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 24, 2022 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

How to open a pomegranate

Pomegranates are one of the most beautiful of winter fruits, its red jewels brighten a grey day. The health benefits of pomegranate juice are well-known and the whole fruit provides good fiber. But it’s important to know how to open a pomegranate without making a mess. There are lots of great videos on getting into the fruit without beating it and juicing it all over the kitchen counter! In this blog, I’m going to show you the easiest way to clean a pomegranate with not a drop of juice to clean up. Use the berries in a salad, to top yogurt or juice them for a healthy treat. Just don’t get it all over yourself!

Opening a pomegranate without a mess

Pomegranates yield beautiful red berries. The juice is super healthy and the bright gems look beautiful on food. But opening a pomegranate to eat or juice can be a real mess. The key is to cut through the skin and access the berries, without actually cutting any of the berries themselves.

The first cut

Using a sharp paring knife, insert the point into the base of the blossom. Make a circular cut all the way around the blossom to remove it. Be careful not to insert the knife so far in that it punctures the little red gems inside.

The second cut

Next, make very shallow cuts with the point of the knife to pierce the skin, but not the berries inside. Make three or four cuts down the side of the fruit so you can break the pomegranate open easily.

The next step is so simple: just break the pomegranate open, tear it into sections and carefully pull the little gems out and into a bowl. With practice you can do this whole thing with not a single drop of juice getting on you, the counter, or your clothes! Opening a pomegranate is simple!

Open the pomegranate

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!