Most visitors to Italy take pictures of the cathedrals and monuments, fountains, villas, ancient Etruscan and Roman ruins, piazzas, museums, monasteries and abbeys - the inspiring landscapes, vineyards, mountains, rivers and lakes - the Vespas, Smart Cars, Ferrari's and fashions.
Now don't get me wrong, I've taken more than my share of pictures of all of the above but as I return to Italy time and again what I find so fascinating and equally artistic is the FOOD.
The food in Italy is fresh and vibrant, it is arranged and well cared for. It is treated with respect and in return adds so much to the Italian experience.
Equally captivated by Italian food but much more artistic than I, the paintings of the Milanese artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo arrange fruits, vegetables and flowers in unconventional ways. On either side of these comments and At The Table is painting of the Gardener that inverted becomes a bowl of vegetables. For more of Arcimboldo's paintings and a chance to send a postcard of a painting to a friend.
The Foods of Italy . . ."i cibi"
Olive Oil
“you can’t skimp on olive oil” Mario Batali
A good olive oil can elevate the taste and flavor of a dish – likea good wine - and for my way of thinking, the flavor, quality and heart healthy components of artisan Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil are essential to my cooking.
← Click here for a short slide show on Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pasta
The average Italian citizen eats over 90lbs of pasta per year and pasta is the first food given to babies when they're ready to eat! Pasta is often il primo ( the first plate/course) served in a traditional Italian meal. My "Italian education" on pasta began when I was a young bride and my husband's grandmother "nonna" taught me to cook. It continued throughout the years and was refined by cooking with my Italian family and friends whenever I traveled to Italy.
My friends from Perugia (Pinota and her son Luigi) gave me my best lesson yet on pasta - how to buy it! and I will now share it with you. Not all pasta is created equal. The rougher the outside of the pasta the better the quality of the pasta. Why? because sauces will adhere better giving a more uniform and consistently delicious flavor to each bite.
Dry pasta (pasta secca) is made from coarse durum wheat flour and water made into a dough then shaped mechanically by being forced (extruded) through slots (dies) of varying sizes and shapes. The Italians perfected the art of making dried pasta in the16th century to create a food that could be stored for long periods and provide them with a meal in times of famine. Artisan pasta makers seek to preserve the traditional ways of making pasta by using perforated bronze plates that mold the pasta and by allowing for slow drying times. Dried pasta has always been more typical of Southern Italy because it keeps well in the hotter, drier climate of the south. Fresh pasta (pasta fresca), often made with eggs and often served with creamy sauces, has been more characteristic of the North especially in the region of Emilia Romagna where you can sample some of Italy's finest pasta.
A high quality pasta is a roughly textured pasta. Short, thicker pastas like grooved penne or rigatoni are better with a full, meaty sauce while long, thinner pasta like spaghetti are best served with smoother sauces using oil.
My friend Luigi, who has a doctorate in agronomy, gave me this short course on the different types of dried pasta. Gragnano pasta is his top pick but it is difficult to get outside of Italy.
This is a recipe for mia Nonna's spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce. The recipe is deceptively simple as is all traditional Italian cooking. The secret is to use quality ingredients similar to what they would use in la cucina l'italiana and allow the sauce to slowly cook just below a simmer. Nonna told me that the sauce is done when there is a dark layer on top. That layer represents all the flavors coming together to make a delicious sauce.
For the Sauce: 2 T oil,1 clove garlic,1 can tomato sauce to 1 can tomato paste,1 t parsley,1 t oregano, 1 T sugar with basil and oregano to taste (about 1/8th teaspoon)
For the Meatballs: 1 lb pork to 1 lb beef, 2 eggs, 2 T Parmesan cheese, 1 c bread crumbs, 1 t parsley, 1 clove garlic (finely minced) salt and pepper
Brown meatballs in the oil (you can also deglaze pan with red wine if you like),then add meatballs to the sauce and cook until a dark layer forms on top.
Traditionally Italian meatballs (polpetta) had a larger amount of bread vs. meat. Bread, soaked in water, was used as an extender. Meat was not as plentiful and adding bread helped to stretch the meat.
Nonna used bread soaked in milk when she first started making this recipe but later followed the Italian-American style of making meatballs using a small amount of dried breadcrumbs and more meat because living in American meat was more plentiful. This resulted in a more meaty but heavier meatball.
She did use canned tomatoes for the sauce and preferred Italian brands because of the taste. Today I use San Marzano and when I'm in a hurry I use Trader Giotto's (Trader Joes) Tuscana Marinara Sauce.
The best pasta can turn out badly if not cooked properly. You need a large pot and plenty of water to make pasta (6 - 7 qts for 1 lb of pasta). Salt the water once it comes to the boil (about 1 T of salt to the above amount of water). When the water returns to the boil, add the pasta and follow directions on the package for time of preparation. Stir the pasta with a pasta fork after you add it to the boiling water and occasionally while it's cooking. DON'T ADD OIL. Oil prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta which is essential. Italian's prefer their pasta slightly undercooked (al dente). It will finish cooking when sauced - that is the pasta is tossed with a small amount of the sauce before plating and then a large scoop of sauce is placed on top with the remaining sauce served on the side. That is how mia nonna did it!
Drain pasta well so it will not dilute the sauce. Italians regard sauce as a "seasoning" rather than serving the pasta drowning in the sauce as some American-Italian restaurants do. The exception to this is lasagna which should be prepared with plenty of bechamel and a fruity sauce almost like a sandwich with more filling than bread. Drained pasta should have a shiny finish. If the pasta looks "floury" then it is overcooked and there is nothing to be done with that. And Italians don't rinse their pasta in cold water after cooking. Rinsing the pasta gets rid of the natural starch. Splashing a little of the pasta water over the pasta when plating and adding the sauce will help blend the pasta with the sauce.
Alla fine - "and finally" Remember -
PASTA MUST NEVER WAIT FOR THE PEOPLE; THE PEOPLE MUST WAIT FOR THE PASTA
Pasta and Pesto
Noted Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan has called pesto "the most seductive of all sauces for pasta" because a classic Ligurian basil pesto bursts with an earthy freshness that once tasted makes you want more. Like a fine wine,a classic Italian basil pesto is a rarity. There are many pretenders on the shelves of most American grocery stores but an authentic Ligurian pesto is hard to find. Trofie pasta is the legendary accompaniment to basil pesto. For a recommended Cositutti DOP, hand rolled trofie pasta and a classic Ligurian basil pesto go to www.cosituttimarketplace.com
Polenta
Sunday meals with my family often included chicken served with polenta . There was a special pot Nonna used to cook polenta, there was a special spoon (stick) Nonna used to stir the polenta and there was a special board Nonna used to serve the polenta which she then covered with a white tea towel to keep warm. As you can see, polenta had a prominent place at our family table.
Polenta is made from a type of cornmeal (coarse or fine) that is cooked in water to make a kind of porridge. The regions of northern Italy especially the Veneto where Nonna came from, were large producers of corn and so polenta became a common food often eaten by peasants who served it alone or with cheese (Parmesan, Fontina) or milk. Polenta is adaptable to almost any additions and today is often seen on the menus of innovative chefs using a combination of ingredients that make it even more delectable.
Cooking polenta is hard work. The resulting mixture should be of a smooth consistency, free of lumps. This take some dedication and anywhere from 30-45 minutes of constant stirring with the "polenta stick" a wooden stirring called a mescola.
The traditional way of making polenta is over a charcoal fire in a deep copper pot. The cooked polenta is then turned out of the pot onto a wooden board or platter and smoothed over with a wet knife. Hot polenta was traditionally cut with a taunt piece of string but once cooled it can be cut with a knife.
If you want your polenta to look like this classic picture don't use the quick cooking type. It never seems to have the richness, consistency and flavor that you get from cooking polenta low and slow. Also take care when cooking polenta, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan ( you might try to convince someone to help you with this) and avoiding the hot polenta that periodically spurts out of the saucepan. Mia nonna told me that the polenta is done when it starts to pull away (lift) from the sides and encrusted bottom of the pan. This means that it's ready to pour out on the board or platter.
Polenta can be fried, grilled, served in layered dishes, savory or sweet.
One of my favorite ways to eat "polenta" is as a sweet confection; a cake resembling a golden dome of polenta, decorated with chocolate uccelli (tiny little birds) made in the town of Bergamo "the polenta capital of Italy".
While visiting Bergamo, my cousin Lidia told me I must try the "tiny little bird cakes" known as polenta e osei. The cake commemorates a local custom that is no longer practiced but one of which I was familiar from the stories Nonna had told me when I was younger. Nonna said that when she was a girl she and her family would travel to the hills with nets that they would stretch across the hilltops. Tiny songbirds uccelli would fly into the nets and become entangled. Nonna and her sisters would catch the birds, break their necks and then grill the songbirds and serve them over polenta (remember most peasant families didn't have access to meat).
The hunting of songbirds is now outlawed in Italy but the centuries old custom is commemorated by the making of polentae osei remembering a time when meat was scarce and tiny little songbirds fed your family.
Epiphania's Polenta
In a large saucepan bring 6 cups of salted water to boil. Slowly pour 2 cups polenta into the boiling water in a thin, steady stream, stirring continuously with the polenta stick (wooden spoon). Continue stirring until done ( about 40 minutes) or when the polenta starts pulling away from the sides of the pan. Pour the cooked polenta onto a board (or serving platter) and cover with a white cloth to keep warm. This recipe serves 4-6 people.
Polenta can be served with grated or crumbled cheese, or a sauce of melted butter to which garlic and sage have been added. Sauce from Hunter's Chicken recipe is very good when served over polenta.
See At The Table for more recipes from my Italian family and friends
Italian Pastries
Pastries in Italy are often bought at the local pastry shop, pasticceria. For special occasions and holidays Italians often go to the pasticceria to buy delicacies to celebrate the giorno di festa. Many are made according to traditional recipes and unique to the region. For example, cantucci are a specialty of Prato, a city near Florence and the secret of a good ricciarelli is only known to the Sienese. Many are seasonal and made only during certain times of the year according to ancient traditions. Castagnaccio, a cake made with chestnut flour, sprinkled with pine nuts and rosemary is a favorite Florentine dessert during the autumn.
That is not to say that Italians only eat i dolci once or twice a year! On the contrary. Although an after dinner dessert is most often fresh fruit or pears and pecorino, Italians love sweets and confections and treat them with the utmost concern. Just visit an Italian confectionery to experience the attention to detail and design that is typically Italian.
Here is a sampling of some of my favorite Italian pastries and confections. More coming soon!
The Truth About Tiramisu
The story of Italy's most famous dessert is said to have begun in 17th century Siena. A dessert similar to tiramisu (tih-ruh-mee-SOO) was first created for Cosimo de' Medici III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The duke so favored the creamy, pudding-like, layered dessert that he took the recipe back to Florence where it was called zuppa del duca, the "dukes soup"! Aahh . . Italian food lore.
However my friends from the Veneto region of Italy tell me that the perfection of this dessert happened much later, in the1960's or 70's, when a restaurant in Treviso began making the classic tiramisu; using finger shaped sponge cakes known as savoiardi (ladyfingers) soaked in espresso (sometimes Marsala wine) and layered with a mascarpone-zabaglione cream then dusted with bittersweet chocolate. Aaah . . local urban legend.
One may have morphed into the other and the truth may be somewhere in between ( the "dukes soup" may actually have become zuppa inglese -English trifle) but no matter. Tiramisu was the first Italian dessert I sought out on my first trip to Italy. It was my goal to experience tiramisu whenever and where ever I could . In restaurants, in friend's homes, from the local pasticcerria. I did and the meaning of tiramisu* was never more true as I took bite after bite.
*the sweet treat's literal translation "pick me up" may be due to its high content of caffeine and sugar!
Sausages, Salame and Salumi . . . Oh My!
Traveling down the road in Italy tasting the varieties of sausages and salami is a little like following the yellow brick road to Oz. You will be tempted to try just about everything and end up saying .. . . OH MY! Every region of Italy has it's own distinctive types of salame (salami), salumi (cured meats) and salsiccia (sausage) that reflect the character of the region. These regional variations in meat, seasonings, aging and preparation account for a veritable cornucopia of flavors and textures.
Depending on where you live, you can have access to a variety of Italian sausages and salame but trying them in Italy under the tutelage of your Italian family and friends is a whole different thing. On a recent trip to Italy I had dinner at a friend's house in Parma. He is a university professor and was very happy to further my "Italian education" on the art and science of the Salame di Felino.
Salame di Felino comes from the hill town of Felino, near Parma, and is highly regarded for it's delicate flavor. It is thought to be the oldest salame linked to a specific region. Salame di Felino is made from lean ground pork (75% lean)seasonedwith sea salt , black pepper, garlic and white wine. The salame is aged under the same climatic conditions that create the world famous Prosciutto di Parma.
The pale, rosy colored salame from Milano is made from meat that is ground very fine with a close grained texture and even fat distribution while Tuscan salame is a deep red wine color with large pieces of fat, studded with black peppercorns. Prosciutto, pancetta, bresaola and speck are referred to as Salumi, whole cured cuts of meat vs. Salame which is encased (insaccati) ground meat .
My Italian friends and family specify that Salame di Felino "should be cut at a 60° angle no thicker than a grain of pepper contained in the salame itself". According to them this keeps the salame intact and makes for a nice presentation as an antipasto.
The Italians . . . they're always concerned about l'arte della cucina!
A shop in Italy that sells salumi, salame, salsiccia is called a salumeria. The shop may also sell other food products typical of the region such as olive oils, vinegars and cheese. These shops are a good alternative to a sit down lunch or when you're on the road . Some salumeria even sell bread (pane) and now you have the makings for a fresh panino (sandwich). This is easy meal especially good when traveling with kids.
There are literally hundreds of different types of cured meats, sausages and salami to be found all over Italy. I always try to order an antipasti that includes a selection of thinly sliced (affettati) meats typical of the region. When I'm in Tuscany I always order finocchiona; a coarse salame flavored with wild fennel (finocchio) seeds and pepper.
The Parma web site has information on a musuem dedicated to the Salame di Felino as well as other "strada" road trips to visit foods from the province of Parma such as the Parmesan Cheese Museum and the Museum of Parma Ham. Visiting food museums is a good diversion when traveling with kids!
The Felino Salami Museum is located in the commune of Felino18km from Parma.. The admission of 5 eu includes a tasting.
Four of My Favorite Cheeses . . . parmigiano, pecorino, gorgonzola, mozzarella
E' molto difficile! One time I was asked "which Italian cheese is your favorite". Well . . . that is like being asked which of your children do you like best! Every cheese has it's unique flavor and appeal. For taste, availability and application my favorites are Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Toscano, Gorgonzola from Lombardia and fresh mozzarella.
Let me tell you why these cheeses stand alone.
Cheese Facts . . . coming soon
Here's a great alternative to grating Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to serve with your pasta or risotto. Although Parmiagiano Reggiano is the undisputed "king of cheese" Grana Padano is no slouch. Both cheeses have a long and illustrious history being made in the same traditional manner for nearly a 1,000 years. Both are made using cows milk produced exclusively within a defined zone of production. Like fine wine, the production of both cheeses is rigidly protected by Italian law and because of this they are designated by the European Union as original and authentic (DOP)products stamped with a certificate of origin guaranteed by the Italian government. Yes, the Italians take their food very seriously!
Both cheeses are better shaved rather than grated but there are some with a built in grater that also stores the cheese and is so convenient. You can enjoy the superior taste and delicately salty flavor of a true Italian hard cheese from Emilia Romagna instead of shaking a poor imitation Parmesan from a green can.
A perfect "pairing" . . . naturally sweet pears and one of Italy's most popular cheeses - pecorino. Their flavors compliment each other so well that they are often served together. My family in Milano drizzle miele di castagno (chestnut honey) over pecorino as a perfect ending to an Italian meal.
