Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu
Pretentiously fixing Italian food around the world
Every blogpost on this blog!
In this episode, Jessica Burgio talks about the difficulty of recreating traditional Italian dishes in North America and gives her suggestions on how to make use of what’s locally available. She also explains how sometimes regional Italian dishes are hard to recreate even within Italy when taken outside of their native areas.
Welcome to a brand new series with guest blogger Jessica Burgio! In this first episode, Jessica introduces herself and gives an overview of North American foods from an Italian perspective. Particularly, Jessica focuses on the foods of Florida, where she lives, including Grits, Conch Fritter, Key Lime Pie, and of course Gators! We also talk about Jessica’s husband: Rick Zullo, the author of Italy Restaurant Guide, as Chosen by Italy’s Top Food Bloggers.
This episode is dedicated to the Slow Food Movement. Join me and Gino De Blasio as we discuss why the Slow Food Movement is essential to Italy and why fast-food has a place but not a home in Italy. Thanks for listening!
Part of the spirit of Cucina Povera (the Cuisine of the Poor) is frugality and eating anything that can still be eaten. For some ingredients, this even involves a special preparation or a process to make them more edible. And this is certainly the case with Parmesan rind, which is safe to eat, but too hard to chew.
I grew up in one of those northern Italian families that go through a lot of Parmigiano! It’s almost always sprinkled over pasta dishes and an essential component of risotto. Because of this, in our fridge, in the cheese drawer, there were always a couple of pieces of Parmesan rind which were saved for the next risotto. Parmesan rind can also be used to flavor soups, but in my family, we never used it that way.
For the use in risotto, the rind is added at the beginning of the preparation. As the stock is gradually incorporated, the rind releases flavor, while re-hydrating itself and becoming softer. When using a relatively young Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano (a different cheese, similar in flavor, but aged less), by the time the risotto is cooked, the rind will appear substantially thinned, and will be easy to cut with a knife or even the side of a fork. Although it might be an acquired taste for some, the rind will be absolutely delicious when eaten in small bites, along with the risotto. When using particularly aged Parmigiano Reggiano, instead, the rind will still be quite hard at the end of the cooking – if not chewable, of course, it should be discarded (in this case, the rind will be only used as flavoring).
Parmesan rind can be added to all kinds of risotto, but in the case of a radicchio risotto, it is even more desirable. Radicchio, a vegetable that belongs to the chicory family, has a bitter flavor which is especially pronounced when raw, but also present when cooked. Any bitterness can be dampened by adding some saltiness. Because of this, Parmigiano is a great pairing for radicchio. Some people, however, develop tolerance or even a liking for the bitterness of radicchio. If its bitterness is not a problem, thinly sliced fresh radicchio can be added to the finished risotto as a garnish.
Ingredients
Preparation
Gino and I are back with one more episode on Italian misconceptions. Today we are focusing on three more examples of Italian food which has been taken out of context: pesto, antipasto, and meatballs. Thanks for your feedback!
An unusual post for this blog, today. Three friends of mine have just competed in a pizza cook-off, and I had the honor to be the head judge 🙂
The contestants were responsible for bringing their own ingredients, including their pizza dough (which they made beforehand). To cook the pizzas, they all used the same oven, set at its maximum temperature (550 °F), with the same pizza stone.
We had two challenges: the first was on ingredients and technique; the second on the choice of the toppings.
For the first challenge, everyone made their best Margherita. Here is what each did.
The first contestant, Stefano, brought a slowly-leavened pizza dough which he had raising in his fridge for 2 full days (see below for his recipe). He used canned, peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes (which he seasoned with salt and olive oil), and fresh “bocconcini” mozzarella. The pizza was assembled and cooked for 7 minutes (until the mozzarella started to become bubbly).
The second contestant, Sandro, used his 1-day leavened dough. He blanched and strained fresh Roma tomatoes, which he then seasoned with herbs, salt, and olive oil. He also used fresh “bocconcini” mozzarella, but he adopted the strategy to add it to the pizza only during the last 2 minutes of cooking (out of the 8 minutes total). He then finished the pizza with basil leaves.
The third contestant, Samuele, also made a 1-day leavened dough. He used canned Molisana strained tomatoes, with some added salt. He used “bocconcini” mozzarella, added at the beginning of cooking, like Stefano’s. He finished his pizza with basil, a hint of Parmigiano, and a generous amount of olive oil.
Here is how this challenge went.
All three contestants used a bit too much tomato sauce. Stefano had the best dough of all three. Sandro’s dough was a close second. Stefano’s tomatoes were good but slightly under-seasoned. Sandro’s tomatoes had the most flavor but were a bit watery (possibly because he used fresh tomatoes). Samuele’s tomatoes were the best of all three, although he put a little too much salt on them. Overall, Sandro’s mozzarella tasted best: being it cooked just slightly, it kept its milkiness, tasting more authentic. Overall, Sandro won this challenge.
For the second challenge, the contestants were asked to show off their best toppings.
Stefano went with a proven combination: speck and fontina. He prepared his Margherita base, with fontina mixed in with the mozzarella. Half-way through the cooking, he topped up the pizza with slices of speck.
Sandro also used his Margherita base, to which he added sautéed onions and gorgonzola cheese. After the pizza was cooked, he topped it off with raw prosciutto.
At this point, we were all too full, and Samuele decided to drop out of the competition 🙂
Overall Sandro’s toppings were considered more creative and with a more distinct flavor then Stefano’s; also because Stefano’s fontina was too mild and we couldn’t really taste it. Sandro also won the second competition!
Ingredients
Quantities per person.
Preparation
Not everybody loves Brussels sprouts. But, unless you are overly sensitive to bitter flavors, you will find this to be a delicious side dish.
Brussels sprouts are the buds of a kind of cabbage belonging to the Brassica family (along with broccoli, cabbage, kale, turnip, and mustard). This vegetable has an inherent bitterness that constitutes a defense mechanism, but it can be minimized by first roasting it, and then stewing it. Roasting, in fact, adds flavor due to browning, but mostly allows the inside part of the Brussels sprouts (which is the part where the bitterness is the most intense) to reach an intermediate temperature (60 to 80 °C) which activates the enzymes responsible for the flavor generation. The enzymes’ activity stops when the temperature reaches 100 °C – if this temperature is reached too quickly (like when the vegetables are plunged into boiling water), the bitterness remains intense(1). After roasting, the Brussels sprouts can be stewed to complete the cooking. It’s important, however, not to overcook them since they otherwise develop a sulfur odor.
But enough of all of this theory! Let’s get on the recipe 🙂
(1) Harold McGee. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. 2nd edition (2004).
Ingredients
Preparation
I am back with Gino De Blasio for a new episode of Thoughts on the Table. This week, as we dissect two more misconceptions (Parmigiana and Balsamic), Gino and I explain the reasons that motivate us to protect and preserve authentic Italian food. Thanks for listening!
Thoughts on the Table is back with a new topic: Italian Misconceptions, foods which have been rewarded some sort of myth in the creation of new dishes which are different to the origins of Italian food. In this first episode, we are especially focusing on Carbonara. With me is Gino De Blasio, an amazing writer, and blogger based in the UK. Join us in our chat on how Italian food abroad often mutates into something else, and in our plead to preserve traditional Italian recipes and food philosophy. Gino blogs at Eatosi, a unique way of food storytelling, looking at the cultural, historic and sometimes completely absurd links between food and modern day life. He is also a features writer for Italy Magazine, looking at sport, wine and -yes- even the journey of Italian food across the globe.
![[Thoughts on the Table – 14] Cooking Italian in North America](../../../wp-content/uploads/2014/05/jessica-tot.jpg)
![[Thoughts on the Table – 12] Slow Food/Fast Food](../../../wp-content/uploads/2015/09/gino-tot.jpg)
