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Italian Icon: La Trattoria

Posted January 20, 2013 by Sharon Leave a Comment

 

Trattoria

Combine genuine home-style cooking, many of the amenities you’d find in a white-tablecloth restaurant, and the conviviality of a pub, and you begin to approximate the Italian social fixture la trattoria.

These inviting, affordable storefront restaurants are typically run by a family with Mamma at the stove, son and daughter-in-law waiting tables, and Papa pouring wine—when he’s not charming the clients—behind the case that displays the antipasti, salads, and desserts.

Italian Icon — a person, place, or thing that’s quintessentially Italian

Filed Under: Culture, Food, Italy restaurants, Language, Lifestyle, Mediterranean diet, Travel Tagged With: dining in Italy, Italian restaurants, trattoria

Chicken Breasts Marsala

Posted January 16, 2013 by Sharon Leave a Comment

Simmer Marsala wine with skillet juices from sauteed chicken to create an unctuous sauce. reduce

Simmer Marsala wine with skillet juices from sautéed chicken to create an unctuous sauce.

Marsala is a Sicilian wine that achieved international fame when it was discovered by British sea merchant John Woodhouse in the late 18th Century. It has become a pantry staple in Italian home and restaurant kitchens. Because it’s fortified with a bit of distilled alcohol, the wine won’t spoil after opening.

Dry, sweet, and aged (vergine) Marsala wines are produced in the area around the port of Marsala in western Sicily. For savory dishes like these chicken breasts with rich cheese and slightly salty prosciutto, choose the dry version. 

Chicken Breasts Marsala
Print
Recipe type: Main course
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 2½ to 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • Salt
Ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 to 8 thin slices (4 to 5 ounces) cooked ham or prosciutto
  • 6 to 8 thin slices (4 to 5 ounces) Gruyère cheese
  • 1 cup dry Marsala wine
Instructions
  1. Lay the chicken breasts, smooth side down, on a work surface. Loosen the tenderloins and open them like a book. With the smooth side of a meat pounder or heavy skillet, flatten the breasts to ¾-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and a dusting of nutmeg.
  2. Place the flour on a large sheet of waxed paper. Lay an empty sheet of waxed paper beside it. Dip the chicken in the flour to coat both sides. Shake off excess and place the chicken on the empty sheet.
  3. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides. Add the chicken in a single layer. Cook for about 4 minutes each side, or until well browned. Top each chicken breast with a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. Add the Marsala to the pan. Bring to a brisk simmer. Cook, swirling occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until it no longer smells of alcohol. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. With a spatula, place the chicken breasts on dinner plates. Drizzle with the wine sauce.
3.1.09

 

Recipe from our e-book SimpleiItaly Loves Chicken, available for purchase online at the Barnes & Noble Nook store and the amazon Kindle store.

 

Filed Under: Food, Mediterranean diet, Recipes, Sicily, Wine Tagged With: Chicken with Marsala, easy chicken recipe, Italian wine dishes, pollo con marsala

Growing Garlic

Posted November 15, 2012 by Sharon 4 Comments

Garlic bulbs imported by Seeds from Italy.

Back in September, I opened the Seeds from Italy promotional email in my Inbox. The company is the exclusive U.S. distributor for Franchi Seeds.

“Four garlic varieties have just arrived from Italy. Ready to plant now,” the copy proclaimed.

Since I had been savoring fresh garlic from the Farmers’ Market for weeks, I was intrigued with the concept that I could grow my own. Like daffodil bulbs tucked below ground in autumn to bloom seemingly like magic in spring, I could sow garlic cloves in September for a (practically) effortless flavor bonanza next spring and summer. My kind of gardening.

I knew right away that I wanted the Rossa di Sulmona with its plump bulbs wrapped in mauve tinged skin. I guessed that maybe this variety had been cultivated in Sulmona, a charming town in Abruzzo, which rendered it even more appealing. I made a mental note to order some.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Abruzzo, Food, Gardening, Markets, Mediterranean diet Tagged With: garlic, growing garlic, Italian garlic, Italian seeds, rossa di sulmona

Wedding Puts Puglia on Map

Posted October 21, 2012 by Sharon 2 Comments

Wild and beautiful coasts are always close in the region of Puglia.

Hollywood celebs Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel married this weekend at the luxury Borgo Egnazia resort in southeastern Italy.

Eonline quoted a statement from the newlyweds issued by People magazine which apparently has a lock on the coverage. People’s print edition will publish exclusive photos this week.

All of this gushing coverage has highlighted geographical challenges among some in the U.S. media. The most humorous gaffe I read is in the Los Angles Times web column Ministry of Gossip. They reported that the couple’s famous friends “have landed in the southern town of Puglia.”

Since Puglia is a region, roughly equivalent to a U.S. state, that would be like saying they landed “in the southern town of Florida.”

Traffic on a country road in Puglia.

Puglia, in fact, resembles Florida in that it’s a peninsula jutting out from the mainland mass of Italy. It’s the heel of the boot. Walter and I traveled by car through the region three years ago. We marveled at the oceans of olive tree groves, the many wine vineyards, the conical stone trulli, the stunning wild beauty of the coasts (on three sides), Spanish baroque architecture in Lecce, the purity of the cucina and the genuine hospitality of the locals.

I asked our friend Cinzia Rascasso, who operates the Stile Mediterraneo Cooking and Wine School with her sister Marika, if she believes the international publicity from the wedding will boost tourism to her native region. “I am not sure this will impact tourism in Puglia,” she said. “Puglia has already become a very popular tourist destination . . . very different than when you came.”

The happy couple Walter and Sharon (sorry, Justin and Jessica) in the Spanish baroque city of Lecce in Puglia.

If I had access to Justin and Jessica, I’d compliment them on their choice of locale for the nuptials and asked them how they chose it? Had they visited there previously? Walter thinks that avid golfer Justin may have been drawn to the links at Egnazia. Good selection, I’d say. And if brings more people to know and appreciate this distinctive ancient place, that’s worth celebrating.

Have you visited Puglia?
Share your memories.

Filed Under: Culture, Film, Hotels, Mediterranean diet, Puglia, Travel Tagged With: celebrity weddings, destination weddings in Italy, italian travel, Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake, Timberlake-Biel wedding

Basil Pesto Recipe

Posted August 22, 2012 by Sharon 4 Comments

Pick tender basil leaves and flat-leaf parsley early in the morning when it's cool.

Now that there are several pounds of peeled, quartered local peaches tucked into the freezer, I can turn my attention to making basil pesto. I hesitate to call it pesto alla Genoese (literally Genoa-style paste) because the purists are rigorous that the ingredients in this renowned condiment be basil and olive oil grown only in the region of Liguria. There’s even a Consorzio dedicated to its preservation.

Another issue is the grinding method. In Liguria, traditionalists crush the tender herb leaves, garlic, and pine nuts in a marble mortar with an olive wood pestle.

In his book Recipes from Paradise: Life and Food on the Italian Riviera, Fred Plotin writes, “A mortar and pestle mashes while the food processor or blender grinds. The flavors of herbs and nuts, their oils and essences, are released in a unique way that cannot be equaled in a machine.” He does go on to say that many cooks in Liguria use a blender but acknowledge that the pesto is not as good.

I priced a 7-inch-wide marble mortar and pestle on the Williams-Sonoma store site. At a cost of $99.95, I don’t think it’s going to be in my kitchen anytime soon. Less expensive rough granite models exist—from Mexico and Thailand—so I’ll be on the lookout for a good buy.

Adding salt and flat-leaf parsley helps to lock in the green color of the basil which can brown if handled roughly.

For now, however, I need to pick my basil before it goes to flower. I’ll make a double batch of pesto alla Pennsylvaniana. In January, it will taste like heaven even if it’s not quite Ligurian.

Basil Pesto
Makes about 2 cups

Poaching the garlic makes this pesto mellow but using raw garlic cloves is the classic choice.

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small head garlic, cloves peeled
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves, divided (see note)
1 cup tightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, divided (see note)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) pine nuts, blanched walnuts, or raw almonds, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Pecorino Romano cheese

In a glass measuring cup, combine the oil and the garlic. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave for 30 seconds. Reduce the setting to low; microwave for 1 minute, or until bubbly and fragrant. Allow to cool to room temperature.
In a food processor, combine half of each of these ingredients: the basil, parsley, pine nuts, salt, and garlic oil. Pulse 20 times or until coarsely chopped. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Process for about 2 minutes or until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Transfer to the bowl. Stir in the Parmesan and the Pecorino Romano.

Flash-freeze dollops of pesto on a tray before packing into air-tight plastic freezer bags or other containers. Use a serrated knife to cut off the amount of frozen pesto you want for a recipe.

Spoon the pesto in mounds (1/4 or 1/2 cup are convenient amounts) onto a plastic wrap-lined tray. Place in the freezer for several hours, or until solid. Transfer the pesto mounds to a plastic freezer bag. Return to the freezer for up to 6 months.

Pasta with Basil Pesto: Cook 1 pound pasta until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water. Drain the pasta and return to the cooking pot. Add 1/2 cup of frozen pesto and enough of the water to moisten the sauce. Season lightly with salt if needed.

Note: Because I grow basil and parsley without pesticides, I never wash it but rather wipe off any visible dirt with a paper towel. If you feel you must wash the leaves, dip them gently in cold water and pat dry before making the pesto.

Filed Under: Culture, Food, Gardening, Mediterranean diet, Recipes Tagged With: basil pesto, Genoa, Liguria, pesto alla genoese, preserving basil

They Sure Make a Big Deal Out of a Peach

Posted August 7, 2012 by Sharon 1 Comment

Italians wait patiently until the moment is ripe for perfect peaches.

My daughter Tess used to think she didn’t like peaches. But when she was nine and visited Italy, she changed her mind. We bought some lush peaches at the most charming frutta e verdura, “fruit and vegetable shop,” I had ever seen. The shop exterior was, appropriately, painted exactly the rosy blush color of a ripe peach. Folk art paintings of fruits and vegetables graced the windowpanes.

As we strolled by, the scent of peaches beckoned us, like those visible aromas that tickle the characters’ noses in cartoons. Inside the shop, the lettuces, radicchio, scallions, strawberries, cherries, onions, and peaches were arranged in an edible tapestry that would have impressed Martha Stewart.

Within moments Tess was in heaven, sweet golden juice dripping down her chin, eating a wondrous peach out of hand.

A day or two later, as we finished our midday meal at a family-run trattoria—not a fancy place at all—I wasn’t surprised when Tess ordered a fresh peach for dessert.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture, Food, Markets, Mediterranean diet, Travel Tagged With: Italy, Italy travel, locavore, peach, summer fruit

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