Porcini mushrooms
We had a visit from our young man of the mountains the other day. Gianluca, who takes care of harvesting our chestnuts, came by to discuss this year's crop. He brought along some wild porcini mushrooms that he had gathered himself. I have seen porcinis for sale at small stands along the side of the road, but hadn't stopped to buy any, so I was thrilled with this little gift.
After Gianluca left, I set to work fixing this treat and getting the rest of our meal ready. My two brothers in law had popped in for a visit so I was scrambling to put together a decent pranzo. First I made up a pot of pasta e piselli, a hearty soup made by cooking up some peas in a broth seasoned with tomatoes, celery leaves, hot pepper flakes and then pasta cooked in the same broth. It's a real peasant style starter course.
After that I grilled up a couple of steaks that I had defrosted in the microwave. These were served with the porcinis, that were sauteed up with a couple of thinly sliced onions. The combination is delicious and even my tough to please brothers in law were happy with their lunch. Dessert consisted of some ice cold slices of watermelon, the first we have had this season. It was sweet and cold, the perfect melon, except for the incredible number of seeds. I have become spoiled after all these years of seedless fruits in the US. In Europe, they are very suspicious of seedless fruit. After all, if there are no seeds, where does the next crop of fruit come from? Good question!
So, many thanks to Gianluca for his wonderful contribution to my last minute meal. I look forward to many more visits with this nice young man!
Fresh tomato sauce
Everyone is convinced that all Italians love the hearty red sauce that comes after hours of simmering tomatoes with sausage, braciole, meatballs etc. But in reality, what we really appreciate more than anything is a quick sauce made up with the simplest of ingredients; fresh pomodorini, olive oil, a little salt and some fresh basil.
Whenever I am at a loss as to what to fix for a quick meal, this is a go-to option. First, I put a pot of water on to boil. Then I take some pomodorini (cherry or grape style tomatoes), slice them in half, toss them into a little saucepan with some olive oil and let them cook. If they aren't real juicy I will add a little bit of water to them as they cook down. Salt to taste. By the time the pasta is cooked, the tomatoes are ready to go. Toss them all together and top with some torn up basil leaves, some pecorino cheese and maybe another little drizzle of olive oil. It is done in 10 minutes and there is nothing more satisfying! Buon appetito.
Sometimes when I make this sauce in the States, I am disappointed by the outcome. It all comes down to the tomatoes! When they are fresh, local and perfect, the sauce will be too. Remember, sometimes the simplest dishes are the best!
I just reread this little piece and realized that I included myself as an Italian. I guess the move here has made me rethink my heritage. This is a far cry from the swamp Yankee upbringing I had! Who would have thought that this is where this descendant of a Mayflower pilgrim would have ended up?
Fusilli with green beans, potato and pesto
A few years ago I read a recipe that intrigued me in the New York Times. It called for pasta, potatoes, green beans and pesto....an odd combination of ingredients. I have made it a couple of times over the years and it is always a nice change of pace.
Carlo, our fruttivendolo, had some lovely green beans on his truck today. I had just purchased a jar of pesto yesterday at the market so I knew immediately what I would be making for lunch. I put a pot of water on to boil and into it I put the green beans that I had snapped and broken into bite size pieces, and a couple of small potatoes that I had peeled and diced. When the salted water came to a boil I added 1/2 pound of fusilli pasta. The whole thing cooked for about 13 minutes. When it was drained (I did hold back 1/4 cup of pasta water to thin things down a bit), I added 1/2 small jar of the pesto, some fresh chopped basil leaves and a little dash of olive oil. I topped it with some pecorino cheese.
This is a very different dish, but it is so tasty and satisfying. If Carlo keeps stocking those beans, we may be seeing this for lunch again!
Olives
As a child, I never liked olives. They were so salty and bitter; the green ones had those slimy little pimentos in them, the black ones tasted like the can they came in. Who would want to eat those nasty little things.
Now, olives are a part of almost every meal. We are lucky to have markets near by where the olives are sweet, meaty and wonderful. I only buy the "white" olives, which is how the green olives are called in Italian.
We go to the counter and ask for a kilo of olives. The clerk takes a big scoop and dips it into the vat of olives, pours them into a plastic bag and pops them on the scale. I always ask for "un assaggio", a taste, just to make sure that they are still good. After they are weighed, the clerk adds some more liquid, ties up the bag and pops it into another plastic bag. Now they are ready to dress up our salads and cheese platters.
We have searched for olives that can match these beauties at home in the states, to no avail. So, we'll pack some up for our return trip and ration them out a few at a time. These are too good to miss!
Mozzarella di buffala
Do you remember the mozzarella that we used to buy in the supermarket? Those bricks of rubbery cheese that were dry and tasteless? Who would have thought that mozzarella could be moist, flavorful and a meal in and of itself?
We are now able to get pseudo- mozzarella in the states, and it is certainly better than the pre-packaged stuff, but in no way can it compare to the fresh mozzarella di buffala that is only available in the Campania region. It is moist, rich and with a unique and wonderful flavor. Once you've tried it, it's tough to go back to to the old stuff.
In our region, family wars can break out over where to buy the mozzarella. You bought at Caputo's instead of Schiavone's? Are you crazy? At Nanni's they throw in a free fresh ricotta if you buy a kilo of mozzarella, but the mozzarella isn't as fresh as the ones at Diana's.
Freshness is key when buying and eating mozzarella di buffala. If it's still warm from the cooking, that is when it's the best. Once it's a few hours old, it's OK, but is past its prime. If it's a day old, it's really only good for cooking. Of course for those of us who don't have the luxury of fresh mozzarella every day, the best we can hope for is that which is packed in Styrofoam boxes and stuffed into suitcases brought home by relatives who have been in Italy. It's not the best, but it's wonderful to have even a shadow of the taste of the original product.
So, now that we are here for the long term, we are taking advantage of the mozzarella that is readily available. At least twice a week we head to our caseificio to pick up a couple of balls of the creamy white cheese. I make up a tomato salad with some sweet green olives, cut a couple of chunks of good fresh bread and dinner is served! It's a perfect go-to meal and is always sure to please.
Showing posts with label Italian food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian food. Show all posts
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Trattoria 41, Cervinara
Trattoria 41, Cervinara
We went to the Trattoria 41 after a Sunday morning excursion to Benevento. It was a beautiful, warm day and we wanted some good home-style cooking. We were not disappointed!
The 41 is a family affair, run in an old building a couple of blocks behind the Cervinara town hall. After going through the entry gate, we found ourselves in a courtyard of an old house. On the right was a three basin sink, carved out of a huge block of stone. One of the basins had a wash board type of area carved out of the same stone. It must have been a very convenient spot for doing the laundry a hundred years or so ago, much more convenient than going to the fountains in the piazzas to do that chore.
We were seated and a young woman came and told us about the various dishes that would be available that day. We chose to split an antipasto platter that was the house specialty and that included some cold cuts, mozzarella, grilled veggies and some good fresh bread. After the antipasto we opted for a pasta course. Mike had tagliatelle (home made) with a sauce made with local porcini mushrooms and ground beef. I had orecchietti with a variety of vegetables (eggplant, roasted peppers, zucchini). Both dishes were wonderful, but Mike's sauce was a little heavily salted. Mine was perfect!
We opted to skip the second course and head straight for dessert. There was only one item on the menu, a little tart filled with a lovely lemon cream. Yum. We had a 1/2 bottle of local red wine to accompany our meal. The price? Only 20 euros for the entire affair! By the way, no tipping is necessary, so the bill is what the bill is.
We will be back to 41 often, as it is only a couple of miles from our house and it is certainly worth the trip!
Mangiamo!
My friend Cyndi says that a successful blog about Italy has to have either lots of torrid sex with swarthy, sexy Italians, or lots of food. The swarthy, sexy Italians, except for dear hubby, are not in great supply, so I guess I will have to try to satisfy my readers with food porn. There's lots to discuss when it comes to Italians and their food, and I will regularly post some of my latest culinary adventures.
We have had some wonderful meals over the years in Italy, and this year is no different. We have enjoyed both great restaurants and, if I do say so myself, some pretty good home cooked meals. Here is one of our latest dining experiences. It was a real treat!
The Agriturismo I Borboni
We happened upon I Borboni after an outing to the Reggia di Carditello. The Reggia was a royal palace built by the Bourbon kings as a hunting "cottage". At the time, the Bourbons were in control of most of southern Italy, and there are vestiges of their reign all over the region. Carditello is in the process of being repaired and brought back to some level of its prior glory.
The agriturismo I Borboni takes its name from those Bourbon kings. Upon leaving the reggia grounds, we followed the signs indicating this restaurant, keeping our fingers crossed for a good outcome. Just a couple of miles beyond the reggia, the signs indicated a right hand turn into a small dirt road through fields of grape vines, tobacco and vegetables. After another 1/2 mile or so, we turned left into a stone driveway and were greeted by a parking attendant overseeing a huge parking lot. Next to the parking lot was an elaborate area of a children's playground, complete with monkey bars, slides, faux forts, ropes to climb etc. Beyond the play area was a very large restaurant, with seating both inside an air conditioned room and outside under a canopy. The entire area was festooned with pots of flowers, adding to the wonderful feeling of being out in nature.
We were seated inside, because all the tables outside were already reserved. We got there just after 12 noon, early for lunch. The staff was having their lunch, so we chatted as we watched the various dishes that were brought to them in the dining area. We knew that good things were to come!
After 20 minutes or so the feast began. No menus were available, no decisions to be made. Everything was prepared according to a small army of women who ruled over the kitchen. It was all based on what products were available or in season, and what the cooks felt would be the best mix of ingredients and preparation techniques.
The antipasto consisted of plate after plate of tasty little tidbits; prosciutto, salami and cheese, eggplant rolatini, grilled zucchini, stuffed pepper, stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, potatoes tossed in olive oil, frittata, little zucchini blossom fritters, buffalo mozzarella and a platter of "per e muso", a neapolitan "treat" of pigs feet and snout, cooked up and served cold with a squeeze of lemon on it. I decided to pass on that specialty!
We took our time enjoying these lovely little mouthfuls. A half hour later, our waiter asked if we were ready for our "first course" or would we rather wait a bit. We all voted to wait! Eventually, he came out with the pasta dish. This consisted of two varieties of pasta, potato gnocchi and a manicotto, served in a traditional red sauce. By this point we were at the bursting point, but the fun wasn't over.
After another little while, out came the meat course. This consisted of grilled pork, beef, sausage and chicken that had been cooked over an open wood fire. At one end of the dining room, a hefty fellow wielded a butcher's cleaver with strength and skill, hacking apart ribs and wings and then tossing them onto the grill. He continually stirred and turned the meat until it was all cooked perfectly. Along with the meat, our waiter brought us a green salad and some french fries. We were ready to cry uncle!
All of these lovely dishes were accompanied by bottles of water and a great local red wine that complemented the entire meal perfectly. The only thing left was the dessert, and we knew it would be special. The sweet of the day was a nice little tiramisu, served with strawberries on the side.
When the bill came, we were shocked....25 euros per person for an incredible feast that would easily have cost double or triple that in a US restaurant. It was a real treat.
Now a word about what was going on around us as we had our lunch. There were several groups of people celebrating family events; first communions, baptisms and graduations. The room held about 300 people and every table was full. The noise level got higher and higher and it became more and more apparent that baby sitters are not used in southern Italy! Every group had children, from new borns to toddlers to school age youngsters. It also became apparent that most of these children rule the roost and have no idea that they are not in control, because apparently they ARE the ones who are in control. Parents would yell at them to sit down and were ignored. Children started carrying off the carts on which the waiters were carrying the food. One group started pulling up the carpet at the entrance to the room. It was chaos! It's always nice to see people out as families, and children being included in celebrations. It would be nicer to see children who respected the belongings of others and parents who would instruct their children in the proper way to behave in public.
That said, we had a lovely day, a lovely meal and enjoyed a lovely bit of history.
We have had some wonderful meals over the years in Italy, and this year is no different. We have enjoyed both great restaurants and, if I do say so myself, some pretty good home cooked meals. Here is one of our latest dining experiences. It was a real treat!
The Agriturismo I Borboni
We happened upon I Borboni after an outing to the Reggia di Carditello. The Reggia was a royal palace built by the Bourbon kings as a hunting "cottage". At the time, the Bourbons were in control of most of southern Italy, and there are vestiges of their reign all over the region. Carditello is in the process of being repaired and brought back to some level of its prior glory.
The agriturismo I Borboni takes its name from those Bourbon kings. Upon leaving the reggia grounds, we followed the signs indicating this restaurant, keeping our fingers crossed for a good outcome. Just a couple of miles beyond the reggia, the signs indicated a right hand turn into a small dirt road through fields of grape vines, tobacco and vegetables. After another 1/2 mile or so, we turned left into a stone driveway and were greeted by a parking attendant overseeing a huge parking lot. Next to the parking lot was an elaborate area of a children's playground, complete with monkey bars, slides, faux forts, ropes to climb etc. Beyond the play area was a very large restaurant, with seating both inside an air conditioned room and outside under a canopy. The entire area was festooned with pots of flowers, adding to the wonderful feeling of being out in nature.
We were seated inside, because all the tables outside were already reserved. We got there just after 12 noon, early for lunch. The staff was having their lunch, so we chatted as we watched the various dishes that were brought to them in the dining area. We knew that good things were to come!
After 20 minutes or so the feast began. No menus were available, no decisions to be made. Everything was prepared according to a small army of women who ruled over the kitchen. It was all based on what products were available or in season, and what the cooks felt would be the best mix of ingredients and preparation techniques.
The antipasto consisted of plate after plate of tasty little tidbits; prosciutto, salami and cheese, eggplant rolatini, grilled zucchini, stuffed pepper, stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, potatoes tossed in olive oil, frittata, little zucchini blossom fritters, buffalo mozzarella and a platter of "per e muso", a neapolitan "treat" of pigs feet and snout, cooked up and served cold with a squeeze of lemon on it. I decided to pass on that specialty!
We took our time enjoying these lovely little mouthfuls. A half hour later, our waiter asked if we were ready for our "first course" or would we rather wait a bit. We all voted to wait! Eventually, he came out with the pasta dish. This consisted of two varieties of pasta, potato gnocchi and a manicotto, served in a traditional red sauce. By this point we were at the bursting point, but the fun wasn't over.
After another little while, out came the meat course. This consisted of grilled pork, beef, sausage and chicken that had been cooked over an open wood fire. At one end of the dining room, a hefty fellow wielded a butcher's cleaver with strength and skill, hacking apart ribs and wings and then tossing them onto the grill. He continually stirred and turned the meat until it was all cooked perfectly. Along with the meat, our waiter brought us a green salad and some french fries. We were ready to cry uncle!
All of these lovely dishes were accompanied by bottles of water and a great local red wine that complemented the entire meal perfectly. The only thing left was the dessert, and we knew it would be special. The sweet of the day was a nice little tiramisu, served with strawberries on the side.
When the bill came, we were shocked....25 euros per person for an incredible feast that would easily have cost double or triple that in a US restaurant. It was a real treat.
Now a word about what was going on around us as we had our lunch. There were several groups of people celebrating family events; first communions, baptisms and graduations. The room held about 300 people and every table was full. The noise level got higher and higher and it became more and more apparent that baby sitters are not used in southern Italy! Every group had children, from new borns to toddlers to school age youngsters. It also became apparent that most of these children rule the roost and have no idea that they are not in control, because apparently they ARE the ones who are in control. Parents would yell at them to sit down and were ignored. Children started carrying off the carts on which the waiters were carrying the food. One group started pulling up the carpet at the entrance to the room. It was chaos! It's always nice to see people out as families, and children being included in celebrations. It would be nicer to see children who respected the belongings of others and parents who would instruct their children in the proper way to behave in public.
That said, we had a lovely day, a lovely meal and enjoyed a lovely bit of history.
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