Pork is a staple food of the mountain regions of northern Italy, where it's often said that a well-butchered pig should leave 'nothing but the oink' behind. As a pig is typically around 30% fat, thrifty locals had to come up with a way to use and preserve this valuable source of protein, and the result is Lardo.
Lardo di Colonnata, to give it its full name, is a delicacy produced from pork fat in and around the Tuscan mountain town of Colonnata. Happily, for fans of cured meat, it's not only a frugal way of preserving pork fat over winter - it's delicious too!
It's made in large vats known as conche, fashioned from marble quarried at the nearby 'white mountain' of Cararra, which are first liberally rubbed with garlic. Next, layers of pork fat, salt, and a special mix of herbs and spices are added until the vats are full. The conche are then sealed with a wooden lid and left in cool mountain caves for 6 months or longer to mature in the clean air.
After the maturation time is over, the conche are opened to reveal a silky-smooth, meltingly tender 'meat' which can be eaten in much the same way as Parma Ham or other prosciutto.
While Lardo is often used to keep roasted meats moist by placing a thin layer over the skin, it is also delicious simply sliced thinly and eaten with bread, olives, and a good extra virgin olive oil as part of an antipasto course. It is not at all tough or greasy, and is well worth trying even if the idea of eating pure fat leaves you a little apprehensive!
Despite the long years of making Lardo in the traditional way, most of the examples that you may find in your local deli or store will have been made in a much more industrial setting, mainly as a result of modern hygiene laws taking precedence over customs and heritage. Gone are the marble conche and the mountain air, replaced by stainless steel and air conditioning.
However, visitors to the area around Colonnata may still be lucky and get hold of Lardo made in the old way that has been proven over the centuries - just don't tell the authorities if you do!
A supreme pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, peppers, olives, and mushrooms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Pizza, the way we know it today, is a derivation from focaccia (from the Latin word for fire), a flatbread that has been prepared since antiquity in different forms and garnished with herbs, olives, fat, raisin, honey, and nuts.
The word pizza in Italian identifies any type of flatbread or pie—fried or baked. Although you’d find many types of pitas or pizzas around the Mediterranean, it is in Naples that pizza in the form we know it today first emerged, after the tomato appeared on the table in the 1700s. Naples has many records of pizza since around the year 1000; the first mentions call these flatbreads Lagana, and later they are referred to as picea. In those times, pizzas were dressed with garlic and olive oil, or cheese and anchovies, or small local fish. They were baked on the open fire and sometimes were closed in two, as a book, to form a calzone.
In Naples is also where the first pizzerias opened up, with brick wood-burning oven, covered with lava stones from Mount Vesuvius. The chefs of those times ignored pizza because it was considered a poor people’s food, but the new combination with the tomato, when it entered the kitchen around the 1770s, must have raised some curiosity, even in the royal palace. Ferdinand I Bourbon, King of Naples, loved the simple food of the people and went to taste the pizzas made in the shop of Antonio Testa. He liked it so much that he wanted pizza to be included in the menu at the court. He failed after the opposition of his wife, Queen Maria Carolina. His son Ferdinand II also liked all kinds of popular food and he loved pizza to the point that he hired Domenico Testa, son of the now famous Antonio, to build a pizza oven in the royal palace of Capodimonte.
Pizza became very popular, earning its place in Neapolitan folklore. Simple and economical, it turned into the food for all people, even sold on the streets, as shown in many illustrations of the time.
A famous episode extended the popularity of pizza beyond the limits of the city of Naples. It was 1889, and Margherita, queen of Italy, was visiting the city. She was told about pizza and wanted to taste it. A famous cook by the name of Don Raffaele, helped by his wife Donna Rosa, was invited to cook pizza at the royal palace. They prepared three pizzas, typical of that time: one with cheese and basil; one with garlic, oil, and tomato; and one with mozzarella, basil, and tomato. The queen, impressed by the colors of the last pizza, which resembled the national flag, preferred that one. Since then this pizza is known as Pizza Margherita, and Don Raffaele is credited with its invention, even if we know that it already existed for a long time.
At the beginning of the last century, with Italian immigrants, the first pizzerias appeared also in the United States, where pizza has become a mass phenomenon. Yet, even today the best pizza is found in Naples, where it is rigorously made with buffalo mozzarella. Superior pizzas are considered those obtained by moderate variations of the simplest and most popular: Pizza Napoletana with tomato, garlic, oil, and oregano; Pizza Margherita; Pizza Marinara with tomato, anchovies, capers, and olives; and Pizza Four Seasons, divided into four quadrants, each dressed in a different way. Pizza with hot salami, the American pepperoni pizza, is instead found in the Calabria region south of Naples, where this type of hot sausage is produced.
Go to any family restaurant with Italian dining in mind and you are likely to order chicken parmesan, pasta alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs, or maybe a pizza. It is easy to think that some pasta, some marinara sauce, a crust of Italian bread and a glass of wine is the beginning and end of Italian cuisine, especially if you grew up in the United States. There is much more than red sauce and starch on the agenda for most Italian regional cuisines, and with all of the various regions and cultures in the boot on the ocean, Italian regional cuisines have as much range as your average New York City block.
There is the tourist region of Tuscany, on the northwestern coast of Italy. Tuscany is sought out for its simple but delicious dishes, seasoned sparingly with basil, parsley, and thyme. Tuscan bread and a little bit of olive oil is a big part of the seafood dishes of the Tuscan region.
Abruzzo, a little-known treasure in the middle eastern section of the boot mixes chili peppers into almost all of their dishes. Like many other regions in Italy, there is a mixture of mountain and seafood dishes. Pasta is very often the first course, instead of a part of a stew or entrée. Most of the chefs in the Abruzzo region are skilled at hand rolling their own stuffed pasta, and crepes are used in meat dishes, rolled in savory sauces or put into broths. Polenta is enjoyed with hearty sausages and rich, meaty sauces.
Sardinia, an island off of the western coast of Italy is home to a rich fishing tradition as well as a beautiful mountainous inland landscape. This, in addition to a rich heritage of not only Italians, but also Arabs, French, Greeks, and Spaniards, has made the island home to a diverse culture of seafood and meat dishes spiced with fennel and saffron. Stews and rich, hearty pasta make up a large part of the local cuisine in Sardinia, as well as sheep milk’s cheese.
Emilia-Romagna is perhaps the most sought out region of Italy in terms of local cuisine. It is often called the market basket of Italy. Located in northern Italy, Emilia-Romagna is home to many of Italy’s most renowned dishes, like Prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and balsamic vinegar. Chefs in the Emilia Romagna region have a penchant for gregarious presentation and rich spices.
Much like the American idea of Chinese food, the American idea of Italian food is only the tip of the iceberg. Italian regional cuisine is marked by the country’s locality to northern Africa and other Mediterranean countries, as well as a diverse local landscape, ranging from mountains to oceans. Sheppard, shopkeepers, farmers, and fisherman all contribute to one of the most diverse cultural cuisines in the world. Next time you are in the mood for Italian food, try something a little bit different than your usual spaghetti and meatballs, maybe a saffron seafood stew or a polenta. Rest assured, you won’t think of the words “Italian cuisine” the same again.
Marinara sauce is a popular Italian red sauce. This meatless sauce can be easily and quickly made from tomatoes, onions and herbs. You might find this sauce a little spicier than other red tomato sauces. This is because it has large amounts of garlic, oregano, basil, and even chilli pepper. Its simplicity and easy-to-make feature allow it to be used in many great Italian dishes.
Besides its traditional use of highlighting the mild taste of pasta such as linguini or ziti, marinara is also a popular dipping sauce for finger foods like fried mozzarella cheese sticks and calzones. This sauce can be used by you to add a little zest to meat dishes such as chicken, veal Parmigiano, pork steaks, and grilled seafood. You can also use it to replace mustard or mayonnaise in a burger or a chicken filet sandwich and perhaps relish the food more.
Despite being easy to make, there are currently hundreds of types of marinara in the market. The popularity of the sauce may be due to recent research, which revealed that cooked tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
Origins of Marinara Sauce
Marinara is derived from the Italian word Marinaro meaning “of the sea” and marinara sauce loosely translates into “the sauce of the sailors”. It originated with sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the introduction of tomato by the Spaniards. In those days of no refrigeration, it was in great demand among the cooks on the ships for two reasons. Firstly, because the absence of meat and high acid content of the tomatoes would not spoil the sauce, and secondly because it was easy to prepare.
Preparation of marinara sauce
Ingredients
6 pounds ripe Italian-type tomatoes
1 cup very finely minced onion
1/2 cup very finely minced celery
1 cup very finely minced carrots
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Seasonings - Added according to taste
Ground white pepper
Ground coriander
Dried marjoram
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Salt
Drop tomatoes into boiling water, a few at a time. Let the water return to a boil, then remove the tomatoes and drain. Peel and chop.
Cook the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil, in a large covered saucepan, over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times. Uncover and stir, over the heat, for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the vegetables are very soft and light gold.
Add the tomatoes, sugar and pepper and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes.
Puree the sauce through the medium disc of a food mill. Add the optional seasoning and cook at a bare simmer until the desired consistency is reached, about 20 minutes, stirring often. Add salt to taste. You can add a little hot sauce to give it a kick as well.
If you prefer a smooth sauce, work the sauce through the fine disc of a food mill.
Cool the marinara and refrigerate it. It will keep, refrigerated, for about a week, or for several months if frozen.
These aren't your grandfather's frozen foods! The variety, quality, and taste of today's Freezer Favorites have surpassed the well-known convenience of frozen foods years ago. You now have many choices for warm, delicious, home-cooked meals, from your freezer to the table in minutes.
There may be no better time to enjoy these delicious foods than during March National Frozen Food Month when many stores will be featuring special prices and promotions on these tasty freezer favorites. Here are some great ideas:
• Breakfast--stock your freezer with quick-fix options such as waffles, pancakes, bagels, eggs, sandwiches, juices and more.
• Lunch--you'll find many lean, one-dish selections. Convenient, quick, take to work, microwave-enjoy.
• Snacks--always have on-hand pizza, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders and more.
• Dinner--try the many frozen fish, seafood, chicken, beef and full-course meal selections, as well as vegetables, potatoes, and pasta.
• Desserts--keep frozen pies, cakes and ice cream on hand to make any occasion special.
Here is a marvelous meal in minutes:
Scrumptious Ravioli
1 16-oz. bag frozen Cheese Ravioli
1 jar prepared Spaghetti Sauce
Parmesan Cheese
Add frozen ravioli to a pot of gently boiling water. Cook according to package directions. Drain and toss with small amount of olive oil to avoid sticking. Toss with heated spaghetti sauce. Serve in your favorite pasta dishes. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Don't forget the garlic bread!
Making pizza from scratch, at home, isn't really as hard as you might think---and once you learn just a few secrets about how to make a great pizza crust, you might never want to "order in" again!
First, there is the matter of a recipe for pizza dough. Most of them call for very similar ingredients, basically water, yeast, oil, and flour. Some have a little more oil, some use less oil and add an egg. Whichever recipe you use, making the pizza dough goes fairly quickly and doesn't need to rise for hours like bread dough.
Here's a tip: If you aren't familiar with working with recipes that call for yeast, you might not know that yeast has to "proof"---that is, activate. You do this by combining it with water (about 110*), and usually a little bit of sugar (1 teaspoon or less). After you combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar, you need to let this mixture "rest" for about 5 minutes. This allows the yeast to activate or "proof."
Don't just assume that you can run hot water from your tap and it will be "warm" enough, without being "too hot." A small cooking thermometer is handy to have. It might be easier to heat up water to 110* rather than run hot water and then try to cool it down (especially if your water heater is set at 120* or above). I put room temperature water in a Pyrex measuring cup and heat the water in the microwave. After a while, you'll know exactly what setting and how long it takes to heat up the water.
After the yeast has proofed, stir in the other ingredients, following the recipe. You'll probably have to knead the dough a bit to mix all of the flour in so that you have a smooth and dry mound of pizza dough. Be very careful about kneading the pizza dough---it is easy to knead in too much flour. As long as the dough isn't actually sticking to your fingers, it is OK.
Once the dough is ready, let it "rest" for about 5 minutes. That's right, just let it lay there. This gets the rising process started.
Hand form, or use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to the desired size.
After experimenting with the different types of pizza pans and stones that are available, I have concluded that the one-ply pans with holes in them are the best. This helps to bake a crust that is nicely done on the bottom without being burnt, and yet leaves the dough nice a "chewy" in the middle. Depending on your preference for pizza dough, you can experiment by first baking pizza on regular cookie sheets. After that, you can get inexpensive pizza pans at dollar stores or discount stores like Wal-Mart to continue to experiment until you find the pan you prefer.
Now you are ready to bake the pizza. Here's a tip: pre-bake just the pizza crust for about 6 minutes before you load on the sauce and toppings. This helps to cook the crust enough so that the sauce won't sink in too much, leaving a gooey crust.
After you've pre-baked the crust, remove it from the oven and load it with sauce and meat toppings (be sure that anything other than pepperoni is pre-cooked, such as sausage or ground beef). If you like onions and peppers, then here's another tip: pre-cook them so that the onions are almost transparent and the pepper is limp. Load on the onions and peppers. Sprinkle with oregano or any other spices that you desire.
Return to the oven and bake for about 13-15 minutes. This is long enough to heat the sauce and other toppings.
Remove from the oven and add the cheese. (If you are like me and like Hawaiian pizza, add the pineapple now, too.) Return to the oven for about 3 minutes, or just long enough to melt the cheese without burning it.
Once the pizza is baked, I like to slide it onto a pizza stone that I've sprinkled with cornmeal. Then, I let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes. The cornmeal keeps the bottom of the crust from getting soggy, and sure adds a nice "zest" to the taste of it! Cut with a pizza cutter (or kitchen shears---which work great!).
Pork is a staple food of the mountain regions of northern Italy, where it's often said that a well-butchered pig should leave 'nothing but the oink' behind. As a pig is typically around 30% fat, thrifty locals had to come up with a way to use and preserve this valuable source of protein, and the result is Lardo.
Lardo di Colonnata, to give it its full name, is a delicacy produced from pork fat in and around the Tuscan mountain town of Colonnata. Happily, for fans of cured meat, it's not only a frugal way of preserving pork fat over winter - it's delicious too!
It's made in large vats known as conche, fashioned from marble quarried at the nearby 'white mountain' of Cararra, which are first liberally rubbed with garlic. Next, layers of pork fat, salt, and a special mix of herbs and spices are added until the vats are full. The conche is then sealed with a wooden lid and left in cool mountain caves for 6 months or longer to mature in the clean air.
After the maturation time is over, the conche is opened to reveal a silky-smooth, meltingly tender 'meat' which can be eaten in much the same way as Parma Ham or another prosciutto.
While Lardo is often used to keep roasted meats moist by placing a thin layer over the skin, it is also delicious simply sliced thinly and eaten with bread, olives, and a good extra virgin olive oil as part of an antipasto course. It is not at all tough or greasy, and is well worth trying even if the idea of eating pure fat leaves you a little apprehensive!
Despite the long years of making Lardo in the traditional way, most of the examples that you may find in your local deli or store will have been made in a much more industrial setting, mainly as a result of modern hygiene laws taking precedence over customs and heritage. Gone are the marble conche and the mountain air, replaced by stainless steel and air conditioning.
However, visitors to the area around Colonnata may still be lucky and get hold of Lardo made in the old way that has been proven over the centuries - just don't tell the authorities if you do!
Anchovies are a very important part of the flavor of Italian food. However, many people, even fans of Italian food claim to not like anchovies. Some people have bad memories of smelly little fish on pizza that have forever tainted their view of Italian food that includes anchovies. Unbeknownst to many of these people is the fact that anchovies are widely used in Italian food and it's likely that some of their favorite Italian food dishes are made with anchovies.
These small and often misunderstood fish are used extensively in Italian food and there comes a point when it is impossible to enjoy Italian food without running into these little guys. Anchovies are a small saltwater fish. They are only about three inches long but pack quite a flavor. There are six different species of anchovies that are used in Italian food. From April to September is the Sicilian anchovy season and these species are lighter in flavor than the Spanish anchovies that make up a bulk of the anchovies used in Italian food.
Anchovies must quickly be preserved in order to keep the flavor that is wanted for Italian food intact. The most traditional way to preserve anchovies is packed in salt. This is the best way to guarantee an authentic Italian food flavor. Soon after the fish are caught they are cleaned and washed in salt brine and then set out to dry. The fish are then layered in round tins with sea salt in between each layer. The tins are then left to season for up to two months. A weight is placed on top of the tins in order to compress the fish and remove any extra fluids and fat from the fish. After the curing time is up they are sealed up and shipped off to be used in different Italian food dishes around the world.
Another way to preserve anchovies is to pack them in olive oil. This is similar to the above method of preserving, except that after the seasoning period is over the fish are again washed and the scales, skin, and bones are removed before placing the fish in jars or tins of olive oil. There are other ways to preserve anchovies for use in Italian food, but none are as popular as these first two. Anchovy paste is readily available, however, this paste does not have the anchovy flavor that is desired for Italian food and instead ends up tasting just plain salty.
When using anchovies in Italian food it is important to rinse them first. They are much too salty the way you buy them and you want to wash away some of the excess salt. If you are shopping for anchovies to use in a specific Italian food dish, make sure to buy just enough for the meal you are planning. Anchovies do not last very long once opened and should be used right away to ensure the flavor. If you have leftover anchovies then wash them and put them in a jar of olive oil. Seal the jar and place it in the refrigerator. This will only buy you five more days but if the fish are left in the tin after opening they will begin to get a metallic flavor that will ruin your Italian food.
Now you know a little more about this Italian food favorite. The next time you see anchovies listed as an ingredient at your favorite Italian food restaurant go on and give it a try; you might be surprised at how good it is.
Vin Santo Italian dessert wine in a shot glass with some biscotti
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ll bet that you never had biscotti as good as mine! Just kidding I know that you probably make a biscotti that is very good but I wish you would try this recipe and see what you think of it, this recipe is as good as they come. Now remember that all ingredients should be at room temperature.
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons anise seeds
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup melted butter (not hot)
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
In a mixing bowl beat eggs and sugar add anise seeds, vanilla and butter. Mix well and then add the flour and baking powder and mix until well blended, it should be soft but not sticky.
Remove dough from bowl and divide into two pieces, form each piece to look like large hot dogs, place on a pan lined with baking parchment and flatten to about one inch thick.
Bake in a preheated 350 F/180 °C degree oven for approximately half an hour until golden brown.
Optional:
Cut biscotti into pieces, place on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown.
You can also add tiny pieces of walnuts to your biscotti if you so desire.
If you like chocolate you can dip one end of the biscotti in some melted chocolate and enjoy them with a hot cup of coffee.
Today Tiramisu is the most popular of Italian food desserts. It graces the menu of nearly every Italian food restaurant. However, its rise to fame has been meteoric; it wasn't even invented until the 1970's in the Veneto region of Italy. It didn't even gain widespread popularity until the early 1990's. It is a unique blend of ingredients that separately seem to not go together at all. However, when correctly blended together they form one of the treasures of Italian food.
Tiramisu served at the "Ücia de Fanes" in South Tyrol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The first ingredient is Mascarpone cheese. This cheese has very deep roots in Italian food. It was made as far back as the 13th century in the region of Lombardy. This cheese is concentrated milk cream and has a very high fat content, getting up to seventy-five percent. It is a smooth and creamy cheese. Traditionally it has been considered to be more of a winter dish and therefore shows up in more of the seasonal Italian food dishes. This is mainly because of its high calories and the fact that when it was first produced there was no refrigeration and this delicate cheese does not keep well in hot temperatures. Like many other Italian foods, the best Mascarpone cheese comes directly from Italy. However, it you're an Italian food lover making Tiramisu at home, there are plenty of makers of Mascarpone cheese in America.
The next ingredient is Zabaglione cream. This is a true classic Italian food dessert. It hails from the world renowned kitchens of Venice. When it originally became a popular Italian food dessert it was made with yolks, honey, and a sweet Cyprus wine. However, today the cream has taken on a new flavor. To begin with sugar is substituted for the original honey. The most stated difference in taste though, comes from the use of Marsala wine instead of the sweet Cyprus wine. This cream can be made from home and is easier to make than most Italian food chefs let on.
The third ingredient is the most distinctive factor of Tiramisu, espresso. This shot of caffeine is where the dessert gets its name, which means "pick me up". This is a coffee that is true to Italian food and is much stronger than American coffee. Espresso is the most important coffee in Italian food and can be seen following many Italian meals.
The fourth and final ingredient is Ladyfingers. These popular cookies originated in Italy and have made numerous appearances in not only Italian food, but in many other national cuisines. These cookies are remarkably light due to the fact that the dough with which they are made is rich with whipped egg white. They are immensely popular and one of the most appreciated Italian food desserts in Italy.
These four ingredients blended together just right and topped off with chocolate make an Italian food dessert that is as popular as the individual ingredients. Make sure when you prepare this at home that you take great care in choosing the ingredients, it will really make a difference in the quality of Tiramisu. Now that you know the correct quality and the origin of the ingredients you will surely impress your friends with you Italian food knowledge.
