Fresh Pasta | Radicchioblog

Hitting the streets of Ferrara

August 31, 2010

On September 4th I have a blind date, but not with a guy… with a monument!
Yes, you got that right, let me explain. On September 4th, the city of Ferrara is hosting the first ever “Street Dinner”. This is a unique opportunity to enjoy art and food together; an ensemble of adventure, gastronomy, natural scenery, conviviality and mistery.
Chic but informal at the same time, the event welcomes a large number of gourmands who, armed with a table, a chair and a bag filled with delicacies, will only find out at the very last minute by what historical building or monument they are going to sit and enjoy all the provided local specialties.

All is possible thanks to text messaging: indeed all participants will find out their destinations step by step directly on their phones. The first text will provide the location of the “welcoming” aperitivo where people can mingle and get to know each other while sipping spumante. A second text will inform all of the location where to pick up the table, the chair and table settings plus the food bag (there are two different menus available. The actual dishes are a secret but you can choose between a meat-based or a fish-based menu). Thirty minutes later another text will inform each guest of their diner location. Some of these locations are, for example, the court of Castello Estense (a magnificent castle built in the center of the city), on Corso Ercole I d’Este with a view of Palazzo dei Diamanti (the house of the National Art Gallery, is one of the most famous buildings in Italy: the white marble exterior consisting of 8500 blocks are carved in the shape of diamonds), along the Listone of Ferrara (a beautiful square by the Duomo), in Via delle Volte, among the Ancient Walls and many other wonderful corners (such as one of the city’s beaches or bridges).

As I said, the menus, like everything else, are secret, but I hope that they will feature some of these local specialties:Cappellacci di zucca, pumpkin ravioli, are served with ragù or butter and sage sauce; tagliatelle, noodles with ragù or mushroom sauce, the maltagliati, irregularly shaped egg pasta cooked with beans, classic lasagna, green lasagna, pasticcio alla Ferrarese, a pie stuffed with maccheroni, béchamel, cheese and ragù with porcini mushrooms; riso con zucca e salsiccia, rice with pumpkin and sausages, or with fish Brodetto, a seafood broth. Rice is also prepared with eels, with ragù, cheese and porcini mushroom. Polenta is often served in place of pasta. It can be fried in butter or dressed with a sauce, cheese, meat or fish. Anguilla (eel) and polenta, polenta with ragù, polenta and sausages are common fare in the Ferrarese. As far as desserts are concerned: ciambella ferrarese is made with flour, eggs, butter and a little sugar; torta di mele is a sponge cake mixed with fresh apples sliced very thin; panpepato is a super rich chocolate cake with candied fruits and nuts, ginger, pepper and other spices and mandurlin dal pont are delicate and crispy cookies made with eggs, sugar and almonds.
For more information: http://www.streetdinner.it
- Natasha Lardera

1 Comment | Dining, Emilia Romagna, Events, Fresh Pasta, Travelling | Tagged: Emilia Romagna, Events, Italian cuisine, Italian Regions, Travel | Permalink
Posted by 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
Posted by radicchioblog

Sardinia Bread & Pasta: Not Just Pane Carasau & Fregola

March 16, 2010

Most people have heard of the famous thin bread from Sardinia known as Pane Carasau or Carta Musica. You can find it in many places in the United States as well. This bread is the traditional flat crispy bread that one associates with Sardinia and is made from Sardinian flour, yeast and water. The dough is left to rise for half a day and then it is kneaded again and left to rise again, like Lazarus. The dough is then split into balls and rolled ou thinly. It is left to stand for several hours and then is baked.Once it rises, the bread is taken out of the oven and is cut horizontally through the middle. The new halves are baked again.

The bread can be stored for up to one year. In addition to Pane Carasau, Sardinian bakeries make Pane Pintatu which is a tad thicker and Pane Guttiatu, a bread flavored with olive oil and salt. This website gives recipes for a variety of interesting Sardinian breads.

Many pastas are also made in Sardinia. The most famous or well known is fregola made from durum wheat semolina but gnocchetti sardi and malloreddus are other pastas which shouldn’t be forgotten. Despite the fact that Sardinia is an island, the cuisine is not particularly seafood based but is more of a mountain cuisine. Traditionally, many Sardinians lived in the interior and have worked as shepards and the like, tending to a flock of sheep, hence the long tradition of pecorino cheese, roasted lamb and pork.

Getting back to pasta, Malloreddus, is a small, gnocchi-like pasta with some saffron in the dough. Traditionally it is cooked with a tomato or meat sauce. Another speciaty is their version of ravioli called culingiones, which is oval or round and stuffed with spinach and pecorino cheese. Still another dish which abounds is spaghetti with bottarga. Bottarga are dried roe of the grey mullet or Mediterranean tuna. The Sardinian version is a bit different than the Sicilian. Both are delicious but can be an acquired taste.

3 Comments | Cheeses, Cooking, Fresh Pasta, Italian Regions, Sardinia | Tagged: Fregola, Malloreddus, Pane Carasau, pecorino, Sardinia | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog

Treats From Bergamo & Valcalepio

October 8, 2009

Just when you think you know everything about a place, you discover something new. Italy is perfect for these types of endless discoveries. You can always find new foods, new wines, new art treasures or local traditions.

One region which generally is overlooked for regional specialties is Lombardy. It is famous for its financial and fashion capital Milan but is also home to numerous small cities with a wealth of history. These should all be explored and not just quickly passed by on route to Venice, Florence or Rome.

Among these gems is the city of Bergamo, located just an hour outside of Milan. It is also served by a local well connected airport called Orio al Serio. Many low budget airlines fly into Bergamo, among them Easyjet and Ryanair.

Bergamo

Bergamo is actually two towns, Bergamo alta and Bergamo basso. Bergamo alta is a fortified city in medieval walls with a beautiful central piazza, incredible Duomo or cathedral, baptistery and other notable monuments as well as stunning views over the countryside.

Bergamo is also home to numerous culinary delights and many notable restaurants and cafes. Cafe Tasso is one of the most famous and is located in the central piazza. Among the the local dishes, one pasta known as Casonei is very well loved in Bergamo as is the ubiquitous Polenta.

Cafe Tasso

Eating in Bergamo is not a generally great for your waistline. The foods are heavy but delicious. One way to walk off the calories is by trekking up and down Bergamo’s hills instead of using the local funicular.

To wash down some of these delicacies, the nearby Valcalepio provides decent red and white wines made from a variety of grapes, usually international varieties. Local grapes such as Marzemino, Rossolo, and Groppello have given way to Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet. Valcalepio does not export too many of its products, not yet at least. One wine from the area was recently awarded the Denominazione d’Orgine Controllata e Garantita (D.O.C.G.) designation, Moscato di Scanzo. A red dessert wine, it is delicious with chocolate.

Leave a Comment » | Cooking, Dessert wines, Fresh Pasta, Italian Regions, Lombardy, Travelling, Wining | Tagged: bergamo, casonei, Moscato di scanzo | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog

Fall Brings Thoughts of Pappardelle al Cinghiale or Wild Boar Sauce

September 17, 2009

Today’s cold weather brings to mind not just a raincoat or a sweater but comfort foods and warm rooms. The nip in the air leads one to think about soups, pastas and roasted meats.

Fall is also a time of harvest festivals and local sagre in Italy. One classic dish which is a favorite, especially in Tuscany, is pappardelle al cinghiale or wild boar sauce.

Wild boar are actually quite prevalent in Italy and according to food expert Kyle Phillips,, the numbers are increasing because of the introduction of a new species from Eastern Europe. On this page, Kyle gives a host of recipes which use Cinghiale.

Cinghiale can be made into salami, used as a carpaccio meat or eaten as a roast but the most traditional way that it is served is in a meat sauce or ragu. A classic pairing is with pappardelle pasta. Pappardelle are similar to fettucine but are somewhat wider.

Luckily for New Yorkers, this lovely dish has made it onto the menus of many New York restaurants including Macelleria , Col Legno in the East Village and Cipolla Rossa, among others.

You can also buy homemade sauce at gourmet food shops, although truly delicious cinghiale is hard to find. It must be cooked just right otherwise the meat can become tough.

If a trip to Tuscany is not imminent, at least one has options. Fall wouldn’t be the Fall without at least one dish of pappardelle al cinghiale.

This dish can be paired with a great sangiovese based wine. Sangiovese has considerable acidity and will balance out some of the strong flavors of the cinghiale without covering them completely. A Chianti Classico from any of the seven sub-denominations would work perfectly.

2 Comments | Dining, Fresh Pasta, Italian Regions, Tuscany | Tagged: Fall Foods, Pappardelle al cinghiale, Sangiovese, Tuscany | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog

Back To School Blues- Sindrome da Rientro? Pumpkin Ravioli Offers Consolation

September 8, 2009

It is the start of the Autumn season with vacations ending, children going back to school, and everyone going back to their daily lives. Many suffer from the sindrome da rientro. While nothing is like summer, the Autumn can also be a joyful time, particularly active both at home and in the vegetable garden. Flowers have changed with mums replacing geraniums and tomatoes are soon to be picked from the vines. Fall brings wonderful fruits and vegetables. Squash are numerous and recipes for pumpkin ravioli begin to grace the covers of magazines in just a few weeks time.

Pumpkin ravioli is a signature dish in Northern Italy, particularly in the city of Mantova. While it traditionally is eaten between November and Christmas, any day in the Autumn can be an excuse to make ravioli with pumpkin, especially if the sage in your garden is all dried out.

Mantova is a beautiful city located in the province of Lombardy in Northern Italy. Mantova was home to the famous Gonzaga family since the start of the 14th century. As in many important Italian families, the Gonzagas put their stamp on Mantova and its architecture.

They built the huge Palazzo Ducale which absolutely dominates the city. Just like Versailles, this palace also has its own Hall of Mirrors. The palace contains an incredible fresco cycle by the world renowned painter Mantegna in the Camera degli Sposi or bridal chamber. If you see nothing else in Mantova, this should not be missed.

Another incredible building in the city is Palazzo Te which was built by Giulio Romano in 1534 for Federico II Gonzaga. The church of Sant’Andrea built in the 11th century is the oldest church in the city and one of the most beautiful. Mantegna (1431-1506) is buried in this church in the first chapel on the left after the entrance. Mantova is not a large city so you will have plenty of time to take in these sites and enjoy a delicious dish of pumpkin ravioli.

If instead you have no plans for a trip, this website gives you a step by step recipe on how to make both the ravioli and the filling. Buon appetito!

1 Comment | Art, Cooking, Fresh Pasta, Italian Regions, Lombardy, Travelling | Tagged: Mantegna, Mantova, Northern Italy, Pumpkin ravioli | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog

A Ligurian Treat: Trofie al Pesto

August 27, 2009

All 20 of Italy’s regions have specific culinary traditions but most have at least one or two signature dishes that are on almost every menu in the region. One of the most ubiquitous and the most delicious of Ligurian treats is their homemade squiggly pasta called trofie which are generally served with pesto. Pesto can be made in a number of ways. The basic pesto ingredients are basil, garlic, pinoli nuts, cheese and oil. In Liguria, many cooks add green beans and potatoes to the dish. You can either purchase pesto or make it at home.

The pasta is a bit more laborious but here is a great recipe from a blog by Helen Rennie. Buying trofie in New York can present somewhat of a challenge but fresh pasta producers such as Raffetto’s in the West Village or Borgattis on Arthur Avenue would be a good place to begin your search.

If all of this seems too much, you can hop over to Scuderia on 6th Avenue and order this lovely dish. A great wine to drink while eating pesto is the local Vermentino, a white wine which is made in Liguria, in parts of Tuscany and in Sardinia. The best Vermentino from Liguria come from an area called Colli di Luni. This summer dish is light and is always a crowd pleaser at dinner parties as well.

Often overlooked by tourists who opt to vacation in Tuscany, Liguria has much to offer. Renowned for its small picturesque villages perched on hills overlooking the Mediterranean, it is also a wonderful place to hike as well as scuba dive or sail. Many northern Italians tend to spend their weekends here and part of the summer. Liguria can also be a great place to vacation with young children as the sea is relatively shallow and calm close to the shoreline. On your next visit, keep Liguria in mind for a holiday jaunt. You won’t be disappointed.