!) fall outside the window at work.

[davecap]

Franci

Thanks to a little snow here, I finally have time to upload some photos of our streudel. Thanks again for sharing s great recipe

Mille Grazie

Dave

Edited February 15, 2007 by davecap (log)

[Franci]

Dave, you really did a very good job at stretching the dough, it looks very nice and thin!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On 1/22/2007 at 4:32 PM, Franci said:

Kevin, congratulations to you too!!!

Just to help you out, I do drink wine moderately, a couple glasses on weekends. I checked for toxo and unfortunately I am not immune, so I am stuck with prosciutto cotto and mortadella only

I am more incline to think it's caraway, in German is Kümmel and there it is used to flavour breads (this I tried there is a bakery in Milan) .

In Italian cumino is cummin

Polenta is one of those things that if you have a fireplace you should really try to see the difference!!!

Maybe not many outside Italy know the existence of this pot. It is an electric copper pot with an arm that will keep stirring the polenta at a very slow pace.

So far, I have been travelling with this polentiera all around the States and here in UK without having the possibility to use it: I am always cursed with an electric stove.

Last time in Milan I finally saw one with a flat bottom...but I didn't buy, I must have a gas stove in the next house.

The preferences on polenta are different according to the areas. My mom is from Bergamo and they are known for liking a very coarse polenta (the bramata) and is pretty thick.

In any case the polenta is done when the bottom is stuck to the pot, making a crust.

CHEM, nice to see you also here.

 

@Franci, any further thoughts on these machines?  Stirring at the stove is becoming more and more difficult for me.  Amazon has one that (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) works with induction but the minimum quantity is listed as 1kg.  The Italian amazon site offers a smaller size as well.

 

Tonight I plan to try polenta in my precise heat mixing bowl, but I am not sure it will end well.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The precise heat mixing bowl on the KitchenAid actually made eatable polenta.  But it was too dry and not the greatest.  The problem is the PHMB took an hour to come to temperature, even with adding half the water boiling.

 

The polenta was also too salty, but it's hard to blame that on KitchenAid.

 

Anyone else familiar with Italian polenta makers like the one @Franci showed?

 

 

[Franci]

@JoNorvelleWalker, sorry, I just saw your message now. The pot looks very nice but in my opinion, I’d invest into it only if you plan to eat a lot of polenta...and you need to cook also a decent amount. Not that the polenta it will not last, you can eat the leftovers for days. My kids really love polenta but I don’t think I would invest in the pot now (I think I returned the  pot I had back then to my mom or sister because it was round and with the italian wattage). Really good quality polenta made in the proper copper pot on the wood fire is a totally different experience but I often buy the polenta moretti lampo, 5 minutes mixing (you can find it on Amazon, I believe). I would not trust the polenta here anyway...how fresh is it, is the quality really good? Regardless of using regular polenta or instant, I never read the ratios polenta to water written on the packages, with time, I just learned when to stop pouring the polenta to my liking. I’d rather pick how much water I want, so, how much/little polenta I decide to make. I try the water saltiness before pouring in the polenta. I stop pouring when I can see the vortex in the middle when whisking, I don’t know if make sense ☺️ Since in Miami I cook less polenta because it’s warm, although still leftover grilled polenta is quite good no matter the temperature.