July 26, 2022 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Anchovies & colatura, ancient Italian umami

putting anchovies in jars They eat a lot of anchovies in Italy. In fact, anchovies are the base of Italian umami. As diverse as each regions’ cuisine is, anchovies are one of the things that pulls a diverse cuisine together into a whole. Delicious and versatile, the anchovy is an abundant fish high in omegas and essential fatty acids. They are easy to cook, whether batter dip and fried, served with a salsa of capers and parsley, or quick “cooked” in vinegar and dressed with olive oil and parsley. They are also widely preserved, salted and canned to use in a variety of ways, on pizza, on bread, and in pasta sauces. Following an ancient Roman recipe for garum, modern Italians along the southern coasts brine anchovies and allow them to age in wooden barrels. The resulting liquid gold is the definition of umami: savoriness.

Don’t discount anchovies because you had a bad experience with a pizza. There really is nothing like them to add depth and flavor to a dish, which is exactly why they’re referred to as Italian umami. One of our favorite new summer recipes we picked up in Piedmont this past June is summer tomatoes stuffed with a salsa verde of parsley, anchovies, bell pepper, hard boiled egg and bread, with olive oil to meld the whole thing together. Recipe to follow! Also, toasted french bread spread with cold butter and topped with an anchovy fillet is a favorite cocktail nibble. It must be tried to be believed!

Anchovy by any other name…

There are two separate words in Italian for anchovy: alici refers to the fresh fish, while acciughe means the preserved fish. Anchovies are preserved by gutting and removing the head then salting the fish, pressing it down with a weight for 4 or 5 months, then washing them with brine and either salt- or oil- packing them until ready to be eaten. The best place to buy them is when you’re in Italy, they last forever covered with olive oil in their jar in the fridge. Several jars in my fridge are proof to that. Or buy them in the US at a specialty store or good grocery store. It’s best to purchase the fillets rather than the paste in a tube. That’s more reminiscent of cat food, frankly.

Roman Garum reborn

Roman garum The ancient Roman condiment garum was the liquid resulting from fermenting anchovies in salt and was used to flavor most of their foods, the original Italian umami. Today, they make a similar product, called colatura, on the Amalfi coast in the tiny towns of Cetara and Vietri. This amber colored liquid is the essense of anchovy and is used sparingly to flavor a variety of dishes. The colatura is made in the summer by layering the anchovies with sea salt in a wooden barrel, then weighting and pressing them until the winter. When the colatura is ready they open a hole in the barrel and let the liquid drip out. It has a strong odor, as you can imagine, like asian fish sauce, but it delicious in seafood dishes, giving it an extra savoriness that is essential. Add it to spaghetti tossed with extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, parsley and anchovy fillets.

Ordering colatura

Gustiamo is an import company out of New York which imports and sells it on line, check it out.

The photos on this page are from a visit a few years ago to the Delfino production facility in Cetara. At Ecco La Cucina, our culinary tours to Italy, we like to get down to the nitty gritty of how food and wine are made in Italy, tasting our way through each region. Unfortunately, they no longer allow visitors to enter where the women are cleaning and packing the salted anchovies, so these photos are cherished!

boats on the beach

January 21, 2022 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Revisiting Chianti Classico Wines

History of Chianti Classico

While Italy grows a lot of different red grapes, the most widely planted is sangiovese. In Tuscany, sangiovese is the basis of all the best wines they produce, from Chianti to Brunello and Vino Nobile. But Chianti Classico is by far the oldest and most important.

The word “classico” on an Italian wine label refers to the original, classic area where the wine was made. The Chianti Classico region in Tuscany dates back to medieval territory disputes between Florence and Siena, two powerful city-states of the Middle Ages. If you’ve come on our Tuscany tour, you will have heard all about the historic animosity between these two cities that still lives on today!

In 1384, Florence established a military and political zone called the League of Chianti which officially established the geographic confines of Chianti Storico, as it was called then. The wines at that time were made mainly with an indigenous grape called canaiolo.

Baron Ricasoli steps in

In the mid 1800’s, the owner of Castello Brolio left Florence with his beautiful new wife, Anna, to raise a family in the quiet of the Chianti countryside. Baron Bettino Ricasoli was interested in making better wine and so began experimenting. Using mainly sangiovese for the first time, he formulated a recipe for Chianti Classico. The recipe was tinkered with over the years, trebbiano, an abundant white grape, was added in greater quantities. There was a lot of quantity, but the quality of the wines suffered.

By the mid-20^th Century in the US, the name “chianti” had become synonymous with a thin, acidic Italian wine served in a straw-covered bottle. That image is so strong that even today we meet people who turn their nose up at chianti, which is unfortunate. There is a lot of great chianti coming out of Tuscany these days, especially in the historic Chianti Classico area between Florence and Siena.

In the 1960’s, the Consorzio di Chianti Classico adopted the Gallo Nero, or black rooster, as its symbol. This helped to differentiate the higher quality Classico wines from simple chianti wines made in the surrounding area.

Chianti Classico today

Chianti Classico’s geographic area is larger now than it was 700 years ago and there are hundreds of producers. The Ricasoli family is still involved in making wine in the region, with Castello Brolio and Castello di Cacchiano estates. Other historic Ricasoli estates no longer owned by the family, such as Castello Meleto, still make wine. Sometimes, traveling through the area north of Siena, it seems like the ancient Ricasoli family use to own most of it!

The methods for making Chianti Classico have changed for the better. Rules for making any Italian DOCG wine are strict. Today, Chianti Classico must be made with 80-100% locally grown sangiovese. Up to 20% traditional Tuscan varieties and/or the international grapes merlot and cabernet may be added. All grapes must be grown in the Classico area. Instead of using large Slavonian oak casks, most producers use smaller French oak barrels to age. Tried and true methods for growing better grapes are used in the vineyard as well.

Look for Chianti Classico DOCG the next time you go to the wine store. You’ll know Chianti Classico by the black rooster on the label!

January 18, 2022 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Culinary Tour of Chianti Classico

Lets tour Chianti!

With Italy closed during the pandemic, we were stuck at home like everyone else. When we finally got back to Tuscany last October after a two-year absence we were amazed. The feeling was like coming home but at the same time seeing it with fresh eyes. To drive the same roads, to visit our favorite castles, wineries, and restaurants, to reconnect with old friends and owners, was exciting and affirming. It gave us a new enthusiasm to share it again with you. And so we’ve added a weeklong culinary tour in the heart of Chianti Classico!

How it all began

This past fall marked 21 years that I’ve been doing culinary tours in Italy! When I moved to Tuscany in 2000, I searched out the best food producers and wine makers to expand my knowledge. I initially concentrated on the Chianti Classico area, but eventually branched out to the whole region. My desire to share what I discovered led me to begin cooking classes on the estates of Spannocchia and Montestigliano. What began as hands-on lessons grew to daylong wine tours and finally week-long culinary excursions. We cooked Tuscan dishes, visited adorable villages, drank delicious wine and dined in excellent trattorias.

An evolution

Over the years, the tours have evolved. As we grew, my sister, Mary, became more involved in marketing and organization. She has been my partner for sixteen years now! Soon we branched out to other regions of Italy. We do less actual cooking now and more in-depth learning about Italy’s amazing wines.

But Tuscany and especially the Chianti Classico area have always remained close to our hearts and this spring we’re going back!

Chianti Classico Immersion

This spring we have a week planned in Tuscany. We are basing ourselves north of Siena, in the heart of Chianti Classico. We will stay at a lovely estate surrounded by olive groves and vineyards, a short drive to all our favorite haunts! This immersion into Chianti Classico gives us an opportunity to better share with you this historic area. We’ll see the classic villages of Radda, Gaioli and Castellina, deep forests filled with wild game,and rolling hills of vines and olive trees. If you’ve been with us before, this week will give you new pleasures. If you’ve not experienced Tuscany, this is a beautiful way to see it.

Tuscany is popular with travelers and tourists for great reasons. Tuscan wines have long been some of the best Italy has to offer. Its landscapes inspired Michelangelo, DaVinci and Giotto. Its history reflects the perennial fight between two medieval powerhouses, Florence and Siena. The land is dotted with old castles and new wineries, with olive groves, vineyards and forest as far as the eye can see.

There are still a few spots left in the week, June 11-18. We hope you’ll join us!

December 23, 2021 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Roasted Pork Loin with Ribs for Christmas

Standing rib roasts are so festive and delicious at Christmastime, full of flavor and beautiful to present at table. Meat prices have really gone up, but pork is always more economical than beef, so this year we’re doing roasted pork. Stuffing it is a little more time consuming but makes such a festive presentation. This year we’re making a stuffing with chestnuts, prunes and fennel. Below I’ve put some photos showing you how to butterfly the roast to stuff it, then roll it back up and tie it with kitchen twine. The roasts come with 8 ribs, perfect for 6-8 people. For a large group, get two and tie them together to form a crown of roast pork, with the stuffing in the middle of the crown. (Check out YouTube to see how to do that!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_rXxawB6Og

Recipe for Standing Rib Roast of Pork

Rib roast of pork, 8 ribs

½ onion, chopped

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

½ bulb fennel, chopped

8-10 chestnuts, chopped

8 prunes, chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Sea salt and pepper

2 cups fresh bread crumbs (cut the crust off a loaf of bread and put it through a food processor)

Saute the onion in the butter and olive oil until softened, add the chopped fennel and continue to saute two minutes. Put the mixture in a bowl together with the bread crumbs, parsley, chestnuts and prunes; season with salt and pepper. Add a little olive oil until the mixture will hold together.

How to Stuff a Pork Loin

Dry off the roast and lay it ribs side up on a cutting board.

At the base of each rib will be a little “button” of bone, cut each little bone nub out and discard. This makes it easier when carving the roast to serve.

With a butcher knife, butterfly the loin by carefully making a cut at the base of the rib bones. With the tip of your knife, continue to make slices and “unroll” the loin. The meat should never be less than 1” thick. Go slowly to ensure you are cutting evenly.

Salt the pork and cover the flat surface of the loin with stuffing, pressing the stuffing firmly. Leave an inch at the end of the loin on the far end away from the ribs.

Roll it back up and tie it between each rib with kitchen twine.

How to Roast the Stuffed Pork

Place the roast in a roasting pan and place chopped fennel, whole chestnuts and sprigs of fresh rosemary and sage around it. Salt these seasonings and drizzle with olive oil. Pour a cup of white wine around the roast. Place in a hot oven at 375 and roast about 2 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature of the pork by the bones is 155.

Let the roast rest 20 minutes before slicing. Cut the twine and remove. To serve, slice the roast between each bone, which makes really hearty servings. Or, you can also slice the bones off and serve them separately, slicing the loin into thinner servings.

Learn about the culture and history of Italy through its regional food and wine! Check out our website for more information on our culinary tours to Italy.