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Italian Dolci – Primo Amore

March 10, 2010

Italian meals usually end with some kind of a dessert, be it a crostata or tart usually made with fruit, a dry crumbling cake such as Sbrisolona or something richer like profiteroles, almost all meals end with desserts. These desserts are not always elaborate nor are the portions given out the type that you would see in an American diner. Instead they tend to be somewhat restrained and not quite as sugary as one might expect.

Many times the meal will finish with the ubiquitous biscotti that come from Tuscany and have been replicated throughout the world although the American version is about four times as large as the cantucci you find in Tuscany.

Not all Italian desserts are contained though. La Cassata Siciliana comes to mind. Many meals also end with Panna Cotta or other types of puddings. Another family of desserts are the Ciambelle or large donut like rings.

Here’s an easy recipe for a Ciambella.

Ingredients:

Three eggs
300 grams of sugar
300 grams of fine flour
100 grams of butter
1 packet of yeast
1 cup of milk
Grated lemon rind

Preparation:

Beat the eggs and the sugar together added the melted butter and the lemon rind. Then add the flour, the milk and last but not least, the yeast. Cook in the oven in a buttered and floured pan for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

To go with this delicious cake, you can have a semi sweet sparkling wine, such as Asti DOCG made with the Moscato grape or any recioto, passito or late harvest dessert wine. Italy has numerous dessert wines although they are not quite as famous as their dry counterparts. Sweet wines have been somewhat ignored in the past but wine lists are increasing adding variety and many of these come from Italy.

-SG

Leave a Comment » | Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Dining | Tagged: Ciambelle, Italian desserts | Permalink
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Italian Crostini – A Great Way To Start A Meal

March 2, 2010

Italian crostini are a great way to start any meal. This dish is typically from Tuscany and is generally an appetizer. If you order a plate of crostini, what will come to your table will be four or five slices of bread with a variety of toppings including the most typical, a chicken liver spread. The other “crostini” will generally be made with chopped tomato, often called a bruschetta. Additional crostini are made with ham, garlic or other toppings.

Crostini with liver pate is not seen quite as often in the rest of Italy but bruschetta can be found all over Italy and in many parts of the United States. One of the things that makes Italian cuisine so fascinating is the diversity in the food stuffs offered in throughout the country.

Here’s a recipe for making the Chicken liver and Prosciutto Pate

150 grams of chicken livers
130 grams of prociutto
40 grams of butter
3 tbs of Olive Oil
1 onion
milk or broth
2 sage leaves
8 sticks of rosemary

In a casserole, heat half of the butter and oil and put in the prosciutto to give it more flavor together with the chopped onion. For at least 30 minutes, continue to add in either the milk or the broth, constantly stirring it. Add the chopped liver and the sage. Let it boil for exactly three minutes, continuing to stir the pot. Take it off of the flame, chop up the contents of the pot, and put it back on the flame. Bring it to a boil and then add the remaining butter, continue to cook for three minutes and turn it off. Cut the bread and spread the pate. Put the rosemary branches on the bottom of the plate and the crostini on top.

2 Comments | Cooking, Dining, Tuscany | Tagged: Chicken liver pate, Crostini, Tuscany | Permalink
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Italian Olive Oil Offers Many Choices For Consumers

December 4, 2009

Italian olive oil is quite well known in the United States and has been for a long time. What is new however are the number of olive oils available and the differences among them. Numerous Italian regions produce olive oil and most of them are trying to get into the US marketplace. Among the most important are Tuscany, Umbria, Apulia, Sicilia, Calabria and Liguria. There are also areas in some of the other 20 regions that produce olive oil such as Lago di Garda in Lombardy/Veneto.

The olive was originally planted in the South Caucasus and spread from there to Rhodes, Cyprus and Crete and then to the entire Mediterranean basin. Olive cultivation in Apulia, for example, dates back to 800 a.c. when Greek settlers migrated to the region during the era called Magna Grecia. Some 40% of Italian olive oil actually comes from Apulia.

One of the characteristics of olive oil from Apulia is that it is quite full bodied, more so, for example, than oils from Liguria, Lake Garda or Tuscany. It has rich aromas and flavors and considerable nutritional characteristics including a high level of vitamin E and other substances which protect against degenerative diseases and aging.

Just like with wine grapes, there are many different types of olives, each producing oil with various characteristics. In Apulia, some of the varieties include:

Coratina which produces an olive oil that is fruity and slightly spicy.

Ogliarola which produces an oil that is almost sweet and has an aroma of almonds.

Ogliarola Garganica and Parenzana which make fruity and quite well balanced oil.

Cellina and Saracena which produce oil that can be almost salty.

Olive oil can also be used for numerous purposes in the kitchen and out. In the kitchen, some of the lighter oils such as those made from coratina work very well with salads. Other that are slightly heavier and are a bit spicy enhance grilled meats and vegetables. Still others work for frying foods.

The final product depends largely on the quality of the olive and how it is cared for during harvest and pressing. Following the harvest which should be done by hand as much as possible, olives are washed before being sorted and eventually pressed. Olives must be pressed within 24 hours after they are gathered.

Apulia has a number of products which have the special Denominazione d’orgine protetta (DOP) label including Olio Extravergine di oliva Collina di Brindisi DOP, Olio Extravergine di oliva Dauna DOP, Olio Extravergine di oliva Terra d’Otranto DOP, Olio Extravergine di oliva Terra di Bari DOP, and Olio Extravergine di oliva Terre Tarantine DOP.

While Apulia is only one of many regions in Italy that produces olive oil, it gives you an idea of how many oils there are and how each one has different characteristics depending on the terroir where they are grown, the cultivar and the climate conditions in that area. Check out the oils at Alta Cucina’s store.

1 Comment | Apulia, Dining, Ingredients, Italian Regions, olive oil, Uncategorized | Tagged: Alta Cucina Store, Apulia, olive oils from Italy | Permalink
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Thanksgiving In Italy

November 26, 2009

Many people find themselves traveling in Italy over the Thanksgiving holiday. One can have trouble getting a perfect Thanksgiving meal because many ingredients do not exist in Italy such as sweet potatos and cranberries. These are just not part of the Italian table. Dishes can be substituted though and pumpkin is ubiquitous so one shouldn’t fear missing a good pumpkin pie or pumpkin tart for dessert.

While turkey can be found on some menus in Italy, there is no real culinary tradition that has turkey as its centerpiece except in a small town in the Abruzzo region called Canzano. Abruzzo is in central Italy and has both mountains and the sea among its treasures. It is known for its strong cuisine and hardy and stoic people.

Tacchino alla Canzanese is the most famous dish from this corner of Abruzzo near the city of Teramo. Canzano, a medieval hilltown at 500 meters above sea level with a stunning view of the Gran Sasso, Maiella and Laga mountains, has been making this turkey dish since the 1800s.

The turkey is cooked with peppercorns, salt, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves and veal bones for five hours in the oven. When the turkey, better if a female bird, is done, the gelatin from the drippings gets spread over the turkey and refrigerated. The dish is, in fact, served cold and is sliced turkey with a gelatinous covering. Apparently each family has their own recipe which is jealously guarded.

While Italians do not really celebrate Thanksgiving, there are many harvest holidays in the autumn months which celebrate different foods and the arrival or the end of the seasons. Tacchino alla Canzanese is generally eaten as part of the traditional Christmas meal in this part of Abruzzo.

Wines from Abruzzo tend to be made from one of two grapes: Trebbiano d’Abruzzo or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The first produces light white wines which can be paired with pasta dishes or served as an apertif. Sometimes it is made into a blend with chardonnay.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a red grape variety which makes medium bodied, fruity wines with nice acidity. This grape has come into favor in the past 10 years and is widely available in the United States. Two very well known producers are Emidio Pepe who has been making organic wines for more than 40 years and Giuseppe Masciarelli whose wines are constantly considered some of the best from the region.

Only one D.O.C.G. wine comes from this area and that is the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane wines from the Colline Teramane. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo could be a good wine with any type of turkey this Thanksgiving.

1 Comment | abruzzo, Cooking, Dining, Italian Regions | Tagged: abruzzo, Canzano, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Tacchino alla Canzanese, Thanksgiving in Italy, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Zucca | Permalink
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New York’s Quinto Quarto, A Fall Treat

October 15, 2009

Eating at Quinto Quarto, a restaurant in New York City’s West Village, is a true Fall delight. The restaurant is part of a group that has four locations, two in Milan and one in Monte Carlo of all places. It is a lovely, laid back, informal and welcoming place for a meal with a friend, a date or a small group.

The food is earthy with a twist. Many of the antipasti, primi, secondi and contorni can be shared among friends. On a recent visit, friends had penne alla zucca and cacio e pepe. The latter, a truly Roman dish, was a perfect dish for this weather as it slips 10 degrees colder. The penne alla zucca were light and airy, as they should be.

One slightly off note was the passata di ceci (chickpeas). That is until the staff suggested adding more pecorino cheese. It was then transformed into a cozy and delicious soup, quite similar to the version eaten in Florence this summer.

That brings me to the staff. Seldom have I seen a restaurant staff in New York that has been so welcoming and kind. The sommelier took a lot of time discussing what we wanted to drink and our tastes, making helpful suggestions along the way.

The wait was a brief 15 minutes and no one was rushing you out of the room to free up a table. Rumor has it that they get very crowded so reservations are likely essential. The bill can be paid with credit cards or cash, unlike many Italian restaurants these days that seek to keep prices down with cash only menus.

The dishes were also all imminently affordable for New York standards and the wine list was eclectic, including many from Lazio and Umbria which makes them a bit more interesting and esoteric.

Truly a lovely place to have lunch or dinner, Quinto Quarto is now on the list of favorite New York restaurants.

Leave a Comment » | Dining | Tagged: new york dining, Quinto quarto | Permalink
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Italian Desserts – An Endless Variety of Sweets

September 24, 2009

Italian desserts are plentiful and varied. Each small town has at least one well known dessert for which they are famous.

In some of the Northern regions such as Lombardy, dry, crumbly cakes such as Sbrisolona from Mantova are all the rage. In the South, heavier, creamy desserts like the Cassata from Sicily or the Pastiera from Naples are signature dishes.

Throughout the country there is also a strong tradition of chocolates, often mixed in with nuts such as Torrone.

Another example of this type of “Italian chocolate bar” are the croccantini. They are tasty bars of ground hazelnuts coated with extra fine plain chocolate.

Italy also has a number of rare dessert wines to pair with these sweets. Years ago the lion’s share of sweet wines were based on white grapes such as Gewurztraminer, Moscato, and Malvasia. Today many types of wines are made into dessert wines. Even grapes that traditionally make robust red wines such as Primitivo di Manduria are being made into sweet wines.

Vigne e Vini, a winery from Apulia makes a lovely dessert wine from Primitivo called Chicca while Oltrepo’ Pavese near the Lombard city of Pavia also makes its own dessert wine called Sangue di Giuda.

This wine is made from a blend of three grapes, Croatina (65%), Barbera (25%, and Uva Rara (10%). These grapes are all indigenous or native to the area.

Light and somewhat fruity, this particular wine is a great surprise to many people. It has a beautiful color and a big frothy mousse. It has strawberry and raspberry aromas on the nose and the palate.

If you need a bottle of something esoteric to bring to someone’s house, try Sangue di Giuda, guaranteed it will be an interesting evening.

Leave a Comment » | Baking, Campania, Dining, Italian Regions, Lombardy, Sicily, Wining | Tagged: Croccantini, Primitivo di Manduria, Sangue di Giuda, Sbrisolona | Permalink
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Gragnano & Pizza: An Ideal Pairing

September 22, 2009

Cantine Federciane’s Gragnano DOC is full of surprises. At a recent wine tasting, many people thought that they were drinking a Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna. Much to their surprise, the wine had more body and different earthy aromas than the Lambrusco they remembered. They were not wrong however. The wine wasn’t a Lambrusco at all but a Gragnano, made from a blend of indigenous grapes from the Campania region of Italy. Piedirosso, Sciascinoso and Aglianico are blended to produce this delicious red wine from the Sorrento Penisola. The soils are volcanic and the winery’s website says that they see the perlage or bubbles in this wine as reflecting the eruptions of Vesuvius. The wine is made in stainless steel and ferments at a controlled temperature on selected yeasts. It undergoes a secondary fermentation in autoclave in order to create its characteristic foam.

Gragnano

The wine is a beautiful rich deep ruby almost purple red. It is best when served cool and is refreshing with berry notes, a lovely body and rich texture. This wine can always be found on the menu at local restaurant and wine bar Tarallucci e Vino and is on the menu at numerous restaurants in New York City. This wine is considered to be the ideal wine for pizza.

Leave a Comment » | Campania, Dining, Italian Regions, Wining | Tagged: Campania, Gragnano, Pizza | Permalink
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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
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Bianca, A Home Away From Home

September 15, 2009

Dining out in New York can be delightful or difficult and everything in the middle. What it should be, at all times though, is relaxing. Bianca, a restaurant in lower Manhattan is just such a place.

Eating there a handful of times already gives you the feeling that you are a home. The manager will suggest you go next door and have a drink at Von while you wait for your table. The wait may even be long but no one seems to mind. It is a testament to the service, the food and the ambiance of Bianca.

Make no mistake, this is a local trattoria-style joint with an inexpensive and cash only menu all the time. It gets a fairly young and hip crowd from Nolita and the East Village but everyone’s always welcome and it feels that way.

The pasta are generally delicious and lasagna is always on the menu. The Chef leans towards dishes from Emilia Romagna. On a recent visit, the Tagliatelle with Sausage and Broccoli Raab were delicious. On another trip, the Ravoli di Ricotta with butter and sage did the trick. The portions are also quite generous.

Other recent dishes that we sampled include the Stracetti di Manzo, Carciofi fritti, Radicchio alla Griglia in Coperta (with prosciuto and cheese) which sounds odd but is delicious and the ever present Caprese salad.

A neat little wine list completes the picture. If you go, be patient and bring cash. Bianca is a sister restaurant to Celeste on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, also inexpensive with delicious pizza and a loud crowd as well as Teodora, a more upscale dining experience in Midtown.

The group, created and run by Chef Giancarlo Quadalti, is also associated with Fiore in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where Chef Roberto Aita runs the show.

Eating at any of these restaurants is a real pleasure and sends you home feeling not only satisfied with the food and wine but relaxed, as if you had just dined at a friend’s home.

Leave a Comment » | Dining, Restaurants | Tagged: Bianca, Celeste, Fiore, Giancarlo Quadalti, Roberto Aita, Teodora | Permalink
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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.