Cured Meats « Radicchioblog

Genuinely Italian Lecture Series At NYU’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’

April 27, 2010

Food is a topic that is on everyone’s mind and these days what is genuine Italian is a hot topic. This evening, three owners of Italian Specialty shops in New York city will share their secrets and talk about smart shopping. The lecture is part of a series of six educational lectures organized by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ and the Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani.

The panel includes Lou DiPalo of Dipalo’s Fine Foods whose family originally hails from Basilicata. DiPalo’s family opened its first shop in 1910. Today’s store is much larger than any of its previous incarnations and Lou’s son has opened his own wine shop next door.

The second guest at the lecture will be Louis Coluccio Jr of DColuccio & Sons in Brooklyn. Louis Jr. is very entertaining and passionate about food, especially those that his family has been importing for decades.

The third speak is Antonio Magliulo of Buonitalia in the Chelsea Market. Buonitalia is very well known in New York restaurant circles and many order directly from his wholesale business. There is also a lovely cafe’ within the premises and many consider it to have some of the best espresso in New York. All told, the evening should be exciting with tidbits and new information. I’m looking forward to going.

-Susannah Gold

8 Comments | Cheeses, Coffee Bars, Cooking, Cured Meats, Dining, Events, Fresh Pasta, Fruits, Grains, Ingredients, Restaurants, Uncategorized | Tagged: Anthony Magliulo, Buonitalia, Coluccio & Sons, Dipalo's, Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani, lectures on food, Lou DiPaolo, Louis Coluccio Jr., NYU Casa Italiana, Zerilli Marimo' | Permalink
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A Look At An Italian Hog Raised In The Wild: The Cinta Senese

October 6, 2009

Italy raises many hogs for its numerous charcuterie products, sauces and roasts but not all of these hogs are created equal. A limited few are very lucky and very special and are raised outdoors, practically in the wild. One such hog is the Cinta Senese which resides in the countryside of the Tuscan city of Siena. The Cinta Senese been grown in this area since the Middle Ages. It’s presence is even seen in a 14th century fresco painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, “The Allegory of Good Government” for the Palazzo Comunale of Siena.

The Cinta Senese is the only hog native to Tuscany to have survived. It is slightly different looking than many other hogs. It has a long snout, black hair and a white band or a cinta around its middle. The hogs roam free in the woods, eating grass, roots, tubers and acorns.

Specifically, the Cinta Senese’s natural habitat is around the beautiful small town of Monteriggioni, an entirely medieval hamlet enclosed within a circular wall and perched on a hill. The economy in the middle ages was based on agriculture and the raising of hogs was essential both for the products that they produced for sale as well as for the food they provided for the farmers.

The Cinta Senese is an ancient race and is now a Denominazione d’Origine Protetta (DOP). It’s official name is Suino Cinto Toscano DOP.

In the past there had been some cross breeding between different types of hogs but in the last decade, local farmers have return to raising hogs of this particular race in order to save it from extinction.

Another reason that it made such as comeback is because it has a higher percentage (57%) of “good” fat as opposed to a normal pig’s 50%, which makes the meat both tastier and healthier.

Most of the products that come from these hogs are consumed within Tuscany, a mecca for tourism all year round.

You can find these products in a number of places abroad as well. Academia Barilla, for example, offers some of these products for sale in the United States.

Leave a Comment » | Cured Meats, Italian Regions, Tuscany | Tagged: Cinta Senese, Suino Cinto Toscano, Tuscany | Permalink
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Alta Cucina Society

Corte Visconti and Risotto with a Count in Lombardy November 29, 2011

Once upon a time....In a remote area of Italy's Lombardy region, there lives a count, Edoardo Visconti di Modrone, whose family's noble history dates back to the 1300s.

New Authentic Italian Bar and Cafe' opens in Midtown Manhattan November 22, 2011

LESPRESSO BAR is now open at Alta Cucina Epicurean Center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

L'Espresso Bar at Alta Cucina Epicurean Center now open for breakfast and lunch November 19, 2011

L'ESPRESSO BAR is now open at Alta Cucina Epicurean Center in Midtown Manhattan, serving breakfast, lunch and afternoon coffee, tea and pastries.

December 12 - Hands On Cooking Class and Dinner - from 6.30 to 10.00 p.m. October 28, 2011

Porsena, Sarah Jenkins' Pasta Restaurant in New York October 15, 2011

It's clearly meant to honor the many ways she learned to prepare pasta, when Sarah Jenkins's year old East Village eatery bills itself as, "Porsena, a Pasta Restaurant". I first encountered Chef Jenkins promising style of cooking several years ago at the Northern Italian trattoria, I Coppi, two blocks to the north.