January 20, 2023 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Visit Emilia Romagna

Come with us to Emilia-Romagna in 2024!

Beginning in the spring of 2024, we are excited to add a new region to our culinary tours: the beautiful area of Emilia-Romagna in north-central Italy!

A region that most tourists just pass through on the way from the hubs of Florence and Venice, Emilia-Romagna is one of our favorite places to visit. The rich food culture, delicious wines and historic architecture found in these two regions are worth a deeper dive. This is truly important if one is to understand Italy. The area is elegant, wealthy, and urbane, filled with open and friendly people.

For a more complete history of the region, dating back to Roman times, check out this Britannica link! https://www.britannica.com/place/Emilia-Romagna

Originally separate regions, Emilia and Romagna became joined administratively in 1947. The people of these two regions, recognizing their cultural diversity, still think of themselves as either Emiliano or Romagnolo.

Emilia

The western part of the region, Emilia, is known for its amazing food culture. These people are true gourmands, and it is in Emilia that many of Italy’s most iconic foods are born. It is home to Italy’s most important DOP foods such as Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Aceto Balsamico di Modena, and Mortadella di Bologna. The pastas include tagliatelle or lasagna with Bolognese ragu, and garganelli. Among the many stuffed pastas are tortelli, cappelletti and tortellini. The wines of the Lambrusco grape are slightly frizzante and simple, yet perfect with the rich foods. The capital city of Bologna has leaning towers, medieval architecture, miles of loggias covering the sidewalks and the oldest university in Europe. The Basilica of San Petronio is incredible and opens onto the city’s largest public space, Piazza Maggiore.

Romagna

Romagna makes up the eastern half of the region and was originally part of the Byzantine Roman Empire, as evidenced by the amazing byzantine mosaics of Ravenna. Due to the geographical barrier of the Appenines and a shared coastline on the Adriatic, Romagna aligned itself with the Marche to the south, rather than to Florence and Tuscany. Rimini is famous for its beaches and nightlife. The ancient etruscan salt flats of Cervia are still in use today. The main grape is Sangiovese, not Lambrusco, and tradition says that the sangiovese grape may have originated here in Romagna. Beautiful vineyards, ancient artisan products like ceramics and hand-stamped fabrics, and modern upscale car production tie the old together with the new in Romagna.

The Ecco La Cucina tour

Our week-long stay in this beautiful region will include 4 nights in the classic city of Bologna. Our four days will be filled with visits to experience the production of prosciutto, parmigiano and aceto balsamico; a cooking class with a focus on fresh pasta, and walking tours of the cities of Bologna and Parma. Included are lots of amazing meals and fabulous wines. The last three nights will be on a lovely wine estate in the heart of Romagna with visits to Faenza for ceramics, Gambettola for fabrics, a winery tour and tasting, and a day exploring the ancient mosaics in Ravenna.

Spring is the perfect time to visit the area with flowers and vineyards in bloom, warm sunny days and pleasant nights. Contact us for more information and to sign up!

Gina and Mary have been leading small group tours to Italy for over 22 years! Check us out on our lovely website Ecco La Cucina!

October 23, 2011 by Gina Stipo Leave a Comment

Tortellini and a history lesson

I spent some time recently with my good friend, pig farmer and professional olive oil taster, Daniele Barufaldi, and in the course of the day we started talking about food, our favorite dishes and how to make them. Daniele is originally from Emilia Romagna, the region north of Tuscany, and while he has lived near Siena for over 20 years with his Venetian wife and sons, he still maintains a freezer full of homecooked specialities, lovingly made by his mother. As he says it, he’s from Emilia.

United as one region today, Emilia and Romagna were separate regions until the 1860’s when the unification of the country of Italy took place. But the people still think of themselves as either “Emiliano” or “Romagnolo”. Divisions run deep in Italy and people relate more to their hometowns and families, and less to the regions they live in. What is oftentimes so difficult to understand about regional Italian cooking is, it isn’t regional. It’s local. It’s so local that neighboring towns will go to war about the right way, the only real way, to make a particular dish. Any dish. I have learned about Italian cooking from both working with the old ladies in the kitchen as well as listening to the old men at the table, who don’t actually do the work but are there to critique it. Or should I say I have gleaned what I can about Italian cooking from talking with the people.

So it should have come as no surprise when Daniele started arguing with me about the correct way to make tortellini. Tortellini in brodo is the pride of the Emilia Romagna table and one of my favorite dishes. The broth is satiny and complex tasting, yet simplicity at its most earnest. The pasta is rich and silky, stuffed with meat and redolent of nutmeg and pepper. Cooked in the broth and served with a dusting of parmigiano reggiano on top, it is heaven on a spoon.

Now, I’ve made tortellini many times. Learned to make them in Bologna years ago and the recipe I use is from a friend’s mother who was born and raised outside Bologna. Yet when I tell Daniele that I cook the pork and veal before pureeing it with mortadella, prosciutto, parmigiano and nutmeg, he raises such a fuss you would have thought someone peed in the ragu.

“NO!” he yells, “the pork and veal must be raw in the stuffing!”

“OH, Calmati!” I yell back at him. That’s the only way to hold your own in a food discussion with an Italian: you have to yell back. And there’s no better way to get a discussion going than to yell at the other person to Calm Down. “That’s how I was taught by two old women from Bologna who have made more tortellini in their lives that you have!” I rush to the defense of my education and honored teachers.

“Well, obviously your teachers were Romagnolan”, he concedes, “that’s how they make it in Romagna. In Emilia – where they REALLY know how to cook – the stuffing is raw before making the tortellini.”

I did not know that.

Then he puts the loaded question to me, with the raise of an eyebrow: “And how big do you make them??”

“Very small”, I answer. “A square inch of pasta wrapped around a tiny amount of meat stuffing and formed around your littlest finger.”

“No!”, he yells. “There can be no less than five (5) tortellini on a soup spoon!”

“Oh”, I say, really getting into the argument, “and how big is this spoon? Soup spoons come in all different sizes!”

“No! All soup spoons are the same size!”

Really??? I go to his cupboard, pull out the drawer and fish out three different sized soup spoons. “There”, I say, laughing. “You didn’t think that in Italy tortellini would be all different sizes but all the spoons would be the same!?”

We ended by agreeing that very soon we have to share a plate of tortellini in brodo. I hope he pulls out his stash of his mom’s tortellini. And if I can’t get five on my spoon, there’ll be hell to pay!

Tortellini in Brodo

This recipe, given to me by Grazia’s mother, cooks the meat with celery and onion before pureeing it with the other ingredients. If you use raw meat, as they apparently do in Emilia, leave out the celery and onion.

½ onion, chopped

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

½ lb veal in chunks

¼ lb pork in chunks

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup white wine

1 slice mortadella

2 slices prosciutto di parma

½ cup grated parmigiano

¼ teas nutmeg, freshly grated

1 bay leaf

Salt, pepper

Saute the onion, celery, veal and pork in the oil until cooked through, add the bay leaf and white wine and cook off completely. Let cool. Place the mix in a food processor with the mortadella, prosciutto, nutmeg and parmigiano and puree completely. If mixture is too dry to mix, add a small amount of milk. Salt to taste.

Brodo

½ chicken

2 large beef short ribs

2 carrots, cleaned and cut into large pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into large pieces

1 onion, cut in quarters

1 whole tomato

3 parsley sprigs

10 whole black peppers

2 bay leaves

2 whole cloves

Cover all vegetables with fresh water and bring to a boil, add the chicken and beef and simmer for two to three hours, covered. If any foam rises to the top, skim off and continue cooking. After an hour you can add a tbsp of sea salt to taste.

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 14, 2011 by Gina Stipo

Mosaics of Byzantium in Ravenna

As a side trip to the salt flats of Cervia a few weeks ago, we drove north along the Adriatic coast to the town of Ravenna to see its famous mosaics and eat some fabulous pasta from that region. Now a quiet city in Emilia-Romagna, in the 400’s Ravenna was the capitol of the Western Roman Empire, and from the mid 500’s to late 700’s it was the seat of the Byzantine government in Italy. It is one old city and the Byzantine mosaics that remain to adorn the churches and basilicas are simply breathtaking.

(*All of the images in this blog are mosaic, not paintings)

Mosaics are pictures or images done with small pieces of colored tile, glass or stone and were widely used to adorn floors, churches and homes in the ancient world. They date from as early as 1500 BC and excellent examples can still be found in Roman ruins throughout Europe and Asia.

During the Renaissance mosaic work took a back seat to frescoes, but the 1800’s brought a renewed interest in mosaic art. The Vatican in Rome has long had a museum and workshop. I remember visiting it when I was a little girl and being astounded even then at the detail the artists could achieve with little pieces of colored tiles. From far away many mosaics look like beautiful paintings and it’s only when you get up close that you see the artist has used thousands of tiny tiles to “paint” the picture.

The chapel at Castello Brolio has some amazing examples on either sides of the altar.

If you are lucky enough to be in Emilia Romagna, don’t forget to order whatever homemade pasta is on the menu and plan a day to see the incredible mosaics of this once important city.