Tuscany « Radicchioblog

Porchetta Sandwich – Juicy Perfection

June 18, 2010

One of my closest friends works in a lovely wine bar in NYC – Cellar 58. So as I love to see my friend and drink some good Italian wine, (in Italian we call this “Prendere due piccioni con una fava” which basically means “To kill two birds with one stone”) I go to visit her as often as possible. Needless to say I have elected my favorite dish on the bar menu: the porchetta sandwich. Porchetta is a succulent pork roast, typical of the traditional cuisine of Lazio, Marche, Umbria and Tuscany (Cellar 58’s menu has been inspired by the cuisine of these regions). The exact location of where porchetta was first conceived is still a culinary mystery. People from Ariccia, in Lazio, claim paternity of the original recipe, while in Umbria it is told that Norcia, town known for pig farms since the times of the Ancient Romans, is the culprit. Apparently even the people of the Marche have claimed to be the originators…

Porchetta is a tender and juicy hunk of pork encased within fatty, crispy skin (crackling) made by cooking together rosemary, garlic, fennel, sage, salt and pepper and spreading them over pork loin. The meat is then rolled up before being tied with butcher’s twine and roasted (usually for about two and a half hours). The pork is so flavorful you really do not need any other accompanying ingredient. There are however regional differences: tradition calls for two basic ways to season porchetta. In southern Tuscany, southern Castelli di Roma and in other areas of Central Italy, it is seasoned mainly with rosemary. In northern Lazio, Umbria and Marche it is seasoned mainly with wild fennel which gives it a unique taste and aroma.

The Porchetta sandwich is not commonly eaten during a meal, but between meals as a “snack” or as a craving after a long night out (drinking and dancing). It is usually eaten warm, sliced and stuffed into fresh bread (ciabatta is a fave) on the street (from special trucks), outside a nightclub, during concerts, open air markets, town sagre and sporting events. Porchetta needs to be eaten right away, there is no time to waste. The most flavorful parts are those with equal parts of fat and lean meat that are marbled with stuffing. The crispiness of the skin best indicates the freshness of the meat.

In Tuscany or Umbria, street sellers are called porchettai, while in the Castelli di Roma area they are known as porchettari. NYC is still porchettari-free so when in need of this special sandwich going to Cellar 58 is the best solution. (One can also stop by Porchetta, where Chef Sara Jenkins makes porchetta sandwiches to takeout).

By Natasha Lardera

3 Comments | Lazio, Le Marche, Restaurants, salt, Tuscany, Umbria | Tagged: Italian cuisine, Italian Regions, Lazio, Le Marche, Tuscany, Umbria | Permalink
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Pecorino cheese – A Versatile Ingredient For Summer

June 14, 2010

Summer begins on June 21 but we are already in the throws of seasonal summer produce which can be eaten on its own or blended with cheeses and used in pasta. One of the great cheeses that work well with all of this summer produce is Pecorino.

It comes from sheep’s milk and is made in a host of regions in Italy including Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Lazio. The cheese tastes slightly different in the various regions. Pecorino can be made into a fresh style cheese or into an aged or “stagionato” one. Sometimes peppercorns or truffles are added to the cheese to enhance the flavor. Pecorino can be a flavorful cheese or can be somewhat mild, it depends on the aging and the style of cheese you are buying.

Pecorino Romano is the most ubiquitous in the United States. It is quite salty. Much of the Pecorino that is made in Tuscany is made by Sardinians who emigrated there.

Pecorino can be used in salads, eaten on its own at the end of a meal, eaten with pears or used instead of Parmigiano on pasta. Pecorino is an extremely versatile cheese and a good one to keep in the refrigerator at all times.

By Susannah Gold

Leave a Comment » | Cheeses, Cooking, Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany | Tagged: aged cheese, grated cheese, Italian Cheese, Lazio, Pasta, pecorino, Sardinia, Sicily, Summer produce, Tuscany | Permalink
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A vacation for aspiring chefs

June 2, 2010

As I am planning my upcoming Italian vacation, I am researching cool and different places with unique things to do. Although I was born and raised in that beautiful country there is still so much I have not seen, so my goal for the upcoming month is to get home, drop my suitcase and pack a smaller one for several short trips.

One of my first destinations will be the house where Monsignor Giacomo della Casa, Italian bishop, poet and translator who is mostly known for his popular treatise on good manners, Galateo, lived. Monsignor della Casa di Borgo San Lorenzo (FI) is a retreat for those who love to live life at a slow pace, taking time to enjoy good food, a beautiful landscape and the company of friends. The place offers some incredible classes and it is my intention to try them all. The “Tutti chef al Monsignore” program features meetings with the resort’s chefs where the unique taste and simplicity of Tuscan cuisine is explored. It is a fun way to learn the traditional dishes of Tuscan cuisine in a breathtaking environment. In the “house of good manners” a team of experts leads all guests who desire to participate in this program, in the preparation of true delicacies with impeccable style. Among pots, pans and other tools, the art of Tuscan cooking is shared among food lovers who wish to prepare an authentic menu which features homemade fresh pasta (from pappardelle to gnudi), meats from the area (exquisite wild boar), and vegetables gathered in the resort’s garden (do not miss seasonal zucchini flowers). This program ends on January 9th, 2011. Other culinary recreational activities such as olive oil and/or Chianti tastings, saffron and/or chestnut picking, visits to the local fresh produce markets and to cheese making facilities can also be enjoyed. I think I want to try them all.

By Natasha Lardera

2 Comments | Cooking, Italian Regions, Travelling, Tuscany | Tagged: Italian Chefs, Italian cuisine, Italian Regions, Tuscany | Permalink
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Il Cantuccio- Florentine Delights In The West Village

May 14, 2010

Il Cantuccio is a great little artisanal bake shop that just opened in the West Village in Manhattan. It offers a nice array of pastries including its famed Cantucci which come in a variety of flavors such as Cantucci with Almonds (original version), with Chocolate, with Prunes and with Apricots. Owned by three partners, Camilla, Simone and Leonardo, this lovely spot on the corner of Christopher Street really brought me back to Florence.

-Susannah Gold

Camilla noted that Americans haven’t yet caught on to the joys of eating schiacchiata. Schiacchiata is the name for Tuscan flatbread. It comes in both sweet and not sweet versions. Schiacchiata all’olio is one of the most typical afternoon snacks in Florence. Schiacciata is more familiar to Americans with the name Focaccia.
It is delicious as a sandwich bread with prosciutto or other meats or cheese or on its own.

Il Cantuccio is a sister restaurant to one in Florence on the Via Nazionale. There is also a third location in another town in Tuscany called Campo Bisenzio. The bakery has seating and is open from 800am to Midnight. They serve coffee and other treats for breakfast or brunch as well.

Although they have only been open for 19 days as of this blog post, it already feels like a neighborhood hangout. Warm and friendly, Il Cantuccio is a great place for a coffee. They also serve an almond paste cookie not to be missed called Brutti Buoni – loosely translated it means ugly but good.
-SG

1 Comment | Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Italian Regions, olive oil, Tuscany | Tagged: Cantucci with Almonds, Cantucci with Chocolate, Cantucci with Prunes, Florence, focaccia, Il Cantuccio, New bakery in West Village, Schiacchiata, Schiacchiata all'olio, Tuscany | 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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Carnevale: Celebrating With A Delicious Schiacciata Alla Fiorentina

February 16, 2010

Today 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
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Tuscan Cantucci & Vin Santo – The Perfect Way to End A Meal

February 9, 2010

The word Biscotti has become part of the American lexicon. It has come to mean a long thin cookie that sometimes has nuts and sometimes doesn’t. Biscotti in Italian really means cookie not just that particular kind of cookie which is really a version of the Cantucci di Prato, an ancient Tuscan dessert that is served at the end of the meal.

Usually very dry and crunchy, it is often served with a small glass of Vin Santo. Some people dip the cookies into the Vin Santo. The cookies are very easy to make and are baked twice. The Vin Santo is a much longer process.

Here’s a recipe for the cookies which would make a great Valentine’s day gift. This recipe is for about 36 cookies.

INGREDIENTS
* 500 g bread flour
* 300 g sugar
* 250 g almonds, unpeeled
* 50 g pine nuts
* 4 eggs
* 1 tsp baking powder
* pinch of salt
* grated peel of one lemon
* a baking or cookie sheet, parchment paper

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
2. Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add eggs and the rest of the ingredients until the ingredients stay together in a ball of dough.
3. On a clean surface, turn out the dough and shape it into a 3 cm wide roll as long as your baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper to help keep the cookies from sticking to the sheet (as no butter or oil is used). Place roll on the sheet, lightly flattening the top part of the roll.
4. Place sheet in oven and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the roll from the oven. The roll should be warm and firm; place it on a cutting board and cut diagonally, making 1 cm wide slices.
5. Place the slices back on the baking sheet on one of the cut sides, making sure to leave some space between each slice and place the sheet back into the oven, lowering the temperature a bit to 150°C (300°F). Bake for 15 minutes, then take the cookies out and turn them onto the other side and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Vin Santo or the wine of saints is an Italian dessert wine that is produced in Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Trentino.

White grapes (Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia and Canaiolo in Tuscany, Garganega and Gambellara in the Veneto and other grapes in different regions) are hand picked in the Autumn months of October and November. The bunches are left to hang dry from the rafters in a room called the Vinsantaia, which generally has many windows in order to promote air circulation and drying.

When the grapes have dried, which can go into January, they are pressed and the must that is obtained goes into the caratelli (small chestnut barrels) for fermentation. After the initial fermentation the wine is racked at least once and the caratelli are placed under the roof of the winery. Each area has a different tradition in terms of how long the wine remains in the caratelli before being bottled and eventually sold into the market.

Vin santo traditionally has a honeyed, orange taste with hints of dried fruits and nuts on the nose and palate. Usually it is an off dry or sweet wine and is the perfect way to end a special meal.

2 Comments | Baking, Dessert wines, Italian Regions, Tuscany | Tagged: Biscotti, Cantucci, Dessert Wine, Dried Grapes, Malavasia, Trebbiano Toscano, Tuscany, Vin Santo | 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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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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Is Farro the New Orzo? Tuscan Mainstay Makes A Splash in the U.S.

September 1, 2009

Farro, a form of wheat that has its’ husk intact, is making a splash in the United States. A grain that is traditionally eaten in Tuscany, Abruzzo and Lazio, Farro may just be the new orzo, another grain from Italy that has become a mainstay on many menus.

Farro is arguably more rustic than orzo. It is darker in color and has a delicious nutty and firm flavor. Tuscans use farro for soups, as an alternative to pasta or as a side dish. Much whole wheat pasta is made from farro as are many desserts. Farro can also be used in salads instead of other grains such as quinoa.

Farro is also extremely easy to make and is generally cooked in the same way that you would make rice or orzo. It is supposed to be chewier than rice so it can be cooked for a shorter period of time. In it’s easiest form, it is delicious with some fresh tomato sauce, basil and pepperoncino (macerated red pepper).

Farro is an ancient grain which first came to light in the Middle East. From there, it spread to Italy where it has been grown for centuries. It is somewhat harder to grow than other forms of wheat and therefore has been less popular in other areas of the world.

In Italy, you can generally find farro both in the main supermarkets and in health food stores. Farro is considered to confer healthy benefits and has very low cholesterol. In the United States, you can find farro is some high end Italian grocery stores or online at a variety of websites.

It is unlikely that we will see farro on every menu any time soon which is too bad because the nutty flavors go very well with fall meats, wines and vegetables. A healthy soup of farro and legumes is perfect for a cool fall evening with a glass of sangiovese. While one doesn’t want summer to end, farro reminds me there are some lovely fall foods and farro is one of them.

Leave a Comment » | Cooking, Grains, Tuscany | Tagged: abruzzo, farro, Lazio, orzo, Tuscany | Permalink
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