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Pasta with Delicata Squash and Fall Vegetables

Posted October 10, 2018 by Sharon Leave a Comment

Pasta tossed with sautéed delicata squash, Brussels sprouts, and red onion in sage butter. Casarecce, a short dried pasta shape, has nooks to catch the condiments and a noodley exterior for a happy mouth feel.

 

Adjusting to the produce offerings of extended summer in North Carolina, (we’re enjoying heirloom tomatoes and peaches into October!), I found myself longing for a taste of autumn.

That’s when I spotted some hard shell squash at my Uptown bi-weekly farm stand.

A happy little striped cylinder caught my eye. “What kind of squash is this?” I asked.

“Delicata. It’s really sweet and good,” the vendor explained. “I eat it all the time. You don’t even have to peel it, the skin is that tender.”

Hmmmm. My mental tastebuds flew to the memory of cloud-like tortelli di zucca that I had savored in Lombardy. A specialty of the city of Mantua, the stuffing combines pureed cooked pumpkin, ground amaretti cookies, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, and mostarda di frutta (a combo of various fruits preserved in a spicy syrup flavored with essential mustard oil).

While the memory was willing to spend untold hours and effort tracking down specialty ingredients, making fresh egg pasta dough, mixing stuffing, and shaping dozens of tortelli, my immediate schedule was not so accommodating.

Glancing around the stall, I spotted Brussels sprouts and ruby red onions. Maybe a simpler sautéed autumn vegetable pasta would fill the bill.

It did. And here’s the recipe.

 

Pasta with Delicata Squash and Fall Vegetables
Print
Recipe type: Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Sharon Sanders
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
  • One half of a delicata squash, seeds and pulp removed
  • ½ pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed
  • 1 red onion, peeled
  • Canola or sunflower oil
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound casarecce pasta
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
  1. Cut the squash in two lengthwise pieces. Cut into ⅛-inch thick slices; set aside.
  2. Cut Brussels sprouts into ⅛-inch slices.
  3. Cut onion in half from the root end to the stem end. Cut each half into two chunks. Cut into ⅛-inch slices.
  4. Place a large sauté pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, drizzle it with oil. When the oil is hot, add the squash. Toss the squash and cover the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the squash starts to brown. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes, tossing occasionally.
  5. Add the Brussels sprouts and a drizzle of oil to the pan. Toss and cover. Cook, tossing occasionally for about 5 minutes or until sprouts are wilted.
  6. Add the onions. Cover and cook, tossing occasionally, cook for about 3 minutes or until onions are wilted. If pan bottom is becoming too brown, add a splash of broth or water.
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper; remove from heat and set aside.
  8. In a small saucepan, combine the sage and butter. Cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until butter is bubbling and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
  9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the casarecce. Stir and return the water to a boil. Boil for 7 to 8 minutes or until done to your liking.
  10. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water. Drain the casarecce and transfer to the sauté pan. Toss with the vegetables. Drizzle on the sage and butter; toss. Allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes until flavors blend. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of reserved cooking water to loosen the casarecce if needed.
  11. Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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Filed Under: Cremona, Food, Lombardy cooking, Mantua, Markets, Recipes Tagged With: autumn dishes, Delicata squash, Italian seasonal dishes, Mantua cooking, pumpkin pasta, seasonal Italian ingredients, torelli di zucca, Unity Farms

Bresaola

Posted June 20, 2018 by Sharon Leave a Comment

Bresaola is salted, air-dried beef, a technique that dates from medieval times.

CHIAVENNA–After an hour’s drive north of Dervio on the eastern shore of Lake Como, my Italian teacher Elena Arezio pulled her Volkswagen into a municipal parking lot in Chiavenna. This was north country–a mere 6 1/2 miles from Switzerland as the crow flies.

We had an appointment at Del Curto Macelleria, a century-plus-old family butcher shop that produces some of the finest bresaola in the province of Sondrio, Lombardy. Elena makes a pilgrimage to Del Curto every holiday season to buy the salted dried beef and other salumi.

Chiavenna

We found the shop locked since it was still officially the mid-day break. An older gentleman responded to our knock. He was co-proprietor Enrico Del Curto who went to fetch his brother Aldo, ostensibly the spokesman for the operation. At first, Aldo didn’t say much but he soon warmed to the topic of his life’s work as he led us downstairs to a series of spotless white curing rooms.

Tradition and Time to Create Bresaola

Aldo Del Curto in the drying room.

Bresaola enjoys IGP (protected geographical designation) status. Several cuts of beef from the leg and flank can be used. Aldo stresses that Del Curto uses only Italian beef while some other producers import beef from South American countries. Some cuts are bone-in; the boneless “nocino” commands a premium.

Del Curto starts the process by rubbing a mixture of salt, pepper, and garlic over the beef. The seasoned cuts are packed tightly in covered tubs for no more than 15 days. During this stage, the salt draws out liquid and seasons the meat.

After draining the liquid from the meat, a small amount of potassium nitrate is added to prevent botulism. “Pochissimo [a tiny amount],” says Aldo, who says that some of the meat is lightly smoked but most clients prefer the air dried.

Aldo opened the doors to temperature-and-humidity controlled rooms where hundreds of beef chunks were hanging. Some of the longer-hanging pieces were covered with muffa (a soft white naturally-occurring mold) that looked like snow.

I’m astounded that one butcher shop could produce such a volume of bresaola. Aldo responds proudly that the beef is served in fine restaurants in Paris, Rome, Milan and other cities.

At last, the tasting room. Aldo machine sliced the bresaola as thin as silk. I blinked at the ruby color, more vivid than fresh beef. The slice dissolved on my tongue. The bresaola was a revelation: tender, moist, complex, slightly saline but not salty.

Grazie, Aldo and Elena, for a unique slice of Italy.

Violino di Capra

The Del Curto brothers also produce violino di capra, cured and air-dried goat shoulder. The whimsical name is a nod to the resemblance that the elongated shoulder shape has to the musical instrument. Here’s a look at Aldo slicing a Stradivarius of cured meat at the 2016 Slow Food Salone del Gusto. Sadly, I didn’t taste the goat prosciutto. Del Curto only sells the whole violin, not slices.

How Goat Prosciutto is made.

What’s the best Italian salume you’ve eaten?

Filed Under: Food, Lombardy cooking, Markets, Miscellany Tagged With: bresaola, Del Curto, Italian cured meats, Lombardy, salami, Salone del Gusto, slow food, Sondrio

Simple Italy Greatest Hits

Posted February 6, 2018 by Sharon 1 Comment

Le cose cambiano. Things change.

SimpleItaly is evolving. Fresh posts will appear less frequently.  Our greatest hits, however, are always a click away. When we discover a new Italian regional recipe, destination, experience, or person, we’ll share the gems with our fellow Inner Italians.

Let’s re-visit some of our fondest timeless memories–encompassing cooking, wine appreciation, people, music, movies, art and serendipitous experiences–from a decade of SimpleItaly.

Bolognese-style lasagna

Lasagna alla Bolognese (Bolognese-style lasagna),  a dish that embodies the allure of slow food, has only four components–fresh spinach noodles, ragu, balsamella, Parmigiano-Reggiano–but each deserves attention.

Flavors of Friuli

Elizabeth Antoine Crawford traveled throughout Friuli for five years to research her new book.

 

Sauerkraut, poppyseed, and cinnamon-sugar on pasta. Is this Italian cooking? It is in the northeastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.  These seductive ingredients and more are explored in Flavors of Friuli: A Culinary Journey through Northeastern Italy.

 

A truffle hunter with his prized partner.

On the Truffle Trail in Le Marche

Acqualagna is all about truffles. One-fourth of the residents are qualified truffle hunters and 70 percent of Italy’s truffle dogs are trained here. The white truffle is celebrated each autumn with the Fiera Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco. (This article first appeared in the November 2011 issue
 of the travel newsletter Dream of Italy.

Confetti Town

Lining the main streets of Sulmona, in Abruzzo, are shop after shop selling confetti, the confectionary for which the town is famous. It sounds simple: start with almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts and coat them with multiple layers of molten sugar cane syrup. This dessert artistry has been evolving since Roman times when almonds were coated with honey. The results are magnificent. They are edible mosaics, work so detailed, artistic and well-executed that they fool your eye. Of course these are real flowers . . . no, they are confetti.

Brides of Amalfi

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Love was in the air during a visit to the Amalfi Coast.

Ragazzi Reminisce

The Leather School, tucked in back of The Basilica of Santa Croce, is the scene for this dynamic duo’s meeting.

C’era una volta. . . once upon a time. . . Max (Massimo Melani) met Wally (Walter Sanders) in Firenze. (Spoiler alert: An iconic Florentine panino plays a supporting role.) Here’s the story in their own words.

The Inner Italian Q & A: Melissa Muldoon

All of our Inner Italians shared delightful personal journeys but, so far, only one has gone on to become an Italian language and travel diva. Artist, designer, cultural conduit, and author Melissa Muldoon hosts La Studentessa Matta (The Crazy Student).

Whites for Summer

In his wine commentaries, Walter seeks out the best, most affordable, wine produced from Italian grapes. He hopes to raise awareness of indigenous varietals that deserve a place on your table.

Lemon Semifreddo

The spoon dessert semifreddo translates as “half frozen.” A cross between a frozen soufflé and gelato, a semifreddo delivers the plush mouthfeel of frozen meringue with the luxurious richness of cream. This lemon version pairs well with red berries.

Malika Ayane


Of this sensational pop vocalist, Paolo Conti said: “Il colore di questa voce è un arancione scuro che sa di spezia amara e rara.” The color of this voice is a dark orange with a dark and rare spice.

Cinema Italiana

SimpleItaly adores this hangdog comedy. What happens to those Italians left behind during Ferragosto, the national August vacation? One such scenario is brilliantly portrayed in the 2008 film Pranzo di Ferragosto released in the U.S. as Mid-August Lunch. Gianni di Gregorio, who co-wrote the script and directs, stars as the soulful Gianni who lives in the heart of Rome with his 93-year-old mother, exquisitely played by Valeria De Franciscis.

Do you have a cherished Inner Italian memory? Share it below.

Filed Under: Amalfi, Architecture, Art, Bologna, Books, Campania, Culture, Film, Florence, Food, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Inner Italian Q & A, Language, Lifestyle, Mediterranean diet, Miscellany, People, Travel, Tuscan cooking, Tuscany, Wine Tagged With: Italian cookbooks, Italian cooking, italian culture, Italian life-style, italian recipes, Italian wines, pasta recipes

Taxi Tales: Part 3 Paestum

Posted October 8, 2016 by Sharon Leave a Comment

By Walter Sanders

Magna Grecia! Paestum is the site of well-preserved Greek temples dating to 600 BC. Sharon had visited Paestum some years ago on a press trip and wanted to share its wonders with me. Modern Capaccio-Paestum is also a thriving seaside resort with a wide range of facilities.

Walter and his taxi hero Antonio.

Walter and his taxi hero Antonio.

It was Ferragosto, the August holidays, when we arrived at the train station. We stepped out into the afternoon and encountered one person: a taxi driver named Antonio. We introduced ourselves, he loaded our luggage, and asked “Where to?”

“We have no reservations…anywhere,” I said.

“That could be a problem this time of year, but don’t worry, we will find something.”

He immediately called his father who runs a tourism coach business and is well connected with the local lodging providers.

The dad provided suggestions. Antonio called hotels while we drove the seafront hoping for a cancellation or a no show. No luck. We moved away from the seaside to agroturismo establishments located near the numerous mozzarella di bufala enterprises inland. Nothing. We even looked at old style rooming houses. Still nothing.

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Antonio called his sister to network with her. After more than an hour of searching we had a lead on a country house owned by one her friends. It was away from the sea…but it was available.

Ricotta di bufala cannoli and a pastry cream cornetto at Tempio.

Ricotta di bufala cannoli and a pastry cream cornetto at Tempio.

It turns out the home belonged to a widower who died in January. He had willed it to his two daughters who were hoping to run it as tourism lodging. We were destined to be the first paying guests.

The Antonio network had worked. Over the course of several days, he squired us to some of his preferred spots: Azienda Agricola Tempio for a divine breakfast of bufala milk ricotta stuffed cannoli and Azienda Agricola San Salvatore 1988 for a marvelous fixed price summer lunch of local foods.

We used Antonio for our long hauls to Pasteum, and even once to stock up on groceries. He was a gem to us.

Contact info: Antonio Savria Mobile: 39 334 819 8398

Filed Under: Campania, Culture, Food, Travel Tagged With: Ferragosto, italian travel, mozzarella di bufala, Paestum, Paestum-Capaccio, ricotta di bufala

Naples Alive

Posted September 5, 2016 by Sharon 2 Comments

P1120291Mt. Vesuvius looms only a few miles east of Naples. It casts its shadow of destruction down the centuries so that when you are in Naples, you can never forget that life is fragile.

Maybe that’s why the people of Naples are so alive and fiercely proud of their city, a city that’s a survivor. Every Neapolitan we encountered was quick to point out the treasures of their place.

The Chapel of San Severo with Giuseppe Sanmartino’s gossamer sculpture of the Veiled Christ.

The Archeological Museum laden with decorative treasures from Pompeii.

The pizza at L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele.

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The incomparable bay and lungomare.

Caravaggio’s The Seven Works of Mercy in Pio Monte della Misericordia.

Seafood seafood seafood!

The presepe (intricate nativity scenes) artisans on the street of San Gregorio Armeno.

Flaky sfolliatelle pastries filled with sweetened ricotta.

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The incomparable vista from Castel Sant’Elmo Castle, and easy walk from the Montesanto Funicular stop.

Coral and cameo artisans. I succumbed at Cameo Factory De Paola on Via A. Caccavello.

Spaccanapoli, the long wide street that from an aerial view “splits” the city in two parts.

During two August visits, one at the beginning of the month and the other one at the end of the month, to the city by the bay, we experienced these places and tastes. We stayed first at the excellent Palazzo Decumani hotel in the historic center. The property is top notch and the staff wonderful. For the second visit, we booked Soffitta dell’Artista in Mezzanine, through airbandb.com, a guest house and art gallery combined on thriving Via Tribunali. It was fun breakfasting with fellow guests: a family of six from France and a couple from Austria.

Of course, there are gems we didn’t have time for but you need a reason to return to the life of Naples. Click here for more experiences.

Have you been to Naples? What is your most vivid memory?
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Filed Under: Archeology, Architecture, Art, Campania, Culture, Food, History, Hotels, Italian seafood, Italy restaurants, Language, Lifestyle, Mediterranean diet, Miscellany, Photography, Travel Tagged With: Naples, Naples pizza, Naples tourism, Naples travel, Southern Italy

Renato in Centro

Posted May 23, 2016 by Sharon 2 Comments

RenatoinCentroA recent sojourn to the American South took us to Spartanburg, S.C. where we enjoyed a marvelous Italian lunch at Renato in Centro.

Clearly, residents in “The Upcountry” of South Carolina are in touch with their Inner Italians. They’ve enjoyed Chef Renato Marmolino’s tastes of Italy in Spartanburg for 24 years. In restaurant terms, that span is several lifetimes.

  • Cured Salmon
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Seated beneath a leafy canopy on Morgan Square, we started with Scottish salmon that Renato had cured with Sambuca and citrus. The delightful fish plate was garnished with red onion, cherry tomato, and chopped pistachios.

A classic plate of spinach-and-ricotta stuffed eggplant slices bathed in a perfect passato di pomodoro was melt-in-your-mouth good.

We shared two specials-of-the-day: Salad composed of peppery grilled shrimp, arugula, red onion, ripe olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, and the crowning touch—mozzarella from Battipaglia and tender gnocchi with sausage and tomato sauce.

RenatoRenato comes from Viareggio on the Tuscan coast where he learned to cook with his mother and grandmother and, in the Italian way, family continues to be important. Wife Stephanie, children Andrea and Gabriella, and mother-in-law Joyce Heitler (who previously shared her Inner Italian story with SimpleItaly) contribute at Renato’s in various capacities.

The interior of Renato in Centro is graced with vibrant paintings and happy patrons. It feels like Italy!

Filed Under: Food, Lifestyle, Miscellany, Travel

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