Fougasse à la Foix and fougasse à la Moi

The first time I learned of fougasse it was during a long ago vacation in Provence. Oh those lavender fields, the way the sunlight makes everything look so vividly brilliant, and naturally my obsession to stop into every boulangerie that we chanced upon the way. The fougasse we bought back then was a plain type of bread with exaggerated slits, shaped to resemble a flat oblong piece or a broad taro leaf. I carried that thing carefully as if it were a gift from the gods, but from that day on I never took an interest in baking one for myself until I saw a photo of fougasse from Foix (written about in the previous post). The shamelessly fat-laden Foix version uses lardons, creme fraiche and gruyere cheese - a frenchophile's bread-loving dream if anything, and I knew that stuffing ingredients in and on top of a piece of dough was going to be my experiments du jour.

The recipe for the dough makes 2 fougasse:
4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 2 cups white)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4th cup warm water (add more as necessary)
1 package instant dried yeast
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add water and oil. Sprinkle in the yeast and allow to dissolve. Stir until combined and scrape out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Punch down and proceed to the filling and rolling step.

For ONE fougasse I used 3 ounces of guanciale (pig jowl) cut into strips and gently cooked until the subcutaneous fat turns transparent. Divide the dough equally into two, flatten each into oval shapes 16 inches long and 9 inches wide. For the Foix version, spread with a half cup of creme fraiche. Top with 1 cup of grated gruyere (another half cup wouldn't hurt), then add the guanciale (or pancetta). Gently roll into a log but it doesn't need to be done tightly. Pinch seam to seal, flip over and make a slit halfway through the length of the roll. Sprinkle with a few leaves of dried thyme and several grinds of black pepper. You can open it up a little but the roll will relax and expand during proofing. Place in a warm spot free from drafts until the fougasse is proofed and ready for baking; about 40-50 minutes. Bake at 390°F until golden brown; about 25 minutes. What you get afterwards is this incredibly wonderful and fragrant loaf oozing puddles of melted creme fraiche and gruyere in the crevices. I burned my mouth devouring half of it in less than 10 minutes then remembered that MotH might want a taste of it too. The best part was tearing off the end and dunking it into the hot ooze.

Fougasse à la Moi

With the other piece of dough try whatever cheese, spreads and vegs you have in the fridge. For this meatless version I used a half cup of creme fraiche, crumbled feta and ligurian taggiasca olives in the roll. Split, proof, bake and generously top with leftover eggplant spread aka babaganoush. Rowena's Bakery hours open only when she's famished.

What we need is a French Bakery in Milan

Fast Food Fougasse, originally uploaded by FrenchDuck.

It has lardons, gruyere and creme fraiche. You might still be able to find it (I wish I knew the actual name of the bakery) but a trip to Foix in the Midi-Pyrénées is in order...unless you are a bakery nut like me and make a beeline to the supermarket for the ingredients. I'm baking smaller versions of this today. The cholesterol count must be out of this world but it looks soooooo good!

California Bakery in Milan: straight from the horse's mouth

You wanna be americano? Peanut butter/chocolate chip cookie (4€), New York-style salmon and cream cheese bagel (7€), Egg-Avocado bagel (6.50€, I loved this!), banana-chocolate and apple cinnamon walnut muffins (2.50€ each).

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They've been established for well over a decade, offering the sort of fresh-from-the-oven temptations that would grace any display case of Bakery USA, so why did I not run there as soon as I got word of this small chain of american-style goodies in fashionable Milan?

In two words: California Bakery

I have nothing against american or american-themed eateries in Italy (McD's doesn't count, and remember American Donuts?), but as a person who has worked early morning hours in her fair share of bakeries, it's impossible for me to walk into a mega marketing machine the likes of CB and not come out thinking “been there, done that.” Their formula of american breakfast items/brunch/desserts and trendy-cool decor can only be a win-win situation for a city so amusingly “alla moda”, and despite the wildly disparate reviews to be found online (Tripadvisor: primarily nasty, Qype: deliriously orgasmic, Google: in the middle), I knew that if I were to make any kind of assessment, there would have to be input from an unbiased point of view. I needed a neutral opinion from a true blue italian who appreciates baked goods but has never been in the business of actually making or selling them. I sent MotH.

[Disclaimer: I don't normally send MotH, aka Man of the House, to do my food-foraging work. He was scheduled to be in Milan at the right place at the right time and that was that.]

Just get whatever YOU like and get me anything that looks good is what I told him. Well he ate 8€ worth of a large smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel and american coffee and brought home that stash above. My husband should be made a freaking saint. He chose things that would be perfect for evaluating. Not surprisingly, the bagels certainly weren't like how I know them to be - the bread texture and exterior was soft, not firm and chewy. The cookie reminded me very much of Mrs. Fields' stuff, only bigger (about 4½ inches) and the muffins sang out Starbucks. Bottom line? The food was decent enough. They must be doing something right to expand the company up to 4 stores. If anything at all, one visit won't hurt unless you're desperately counting change or expecting royal treatment (weekend brunch requires reservations, period!). I still prefer American Donuts because I don't depend on expensive interior design to make me feel like I'm having a slice of America. Just give me a killer cinnamon roll and keep the coffee coming. But if I really REALLY want cheesecake or brownies or hot apple pie, well, all I gotta do is make it for myself!

Maiale in Pentola (pork in a pot)

For all of you who leaned toward the "pig" in the previous post, I thank you for the input and enthusiasm. I should add that the decision for dining on pork dishes was most likely a sure thing from the getgo - me skipping out on a food event? - not a chance, because by going it would make one more addition to my growing list of 100 ways to celebrate Italy. I am now up to #56!

Albavilla, Como - Maiale in Pentola did not have a whole hog roasting on a spit but that didn't make it any easier in deciding what to choose from the long list of dishes on the menu. Garganelli pasta with pork sausage and cream, cazzuola, mixed grill, pork sandwiches and plenty of polenta. This was a very well-organized event where you select your meal choices up front and pay, take a seat anywhere you like, then someone comes to check the receipt and returns with your order. Super service! We arrived just after 7pm with several families already waiting at the tables and soon after the place started filling up fast. I love the festive atmosphere where whole families from grandparents to grandchildren are having the best time together. In total we spent 16€ for 2 main plates and 2 cups of wine - a steal - and I'm looking forward to Albavilla's scheduled events for the rest of the year. In April, Hobby Orto (Hobby Garden), where heirloom tomatoes, vegetables and flowers can be purchased. Later in the evening gnocchi and other traditional fare will be served at the food tent.
http://www.prolocoalbavilla.it/index.php

Cazzuola or cassoeula. I've written about this before and am always on the lookout for menus or sagra events that feature this delectable dish.

It looks like a simple plate of grilled pork (salsiccia, salamella, costine) and fries but it tasted like a king's feast after a day out hiking in the snow. As a matter of fact, it was the sun and snow that wore us out for the evening, causing the wine to start taking effect...

To pig or not to pig...

This little piggy got roasted, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy

that is the question. With the weekend upon us I'm still undecided if a voracious pigfest is in order, or should it be another carnevale with free polenta and beans? Sometimes it's so hard to choose. This is an image taken several years ago on Kauai. Roast pig - lechon to the filipinos - is the pièce de résistance at any party. In Italy we have the maialata - same thing, same smell - but boy what I would do for the hawaiian "local" stuff.

MyCityCuisine - a Wiki Project

Passionate about traditional foods and would like to help spread the word? Willing to share your knowledge of diverse and unique cultures? I was recently contacted by a contributor to MyCityCuisine.org and they are currently looking for well-seasoned palates to help fill out the project. Discovering, reporting on (and eating) the dishes culturally entwined with Italy's past means a great deal to me, but I also like to learn about particular foods from other countries. A perfect example is a dish of percebes or goose barnacles. Apparently they are considered a delicacy on the spanish coast of Galicia and I had no idea that you could even eat these until I found a restaurant near Milano that serves them. Mmmm...very good!

In the event of an error message, the video can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs0xJdMPPic

Asian ingredients in Milan: I got SPAM baby!

Where to find asian food ingredients in the big city of Milano? Italian food forums, food blogs and PappaMondo's guidebooks are good places to start searching, but brief descriptions and lack of photos leave you wanting for more information. I've been working on narrowing down the multitude of addresses by visiting these suggested places and making note of which ones I think are worth a repeat visit. Milano is too huge and I have never gotten used to pounding the pavement, so those easy-to-get-to locations that offer more of what I need or something that nobody else carries are the shops that I'll be returning to. There are at least 2 more trips (one smack in the middle of Milan's china town) before I can call my asian list complete, but I'd also like to add southern/latin american, middle east and eastern european items as well. I need finely ground bulgur wheat for making those little torpedo-shaped koupes or kibbeh.

Daewon Alimentari Asiatici (asian food store)

I almost nixed the idea of stopping in at Daewon because of how plain the storefront appeared. Ok, blame it on my "bigger is better" american mentality, but since I usually have only a couple of hours to track down addresses all over the city (via public transport), I start with those that have been often suggested by milanese foodies, and for korean foods Daewon is one of them. The very clean and orderly location is stocked full of dried noodles, bottled sauces/sauce mixes, condiments (kewpie mayo!), rice, nori, tteok rice cakes (gnocchi di riso in italian) in both tubular form and flat dried slices, snacks and korean SPAM! Manufactured in Korea for Hormel Foods, the iconic blue & yellow tin does not come cheap at nearly 8 whopping euros a can. The refrigerated case had items such as takuan (sliced in flat pieces or whole) and korean banchan (preserved/pickled side dishes). What they DON'T have is the ready-made sauce to make kimchi - I asked. Apparently koreans wouldn't be caught dead taking the easy way out and make their own from scratch. Thank goodness for the expertise of Maangchi!
Where: viale Sondrio 2, open from 10am-1pm and 3pm-7:30pm

International Foodstore

One bus stop over from Daewon (on Via Tonale heading towards Centrale F.S.). This place has stuff from all over the globe spread out over its shelves, refrigerated section and freezer bins. I liked the small section of fresh produce (bok choy, long eggplant, cilantro, sitaw/long beans, lemon grass and okra) because they were so affordable at 1-2€ a bag. Indian, filipino, african and chinese ingredients are represented well enough, from frozen chicken feet, dimsum and won ton wrappers in the freezers, to boxed puto mix, Mama Sita's seasoning packets and TRS brand spices on the shelves. Lucky Me! instant noodles at only 10 for 2.50€! For a full description of my stash click on the image.
Where: on the corner of via Giovanni Battista Sammartini and via Tonale, just around the corner and a short walk from Centrale F.S.

Manna Market

The location is a bit out of the way if you prefer places directly on the bus or metro line, but the modest selection of mainly japanese goods is worth a look especially if you're nuts for taiyaki (the cute fish-shaped cakes filled with sweetened azuki bean paste) but don't own the special pan to make them. I also found okonomiyaki sauce (Otafuku brand) and prepackaged flour mix for making this crazy-delicious "pancake". For a full description of the stash, click on the image.
Where: via Giovanni Pascoli 3, open from 10am-1pm and 3pm to 8pm

Zen Market

If there's no time to go into the city then how about delivery to your doorstep? I came across this online store and ordered a few things to see how reliable the service was. They were up to speed. The e-shop has a good list of key ingredients and other non-food items but no fresh/frozen offerings. Some customers have complained about the delivery fee (10€), but this can be easily offset if you make a larger order. You can also avoid the fee by picking up in person. It costs us more than 10€ to get to and run around Milan, and shopping in your pajamas? Why not? Site: www.zenmarket.biz/eshop/

Strawberries & Chocolate

Happy Valentine's Day, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy

Valentine's Day started early this year because I simply wasn't going to wait until Monday to bite into these. I think most everyone will agree that strawberries deteriorate quickly as soon as you take them home, as if the beauty spell is lifted when you hand over the cash, and before you know it one of the berries is covered in disgusting mold. I am a sucker when they bring in the ones from Spain - enormous, bright red, JUICY things - and there was no way that I was going to let even one of them go bad. Apparently my lust for strawberries borders on the line of maniacal feeding (proof is in the picture although this is a test shot). Candy sprinkles and chopped almonds. They are all gone, save for the ones shown in the box.

22nd Sagra dei Biligòcc

Billi-gohtch. That's the closest I can get to its phonetic pronunciation, but knowing how to say biligòcc is only half of the curious history behind it. With all of the sagra events we go to I figured I knew plenty about chestnuts in this country, but that thought quite literally went up in smoke at the sagra in Casale di Albino (Bergamo province).

Held every year on the first Sunday in February, this sagra puts on an excellent example of traditional methods in preserving the castagna as an indispensable food source in days long ago. After the harvesting period from mid-September to end of November, the chestnuts are sorted and the selected ones placed in a special smokehouse for more or less a month. This process of smoking extracts all of the moisture within the nuts, enabling them to be kept for longer periods. When they were eventually needed, the chestnuts are boiled for 3 hours to plump them back up again. The flavor, of course, is a smoky sweetness with a bare hint of bitterness. We picked up a little over a 1 pound bag to boil at home and I have to say that I love them! What more to expect from someone who lives in a chestnut forest, right?

Rehydrated chestnuts weren't the only delicious attraction as the sagra also included food stands selling locally produced items (breads, pasta, cookies, cheese, salumi, crafts). There was also a display of various chestnuts that I found especially interesting for their respective region or country of origin.

Travel Tip

Sagra delle Boròle in Casale di Albino (Lombardy) first Sunday in October
http://www.valledellujo.it/

Sagra delle Castagne Marradi (Tuscany) 4 Sundays in October
http://www.sagradellecastagne.it/

Festa del Marrone in Chiusa di Pesio (Piemonte) weekend of the 3rd Sunday in October
http://www.proloco.vallepesio.it/

Happy Lunar New Year!

To my knowledge I have only about 1/8th chinese DNA coursing through my veins so the idea of celebrating the new lunar year was based on one thing and one thing alone: FOOD. Is there any better reason? Well, maybe the dragon dance and 10,000 firecrackers going off all at once but that'll have to wait until I can afford a trip to Beijing. The only option left to me was to cook at least one or two dishes having the symbolic connotations that tradition wants, set the table, pop open a beer and dig in. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Alesmith's IPA lives up to their "it's pretty awesome" motto. Sweet, fruity, citrusy, crisp flavor went really well with the spicy dishes. For starters I made these deluxe lettuce wraps filled with fried rice, hoisin & 5-spice duck breast, toasted peanuts seasoned with Halen Môn vanilla salt, fresh cilantro, fresh mint and fresh lime juice squeezed all over the contents. It was sooooooo goooooood! It was also messy, but that's the beauty of finger (hand) food. I will be making this again. Thank you MotH for being such a good hand model poser.

I know that noodles signify long life and used soba noodles to guarantee that I'll be cooking for as long as the MotH will eat my food. The sliced duck meat to the right was marinated in hoisin, chinese 5-spice, shoyu and garlic. Yummy.

Whole fish for prosperity. These are rather small sea bass (8 oz each) that I stuffed with thin slices of fresh ginger and green onions before wrapping in foil and baking. I tried to do the sizzling sesame oil trick but I guess the oil wasn't sizzling enough when I poured it over the baked fish. It was still very delicious though!

Chinese Duk Boki with cuttlefish, carrots, daikon, napa cabbage and shiitake mushrooms. Now I know that duk boki is supposed to be a spicy korean rice cake dish but the rice shapes that I used weren't the cylindrical ones that everyone seems to have in their recipes. I have chinese dried white rice slices and they are flat, hard, oblong shapes that need to be soaked overnight in cold water before you can even use them. Recipe to follow. We ended the meal with tangerines which was about all I could eat after so much rice and noodles.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana: the flavor is in the fat

Link: Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations - Rome 2:3

Regardless of whether you like Bourdain's No Reservations or not, this particular segment with the "angry cousins" and one man's purist opinion will make you wish you could be eating in Rome right now. Given my geographical location I use guanciale (salt-cured pig jowls) since it is so easily available to me, but as to the question of onion or no onion....that is entirely up to the cook. Pancetta or bacon will do but the rendered fat of guanciale, every last drop of it, makes this dish for REAL. And while penne or rigatoni pasta mitigates the chance of splotching tomato sauce on your shirt, neither beats the authenticity of a plateful of thick bucatini. In summer I use tomatoes from the garden (blanched, skins slipped off, seeded and chopped), but canned tomatoes or sauce fills in during winter.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana for 2
3 oz (85 grams) guanciale, sliced into lardons
1/2 can (14-15 oz) whole tomatoes
1 dried chile pepper, crumbled
8 oz bucatini (or spaghetti)
freshly grated pecorino romano

Cook the pasta in lightly salted, boiling water. In the meantime, saute the guanciale over medium heat, allowing the fat to melt but avoiding overbrowning of the lardons. Remove guanciale and set aside. In the same sauce pan with the melted fat, add the tomatoes and some of the sauce, gently smashing them to break up. Add the crumbled hot pepper, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until heated through. Just before the pasta is done, stir in the guanciale. Drain pasta and add to the sauce. Stir to combine well, divide between plates and top with grated pecorino. Notice that there is no salt added to the sauce because the FLAVOR is in the FAT and the pecorino!

Travel Tip

Amatrice, Lazio - the Sagra dell'Amatriciana is held on the last weekend in August. This youtube clip starts off with a look around town and ends with a team of cooks preparing the pasta. How I wish we lived closer! I'm led to believe there's also a gluten-free pasta version for those on special diets.

In the event of an error message, the video can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/XefCRPlZxGQ