March 2012 desktop calendar: french pique-nique

Vin, baguette, fromage, pâté...oh, et la salade! That's more french than we've had in ages, and while it's a little too soon for picnic weather, the recent jump in temps from mid-40's to mid-60's was one very good reason to take our lunch spread outdoors. The french market near Milan wasn't much different from the one held in December, but this time we noticed a stand selling a variety of pâté and rillettes. Well there goes any lenten diet restrictions. We picked up some pate - duck & port wine and pork & calvados - and one each of Langres and a young chevre. Everything was soooooo delicious that I was inspired to share the first picnic of the year as a desktop calendar. Soooooo delicious!

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It's going to be all french stuff this week

Eclairs from the French Market, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Once again the mercatino francese is doing its late winter/early spring rounds in Italy and naturally we just had to check it out. This time I got chocolate and coffee eclairs - filled with chocolate and coffee filling respectively. Blah. Not worth the 3.20€ EACH that these cost and I'm totally avoiding the pastry section next time. The rest of the dessert-type pastries looked like they had been sitting around for awhile. I added the mini-chips to perk things up, but a shame that the bottom line is this: if you want french pastries in Italy, you're better off making them yourself. Not too long ago we visited a nearby bakery/pastry shop named Boulangerie de Paris and I was so deluded with what they had, or rather, what they lacked. No cream puffs? No eclairs? No macarons?! Mon dieu!

Sicilian ring-shaped cinnamon cookies

Cuddrireddri, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Since today is Ash Wednesday, it really should be all about polenta and cod (or herring) and not more munching on carnevale goodies. Lucky I have an excuse, because while Carnevale is done and over with for much of Italy, the province of Milan celebrates an extra 4 days until Saturday. Known as Carnevale Ambrosiano, it's one last chance to indulge before Lent. Like it really matters in this house. I just can't get enough of these sicilian ring-shaped cinnamon cookies and made another batch this morning. Recipe in this previous post:
rubbahslippahsinitaly.blogspot.com...cuddrireddri-for-carnevale.html

Microwave pasta in a Box

With the superb ingredients and quality foodstuffs that I get to cook with and eat, why this? So sue me, I just had to. Stocked in the refrigerated section and ready-to-chow in a couple of minutes, the BOX is the latest among heat-n-eat meals to incense sensible palates across the country. Gimmicked as Freedom Food (as opposed to fast or slow food) and targeted towards people on-the-go, the 3.99 - 4.29€ price tag was just enough to lure ME in. Notice that I said me and not WE, because MotH would never touch something like this in his life if I hadn't insisted. Microwave box pasta is not new to the old country as France already has theirs with Sodebo's Pasta Box and Fleury Michon's Vraiment - who wants to be next?

Of the 6 varieties to choose from and judging from the amount on the shelves, the trofie with pesto, sicilian-style fusilli and carbonara-style penne seemed the most popular. The bold graphics are definitely designed to distract you from the fact that you are about to gain sustenance straight out of a carton. Remove the fork, open one corner of the plastic-covered container, nuke for 2 minutes and dig in. Mixing the sauce and pasta afterwards was just plain awkward due to the graduated shape of the container but what everyone really wants to know is this - is it any good??? The answer to that is in this italian proverb of which I entirely place my faith (and stomach):

Ciò che si mangia con gusto non fa mai male.
What you eat with pleasure will never make you sick.

Wow! I feel that way whenever I eat canned spam and greasy chinese take-out, but this was forgettable and regretable. Thumbs down on penne alla carbonara (no black pepper?). Atleast the Box wins cute points in reminding you to separate paper and plastic!

Big wheels keep on turning

Proud Mary keeps on burning
rolling
rolling
rolling on the river.

What the hay? As if captcha moderation wasn't enough, adding further insult to injury is this symbol that sometimes appears on a page when clicking on a link from google reader, google search result or another blogger's profile. Obviously it has everything to do with blogspot as I pinched this gif file from the page that was supposed to be Blogger Buzz.

Blogspot's new robot CAPTCHA is so freaking annoying...

robots by Laurie | Liquid Paper on Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

...and unnecessary. I mean, come on! Robots are cute! Having to type out TWO words (and sometimes one or both are distorted), is more time than I care to spend on one comment, so Blogspot techs, if you could just get off the caffeine and dumb it down to the original?

Cheese sculptures and Ride of Shepherds

Photo credit: eleusi on Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Regular readers will already know of my enthusiam for old italian customs and celebrations, but here is something so unlike anything else I've seen that I just had to put the word out EARLY. How early? Try something like 6 years advance notice if you can wait that long. I don't believe a visit to Sicily needs persuading from my own mouth but really, this cultural event shouldn't be missed if you seek a side to Italy that is rarely seen outside of its borders.

Ride of the Shepherds and cheese shaped into horses, doves and deer

Geraci Siculo, Sicily - acknowledging a page out of history that goes back nearly 400 years ago, the Ride of the Shepherds - 'A cavarccata di vistiamara - is a display of the shepherds' humble gratitude towards God. The event is held every 7 years on the 3rd Sunday of July (and from what I understand, has been happening since the mid-1600's) and involves children and men on horseback in a procession through town. Dressed in distinctive costume, the young men carry an ornament made of a wooden cerchio (circle) adorned with ribbons and attached to a pole. The curious aspect of this cerchio are the figures of horses, doves and deer that are attached to it. They are all hand-sculpted from caciocavallo cheese.

Mark those calendars. The next Ride of Shepherds will happen in 2018! Geraci Siculo is part of the Madonie Regional Natural Park in the province of Palermo. The last time we were in the area was 5 years ago in the village of Castelbuono, a 30-minute drive from Geraci Siculo. Trip posts are at the bottom but in the meantime, take a look at this youtube clip of how a cheese sculpture is made. Very, very cool.

To view clip, click on image or follow this link: Un Giorno da Pastore
Additional program info here: 'A carvaccata di vistiamara
Posted: Castelbuono in the Parco delle Madonie
Posted: Breakfast in Castelbuono

Cuddrireddri for Carnevale

Chiacchiere, frappe, bugie, cenci and crostoli may be the better known of indulgent sweets during carnevale season (I can find all of these at once in the big supermarkets), but here is a treat that would make a mean contender in any cookie contest. Bakers, are you ready for a challenge? Allez cuisine!

La cuddrireddra is a specialty of Delia (Sicily) which according to italian slowfood presidia, traces its origins to the greek kollura meaning twice-baked bread in the shape of a ring. Semola di grano duro (durum wheat flour), sugar, eggs, cinnamon, orange zest, red wine and lard is mixed and kneaded into a smooth, compact dough from which long “ropes” are rolled out to form an intricate design resembling a crown. The story behind le cuddrireddri (plural) is that they were made in honor of the noblewomen living in Delia during the 13th-century War of the Sicilian Vespers.

Recipe

I was inspired to attempt an adaptation of these after seeing a recipe on cookaround.com's forum (link below). They use a unique tool called a pettine to give part of the cookie a ridged surface but other sites find this step unnecessary. Cuddrireddri is not for the meek or weak. You'll feel like a cookie master if on the first try you get only one perfect example out of the bunch, but you'll want to gobble it up like Cookie Monster! Please visit the links below to view more illustrated steps. Recipe makes 10-11 pieces.

2½ cups durum wheat flour
2/3rd cup granulated sugar
Grated zest of one orange, organic pesticide-free
2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons red wine
4 tablespoons olive oil (or lard if you want traditional)
Vegetable oil for frying (I use rice oil)
Tools: wooden dowel with a diameter of the handle of a wooden cooking spoon

NOTE: dried orange zest (it looks like a powder) is called for in the recipe at Cookaround but unless you can source it out or make your own, finely mince the grated orange zest that's listed above.

In a large bowl mix together the durum wheat flour, sugar, cinnamon and zest. Add the eggs, wine and oil and stir until thoroughly combined. It will look dry and crumbly at first but don't add more wine. Work the mixture with your hands until it starts to adhere, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and compact, about 8 minutes.

Break off a section of dough and roll into ropes approximately 3/8-inch thick. If you find that they stretch and break too easily, knead in a little more flour until firmer in texture.

About the wooden dowel...if you can't find one you can also use the handle of a wooden spoon if it's long enough. Rub flour on the spoon's handle before shaping each cookie. 1.) Starting from the top end of the handle (the side without the spoon), loop a dough rope around it and gently press to seal. 2.) Rotate the dowel to obtain 7 or 8 rings, spacing them evenly apart. 3.) After you've formed 7 or 8 rings, bring the rope down one side... 4.) ..and around the end to the opposite side. Pinch off excess and gently press sides to seal.

1.) Carefully lift up the cuddrireddra and slide it off the dowel onto a lightly floured surface. 2.) These took me several attempts to come out looking like this! If you run out of dough rope you can also attach another piece as you go but I found that it works out better for the rings if you use a section of rope that is long enough. Repeat until all dough is used up, then bring a large pot of cooking oil to frying temperature. 3.) Connecting the ends must be done only when you are ready to drop them into the fryer. If the ends don't readily adhere, moisten one end with a tiny dab of water. Gently pinch to seal. 4.) To keep a perfect round shape, take care in slipping them into the hot oil. I ruined a few because I tossed them in haphazardly and got lop-sided results. Fry until a deep golden brown. It won't take long so keep a close watch on them. Remove and drain on paper towels. The scent of cinnamon and oranges will tempt you to take a bite as soon as they are cool enough but don't worry if the texture has a tender crumb. When these are completely cool they'll firm up to make excellent dipping cookies to go with your red wine, dessert wine, coffee or tea. Due to their fancy shape, I wouldn't suggest these as cookies that ship well but they will keep for up to 2 weeks in a tin box or cookie jar.

Cookaround.com: Le cuddrireddri
Alaimo & Strazzeri: Cuddrireddra

Pane cunzatu: panino heaven in Sicily

Scopello, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy on Flickr

I don't believe it takes a whole lot to convince anyone of Sicily's fabulous food, but to really get the feel of this dish, it doesn't hurt to gaze upon an ocean view not far from a shop that puts heaven between 2 slices of bread. Pane cunzatu is a panino so deceptively simple that at first you might think it must be all hype and zero substance. The sicilian term cunzatu comes from the italian condito (seasoned), and while there are many variations depending on where you are on the island, the pane cunzatu in Scopello is 100% pure, no-fuss flavors. Fresh tomatoes, oregano, cheese, anchovies, salt, pepper and a generous helping of olive oil between bread made in a wood-burning oven. There are open-faced versions in Salina (in the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily) that resemble kick-ass super bruschetta, and from what I've read, they are as good as they look. I broke my vow of eating seasonal because this couldn't wait until tomatoes were no longer greenhouse, and anyway, who can blame me when I get to use ingredients like these.

Evoo, tomatoes, capers, caperberries (known as cucunci/koo-KOON-chee in Sicily), oregano, fresh basil, primo sale* and anchovies. The bread are small chewy loaves of ciabatta. Of the multitude of variations and their ingredients: sun-dried tomatoes, roasted eggplant, grilled bell peppers, canned tuna, olives, onions, fresh mozz, provola cheese, baked ricotta and sicilian pecorino. *Primo sale is the name given to fresh cheese when they receive the first external salting.

I always thought of caperberries - cucunci - as happy hour nibbles but these wonderful bites on a stem are also used in pasta. Ciabatta is split lengthwise and drizzled with evoo.

At first glance primo sale looks like ricotta but the flavor is way better since it has received its first salting. The anchovies here are the oil-preserved type but marinated ones would work as well. Naturally, tomatoes should be the freshest, most tastiest that you can get your hands on and I look forward to Cherokee Purples when the garden is up and producing. Drizzle again with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Press top half onto the bottom and enjoy!

Go shorty, it's your birthday

Mister B's 4th birthday, originally uploaded by Rubber Slippers In Italy on Flickr.

What a good sport. He waited so patiently while I fiddled with the camera and not once did he try to shake off his birthday hat. Happy Birthday Mister B!

Calzagatti: here kitty, kitty, kitty

Calzagatti, paparòcc, pulenta imbrucàda and a host of other curious names. This dish is so ridiculously simple that I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. Cooked yellow polenta is stirred into a savory concoction of borlotti beans, pancetta, onions, tomatoes and seasonings. The name depends on where you find it, if you're lucky enough to find it, around Modena. Why? Because unless you're at a sagra in Emilia-Romagna, this is a meal straight out of nonna's kitchen. Every cook will have his or her own way to make this, but the one common factor is saving the liquid from cooking the beans in order to prepare the polenta.

Now if the title of this post raised a red flag with feline friends it is only because I thought the name had something to do with kitties. Calzagatti (kahl-tzah-GAH-tee). Calza=stocking. Gatti=cats. Put them together and you have stocking cats? J. Mariani's dictionary on italian food & drink switches those 2 words around, giving it an altogether different meaning, but after digging a little deeper, calzagatti has nothing to do with Puss in Socks. The story, as told by Sandro Bellei of La Cucina Modenese, goes like this:

A clumsy maid stumbled over the house cat curled up next to the stove and accidentally dropped a ladle of beans into a pot of polenta. Fearing reproach, she didn't tell the lady of the house, but later received compliments from her guests at lunch. The only one to lose out was the poor cat who had already taken its fair share of kicks, and that is how polenta with beans became “chelzagàt” or calzagatti.

Readers who already know italian should be laughing by now (not at the cat I hope) because calcia means kick and from which comes the dialect terms calza or chelza. How plausible this tale is, who knows, but I can swear to the part about tripping over small animals while cooking. My two dogs seem to purposely get in the way so that I end up dropping stuff on the floor where they immediately close in like sharks. I've seen Maddie “suck up” grated parmigiano like a 4-legged Hoover vacuum machine. I NEVER kick them.

Chopped onions and pancetta are sauted before adding canned tomatoes or tomato sauce (or both), cooked borlotti, and seasonings.

1. Adding polenta to cooking liquid of borlotti beans. 2. Cooking and stirring polenta for 40 minutes! 3. Combining polenta and bean mixture.

Pranzo di domenica: frico morbido and “edible tulips”

Mmmh...a hot mix of taters and melted cheese to really put the sun in a frozen Sunday. I am all too happy to cook anything wickedly caloric under these frigid extremes (our coldest night yet went down to -8°C) and this is an example of italian comfort food at its best. Frico is a Montasio cheese-based dish found on menus in Friuli, but what wikipedia's english translation fails to mention is that there are 2 versions: frico croccante (crisp) and frico morbido (soft). I'm partial to the soft version without the addition of speck or pancetta.

Frico morbido for two: 2 large potatoes (about 1 pound), half of a large onion, 3-4 ounces Montasio. Peel the potatoes and either grate (large hole) or cut them into small dice. Chop the onions and grate or cut the Montasio into small pieces. Saute the onions in a small amount of butter or olive oil until soft but not browned. Add the potatoes and 1/2 cup water; cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat until potatoes are done and the liquid is evaporated, about 15-20 minutes. Turn into a nonstick skillet and stir in the cheese to combine. Cook on low heat until the bottom is golden and crisp, occasionally giving the skillet a sharp jerk to ensure that the mixture isn't sticking. Slide onto a plate and flip it over back into the skillet, cooking until bottom is golden brown. Serve as is or any way you like it.

You don't bring me flowers ♪, originally uploaded by RSII on Flickr

You don't sing me love songs ♫... I was channeling spring and the late 70's with this dish. The idea comes from those delicious salt-cod stuffed piquillo peppers so popular in Spain, which is precisely where these sweet peppers were trucked in from. It doesn't matter whether you're a fan of Streisand's or Diamond's version, or the eventual duet that rocketed to the top of the charts, but MotH really does not bring me flowers because I prefer to make the kind that we can dig into.

For 6 small peppers I used 1/2 pound of salt cod, soaked overnight then boiled in a fresh pot of water for 15 minutes. Remove skin and bones; flake into pieces. Mix with roasted garlic, chopped capers, yogurt mayo and ground black pepper to taste.

I wasn't the only one hanging laundry this morning

Heck why not! Then, when the laundry is stiff and dry as stockfish, all it needs is a quick spin in the dryer to get everything in soft and wearable order. Not once have I regretted getting an electric dryer in a country where Bounce® doesn't even exist, but with energy rates going up this year, I won't hesitate to put the clothespins to good use.

Necessity is the mother of invention

The top and bottom photos share something in common that only a pragmatic person like myself could love. Bulky sweater sleeves are the bane of winter's wardrobe in the home, and if there is one thing that irks me most, it's when sleeves slide down past my elbows while I'm washing dishes, bathing the dogs, kneading bread dough, or scooping ashes from the stove. Here, they get upcycled as legwarmers, tucked into double socks for extra warmth.

The coldest winter since 1985

This is the Church.
This is the steeple.
Open the doors
and see all the people.

How quiet and peaceful the village sleeps in our little nook in the mountains. These images were taken yesterday but today it is the complete opposite with blue sky and glaring snow all around. The thermostat registered a modest -5.5°C (22°F) this morning and while it looks like the snowing party is over, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted 6 more weeks of winter. Do groundhog forecasts count in Italy? I hope not, but with the onion outlook for 2012, a serene primavera in mid-March puts Phil in the driver's seat. Link (italian):

http://www.comune.jesi.an.it/opencms/multimedia/jesiit/documents/1325496068487_calendario_cipolle_2012.pdf

February 2012 desktop calendar: almost Narnia

The weather condition in the chestnut forest is nothing compared to the snow and freezing cold in the north-central area of Italy, yet if there is one thing to be grateful for, it definitely has to be the wood-burning stove/stufa (stoo-fah). Outdoor temps are holding at -3°C and we lasted all of 10 minutes on a mid-morning walk before calling it quits. The doxie gave me a look that said ‘good idea’, while the westie just cocked her head and kept her ground as if to say are you shitting me?? Anyone who is owned by a westie will know exactly what I mean.

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