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Italian Sweet Basil Perfect For Pesto and Other Delicacies
May 24, 2010The Spring season brings thoughts of gardening and planting. Many peopke plant herbs to grow and nothing is easier or more fun to have in the garden than Basil. Basil is used quite often in Italian cooking but also in Asia cooking, although it is a different cultivar. Italian basil is usually called sweet basil as opoosed to Thai basil or lemon basil.
Basil is usually added at the last moment because if it is cooked to long, the delicate flavors are destroyed.
Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto which is usually served on pasta or occasionally with bread. You can also use pesto as a way to garnish soup.
The most traditional pesto recipe is called Pesto alla Genovese. Here’s a fun youtube video of a chef explaining how to make pesto, a very easy recipe.
Pesto has a few main ingredients and then some alternatives. Some pesto recipes call for adding potatoes and green beans, others do not. The mainstays of pesto are olive oil, pine nuts, basil and pecorino cheese.
Pesto is perfect for the spring and summer and is a great way to feed many people at a party. It goes very well with Italian white wines such as Vermentino, Pigato and some Pinot Grigio from the Alto Adige.
If you have no desire to make pesto, you can buy it at the Alta Cucina Store.
-Susannah Gold
1 Comment | 
Cheeses, Dining, Italian Regions, Legumes, Liguria, Uncategorized, Wining | Tagged: Alta Cucina, Genova, green beans, Liguria, Pesto, pesto alla genovese, pigato, pinoli nuts, trenette, vermentino | 
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Posted by radicchioblog
Genuinely Italian Lecture Series At NYU’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’
April 27, 2010Food 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
Gualtiero Marchesi Exhibit In Milan Until June
April 19, 2010Milan has become quite an international city thanks to its’ stylish fashion shows, design fairs and museums. The city is in tumult and looks more like Shanghai than its previous incarnation as construction companies create skyscrapers, new industrial parks and public architecture. Much of the new construction is in anticipation of the Expo 2015. A large part of the Expo is going to be dedicated to food, according to panels in an exhibit about famed Chef Gualtiero Marchesi at the Castello Sforzesco. The Castello itself which sits smack in the center of the city has undergone many renovations and now is a hot tourist stop with many exhibits, among them one on Gualtiero Marchesi. Marchesi is perhaps the most famous of all Italian chefs with two restaurants, one in Milan and one in Franciacorta in a town called Erbusco. Early on, Marchesi was experimenting with different cuisines such as the Japanese one and mixing traditional Italian dishes with new oriental accents. He is also the first to place gold leaf in risotto and many other innovative tricks. A new exhibit dedicated to the Chef opened Saturday, April 17 and runs until June 2010. Marchesi himself will be on hand for a few cooking demonstrations. Don’t miss it if you are in Milan.
Leave a Comment » | Cooking, Lombardy, Uncategorized | Tagged: Castello Sforzesco, Citta della Moda, Erbusco, Expo 2015, fashion in Milan, Franciacorta, Gualtiero Marchesi, Italian Chefs, Milan, Salone del Mobile | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog
Carnevale: Celebrating With A Delicious Schiacciata Alla Fiorentina
February 16, 2010Today is Fat Tuesday the end of Carnevale and a huge celebration in many parts of the world, particularly in Italy. Two very big festivals take place in Italy, one in Venice and the other in Viareggio on the Tuscan coast. In Florence, children dress up in costumes and throw confetti to the wind. At home, they are usually treated to a luscious piece of Tuscan sponge cake otherwise known as Schiacciata alla Fiorentina. This delicious light and airy dessert is eaten throughout the year but is a favorite around Carnevale. Lighter than American sponge cake, it can be eaten in a variety of ways including filled with whipped cream. Try this easy recipe or make a quick trip to Tuscany, whichever is easier…
SCHIACCIATA ALLA FIORENTINA (FLORENTINE SPONGE CAKE)
This is a delicious spongy cake, popular around Carnival time in February but now found year-round, particularly in shops in downtown Florence.
Makes: 12 servings
INGREDIENTS
250g all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or 50g lard)
1 cup milk
grated orange peel from 1 orange
½ tsp saffron powder
90g sugar
2 eggs
¼ tsp salt
powdered sugar to decorate
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients and beat thoroughly until the batter is smooth and thick with no lumps. Grease a shallow rectangular baking pan and pour in the batter (the schiacciata should be about 2 cm high). Bake at 150°c for 30 minutes. Sprinkle plenty of powdered sugar on top of the cake.
If you want and have a sweet tooth, you can slice the cake and fill it with whipped cream or frosting. You can also put a crown in the middle during carnevale. Whoever finds the crown has good luck, legend has it.
1 Comment | Baking, Cooking, Tuscany, Uncategorized | Tagged: Carnevale, Schiacciata alla Fiorentina, Tuscany | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog
Italian Wine Week, Vino 2010, Comes To NYC
January 28, 2010Next week, numerous wine producers, importers and journalists will arrive in New York for a week of activities dedicated to the trade loosely called Italian wine week. This is the second annual Italian wine week. The four day event will be chock full of seminars, lunches and dinners where Italian wines will be discussed, dissected and thankfully tasted.
While these events are not open to the public, one event where consumers can participate is Luca Maroni’s Sensofwine at Cipriani 42nd Street. For tickets to the event, please go to the Alta Cucina Store.
Another event that will take place next week that is open to all New York is the SHOP & DINE VINO 2010. Wines from Apulia, Calabria, Tuscany, and the Veneto will be showcased at selected restaurants and wine shops. This promotion starts today, January 28 and goes to February 10. A number of wine shops will also be having educational seminars.
It promises to be an exciting and fun filled week with rivers of Italian wine. That sounds especially appealing on this snowy day in New York City.
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Italian wine week, Luca Maroni SensofWine, Shop & Dine Vino 2010, Vino 2010 | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog
Where is pasta’s home? Why Campania of course
January 26, 2010Pasta is certainly a uniquely Italian dish but not all pastas are created equal. Those in the know say that the best pasta is that which comes from Campania. Even that isn’t specific enough for some. The real home of pasta they say are two small towns: Torre Annunziata and Gragnano. The latter even holds an annual pasta festival. Both of these areas are very well known for the pastas that they produce, a few of which are exported to the United States.
Some historians date the creation of the four pronged fork with which to twirl pasta to this area of the world as well. Apparently a certain Gennaro Spadaccini, one of King Ferdinand II’s Chamberlains, added an additional prong to the fork so that noblemen were able to perform the slight circular motion done when eating pasta more easily and to better wind pasta onto their forks without the risk of being covered in sauce. A noblemen covered in sauce would certainly go against the rules of the Galateo, a book on manners.
What it is that makes the pasta from these towns so special? Apparently it is the air and the water quality, the cooking and drying methods used as well. Pasta is only made from durum wheat here and graces the table at almost every meal excluding breakfast. Pasta can be dry or fresh and homemade. It is served with sauces, seafood or meat or vegetables.
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Campania, Gragnano, Pasta | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog
Calabriadorata Olive Oil Tasting At Alta Cucina Today
January 21, 2010Alta Cucina is holding an olive oil tasting today of products from Calabriadorata. Calabriadorata makes Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Carolea cultivar which is indigenous to Calabria. The firm also makes an organic olive oil. Calabriadorata is located in Nocera Terinese, in the province of Cosenza. The property has been in the Marquis de Luca di Lizzano family since the 1600s. They have over 200 acres of olive trees located on the coastline of Calabria. Many of the olive trees date back to the 19th century.
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Posted by radicchioblog
Celebrate Christmas Eve With Italian Sparkling Wine
December 24, 2009As Christmas Eve rolls around, maybe you don’t know what to bring to dinner, a party, an after party. Consider Italian sparkling wine, of both red and white varieties. Italy offers numerous choices such as well known Prosecco from the Veneto region to Franciacorta from Lombardy.There are numerous wines to choose from including great sparklers from the Trentino-Alto Adige. Consider Ferrari, a sparkling wine house for many decades. The truly interesting phenomenon is that many sparkling wines are now being made from all kinds of indigenous grapes, such as Asprinio (Campania), Ribolla Gialla (Friuli), Pecorino (Marche), and Grechetto (Lazio) to name a few. Many producers are making sparkling wines in order to complement their still wine portfolio. One must remember the sweeter wines as well be it Asti in its off-dry version made from the Moscato Bianco grape or red varieties such as Brachetto d’Acqui and Birbet, all three from Piedmont.
In addition to sparkling wines or spumante, there is also a category called frizzante which is a little fizzy such as a Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna or Sangue di Giuda from Lombardy. These are just a few ideas for that bottle to bring to your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day feast.
Whichever bottle you choose, drink it in good health. Merry Christmas. Buon Natale. Tanti Auguri da Radicchioblog.
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: Christmas Eve, Vigilia di Natale | Permalink
Posted by radicchioblog
Vin Brule, A Great Remedy To Fight Cold Weather
December 22, 2009Today is the the first full day of Winter and people around the world are affected by the cold front. Italian and American cities have been fighting the snow over the last few days. Vin Brule or cooked wine can help. Of course Vin Brule is better when drunk on top of a mountain after a great day of skiing but if that isn’t an option, you can still make it in your kitchen pretty easily.
All you need are the following ingredients:
1 bottle of full bodied red wine
2 cinnamon sticks
7 ounces of sugar
8 cloves
1 orange
1 lemon
Begin by peeling the skin of the lemon and the orange, there should be no white part left on the skins, put the skins in a pot which shouldn’t be a nonstick pan. Put the cloves and the cinnamon in, slowly adding a bit of wine and a bit of sugar, then the skins of the lemon and orange. Before you turn on the stove, mix the sugar up so that it dissolves a bit. Now bring your concoction to a boil for a few minutes, mixing as you go with a wooden spoon. Now you need to let the alcohol evaporate. Be quite careful while you light the surface. Wait a few minutes before serving. It is recommended that you filter Vin Brule. This is a lovely way to celebrate with guests at Christmas.
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Posted by radicchioblog
