Blog Categories Archives - Page 16 of 18

March 9, 2012 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Vellutata – velvet vegetable soups

This is the time of year I always turn to soups. There’s a little chill in the air but you can tell spring is coming. You want something warming but light and reflective of the season, and a creamy vellutata that is basically sauteed and pureed vegetables is perfect.

Meaning “velvety” in Italian, vellutata’s were one of the principle dishes I learned on my first stay in Tuscany back in 1996. I was living on the estate of Spannocchia and working in exchange for a bed and meals. My job was to make lunch for about 20 workers and it was my first experience at planning an interesting and enjoyable meal on a daily basis. The Tuscan food I was learning was rustic fare with big overpowering flavors but the creamy veg soup that is vellutata is gentile and elegant, the opposite of the traditional cuisine. But just like all Tuscan dishes, it is simple with just a few ingredients, highlighting whatever was coming out of the extensive estate garden.

The most important thing in any creamy vegetable soup is that it should be thickened with the vegetable that is the main ingredient, not with potato. Unless it’s a potato soup, of course. That is to say, if you’re making a vellutata of broccoli or asparagus, use lots of broccoli or asparagus and just enough broth or water to cover the vegetable as it cooks. Let the vegetable simmer for at least 20 minutes then puree it with an immersion blender. You can add additional water if it’s too thick, and you can add a little cream, but the starring vegetable both flavors and thickens the soup.

Just saute some onion and whatever vegetable is in season in a little olive oil; this week my favorites are broccolli or carrot & fennel, and I can’t wait until the spring for asparagus to be in season. Add a little water and cook until the veg is really soft, then puree it with a handheld immersion blender. A shot of cream is optional. Nothing could be simpler or more warming!

Buon Appetito! Gina

Vellutata di Broccoli (velvety broccoli soup)
4 cups chopped broccoli
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water
1/2 teas fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup cream (optional)
salt
white pepper

Saute the onion in the oil until soft, add the broccoli and the rosemary and saute until the broccoli is cooked, being careful not to brown the onion. Add the broth and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and puree with an immersion blender, adding additional water if it’s too thick. Add the cream if you’re using and serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top.

September 16, 2011 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Anchovies and Colatura – Italian Umami

They eat a lot of anchovies in Italy, in fact, they love them. Abundant, delicious and versatile, the anchovy is high in omegas and essential fatty acids and is easy to cook or to preserve in salt or oil. The fresh anchovies, or alici, are eaten deep-fried and crunchy or soaked in vinegar and dressed with olive oil and parsley for antipasti.

Cured anchovies, or acciughe, are made by salting and curing the fish for several months and are widely used for pizza and pasta. Tuscans like the strong flavors of anchovy and capers together, and many dishes finish with both ingredients for a powerful and salty punch.

However, anchovies really shine in the cuisine of the south, where both fresh and preserved anchovies are used abundantly. Anchovies are preserved by gutting and removing the head then salting the fish, pressing it down with a weight for 4 or 5 months. They are then washed with brine and either salt- or oil- packed until ready to be eaten.

Down on the Amalfi coast, in the towns of Cetara and Vietri, they make an unusual condiment that could be called Italian umami, the fifth flavor sense behind salty, sweet, sour and bitter: colatura.

Colatura is an amber-colored essence of anchovy used to add complexity and nuance to a number of dishes in the area along the southern coast. The ancient Romans made a condiment out of fermented anchovies and salt called garum and used it to flavor many of their foods. It is a lovely thought of continuity, tasting something the ancient Romans would have eaten.

I went to visit the folks at Delfino who are 3rd generation curers of colatura. They have a small production facility under the arched bridge that’s just outside of Vietri on the way to Cetara. If you’ve ever driven to Amalfi, you’ve gone right over it.

anchovies curing in salt — Anchovies Curing in Salt

Colatura is made in the summer by layering the anchovies with sea salt in a wooden barrel, then weighting and pressing them for several months. In the winter, when the colatura is ready, they open a hole in the bottom of the barrel and let the liquid drip out. More delicate than Chinese fish sauce but still pungent, it adds a punch to any dish. My favorite is spaghetti tossed with lots of minced parsley, garlic and gentle southern Italian olive oil with a few drops of colatura and some fat anchovy fillets.

You can order colatura and really great anchovies from Gustiamo, an import company out of New York, check them out at www.gustiamo.com.

Buon Appetito! Gina

August 30, 2011 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Best Food in Italy: Bologna!

I’m not the first person to say it, and I won’t be the last. Bologna and it’s surrounding environs offer the best food in Italy! The city of Bologna, in the region of Emilia Romagna just north of Tuscany, is one of the most beautiful cities in northern Italy. Although it is one of the least visited by tourists, who generally race through this fertile region on their way to Venice or Florence, even a day spent walking around this incredibly rich city is well worth the effort it takes to get off the train and check your luggage at the deposito. But I recommend you schedule at least a couple of days so that you can be sure to sample all the traditional foods Bologna has to offer.

Many of Italy’s best food products originate in this area:

Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Culatello di Zibello, mostarda from Cremona and Mantova, and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, authentic balsamic vinegar, are just some of the better known products from the area surrounding the city. For great food tours of the area outside Bologna, contact my friend Alessandro at www.italiandays.it. He’ll pick you up at the train station and drive you around food producers in Emilia Romagna for the day!

A dazzling array of fresh, rich, homemade pasta such as tortellini, tortelli and lasagna, make this a foodie paradise. The Bolognese have a light hand when making pasta and it’s some of the most luscious pasta I’ve ever eaten. The most traditional pastas of Bologna are tortellini in brodo, rich tiny meat filled pasta cooked in a rich meat broth; tagliatelle al Bolognese, fresh egg noodles with rich meat ragu; and the best lasagna in Italy with fresh spinach pasta layered with ragu, besciamel sauce and parmigiano. True pasta heaven, they are light, tender and incredibly delicious!

In between meals you have to do something, of course, if only to make room for the next scrumptious plate of pasta. The architecture in Bologna is incredible and beautifully preserved, as are the numerous frescoes and paintings throughout the city. Taking walks around the city is possible no matter the weather because of the miles of loggia, or covered walkways. Bologna has the oldest university in the world, started in 1088. The medical school had one of the first theaters in the Middle Ages for vivisection of the human body, which is possible to view at their museum.

My favorite church, Santo Spirito, is actually an ancient composition of seven churches. Begun in Roman times and added on to until it reached its present maze of ancient brick designs and columns, it has a mystical feel. Some of the windows don’t contain glass at all but have the original thin sheets of marble, more for design and beauty than to illuminate the church. The fresco below was astounding because at first glance it was merely a wash of color, but as you looked closer you could see the original design and detail.

My favorite cathedral in Italy is the Basilica of San Petronius which has a rare meridian line inset in the floor. The area to the east of the main square, Piazza Maggiore, is covered with old shops and stalls selling seasonal fruits and vegetables along with meats, salami, fish and horse meat, a regional specialty.

The people of Bologna are open, gregarious and festive. I ran into these two guys in the market having a morning coffee at the bar who insisted on helping me find a great place to eat fresh pasta for lunch. And they didn’t steer me wrong, the restaurant was lovely and the pasta excellent!

Bologna also has a fun aperitivo culture in the evening and there are many bars with tables outside where you can enjoy a glass of wine and plate of sliced cold cuts for lunch.

mortadella, coppa di testa and parmigiano at Tamburini

Here’s an authentic recipe for Ragu Bolognese from my friend Grazia, who was born and raised just outside the city. Note that it is very meaty, not seasoned with herbs or garlic, and with just a little tomato for taste and color. The milk helps to soften the flavor of the ragu and this sauce is always served with fresh egg pasta, never with dried semolina pasta from the South, like spaghetti.

Ragu Bolognese

2 lbs ground beef, pork and veal, any combination

1 large onion

2 celery stalks

1 carrot

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tomato concentrate

2 cups tomato sauce

2 cups white wine

1 ½ cups milk

Salt, pepper

Place the onion, celery and carrot in a food processor and puree. Brown the meat in a small amount of olive oil, breaking them into small pieces and removing to the side when browned. Add the vegetables and sauté well until softened, then add the meat back in with a little salt and pepper. Add the wine and cook off completely, then add the milk and cook off completely. Add the tomato concentrate and sauce, cover and allow the sauce to cook for 2 hours, tasting for seasoning and adding additional salt and pepper. If it’s very thick, add a little water and watch it while it cooks to make sure it doesn’t burn or get too dry.

Buon
Appetito! Gina

August 27, 2011 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Antipasto Platters are Perfect for Summer Entertaining

One of my favorite ways to eat is to just nosh on lots of little things, and both Spanish tapas and Italian antipasti platters are perfect for this, in fact they have a lot in common. When it’s this hot and you don’t want a heavy meal or to spend a lot of time cooking, but you want to have all your friends over for drinks and dinner, putting together a large assortment of antipasti is one of the easiest ways to entertain. A couple of good cured meats like salami, prosciutto or mortadella, some sliced provolone, chunks of parmigiano and some pickled vegetables like giardiniera or pepperoncini are perfect for putting together various little mouthfuls.

A note on getting good Italian cured meats in the US: good luck! There are only three kinds of Italian DOP cured meats that legally can be brought into the states: Prosciutto di San Daniele, Prosciutto di Parma and Mortadella di Bologna (the frontrunner and granddad of bologna/baloney, minus the fat chunks, and the reason it’s called that). While it’s possible to find some good pancetta, coppacola or salami, they will be domestic products.

Whatever you get, it’s important that the cured meat has been stored and treated properly in order to ensure a decent product. Beware of paying a lot of money for one of the imported meats that has been stored in a cold refrigerator with constant circulating air; it dries the meat out and makes it stiff and crumbly instead of soft and tender. Ask to sample a slice before buying. The other abomination that I often see in the US is cutting all the fat off of prosciutto before slicing it and then charging $25 a pound. The fat is an important part of the whole taste experience, balancing the saltiness of the meat with the sweetness of the fat. If you want to take it off at home, so be it, but you should be given the choice. That fat isn’t there by accident or laziness on the part of the prosciutto maker!

In addition to putting out some coldcuts and cheese, I like to go the next step and make some quick dishes that make the whole experience more interesting and filling. They don’t take long to make and can round out the antipasti into an entire meal. Most importantly they all go great with a glass or two of wine! These are dishes that are common to both Italian antipasti bars as well as Spanish tapas bars. (our use of the word “bar” is so limiting in the US!)

Some of my favorites include baby octopus or squid stewed in a spicy tomato sauce; fried sweet peppers with tomatoes and small mozzarella balls; ceci or cannellini beans with diced tomato and garlic; shrimp in a garlic and parsley sauce; small fried sardines or smelts. All of these are wonderful served on little plates with a slice of hearty bread ready to catch the juices and wipe the plate.

Some other vegetables that are lovely with cold cuts and cheese are roasted peppers and grilled zucchini or eggplant with olive oil. Called sott’olio there is a wide variety of vegetables that can be roasted or grilled, either in the oven or over coals, and then covered with olive oil, garlic slices and parsley. It keeps for several weeks in the fridge and is ready whenever you need to put it out.

roasted pepper spread with toasted crostini

Fried Summer Peppers with Tomatoes & Mozzarella

1 lb sweet Italian peppers, tops broken off

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Small mozzarella balls

Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil and fry the peppers until they are cooked all around and browned, tossing and stirring. Remove them to a bowl, wipe out the sauté pan with a paper towel, add a little more olive oil and the garlic and sauté gently before adding the tomatoes. Cook until softened and toss together with salt and the peppers. Serve as an antipasto with the freshest, best mozzarella you can find.

Moscardine con Sugo Arrabiata (Tiny octopus with spicy tomato sauce)

500 gr small octopus or squid

3 garlic cloves

olive oil

hot peppers, one or two

2 cup crushed tomatoes

parsley

white wine

Sauté the garlic in the olive oil gently, add the hot peppers and parsley and cook a few minutes, then add the octopus or squid and sauté until cooked. Add the wine, allow it to cook off and then add the tomato and simmer for 30 minutes, salting to taste. Serve with bread as an antipasto.

Buon Appetito! Gina