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The Scordo Pasta Challenge: Vincenzo Eats His Way Through Every Known Pasta Shape

By Vincent Scordo on March 11, 2010 | 7 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I woke up this morning and had a revelation! Well, it wasn't exactly a revelation of grand proportion like when Einstein told Newton he was all wrong about the physical world back in the early twentieth century rather my revelation was epicurean and it concerned my favorite food on the planet; namely, Pasta!

Like Julie Powell's idea of cooking through all the recipes in Julie Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I wondered this morning if it was possible for one individual to prepare and consume every conceivable (and available) commercial pasta shape ever produced?

A quick search reveals well over 150 (158 to be exact) pasta shapes - click here for a visual look at most of these shapes. Attempting to cook and consume one's way through 150+ pasta shapes would be quite the challenge; after all, one couldn't make a different pasta shape each night because of issues with weight and general diet (and this is coming from an Italian-American with the metabolism of a humming bird). But what if we took the Italian-American tradition (at least the one I grew up with in Northern New Jersey) of only consuming a starter (or primo) portion of pasta every Thursday and Sunday night? If two unique pasta shapes were cooked twice a week then one could get through about 100 pasta shapes in one year and 158 shapes in about one and half years (this is assuming the pasta shape world ends at about 158 unique shapes). Thus, one could complete the above project in about 547 days!

Today is, indeed, Thursday and I'm eating pasta tonight! The shape will be Trenne and the sauce will be comprised of peas, butter, olive oil, red onion, garlic, and grated Grana Padano.

So, let the challenge begin! I'll check off "Trenne" tomorrow from the list of 158 pastas (see below) and in turn reach my goal by, roughly, September 9, 2012.

(Little Tommaso says, "Dad, you can do it!" Big Tommaso is a little more skeptical and says, "You're crazy!")

I've set up some rules and guidelines for myself:

1. Any claims of consuming a specific shape will be accompanied by photos of me in my home kitchen, along with said pasta shape in at least one photo! Ordering a pasta shape at a restaurant will not count.

2. I hope to include a recipe with each pasta dish, but I don't expect to be able to come up with 158 unique sauces (don't push your luck).

3. There may be times when said pasta shape will be difficult to secure, in that case I may need to either, 1. get on a plane to Italy and conduct a search for the missing pasta shape 2. make the shape at home (if possible) or 3. do a pasta shape substitution. I'm hoping to avoid #1 and #3!

That's it; if you can think of another guideline just let me know and I'll include it above. I'll be updating the list below by simply adding the date of pasta consumption and a strikethrough on the given pasta shape (as well as a link). I'll be posting individual entries with pasta photo and recipe (hopefully each Friday and Monday).

Oh, if you'd like to contribute photos of you and your family cooking you favorite pasta shape then please send pics via email and I'll be sure to post them!

List of 158 Pasta Shapes (let me know if I've missed any):

1. Acini di pepe

2. Agnolotti

3. Alfabeto

4. Anelli

5. Anellini

6. Barbina

7. Bavette

8. Bavettine

9. Bucatini

10. Calamarata

11. Calamaretti

12. Campanelle

13. Cannelloni

14. Capelli d'angelo

15. Capellini

16. Capunti

17. Casarecce

18. Casoncelli or casonsèi

19. Casunziei

20. Cavatappi

21. Cavatelli

22. Cellentani

23. Cencioni

24. Chifferi

25. Ciriole

26. Conchiglie

27. Conchigliette

28. Conchiglioni

29. Corallini

30. Corzetti

31. Couscous

32. Creste di galli

33. Croxetti

34. Ditali

35. Ditalini

36. Ditalini

37. Elicoidali

38. Fagioloni

39. Fagottini

40. Fantolioni

41. Farfalle

42. Farfalline

43. Farfalloni

44. Fedelini

45. Fettuccine

46. Fettuce

47. Fettucelle

48. Fideos

49. Fideuà

50. Filini

51. Fiorentine

52. Fiori

53. Foglie d'ulivo

54. Fregula

55. Funghini

56. Fusilli

57. Fusilli Bucati

58. Fusilli lunghi

59. Garganelli

60. Gemelli

61. Gigli

62. Gnocchi

63. Gomito

64. Gramigna

65. Israeli couscous

66. Lagane

67. Lanterne

68. Lasagne

69. Lasagnette

70. Lasagnotte

71. Linguettine

72. Linguine

73. Lumache

74. Lumaconi

75. Macaroni

76. Maccheroncelli

77. Mafalde

78. Mafaldine

80. Maltagliati

81. Mandala

82. Manicotti

83. Marille

84. Marziani

85. Mezzani pasta

86. Mezze Penne

87. Mezzelune

88. Mezzi Bombardoni

89. Mostaccioli

90. Occhi di Lupo

91. Occhi di pernice

92. Orecchiette

93. Orzo

94. Paccheri

95. Pagliaioni

96. Pappardelle

97. Passatelli

98. Pasta al ceppo

99. Pastina

100. Pearl Pasta

101. Penne

102. Penne lisce

103. Penne rigate

104. Penne Zita

105. Pennette

106. Pennoni

107. Perciatelli

108. Pici

109. Pillus

110. Pipe

111. Pizzoccheri

112. Quadrefiore

113. Quadrettini

114. Radiatore

115. Ravioli

116. Ricciolini

117. Ricciutelle

118. Rigatoncini

119. Rigatoni

120. Risi

121. Rotelle

122. Rotini

123. Sacchettini

124. Sacchettoni

125. Sagnarelli

126. Sagne 'ncannulate

127. Scialatelli of Scilatielli

128. Seme di melone

129. Spaghetti

130. Spaghetti alla chitarra

131. Spaghettini

132. Spaghettoni

133. Spätzle

134. Spirali

135. Spiralini

136. Stelle

137. Stelline

138. Stortini

139. Stringozzi

140. Strozzapreti

141. Tagliatelle

142. Taglierini

143. Tarhana

144. Torchio

145. Tortellini

146. Tortelloni

147. Tortiglioni

148. Trenette

149. ~~Trenne~~ (3/12/10, Sauce: peas, red onion, garlic, and grana padano)

150. Trennette

151. Tripoline

152. Trofie[2]

153. Tuffoli

154. Vermicelli

155. Vermicelloni

156. Ziti

157. Zitoni

8 Tips to Make Great Pasta at Home: From My Childhood Block in New Jersey

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By Vincent Scordo on March 7, 2010 | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(photo: the backdrop isn't New Jersey but rather Nonno Scordo's farmland in Calabria. Nonno is in the center while my father is on the right and my Uncle is positioned on the left. All three men are/were excellent pasta eaters and the photo above is one of my favorites <as my father often says, life in Post War southern Italy was difficult, but the quality of life, including food, was wonderful.>)

Growing up in Northern NJ on a densely packed block full of immigrant families (mostly from Calabria) both Thursday and Sunday were special days. That is to say, for many of the families on our tiny New Jersey block from Pellegrina, Bagnara Calabra, Grimoldo, and Ceramida Thursday and Sunday were designated as pasta days! My mother, from Pellegrina, would often make pasta with Tomato sauce on Sunday and then a more exotic pasta condiment on Thursday (maybe a ragu of rabbit with Pappardelle, for example). And I'm convinced our New Jersey block had a higher relative humidity on the aforementioned days because of of all the pots of boiling water going at once (ever notice why Italian kids have great skin!).

Here, then, are eight pasta tips gathered from the many Calabrian women on Oregon Avenue (from, say, 1979-1994) in New Jersey. Oh, enjoy your pasta today!

1. Buy the best possible dry pasta on the market. Like fine dress shoes, you get what you pay for in terms of dry pasta. Good dry pasta usually comes from Italy and is made with 100% semolina (Durham wheat) flour and spring water. The better Italian products are also made by hand. De Cecco is a fine readily available pasta brand. Rustichella d'Abruzzo uses slightly better ingredients for a nicer end product and is usually sold at Italian specialty shops.

2. Use lots of fresh boiling water. I have a dedicated pot when it comes to boiling water for pasta and I always overcompensate when it comes to the amount of water needed. You want lots of water so that the pasta doesn't stick during the cooking process.

3. Salt the water right before adding your pasta and as soon as you have a good, rolling, boil going. Not including a healthy amount salt in your pasta water is the equivalent of eating a tomato without salt, so please use plenty of it!

4. Once you add your dry pasta to the pot stir often and don't walk away from the pot. You don't need to nurse a pot of cooking pasta like risotto, but you should certainly stir every 2-3 minutes.

5. Most brands include cooking times depending on pasta shapes so it's important to time when you add your pasta to the boiling water. Al dente (or to the tooth) is the golden rule, but I know plenty of dyed-in-the-wool northern and southern Italians who go well beyond the al dente cooking time period, Nonno Scordo, for example, preferred rigatoni and penne at 1-3 minutes over al dente. Like finding your niche in the wine world, you should cook pasta to your taste, but please don't turn it into mush (just keep in mind there should be some give when chewing pasta). Finally don't add olive oil (or any oil for that matter) to your pot.

6. Add your drained pasta to your hot pan containing the condiment or sauce and never vice versa. Adding your pasta to the hot pan containing the sauce will allow you to cook through the pasta for an extra 30-90 seconds. You should also save some of the starchy pasta water just in case you're looking to change the consistency of your sauce. You don't always need to add pasta water to your sauce, as many FoodTV personalities do. Moreover, do not rinse your pasta after the cooking process (again because the pasta contains a coating of starch that allows your condiment to adhere to the pasta).

7. Finish your pasta with a bit of olive oil (I almost always add a bit of olive oil to my completed pasta dish). The oil gives your pasta dish an additional fresh oil component and just finishes the dish. You can add grated cheese to your pasta during the mixing of pasta and sauce in your pan and then again at the table. You can use Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Pa'dano (a great substitute for the more expensive Parmigiano-Reggiano) , or Pecorino Romano (note Pecorino Romano is not a substitute for Parmigiano-Reggiano)

8. Watch your portions. Most Italians have pasta as a starter for any given dinner or lunch and not as the main dish. A quarter pound of pasta for two people, for example, is deal.

Paccheri with Olive Oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Course Ground Pepper

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By Vincent Scordo on March 3, 2010 | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I like all types of pasta shapes, but one of my favorites is Paccheri from Rustichella. Paccheri is a super variant of rigatoni (without the ridges) and best prepared with chunky sauces (such as a ragu with rabbit, for example).

However, I like to cook up a batch of Paccheri and simply add very good extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, and lots of coursley ground black pepper. If I have fresh ricotta (recipe to come!) in the house then I would include a bit of it as well.

Enjoy the dish with a glass of Aglianico from Campania or Basilicata

Recipe: Uovo Rotto al Aqua con Cipolla e Prezzemolo or Poached Eggs with Onion and Parsley

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By Vincent Scordo on February 28, 2010 | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(photo: poached eggs with parsley and onion)

My mother can pretty much make a fabulous meal out of anything she has laying around the house (her culinary skill set constantly amazes me). Here's a classic example: uovo rotto al aqua con cipolla e prezzemolo, literally translated from the Calabrian dialect, "egg broken over water with onion and parsley" or poached eggs with parsley and onion.

My mother's recipe is not technically a variant of poached eggs but rather a type of gently fried egg.

Let's start with what you'll need:

- 4 large eggs (buy good eggs as they're the king of the show)

- 2 tablespoon of olive oil

- 2 tablespoons of water

- 1 large onion finely diced

- Bunch of parsley fined diced

- 2 teaspoons of dried oregano

- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Start by sautéing the sliced onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil (add salt and pepper to taste). Once the onion has become softened and slightly caramelized add the chopped parsley and stir well. Next add the remaining olive oil and water and crack 4 eggs into your sauté pan (in separate parts of the pan). Sprinkle the eggs with the dried parsley and a bit more salt and freshly grounded pepper. Cover the sauté pan with a lid and gently cook for 5-10 minutes depending on how cooked you like your eggs (I prefer my egg yolk runny).

You can serve uovo rotto al aqua with some good wheat bread, cured green olives, and some simply prepared risotto, and an arugula salad with vinaigrette. Serve the eggs with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand.

On The Myth of Equating Poor Eating Habits with Economic Class or Spending Power

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By Vincent Scordo on February 24, 2010 | 11 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(photo: Bok Choy with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes: $2.00 for 2 pounds)

One of the critical life lessons I learned from my Italian family is how to value food. Specifically, I was taught:

1., how to cook and the closely associated idea of,

2., why food is important and should be taken seriously.

My mother taught me the mechanics of making all sorts of foods from scratch, ranging from pasta to risotto and roasted baby goat to pan seared swordfish. And at the same time, I learned how important it was to make time for preparing food and, thereafter, sharing it at a communal table with family and friends (and to repeat the process as much as possible). I equate the latter lesson I was taught as an Italian boy to the importance of reading and scholarly endeavors in the Jewish tradition, for example. The idea of food being important and necessary for a good quality life is in my blood and I can't imagine living any other way (I know people who place incredible value on Yankee baseball or shiny new car every three years; misguided values or to each his own?).

In turn, it comes as a great shock and disappointment when one looks around and sees a culture of fast food, obesity, and the general lack of importance in relation to consuming homemade food in the US. Specifically, we hear many reasons from the so-called "food experts", including the notion that buying quality ingredients to produce fresh and homemade food is an expensive endeavor in the United States (ask a European how expensive food can be). And, moreover, it's more economical for a family of four to purchase dinner and lunch from McDonald's, for example, then to go out and buy fresh food (this isn't the view of the food expert). What the experts are implying is that poor people choose fast food and other high calorie meals because they have no choice and are priced out from shopping for fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, grains, etc.

To the latter assertion I say, "that's nonsense!" And, yes, I'm going to turn to the recent immigrants storybook to illustrate that one doesn't not need to spend a fortune to eat well and, moreover, that a family of four can take his or her fast food budget and prepare "from scratch" meals that are quick, cheap, and taste good (eating well doesn't equate to great spending power, as the folks at SeriousEats.com seem to suggest when responding to one of Pollan's eating tips).

(photo: One pound of Wild Flounder made with breadcrumbs, olive oil, and lemon zest. The fish easily fed four people: $9.99 per pound or $10.00 for serving of four).

Let's take the price of an average meal at McDonalds for four and say that the Smith family will consume 4 medium size French fries, 3 cheeseburgers, 1 6 piece chicken McNugget, and 4 medium sizes Cokes (let's assume dinner will cost about $20; I don't have access to a menu with prices so I just estimated). With that same $20 I can head to my local independent market (some would call it a gourmet market) and purchase the following items for dinner (I actually bought these items for dinner two days ago):

- 1 pounds of wild flounder fillet for $9.99 per pound or $10.00

- 1 box of artisan ravioli from Vitamia in Lodi, NJ (16 total ravioli) for $4.50

- 2 medium sized Bok Choy heads (about 2lbs for 99 cents a poud) for $2.00

- 1 loaf of Sullivan Street bread (this is a large bread which will last a few days) for $3.50

- Total: $20.00

Note: I live in a region of the US where the cost of living is high.

With the above ingredients I made baked flounder with breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and olive oil, ravioli with already prepared homemade tomato sauce, and sautéed bok choy with garlic and olive oil. We consumed the bread with our fish and vegetable. We did finish up our meal with two fresh pears and two oranges that were purchased during a different trip to the market. The meal fed 4 adults (with an appropriate sized portion of fish, vegetable, and bread per person and we started the meal with 4 ravioli per serving).

Our meal was tasty, satisfying, made with fresh ingredients, and for the exception of the ravioli and bread, prepared at home. You could certainly make your own bread and pasta at home, and keep price down, but for a Mon-Fri type of meal this is the sort of "pre packaged" items that are ok to buy, in my view.

(photo: Artisan ravioli made by Vitamia in Lodi, NJ with homemade tomato sauce with mushrooms, made a few nights earlier: 1 pound for $4.50 ).

So, why is it that many poor to middle income families choose the fast food route when it comes to meal choice? Could the families who choose prepared food not be ingrained with the idea that consuming quality food is important? If not for my specific culture and upbringing, for example, I certainly would not consider food an important part of living in the US because it's not taught at school or praised in the media. Therefore, a probable explanation for eating habits in the US may be cultural norms rather than income or access to fresh ingredients. In sum, I choose to spend my twenty dollars for wild/fresh fish, greens, artisan bread, and handmade ravioli, as opposed to prepared French fries, cheeseburgers, Coke, and deep fried chicken nuggets, because I was taught from an early age to value food and make it at home. Eating well isn't a byproduct of socio-economic factors (don't listen to the food experts), but rather how one is raised and views the preparation and consumption of food. Being poor doesn't force you to eat at McDonald's, rather being taught that consuming pre-made food is acceptable (from an early age) and part of how one lives is the culprit.

A Kitchen Scale for Everyone: Pasta Portion Control and GiveAway!

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By Vincent Scordo on February 23, 2010 | 23 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(The unit comes in many colors and is perfectly sized. The two simple buttons are large and easy to use. The LCD screen is huge and there's no guessing the amount when scrambling in your kitchen preparing a dinner party)

Update: Congrats to Ami for winning the contest. The giveaway is now closed.

For years, I've used a Salter metal body kitchen scale to measure everything from pasta portions to cups of flour for baking (well, my wife is the baker so she uses the scale for measuring flour for sweets). We also use our scale to measure cereal and oatmeal amounts so we don't overeat (especially when we're consuming Cheerios!) The Salter is a practical enough kitchen tool but I've always had a secret dislike for the product because it 1. is large and takes up valuable countertop space and 2. is not precise. I do like the industrial design of the tool and if our kitchen was a museum I would indeed leave it out for guests to admire, but a home kitchen is first and foremost a practical space where the user (or home cook) completes tasks (that is, makes food)!

In turn, I've been looking for a replacement for our Salter for years and it looks like I just found an elegant and cheap solution, namely the EatSmart kitchen scale. The EatSmart takes up a fraction of the space my old Salter occupied and is also more precise; kind of like an old Model T being replaced by a modern vehicle with a turbo engine and electronic stability control! The electronic kitchen scale can also measure in ounces, lbs, grams, and kgs. It also has a handy tare feature which eliminates the weight of whatever item your flour, pasta, etc. is being held in (a bowl or measuring cup, for example). The scale is easy to use (a big plus for someone who takes ergonomics seriously) and has an auto off button so you don't go wasting battery life! I can't talk to reliability as of yet as I've only been using the scale for a few weeks, but I can say that I've had no significant problems thus far. One thing I was concerned about was moving from a device that didn't require batteries or electricity to another "powered" kitchen item (in the case of the EatSmart, 2 AAA batteries). And while batteries are needed I think the accuracy and functionality of the digital scale outweigh the use of batteries (just a Green acknowledgement). The device retails for $27.99.

>>Order a GardenSmart Scale via The OpenSky Project and help support Scordo.com!

One of the other reasons I get excited about kitchen scales is that they are great mediums to keep calories and portion sizes top of mind when cooking. For example, even though I've grown up with dry pasta and can pretty much tell you how many grams of linguine fine I'm holding in my hand, I occasionally guess wrong and cook too much pasta for one sitting. And what ends up happening inevitably is that I consume a larger amount of pasta (usually with a dish like Alio e Olio) than I would like (especially given that I include pasta as a primo or starter at home between 1-2 nights per week).

Kitchen Scale Giveaway!

(Kind of looks like a space ship from Star Trek Generations)

In an effort to control the world wide problem of eating too much pasta (or any food for that matter!) I'll be giving away a single EatSmart digital kitchen scale to one lucky Scordo.com reader. Here's what you need to do to enter:

- 1. leave a comment under this post on how you use your kitchen scale or an incident on eating too much of one food and not really being aware of it (for example, pasta, potato chips, Cheerios, etc.) and 2. sign up as a fan of Scordo.com on Facebook here or Scordo.com newsletter, it doesn't need to be both). If you've done both already, then I'll ask you if you can please re-tweet the article URL (http://bit.ly/b6wR9u) on Twitter and include the article URL and and @scordo in your tweet)

- Only one entry per person please.

- The contest is open until 12 midnight on 2/27 and a single random user will be picked via Random.org. The winner will be announced immediately on Twitter (so please follow me) and on Scordo.com by 5PM on Monday, 3/1.

>>Order a GardenSmart Scale via The OpenSky Project and help support Scordo.com!

- Please use a valid email address when leaving a comment so I can contact you just in case you're the lucky winner (I'll need your shipping address).

- EatSmart will send out the digital scale to a single contest winner during the week of 3/1 (you should receive it within 7-10 business days).

That's it, so please sign up for a chance to win a kitchen product that all home cooks should own and use! If you can't wait to use the EatSmart kitchen scale, you can buy it online via the OpenSky Project (proceeds go towards supporting Scordo.com). If you don't see the product on my page right away, come back tomorrow in the AM.

By the way, here's my recipe for my favorite pasta dish of all time.

Tarallini: The Perfect Italian Snack Food

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By Vincent Scordo on February 8, 2010 | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(photo: tarallini made with red pepper flake)

I'm going to ask the inevitable question; how many bags of chips did you consume this weekend? And did you include some dips like sour cream and chives or salsa to go with the multiple bowls of corn and potato chips? Well, I'm not going to scold you because it was Super Bowl weekend and what better to go with a cold beer than some salty chips (my favorite beer/chip combo is Brooklyn Lager with Cape Cod Chips; don't tell any of my foodie buddies!). Oh, burgers go great with beer as well; here's my recipe!

When I'm not consuming chips and beer, however, my favorite all time snack food are taralli (sometime called tarallini or Italian pretzels). Tarallini are very popular in Southern Italy and go well with wine. Tarallini are formed into tiny rings and baked and have a crunchy texture and the better varities are made with wine, olive oil, and any number of fresh spices (including red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and black pepper).

Like buying a good quality extra virgin olive oil, the selection process for finding a good quality Taralli can be hit or miss (unfortunately, this is the case for many Italian specialty products). Most Italian specialty shops carry a local product, probably made from a near by bakery (this is the case in my area) or have the bread snacks imported from Italy. Most of the Taralli that I've tried in the NYC/NJ area have been poor representations of the original product that I first tasted in Calabria. Taralli should have a crunchy and flavorful consistency and the olive oil and wine components should be nicely pronounced. Moreover, the bread flavor shouldn't be stale or flat. When Taralli are made with a particular spice, such as fennel seed, then the spice should be baked throughout the taralli and really stand out as the main flavor component.

(photo: Aroma Antico tarallini and aroma stix <or bread sticks> made with red pepper flake, sesame seed, and fennel seed)

Recently, I had the chance to sample some taralli made by a Lynbrook, NY company called Aroma Antico (translated as "traditional flavor"). Aroma Antico makes a wide range of products, but their bite size, and flavored, tarallini (branded as Rallini) stand out as one of the better Italian bread snacks I've tried in the US (and believe me my mother kept a well stocked Italian pantry!).

Aroma Antico's Rallini are made without preservatives, artificial flavorings, and GMOs. Aroma Antico also uses real extra virgin olive oil, NY Finger Lakes region white wine, and unbleached Dakota wheat flour to make their product. The spices used in the Rallini are also top notch and include red pepper flake, black pepper, garlic, and fennel seed.

(photo: tarallini made with black pepper)

I sampled all four of the spiced Rallini and each tarallini had the spice baked all the way through the product and the flavor component was huge. The red pepper flake Rallini was nice and spicy and you could see how the olive oil and red pepper flake baked into the product when examining the Rallini closely. The black pepper variety had a pronounced flavor and was quite good, but my favorite, slightly ahead of the red pepper flake flavor, was fennel seed. Like the Columbus' Artisan Finocchiona salami), the Rallini fennel tarallini had great fennel seed flavor and were nutty, vibrant, and slightly tart. I went through a bowl of the Fennel Rallini within minutes; they were that good.

On a separate occasion I had my parents over for a quick taste and we consumed the remaining Aroma Antico Rallini with some cacciatore, extra sharp provolone, and a bottle of Morellino di Scansano. My father enjoyed the fennel variety while my mother was impressed with both the garlic and red pepper flake flavors. We also sampled the Rallini without meat or cheese. Rallini are especially good as a sort of wine cracker.

(photo: aroma stix made with extra virgin olive and tons of sesame seeds)

Aroma Antico also produces Aroma Stix, Pastelle - tea cookies, and Friselle. Without sounding overtly bias, I didn't try a product that I didn't think was well made and incredibly authentic (in relation to the same varieties made in Italy). The sesame seed Aroma Stix were particularly good (and full of sesame seeds!) and both my mother and wife enjoyed the tea cookies (and commented how "home made" the product tasted).

You can order Aroma Antico products via their web site or via Amazon in 6 pack bundles (at a great $16.00 price).

Italian Dried Pasta Taste Test and Rustichella d'Abruzzo Contest

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By Vincent Scordo on February 2, 2010 | 14 Comments | 1 TrackBack

(photo: incorporating olive oil, garlic, and parsley with spaghettini)

Update: Congrats to Susan for winning the contest. The giveaway is closed.

Back in September of 2009, in my overview of dried pasta entry, I made the claim that dry pasta is NOT inferior to freshly made pasta (this is the type of pasta which I often make at home with my classic, hand cranked, Imperia pasta machine). Don't get me wrong, I love homemade pasta, especially ravioli, but I don't exactly look forward to the work effort involved to make it at home. There's the making of the dough, the flattening of the dough into sheets, cutting the pasta, and finally flowering and air drying the product. The process is messy and unless you make large quantities it's tough to justify making pasta at home on a consistent basis (this is just one home cook's opinion, of course).

Enter the revolutionary idea of dry pasta. OK, maybe the idea of pre-packaged pasta isn't revolutionary but it's one of those food products that actually makes sense to acquire in an already completed fashion (read: not making it at home from scratch).

Dry pasta has it's origin in 8th century southern Italy; specifically, in Palermo, Sicilia. The most accepted theory of pasta being introduced in Italy is not via Marco Polo and China, but rather in Sicilia via one of the many Arab conquests of the 700's (this was a time period when the Middle East, part of North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula all came under Arab rule). Moreover, as the web site LifeinItaly.com states:

Like so much of southern Italian life, the Arab invasions of the 8th century heavily influenced the regional cuisine and is the most accepted theory for the introduction of pasta. The dried noodle-like product they introduced to Sicily is most likely the origins of dried pasta and was being produced in great quantities in Palermo at this time. The modern word "macaroni" derives from the Sicilian term for making dough forcefully, as early pasta making was often a laborious daylong process. How it was served is not truly known but many Sicilian pasta recipes still include other Arab gastronomic introductions such as raisins and spices like cinnamon. This early pasta was an ideal staple for Sicily and it easily spread to the mainland since durum wheat thrives in Italy's climate. Italy is still a major producer of this hard wheat, used to make the all-important semolina flour.

By the 1300's dried pasta was very popular for its nutrition and long shelf life, making it ideal for long ship voyages. Pasta made it around the globe during the voyages of discovery a century later. By that time different shapes of pasta have appeared and new technology made pasta easier to make. With these innovations pasta truly became a part of Italian life.

(photo: Rustichella pasta line up)

Fast-forward 700 years or so and there are an abundance of dry pastas on the market in both the US and in Italy/Europe. The very best dry pastas are manufactured in Italy and are made with locally grown Durham wheat. The hard Durham wheat is what yields semolina flour, which is used in all types of quality dry pastas. In the US, the most common pasta brands are Ronzoni, Barilla, Colavita, De Cecco, etc. Of the brands found in the typical US supermarket, De Cecco, in my view, is the best choice. You can see De Cecco's quality via it's color and firmness out of the package and once you cook up a batch of linguine fine, for example, you can taste the quality in the semolina flour used.

One readily available "luxury" pasta found at most Italian specialty shops (as well as Whole Foods) is a brand called, Rustichella d'Abruzzo. Rustichella sits along side other premium pasta brands such as Martelli, Latini, Benedetto, and Setaro. The premium pasta brands command prices as high as $8.80 for 18 ounces (Bendetto), for example. Rusticella pasta commands a price of about $6.60 per 18 ounces (a little over a full pound) and is priced in the middle of the luxury pasta segment.

I, along with various relatives from Calabria and Sicilia, had the pleasure of tasting 10 distinct Rustichella d'Abruzzo pastas, including Bucatini, Trofie, Cencioni, Paccheri, Linguine, Spaghettini, Penne, Rigatoncini, Trenne, and Farafalloni. All of the Rustichella products are handmade and use Italian Durham wheat and spring water. And according to Rustichella bronze moulds are used during the extraction process yielding a pasta with a course exterior texture (the logic here is that the condiment or sauce can better adhere to the pasta). Another product differentiator according to Rustichella is that their "drying process is slow and takes place at a low temperature (up to 50 hours and at temperatures of around 35 degrees) which is the opposite to the industrial process, mass produced pastas, of 4/5 hours at 90 degrees."

(photo: getting ready to chop garlic and parsley)

(photo: raw garlic)

(photo: parsley ready to chop)

(photo: slowly frying some sliced garlic and red pepper flakes with extra virgin olive oil)

The first pasta I tried was spaghettini with a simple alio e olio sauce (olive oil, garlic, and parsley). I choose a simple sauce because I wanted the pasta to be the star and the Rustichella spaghettini didn't disappoint. Unlike mass produced pasta brands, the Rustichella spaghettini had a wonderful texture and had none of the "cardboard-like" taste found in brands like Ronzoni. The spaghettini also had some wonderful nutty and malty flavor components, especially when sampling it without the sauce or condiment. When I did mix the alio e olio with the spaghettini the pasta quickly absorbed the extra virgin olive oil and the tiny bits of parsley, garlic, and red pepper flakes hung closely to the pasta. The idea of the sauce "sticking" or melding with pasta is a key concept and I look for this trait in any pasta. A high quality pasta should also allow for the sauce to integrate into the overall texture of the product (think of those nasty cream cheese and celery appetizers you may have consumed at cocktail parties; the celery, however unfortunate, is a vessel for cream cheese, just like a good pasta, fortunately, is a vessel for the sauce or condiment).

(photo: adding salt to pasta water at the boil)

(photo: measuring pasta)

(photo: drain pasta and save some of the starchy water for the condiment)

Next, I sampled the Paccheri (smaller, and plain, rigatoni - no ridges) with a tomato sauce and again the pasta shined. I was looking for the tomato sauce to slide off the pasta or for a little more blandness because of the larger size of the Paccheri, but the flavor was tremendous (kind of like a clean and crisp Sauvignon Blanc).

My extended family sampled the rest of the Rustichella pastas and all but a few of the pasta critics enjoyed the high quality and texture of the product. Some of the more critical comments from family members centered on price point and similarity to De Cecco pasta. More specifically, one Uncle couldn't justify price versus flavor (he was hinting at value and while he thought the product was of high quality he had concerns about why it was priced 2-3x that of other, typical, Italian brands like De Cecco).

(photo: do you think he will grow to like pasta?)

Pasta Content Giveaway!

As with any food experience the ultimate judgment comes by way of the consumer of the product and his or her relation to other, similar, products they've sampled. So, Scordo.com has teamed up with Rustichella d'Abruzzo to offer one lucky Scordo.com reader a pasta sampler gift package consisting of 1 package each (4 total) of the following pastas: Linguine, Spaghettini ,Penne, and Paccheri. I'm looking for you, the "end pasta user", to be the ultimate critic! Here are the details on the pasta package giveaway contest:

(photo: end product!)

- What you need to do to enter: 1. leave a comment under this post on a favorite pasta brand and shape (no, it doesn't need to be Rustichella!) and 2. sign up as a fan of Scordo.com on Facebook here or Scordo.com newsletter, it doesn't need to be both). If you've done both already, then I'll ask you if you can please re-tweet the article on Twitter and include the article URL: http://bit.ly/ceTiVa and @scordo in your tweet)

- Only one entry per person please.

- The contest is open until 12 midnight on 2/6 and a single random user will be picked via Random.org. The winner will be announced immediately on Twitter (so please follow me) and on Scordo.com by 5PM on Monday, 2/8.

- Please use a valid email address when leaving a comment so I can contact you just in case you're the lucky winner (I'll need your shipping address).

- Manicaretti Italian Food Imports will send out the pasta package to the single contest winner during the week of 2/8.

That's it, so please sign up for a chance to win a sampler package of, quite possibly, one of the best food products on the planet (i.e., pasta)! If you can't wait to sample Rustichella pasta you can buy it online here!

Also, be sure to search Scordo.com for a ton of pasta recipes!

Crocchette di Patate Calabrese

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By Vincent Scordo on January 30, 2010 | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(perfectly fried crocchette and ready to consume)

Don't tell my wife but I had a secret lover on my wedding day. That's right, in addition to my beautiful wife I secretly adored the Crocchette di patate that were being served at our party! The potato croquettes were made with a mashed potato filling, stuffed with cubes of fresh mozzarella, and breaded with fresh breadcrumbs, dried oregano, and finely chopped parsley. Thereafter, the croquettes were deep fried and served piping hot. The restaurant where we held our wedding reception served the crocchette as a side to the main course, but I would have had 6-7 of the delicate croquettes with a few glasses of Ciro as my main meal.

While I adored the crocchette made for our wedding, I always prefer making the real deal at home (even if it does include frying and messing up the kitchen; I'm with Jacque Pepin here, the only thing I hate about cooking is the cleanup!). The following is my crocchette di patate recipe. Serve the crocchette as an appetizer with a few cocktails or as a side with wild salmon of dry aged sirloin. Let's start with the ingredients:

- 2lbs of Idaho Potatoes (you'll be baking these as the process nicely eliminates the moisture in the potatoes and makes for a better frying experience)

- 1 bunch of parlsey

- 1 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

- 2 eggs

- Salt and pepper to taste

- 2-3 cloves of garlic (crushed and minced finely)

- 2-3 tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs

(photo: notice the crunchy exterior without using too much breadcrumb; the potato should be king here and not the breadcrumb)

(photo: three generation of crocchette makers: from left to right, my mother, great grandmother, and grandmother. the photo was taken on Via Nazionale in the early 1960's)

Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Next, scoop out the interior of the potatoes and mash them with a potato masher (don't use an electric mixer as you'll develop too much gluten in the potatoes). Move the mashed potatoes into a bowl and add Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs, 1 tablespoon homemade breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix the ingredients and scoop approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture into your hand and shape the potatoes into an oblong shape (similar to the photo above); you can add some cubed Mozzarella at this point, if you'd like). Finally, role the individual croquettes in the remaining breadcrumb (very lightly) and fry your croquettes in your preferred oil (I use canola). You can season the remaining breadcrumbs with a bit of salt, pepper, and dried oregano prior to rolling your crocchette. You can also use a deep fryer to cook the crocchette, but I simply fill a large sautee pan with about an inch of olive oil (just enough to cover the crocchette). Fry the croquettes until golden and serve hot!

Why Italians Love to Talk About Food Book Giveaway and Interview

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By Vincent Scordo on January 25, 2010 | 21 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(photo: couch's whiting or blue whiting with red onion, peppers, and tomatoes)

(UPDATE 1/31/09: Contest is closed. The winner is Evan Lucas! Thanks to everyone for participating.)

In Elena Kostioukovitch's preface from the book, "Why Italians Love to Talk About Food" Elena asks, "And why is that you identify particular historic moments with references to food?" The "you" Elena is referencing are the intelligentsia of the Italian landscape (i..e, scholars, journalists, historians, political figures, etc.) but she might as well be talking about the seamstress from Naples or the fisherman from Calabria. You see, for most Italians, food is the identifier of moments (hence the phrase, "Parla come mangi" or Speak the Language of Your Food); it bonds Italians, allows them to experience pleasure, and defines what it means to lead a good life. In America, we consume material or money, while in Italy its inhabitants eat wonderful foods to "live well and soundly" (and it's the most basic and pure form of consumption).

(photo: is that drying pasta or makeshift window curtains?)

(photo: the long process of harvesting saffron)

I have to confess, I was fascinated with Kostioukovitch's book well before I sat to read through the 450 pages. My fascination wasn't, of course, centered on how a people could disregard economic or material status for the sake of food, but, rather, why anyone would want to chase the good life in any other manner beyond eating well. You see, I learned early only to associate both important events in my life, as well as the mundane, with wonderful food. For example, I associate my first trip as a boy to Italy with the taste of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from Nonno Latella's small olive orchard outside of Bagnara Calabra. The olive oil was different from the corn oil my Italian family consumed in the States (we couldn't afford olive oil in those days) and I quickly identified our trip to Calabria with the green nectar from many years to come. And it wasn't just olive oil that formed strong references to key events in my life. I still associate, vividly, the smell of frying dough with Christmas Eve (zeppola), boiling pasta water with Sunday mornings (linguine with a rabbit ragu), sun dried tomatoes , provolone cheese, and salami to my parent's Saturday evening dinner parties, and strong stove top espresso with my mother's breath.

Kostioukovitch does a great job of documenting the same sort of food associations I mention above in her 19 chapters on Italian regions, history, and folklore. I was particularly interested in her chapter on Calabria and it didn't disappoint. Here are some interesting food and cultural tidbits on the southern Italian province of Calabria from Kostioukovitch:

(photo: I'll take the zucchini blossoms!)

1. In some parts of Calabria, "farmers still read omens from a pig's entrails when it is taken to slaughter, as the Etruscan haruspices did." I remember when Nonno Latella used to slaughter a given pig from his stock (about every 2 years or so) and the ritual was very solemn (he didn't do much reading or perform any rituals; rather he was focused on slaughtering the pig).

2. Calabrian women danced and shouted incantation to drive away evil spirits while kneading dough. Both my Calabrian born grandparents kneaded plenty of dough and I don't remember them shouting, unless of course I came into the kitchen with dirty hands. However, I do remember Nonna Scordo telling me I had very poor hip movement when I kneaded (she said I had no rhythm or style and she was right).

(photo: grilled seafood in Veneto)

3. The sign of the cross is traced on loafs of bread before they enter the oven. I'll have to ask Zia Giovanna if she performs this ritual in her bakery each morning. My hunch is that she may on occasion trace a few crosses, given her belief that one can make major life decisions by placing a single drop of extra virgin olive oil in a bowl of water and then asking the oil to move in a certain manner (when she did this for me as a small child I thought we were playing the Oiju board game; I was slapped quickly and told to sit still).

4. Calabria was part of Magna Craecia (or "Greater Greece" from the eight century B.C. until the third century. The Romans arrived in Calabria 500 years after the Greeks and loved the local wines! After the Roman empire fell, "Calabria was ruled by the Germans, the Goths, the Lombards, the Byzantines, the Normans, the Franks, the Swabians, the Saracens, the Spanish, and the French." The 'ndrangheta (Calabrian mafia) begin flexing it's muscle from 1850 onwards and some say they've never loosened their vice grip on the region (a sad fact for the people of Calabria).

5. Cistercians monasteries dominated much of Calabria and their traditions continue to this day, such as practicing an ascetic way of life and deep reliance on agriculture.

6. An annual swordfish sagra (festival) is held on the first Sunday in July in Bagnara Calabra. The sagra features wonderful food and is best known for the blessing of the ontre or traditional fishing boats used to spear swordfish. The is one cool event and it takes place only 10 minutes outside of Pellegrina (Pellegrina has it's own sagra focused on wheat)

7. Calabrians are famous for the diversity of their eggplant crop as well as reliance on fava beans, broad beans, and white beans. Many fish are consumed from the Tyrrhenian and Ionia seas including swordfish, tuna, sardines, and herring. See my article on 10 Ways to Cook Like An Italian here.

(photo: boar head next to boar salami?)

Contest / Book Give Away

In order to spread the concept of leading the good life via food (or at least talking about it!) the folks over at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux hava agreed to send a free copy of Why Italians Love to Talk About Food to one lucky Scordo.com reader ! Here's how you can enter the Why Italians Love to Talk About Food book giveaway contest:

- Prize Giveaway includes one (1) copy of Why Italians Love to Talk About Food.

- What you need to do to enter: 1. leave a comment under this post on a favorite food memory (from any region of the world) and how you indentify it to a major life moment or event (or even an important person or relative) and 2.sign up for the Scordo.com What's New Newsletter here (if you're already a newsletter subsriber than you'll need to sign up as a fan of Scordo.com on Facebook here).

- Only one entry per person please.

- The contest is open until 12 midnight on 1/30 and a single random user will be picked via Random.org (sorry contest only open to folks from the US given shipping logistics). The winner will be announced immediately on Twitter (so please follow me) and on Scordo.com by 5PM on Monday, 2/1.

(photo: book cover)

- Please use a valid email address when leaving a comment so I can contact you just in case you're the lucky winner (I'll need your shipping address).

- Farrar, Straus, and Giroux will send out the book to the single contest winner during the week of 2/1.

Finally, Elena was nice enough to answer a few of my questions on Italians and food. You can find the full interview below and also purchase the book via Amazon:

1. How did you first get interested in the relationship a typical Italian has with his or her food?

It was soon after I began my formal study of Italian language and culture in the University of Moscow. Suddenly I realized that there's a multitude of topics, either abstract or practical, which are closely linked to a food themes of in the mind of Italian people (and of people of Italian origins of course). An Italian says about his or her mother that 'she's as gentle as a bread', about a friend: 'we're like mac and cheese' ('cacio con i maccheroni'), and about a nasty person: 'his pumpkin (head) obviously lacks salt (brains)'. So the more I've been reading Italian journalism, poetry, novels, even philosophy and academic books, the more obvious it was: in order to understand Italy and Italians, one definitely should familiarize herself with secrets of their culinary code.

2. What surprised you the most about how Italian interact and relate to food?

I just love their comprehensive approach to food! A dish can't be 'delicious' or 'bad' per se, it's to be evaluated in context of the entire feast menu. To really enjoy spaghettis, one should take into account a dish that was served before it (antipasto), what was a main dish, and what followed (a dessert). Such an approach suppose that a customer is not only able to evaluate a palatability of every single dish, but also understands what sequence/combination of dishes might be considered prefect, good, adequate, bad, or disastrous. I should affirm that literally every adult Italian has got - subconsciously in the majority of cases - this culinary culture, that he or she has adopted from the very childhood, both in family and in social institutions (kindergarten, school, college etc.)

Yet to say that Italian teenagers today - and especially in big cities - gradually absorb an American-style eating traditions: hamburgers, French fries, hotdogs, Coca-Cola. It is possible that in a decade or two Italian culinary rituals and traditions will sink into degradation and will be swept away by a globalization.

3. Americans get a bum wrap for their relationship with food (not to mention the typical American diet); are things changing in the US? Will we ever see regional cooking make a comeback in the US?

Well, you tell me! I strongly hope that there's a possibility for that in the US, but let your readers express their own judgments. I will enjoy reading them. (Scordo comments: well, what do you think of Elena's question, will American ever be food obsessed in the way Italians live and eat?)

4. Your book is not a typical cookbook; was it difficult to talk about food with no references to recipes?

The main subject of my book is not a food in itself, but what Italians SAY about it. To a certain degree, my book is a systematized collection of testimonies of Italians who cook, sell, describe, picture, enjoy and eat Italian food. To put it the other way, my book's main focus is not on recipes, but on existing general concepts and their roots.

5. Is there a particular regional, Italian, cuisine that you like best?

My favorite regional Italian cuisine is definitely that of beautiful Toscana (Tuscany). Its food is full of energy and dynamism essential for Tuscan character. I adore the taste and look of fresh Tuscan products: vegetables, bread, fish, meat, and not to forget about its inimitable wine. I would highly recommend a freshly-made fiorentina beef stake (only a couple of minutes on grill), a cazzimperio salad made of fresh vegetables and special seasoning (vinegar, olive oil, local spices). Tuscan bread is in the base of the world-known bruschettes. As for a local fish courses, made of Tuscan fish, so rich in flavor, my favorite is a delicious cacciucco soup, which according to a local tradition should be prepared of at least five different kinds of fish (as many as Cs in its name, cacciucco), though the more the better.

6. Of the southern regions of Italy, is there a dish or food philosophy that you enjoyed researching or were surprised by?

As almost every newcomer, I was amazed by a practice of meridionale (southerners) to eat a wet uncooked fish or seafood just from the net, seasoning it only with salt and lemon juice and washing it down with chilled white local wine. This viand turned to be just as tasty, nutritious and delightful as French oysters accompanied by Chablis wine or Japanese fugu sushi with Japanese beer; the only difference is that the last two are world-famous luxury food, while only few connoisseurs outside Italy know the divine taste of a freshly caught octopus, sea urchin and frutti del mare accompanied by chilled Fiano wine (brought to Apulia by Angevins some 800 years ago). To tell you all the truth, I believe that one should try these delicacies only in Italy, combining a joy of gourmet with other esthetic pleasures Apulia with its magnificent seashore and plenty of old Norman castles offers.

Arancini di Riso Recipe

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By Vincent Scordo on January 21, 2010 | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(thanks to mondo del gusto for the photo)

One of my favorite dishes at a local trattoria in New Jersey is an appetizer consisting of potato croquets, mozzarella in Carrozza (mozzarella sticks), calzoncini (friend pockets of dough), and arancini (rice balls). All of the items in the dish, officially called frittura Napoletana, are expertly fried and generally well executed. However, it's the arancini that stand out and remind me of the fried treats I consumed on the Violet coast (in Bagnara Calabra) as a child (usually from street vendors or small pizzerias) during my summer vacations.

Arancini are traditionally prepared with Arborio rice, tomato sauce with ground beef or pork, peas, and mozzarella (or another local cheese that melts well), coated with an egg wash, breaded, and finally deep fried until golden and the cheese is melted. The arancini of my youth were especially delicious after a day spent swimming in the Mediterranean with my cousins Vice, Maria, and Giuseppe. And while the grown ups scolded us for consuming "vile", and fried, street food I wondered how they could compare melted cheese and creamy Arborio rice to the swordfish and roasted goat dishes they would later have for dinner (I later learned to love both swordfish and goat, of course!).

(thanks to stefaniav for the photo)

My mother Annunziata continues the fried rice ball tradition in her New Jersey kitchen, though it's become a once a year thing as the work to prepare arancini becomes more daunting with age (don't tell my mother I said that). Annunziata's State-side arancini do not differ widely from the Italian variant in both size and flavor (a rare happening when trying to replicate Italian dishes in the US) as she uses good ingredients, is meticulous about preparation, and most importantly, is an expert fryer.

Here's Annunziata's rice ball or arancini recipe (call them Calabrian or Sicilian in origin - it doesn't really matter once you take your first bite):

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of plain arborio based risotto (there's no substitute for arborio rice)

- 3 cups tomato sauce with ground beef or pork

- 1 cup of peas

- 2 ounces of cubed mozzarella

- 1 ½ cups of plain breadcrumbs

- 2 large eggs

- salt, pepper, oregano to taste

- ½ cup of finely chopped parsley

- vegetable oil for frying

(thanks to yosoynuts for the photo)

Process:

- Make plain risotto and proceed to scoop out a healthy amount into the palm of our hand (you're looking for baseball size arancini; note they don't need to be perfect spheres, in fact, I'm used to seeing arancini with a more oblong shape versus something perfectly round). Make sure to wet your hands with some fresh water prior to handling the rice (this will prevent the rice from sticking)

- Make an indentation in the middle of the rice and proceed to fill the ball with a little tomato sauce, 3-4 cubes of mozzarella, and peas

- Next, close the rice around the filling and seal the ball by shaping the rice into a ball.

- Beat a few eggs and season them with a bit of salt and pepper. Next dip the rice ball into the egg mixture and then in a bit of flour. Thereafter, dip the ball back into the egg mixture and then into fine breadcrumbs (buy fresh breadcrumbs from a local shop that are not seasoned; you can season your own breadcrumbs with salt, pepper, oregano, and finely chopped parsley).

- Begin heating your vegetable oil in a large pot (no need to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil as Mario Batali used to do on his FoodTV cooking show, as it's a royal waste of money). The ideal frying temperature is between 350 and 375 degrees Celsius. You can invest in a thermometer like this, but after several frying sessions you'll get a sense of when your oil is ready.

- Gently place the balls in the hot oil and fry for about 4 to 4.5 minutes (depending on the size of the ball itself). You're looking for a golden exterior appearance but ultimately you want the mozzarella to melt well and achieve "gooey" consistency; I've had very bad rice balls in the US that appear golden and perfectly cooked only to have barely melted cheese in the ball center)

Enjoy the rice balls right out of the fryer (you need to consume this product right away). You can reheat rice balls but they often become dry.

Italian Beef Stew with Rosemary and Oregano

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By Vincent Scordo on January 10, 2010 | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Cold temperatures and bitter winds have parked themselves here in the Northeast over the last 4-5 days and with cold weather comes an increase in the consumption of comfort foods for yours trully. Comfort foods mean different things to different folks; for example, I'm comforted by the following food items: fresh bread, cheese, olives, salumi, pasta, rice, and stew!

Specifically on beef stew as a comfort food, I especially enjoy slow cooked beef with nice chunks of carrot and petite peas. My wife's beef stew includes rosemary (fresh or dried), oregano (dried), and Chianti (hence the Italian moniker. Here's the quick recipe:

- Season one pound of chuck beef with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano.

- Dredge the meat with ¼ cup of flour and shake off any excess.

- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot.

- Brown the meat on all sides.

- Remove meat with a slotted spoon and all but about 2 tablespoons of oil (add more if necessary).

- Add 4 carrots and one onion cut into large chunks. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.

- Add the meat back to the pot.

- Cover the meat with 1 cup of water and 2 cups of a good red wine.

- Add two sprigs of fresh rosemary.

- Bring to a boil and then simmer for about two hours until the meat is fork tender.

- After the two hours, add salt and pepper to taste and one can of petite peas. Enjoy with mashed potatoes.

The Italian Farmer's Table Book Giveaway and Interview: Authentic Recipes from Agriturismi

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By Vincent Scordo on January 6, 2010 | 48 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(photo: via the Italian Farmer's Table, rye bread)

(UPDATE 1/10/09: Contest is closed. The winner is SimplyForties! Thanks to everyone for participating.)

If you've read any of my articles focused on Italian living and lifestyle over the last 6 months, then you've probably come to the conclusion that my Italian roots (and those of my parent's) are firmly situated in the mezzogiorno (the word mezzogirono references the southern region of Italy, including the regions of Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Apulia, Molise, Abruzzo and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia ). In turn, I often shy away from writing about northern Italy because I'm both unfamiliar with the region and also because so much has been documented and said about areas/cities such as Toscana, Roma, Sienna, Genoa, etc. But when a good friend forwarded me an article from a local newspaper in Connecticut I know I stumbled upon something special, namely, a new book by husband and wife team Matthew Scialabba and Melissa Pellegrino entitled, T he Italian Farmer's Table, Authentic Recipes and Local Lore from Northern Italy (see the accompanying website here!).

(photo: via the Italian Farmer's Table, cover photo)

Like the movie Julie and Julia, Matt and Melissa ate, worked, and lived their way through every region of northern Italy by way of agriturismi (subsidized, working, family farms that provide lodging and meals to travelers). The couple also documented 150 northern Italian recipes from the farms, including many dishes I've never read or encountered in Italian cuisine. The 150 recipes are translated with great care and they can, for the most part, be easily adapted for the American kitchen. In addition to the recipes, the book also include tidbits on local traditions, events, and, of course, food items (for example, in the the chapter on the Casa Al Campo farm we learn about the Dolomite Mountains and the hunting rituals surrounding deer and chamois). The Italian Farmer's Table also features great photography, especially photos taken with the farm owners and their local products.

(photo: via the Italian Farmer's Table, making pasta)

I loved the Italian Farmer's Table so much that I asked Matt and Melissa if they were willing to offer a free copy of their book to a lucky Scordo.com reader and, echoing the generous spirit of the Northern Italian farmers referenced in the book, they agreed! Here's how you can enter to win a free copy of The Italian Farmer's Table:

- Prize Giveaway includes one (1) copy of the The Italian Farmer's Table

- What you need to do to enter: 1. leave a comment under this post on your favorite Italian region or city that you've visited (if you haven't been to Italy which region would you like to visit?) and 2. sign up for the Scordo.com What's New Newsletter here.

- Only one entry per person please.

- The contest is open until 12 midnight on 1/10 and a single random user will be picked via Random.org (sorry contest only open to folks from the US given shipping logistics). The winner will be announced immediately on Twitter (so please follow me) and on Scordo.com by 5PM on Monday, 1/11.

- Please use a valid email address when leaving a comment so I can contact you just in case you're the lucky winner (I'll need your shipping address).

- Globe Pequot Press will send out the book during the week of 1/11.

Finally, Matt and Melissa were also nice enough to answer a few of my questions on local versus organic food, the agriturismo industry, why Italians place so much emphasis on eating well, etc. You can find the full interview below and also purchase the book via Amazon.

1. What inspired you pick up and leave the US and live in a foreign country. Was it difficult to adjust and handle the practical elements of living a foreign country.

We had been toying with the idea to write a cookbook about the Italian agriturismo for about six years. After numerous rejection letters from publishers, we decided to do the trip ourselves. We knew that the whole agriturismo system was practically unknown to the American tourist and that as the farm to table mantra began to pick up steam here in America, the timing was right for a book of this nature. We had both lived in Italy before so being there again was not that big of an adjustment. I think the hardest part was living out of a suitcase for four months and changing farms every 5th day.

(photo: via the Italian Farmer's Table, fennel)

2. There's been lots of talk in the media surrounding organic and local foods. Should shoppers concentrate on buying local versus organic?

Hopefully if it's local, it's also seasonal and not shipped across the country or from another country. While we commend organically grown food we are not that big on its status symbol and government approved stamp. There is nothing better than eating ingredients that are in peak season and harvested close to where they are sold. Many of the farms we visited considered themselves "independently" organic, farming naturally without pesticides or chemicals, but perhaps lacking an official organically grown certificate. Hopefully, most locally grown food available to consumers are adopting a similar philosophy.

(photo: via the Italian Farmer's Table, harvesting grapes)

3. How do Italian shop for food and is there a big emphasis on organic or local foods?

Italians shop for the day, often going to the markets every day to seek out what's fresh and looks the best. Kitchens often have much smaller refrigerators than we have in the US and they eat far less processed foods and snack food.

4. What's an agriturismo?

An agriturismo, is a working farms with accommodations and restaurants, where everything grown and raised on the farm are served to guests. The system was formed in the eighties to help preserve small family farms. By allowing them to open their doors to overnight guests, farms were able to supplement their incomes by providing food and lodging. They have experienced tremendous success, and there has been a huge movement throughout the country as crumbling farms are being renovated and revitalized. There really is no better way to experience rural Italy than to stay at an agriturismo and soak in some local culture and eat and drink like a real Italian.

5. What makes local Italian food taste so good and is it really possible to recreate the dishes in your book here in the US?

Prime ingredients that haven't traveled hundreds of miles. We have adapted all recipes for the American home cook

6. What's your favorite northern Italian region?

Too difficult a question - each region has its own personality and charm

7. You mention the "Italian countryside lifestyle" - what exactly is this?

Living sustainably and with the seasons consuming what one can grow and raise locally.

(photo: via the Italian Farmer's Table, fresh ricotta)

8. Why do Italians put so much emphasis on eating well and how does good food contribute to such a high quality of life in Italy?

Eating well means everything to Italians. Eating means so much more than consumption, but rather, a time to be with friends and family and to sit down and enjoy company and conversation united by food. This all contributes to a high quality of life focused on more intrinsic values with less emphasis on material objects.

9. What's your favorite, local, Italian dish to prepare in the US?

For us, in CT, we love linguine with clams. Fresh local little necks, garlic, hot pepper, white wine, and lots of parsley. Summer or winter, the briney salty flavor is a classic Italian (southern) favorite.

10. How is local farming set up in Italy and how can this system of food production feed a large western country and is it possible to replicate this system in the US?

The Italian agriturismo can prove to be a model example of how small farms can succeed and operate. As more and more Americans are shopping at farmer's markets and becoming interested in learning about where their food comes from, smaller, family run farms have begun to experience success and economic sustainability. While we are moving in the right direction, there is still much to change about American's eating habits. The White House's first garden is symbolic of more awareness about the importance of eating well, and there's hope on the horizon for a better and healthier American diet.

Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

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By Vincent Scordo on December 30, 2009 | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

The Aerobie AeroPress Coffee / Espresso Maker produces the best American/drip style coffee I've ever tasted. There, I've said it and I mean it! I've come out and made the aforementioned claim because the AeroPress looks more like a high school chemistry prop than a world class coffee maker and looks can indeed be deceiving when it comes to making excellent coffee at home.

Here are the facts on the AeroPress:

- The unit retails for $29.99 and was invented by Stanford University engineering lecturer Alan Adler (Adler is also the inventor of all the cool Aerobie sports products).

- The AeroPress coffeemaker makes coffee in about 30 seconds (typically a French Press coffeemaker takes about 4 minutes and a high end espresso machine about 10-15 seconds).

- Adler designed the unit so that boiling water is not needed. Rather, the unit specifies using water at the 175 F (80 C) mark which prevents the typical bitterness and acidity found in drip machines.

- The unit requires fine grind coffee (an espresso grind) as opposed to a course grind used in French press coffee makers. Adler argues that fine grind coffee has more surface area for better extraction of full bodied coffee (I love when products are designed with science/engineering in mind!).

- The unit does require small, paper, microfilters. Thankfully, a large amount of paper filters are included with the unit and they should last 6 months (brewing two daily cups).

- The unit is not made out of fancy stainless steel or tempered glass but rather high quality plastic which is easy to clean, will not break, or become a smudge attractor.

- The unit works by way of creating air pressure in a small chamber that houses both the ground coffee and hot water. After filling the chamber with coffee and hot water, the user stirs the mixture for 10 seconds and thereafter plunges down for a steady 20-30 seconds. The coffee is brewed right into your favorite mug.

Here are my observations on the AeroPress:

- The flavor component of the coffee is excellent but one shouldn't expect the unit to produce true European style espresso with crema and complex notes of chocolate, for example. The AeroPress excels at producing superb American style coffee (and by superb I mean the best cup of American brew I've ever tasted).

- To produce a full cup of American style coffee you actually brew 10 ounces of rich coffee. Thereafter, you top off your mug with hot water (this was strange at first). I consume my coffee without milk and just a bit of sugar.

- The unit comes with a large scooper and requires 2 scoops for about 10 ounces of coffee. The AeroPress unit does require more coffee than, say, a typical French press maker. Specifically, I'm using about twice as much coffee on a weekly basis since incorporating the AeroPress into my early morning and post lunch coffee habit (i.e., two 10 ounce cups per day).

- You can make a great mug of coffee in about 1 minute (20-25 seconds to grind your coffee beans, 10 seconds to stir the hot water/coffee mixture, and 30 seconds to plunge).

- Although the unit creates a cup of coffee in under 1 minute the user does have to fiddle with lots of items. For example , the main unit is comprised of a plunger, chamber, filter holder, and filter. All of the aforementioned parts needs to be assembled and then the user needs to grind his or her coffee and make hot water. Thereafter, the coffee needs to be scooped into the chamber and stirred. Finally, the user has to plunge the mixture into a single mug and add more water to yield a single serving of American style coffee.

- Cleaning is very easy and the plunger also acts as an extractor to gently push the spent coffee grinds out of the unit. The plastic components just need a quick rinse. My French press maker, as a counter example, is a royal pain to clean.

- At $29.99 the price point on the AeroPress is a huge bargain. The unit includes enough microfilters for 6 months (350 individual microfilters) , a coffee scoop, a stirrer, funnel for grounds, and the unit itself.

Overall, I prefer the AeroPress over a French Press maker and the countless drip style makers on the market. The AeroPress produces a rich, flavorful, and hearty cup of American style coffee that is the best I've tasted in both the US and Europe. The AeroPress should not be confused for an Espresso maker, however, as it cannot compete, for example, with a semi pro home machine like the Rancilio Silvia (yet the Silvia costs about 20X more than the AeroPress). I can imagine ubergeeks and techies using the Aeropress along with coffee aficionados looking for a more refined variant of the French pressed cup of coffee.

You can purchase the AeroPress here.

From the Archive: Feast of the Seven Fishes

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By Vincent Scordo on December 24, 2009 | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Here's a goodie from the Scordo.com archive and a recently highlighted post in the What's New Newsletter (sign up if you haven't done so already):

Material Satisfaction and the Feast of the Seven Fishes

Have a great holiday!

Best wishes,

Vince

Recipe: Tuna Niçoise Salad

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By Vincent Scordo on December 20, 2009 | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

While flipping through TV channels on a lazy Sunday afternoon I came across an old episode of the classic TV series, "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home" The series was tapped in Julia's kitchen in Cambridge and while Julia was clearly passed her prime the interplay between the two food stars is sincere and straightforward (Jacques wants to do things the classic way and Julia calls for butter instead of oil or onion instead of scallion, for example).

A recent episode focused on salads and, specifically, Julia Childs and Jacque Pepin made a terrific Tuna Nicoise Salad; featuring fresh grilled tuna or tuna packed in olive oil, boiled potatoes, string beans, boiled eggs, tomatoes, Boston lettuce, capers, and anchovy. The salad looked so good I decided to have a go at making the dish for a late lunch this weekend. And while I didn't have fresh Tuna laying around the house I always keep 3-4 cans of tuna packed in olive oil in our pantry (here's my list of Italian products to keep in your pantry at all times) so one ingredient was present! Our fridge also included some green beans, fresh farm eggs, olives, a red onion, and, yes, some chick pea soup! The chick pea soup was used to make a rustic hummus with lots of lemon juice, some tahini paste, and plenty of salt and pepper (I used a morter and pestle as opposed to the Cuisinart, which I didn't want to clean). Here's my classic hummus recipe. The green beans were quickly steamed and then moved to a bowl of ice water to preserve the color and stop the cooking process. Thereafter, I tossed the beans with a simple lemon juice/Dijon vinaigrette (see my recipe here). The hard boiled eggs were made via the Bittman way, including placing the eggs in a pot with water and letting them come to a boil (and thereafter turning off the gas and letting the eggs sit for 9 minutes). Finally, I included some green olives flavored with fennel.

We enjoyed the salad with a fresh baguette and a bottle of $9.99 Torre Dei Gesuiti from Puglia (basically Italian Zinfandel) purchased at Total Wine (a chain wine shop with some decent inventory). There's no proper way to assemble the salad, just make sure all items are seasoned well (kosher salt, black pepper, and dried oregano) .

Creminelli Salami Holiday Give Away Contest

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By Vincent Scordo on December 15, 2009 | 38 Comments | 1 TrackBack

(photo: Creminelli owner Cristiano with his artisan salami)

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of tasting and reviewing a wide variety of Creminelli salami, including Cacciatore, Sopressata, and Piccante and the salami was some of the best I've tasted (and I've consumed a ton of both US and Italian salami). In fact, I was so excited about the Creminelli salami I asked both the company President Chris and head salami maker and owner Cristiano if we could somehow let folks taste artisan salami at its finest. What we all came up with is a Salami Holiday Giveaway!

Here are the details:

(photo: Creminelli salami developing it's unique flavor)

- Prize Giveaway includes a sampling of Creminelli's finest salami, including: 1 piece of White Truffle Salami, 1 piece of Wild Boar Salami, 2 pieces of Salami Barolo, and 2 pieces of Salami Piccante (note by pieces these are whole salami!!)

- What you need to do to enter: 1. leave a comment under this post on your favorite Italian salami or how you like to consume salami (for example, in a sandwich, with wine, with cheese, by itself, etc. and 2. sign up for Creminelli's fan page on Facebook here.

- Only one entry per person please.

- The contest is open until 12 midnight on 12/19 and a single random user will be picked (sorry contest only open to folks from the US given shipping logistics). The winner will be announced immediately on Twitter (so please follow me) and on Scordo.com on Sunday 5PM EST, 12/20.

- Please use a valid email address when leaving a comment so I can contact you just in case you're the lucky winner.

- Creminelli will send out the salami package on 12/21 via 2nd day air so you can enjoy the product during the holiday season / Christmas!

Just think how impressed your family and friends will be if you come out with a dish of expertly crafted, artisan, salami during one of your holiday parties!

Good luck and spread the word! Read more about the products in the Creminelli contest here!

Update: The lucky winner (picked via Random.org) is Luanda! Congratulations and thanks to everyone for participating.

Monday Night Fried Fish Fest: Whole Sardines, Smelts, and Wild Dandeloins

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By Vincent Scordo on December 14, 2009 | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

(Photo: Tommaso staring down a fried sardine: this is one metaphysical moment)

A simple rule for buying fish goes as follows: buy what's fresh, as opposed to what you want. The idea may sound counterintuitive but freshness is king when it comes to seafood. I'm mentioning the whole buying fresh seafood concept today because I headed to my favorite fish shop thinking salmon for dinner and I came home with whole sardines and smelt. I've become friendly with my local fish monger and given that he 1. told me about the fresh sardines and smelt that just came in and 2. that the wild salmon wasn't looking superb I opted for the fish monger's suggestion as opposed to the salmon I was craving.

(photo: closeup of a close friend: Sardine Scordo - notice his great eyes and skin))

(photo: beheaded smelts waiting for flour and the frying pan, notice the beautiful skin)

I grew up with smelts as they are a favorite amongst Calabrians especially during the winter months and, at times, during the traditional Christmas Eve fish fest. Smelts are small, fresh water (native to New England as well!), fish and are best prepared whole and fried with a light coating of flour (I like mine with lots of kosher salt and a splash of red wine vinegar). While smelts were common during my childhood, we consumed sardines mostly via the salt or oil packed variety. And I do love canned sardines, but the fresh variety (again, lightly floured and fried) is fish nirvana! Fresh sardines have an oily and firm texture and are high in omega acids. Fresh sardines do contain many small bones, but part of the eating fun is using your hands and finding nuggets of steaming white meat and crispy skin!

(photo: sardine nirvana)

(photo: post fry sardines. notice the very light flour coating, you're not making Kentucky Fried Chicken here)

(photo: post fry smelts, salted heavily with kosher salt)

(photo: our simple dinner table)

Our sardine and smelts dinner included wild dandelions and brown jasmine rice. The dandelions were sautéed with garlic, olive oil, and some red pepper flakes. The brown rice was tossed with olive oil and lots of fresh ground pepper. We had a bottle of Altos de Luzon 2003 Jumilla (a Spanish wine consisting of 50% Monastrell, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Tempranillo). Admittedly, I thought the wine wouldn't pair well with fish, wild greens, and nutty brown rice, but I was shocked at how well it tasted with our meal. Proving again that consuming wine is about drinking what you like (or at least what your mouth tells you it likes with the food you are consuming).

Handmade Salami Review: Creminelli and Columbus Artisan

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By Vincent Scordo on December 3, 2009 | 0 Comments | 2 TrackBacks

(photo: notice the natural mold on the exterior of the Creminelli product; this mold imparts lots of taste on meat and also prevents it from drying out, along with the casing)

There are certain items or products that are immediately associated with a given country, for example: ice hockey and Canada, beer and Germany, haute cuisine and France, hot dogs and the USA, and vodka and Russia. As a first generation Italian-American kid growing up in New Jersey, I secretly associated Italy with just one magical product, and it wasn't Ferrari or Soccer (calcio), but rather salami! Yes, salami (or salumi, as the Italians would say), that seductive product comprised of salty / cured / spiced perfection!

(photo: I sliced up four different types of Columbus Artisan product for a Thanksgiving appetizer)

My love of salami started as a young child during summer vacations in Southern Italy, as I described in my recent Guide to Italian Cured Meats and I thought it was a short lived love affair until I rediscovered that there are, indeed, high quality salumi that are being hand crafted and sold in the US (one doesn't need to hop on an Alitalia flight to Rome to find pork perfection).

With the above said, I recently had the pleasure of sampling eight distinct salumi from two US producers: Creminelli Fine Meats of Springville, Utah and Columbus Artisan Collection from San Francisco, CA. On the Creminelli side, I sampled Cacciatore, Sopressata, Piccante and on the Columbus Artisan Collection I tried Cacciatore, Finocchiona, Crespone, Salami Secchi, and Sopressata. Not only did I try the salumi but all of the varieties were tasted by immediate family including many salumi dignitaries who have produced and sampled hundreds of products both in Italy and the US. Some of the comments I heard at the gathering included:

"Is this from Italy?"

"Wow, what great flavor and texture!"

"Vinny, did you fly to Italy this weekend, where did you get this?!"

What follows, then, is an entirely subjective review of the aforementioned salumi (which were enjoyed with simple bread from Angelo's in Jersey City, NJ, homemade wine, and a variety of cheeses). Let's start with the Creminelli products:

(photo: I think the packaging on the Creminelli product is top notch!)

I'll begin by saying that the Creminelli packaging is top notch. Each individual sausage is hand wraped in fine butcher paper and held together by an elegant sticker with the Criminelli logo, name of the product, and ingredients. The passionate owner Christiano Creminelli understands that along with a great tasting product, a customer starts his or her food "user experience" with their eyes and hands. Christiano uses no sodium nitrates in his products and his salumi recipes originated in Italy and are now being duplicated, by hand, in the US (Christiano is a Maestro of Salumi!). The Creminelli products I sampled were naturally molded salumi and were soft to the touch out of the packaging. I would have preferred to have had the salami age for 1-2 months in my cellar before sampling the product so that more complex flavor could develop, but I couldn't wait (I tried the product after having the product sit in fridge for 4 days)!

(photo: Creminelli exterior)

(photo: starting from upper right clockwise: Creminelli Piccante, Sopressata, and Cacciatore)

Creminelli Sopressata
Sopressata is traditionally made with wine and garlic and Creminelli's sopressata was no different, yet the wine and garlic flavor was muted letting the intensity and quality of the pork come through. The meat to fat ratio was also ideal, which is tough to get right in Sopressata. I would have preffered a bit more garlic flavor in the Sopressata and little bit less upfront salt but overall it is a fine salumi. Creminelli Sopressata would work well in a sandwhich combined with other ingredients.

(Photo: Creminelli product)

Creminelli Picante
My favorite of the bunch and not overly spiced with red pepper. The salt content was perfect in the Picante and the combination of high quality pork with mild heat made me quite happy. The color of the Picante was also well done, it's not the typical fiery red color you see in most spiced salami.

(photo: Columbus Artisan Cacciatore)

Creminelli Cacciatore
The first thing that jumped out was the subtle juniper berry flavor in the Cacciatore! Moreover, the consistency and texture was typical old world, as was the physical size of the sausage itself (very small; afterall, tradition has it that hunter's stored the salami in their coats and when they got hungry in the forest they simply cut a few pieces and had a quick bite). Next to the Piccante, I really enjoyed the Cacciatore. There were some bitter components (at the very end) that may have been coming out of homemade wine I was having when sampling the salami, but overall you could tell that high quality ingredients were used in production. Finally, this salami also had a wonderful scent! This is a great all around salami to keep in the house for a quick meal on the weekend or for impromptu quests.

As I said above, I would have liked to have tried the Creminelli salumi after the aging process has a bit more time to do it's thing and, in fact, I do have a few samples aging in my cellar and I'm excited to retry the product in a month or so (stay tuned for an update here).

(photo: The Columbus Artisan collection is top notch and miles ahead of the standard fair salumi, the taste, texture, and ingredients are all old world and fabulous)

Next I moved on to the Columbus Artisan Collection salami which are produced in San Francisco and differ, to a large extent, from the mass production line of cured meats from the same company. Columbus does use sodium nitrates in their products and the salami did arrive pre-aged and hard to the touch. Like Creminelli, Columbus Artisan has a natural mold skin with all natural imported casings.

(photo: Columbus Artisan Finocchiona, my favorite amongst both the Creminelli and Columbus products)

Columbus Artisan Finocchiona
Let me qualify the following sentence first by saying that fennel seed was one of the key ingredients in my grandfather's salumi making arsenal and, as a result, I've been pre-programmed to respond positively to fennel flavor. And there's tons of authentic fennel seed flavor in the Finocchiona, in fact it was my favorite salumi out of the 9 products sampled. The Finocchiona had great texture, rich and flavorful pork, and the perfect balance of salt and bitter that is needed in any artisan salami.

(Photo: Along with the Creminelli cacciatore, the Columbus Artisan Salame Secchi would be an excellent overall choice for pre-dinner appetizers, small parties, and to enjoy with a glass of wine and good bread)

Columbus Salami Secchi
Columbus claims this is their oldest recipe and product and it shows. The Salami Secchi (meaning very dry) is the most subtle of the Columbus salami's I tried and I love the ratio of fat to pork. The salt and spice seasoning was also idle. This type of Salami is a good all round choice for keeping in the house at all times, while the Finocchiona, for example, would be something that you would consume a little less frequently (just because of the intensity of the fennel seed).

(photo: Columbus Artisan Cacciatore)

Columbus Cacciatore
My first thought when trying this cacciatore was, wow, this is kind of sweet tasting with lots of deep flavor. It was difficult to pick a winner between the Columbus and Cremenilli cacciatore, but Columbus had an advantage because the product seemed to have been pre-aged and, of course, the sodium nitrates help quicken the hardening process in the refrigerator. I think with more aging time, the Cremenilli would come out on top because of better ingredients (stay tuned!).

Columbus Crespone and Columbus Sopressata

Similar to the Finocchiona but without the fennel seed Crespone is a very rustic interpretation of salami (I should also say that Crespone and Finocchiona are also slightly larger in size than the rest of the salamis sampled). I found the Crespone, similar to a sopressata, to have a bit more fat composition than I ordinarily like but I did appreciate the simplicity and adaptability of the product (it went well with basic bread and cheese). A bit more course in texture than the Cremenilli sopressata, Columbus Sopressata was also a good basic salami but I would have liked a little bit more flavor profile. The sopressata was my least favorite of the Columbus salamis, but still light years ahead of any mass produced salami in the US market.

(Photo: Columbus Artisan Crespone, Sopressata, Cacciatore, and Salame Secchi, from left to right)

Where to Buy

- You can buy Creminelli products at retail or online at Creminelli.com

- You can buy Columbus products online or at your local retailer.

One observation that many of my family members made about both artisan salamis was the price! At between $25 - $30 per pound for the Creminelli product and between $11 - $15 for the Columbus Artisan, the salamis aren't cheap and are on par with a product like Prosciutto di Parma (which is one of the few Italian cured pork product allowed to be imported into the US). Charging the same amount of money (or more) for a US salumi product is a big risk for hardcore Europeans customers who are particular about value.

Before and After Drinks, Italian Style: Amari Review

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By Vincent Scordo on November 24, 2009 | 5 Comments | 2 TrackBacks

Do you do bitter? No, no I'm not asking you if you like to complain or wake up each morning looking for a fight with the world (or worse your spouse)! What I'm asking is if you've ever had the pleasure of experiencing what the Italians refer to as Amari? Amari are traditional digestivos or spirits (read post dinner drinks or liquids that will help you digest your massive meal). Amari are made by distilling a wide variety of herbs and spices - no one Amari shares the same makeup or ingredients. For example, Amaro Averna from Sicily is comprised of citrus, herbs, roots, and caramel and Fernet-Branca includes aloe, gentian roots, rhubarb, galangal, red bark, etc. (Fernet-Branca keeps most of the ingredients a secret).

Generally speaking, and as Eric Asimov explains in a recent "The Pour" article, bitter drinks aren't exactly the rage in the US and, moreover, Americans haven't yet reached the ephemeral state of post digestive bliss. That is to say, Mr. Smith could care less about how his stomach is doing after a large meal, conversely, in Italy, the digestive system is taken more seriously than Catholicism, hence the fascination with post dinner Amari designed to soothe both the stomach and the soul (don't worry I'm not a Cartesian). Also related to post meal digestion, the Italian tradition of fruit after lunch and dinner is also meant to cleanse the palate and help the stomach do it's thing.

I grew up with a few basic Amari including Campari (which is made from cascarilla bark and the insect Dactylopius coccus which gives the liquor it's distinctive red color) and Vecchio Amaro del Capo (an herbal and minty amaro made in Calabria). My parents served Amari before and after lunch or dinner. In terms of consuming fruit after a meal, it was a given that we had a virtually fruit stand at our dinner table every night, including two types of pears, a couple of varieties of apples, oranges, cactus pears, grapes, peaches, plums, etc. (all according to the correct season). I still consume tons of fruit after dinner, but I can't peel a pear like my father or grandfather.

The following is a wholly non comprehensive list of Italian Amari (thanks to both Asimov <NY Times> and Weber <San Francisco Chronicle> for doing all the heavy lifting; let's start with Weber's list (quotes are straight from his wonderful article, That's amari: Italy's traditional bitter liqueurs find new life with American consumers):

Amaro Nonino (about $42). "A lighter style of amaro made in Friuli at the Nonino distillery. Its flavors are warm, with a gentle spiciness and smooth texture. The spice character lingers on the finish, proof that Nonino is one of the more elegant amari on the market. Contains a portion of ÙE Grape Distillate, a proprietary aquavit aged in small barriques of nevers, limousin and sherry woods, plus an infusion of herbs. It is best enjoyed as a digestivo or as an aperitivo with ice and orange peel."

Amaro Averna (about $35). "A sophisticated and complex amaro that hails from Sicily. The addition of blood orange and lemon peels to the aromatic herbs used to make this amaro adds a bright and refreshing character. Averna is widely considered to be one of the most versatile Italian amari."

Vecchio Amaro del Capo. An herbal and minty amaro made in Calabria, my parents place of birth. Capo is excellent when served on the rocks or ice cold from the freezer.

Cynar (about $22). "The earthy flavors in this herbal amaro are enhanced by the flavors of the artichokes used in its production. Cynar also has a relatively low alcohol level (16.5 percent), making it a popular amaro for cocktails, as well as a style of amaro that's enjoyable as an aperitivo."

Fernet-Branca (about $30). "A pungent and black drink made in Milan and considered by many to be the benchmark Italian amaro. Flavors of anise and saffron add complexity to this forceful drink."

Santa Maria al Monte ($38). "This shows an engaging herbal complexity that recalls fresh basil and spearmint. Its strength and power are similar to Fernet-Branca, while the vibrant finish feels spicy and rich." From the Valle d'Aosta, Santa Maria al Monte is a digestivo that uses bitter orange peel and ginseng among other flavoring agents. Menthol presence is heavy.

Ramazzotti ($24). "One of the more popular Italian amaro brands, Ramazzotti is made in Milan. The balance between bitter and sweet in this aromatic amaro feels almost seamless, while the snappy flavor of fresh ginger lingers on the finish."

Other brands mentioned in Asimov's article:

Campari (about $26). Originally produced in 1860 by Gaspare Campari in Milan. As stated above, Campari is made from cascarilla bark and the insect Dactylopius coccus which gives the liquor it's distinctive red color (note: as of 2006 insects are no longer used to give Campari it's red color; a red dye is now used). I like Campari via the Negroni, Americano, or with grapefruit juice and a splash of red vermouth)

Girolamo Luxardo of Veneto. A pleasant aperitif liqueur obtained by the infusion of several herbs and fruits such as: sweet oranges, bitter oranges, rhubarb, mint, marjoram and thyme.

Branca Menta (about $27.50). As one online reviewer put it, "Deep chestnut, mahogany. High toned, mineral, alpine herbed, licorice aromatics. Rich texture. Wild, intensely concentrated palate - like liquid Ricola. Very fresh, minty and clean with a powerful infusion of spice. For all its presence, it retains nice balance. Use this in winter - should cure anything."

Inga Mio. More info to follow.

Chinati. Made from wine with the addition of herbs

How To Find, Cook, and Identify Wild Mushrooms

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By Vincent Scordo on October 22, 2009 | 3 Comments | 1 TrackBack

(Photo: wild picked Chanterelle mushrooms from New Jersey)

As I've suggested in a recent post, I'm a dyed in the wool country man, but I live a few minutes outside of the largest city in the US! You must be thinking: how paradoxical that this guy loves nature yet lives so close to a major urban area? Well the truth of the matter is I value the rural life in small doses at this stage of my life (given the associations I make with urban/suburban living: family, friends, work, activities, food, etc.). I am convinced, however, that at some point in my life I'd like to make a go at living the rural life. Sure, my thoughts of life in the country are more romantic than pragmatic, but there are certain country activities that I sometimes crave like raising animals, tending a large scale garden, building a barn, listening to silence, feeling isolated, walking in the woods, etc.

(Photo: mushroom prep: first cutting into larger chunks)

The walking in the woods part got me thinking about an activity that I watched my grandfathers and father (along with his friends) take part in each and every Fall; that is, foraging for wild mushrooms. My grandfather foraged in the forests of Calabria, while my father and his buddies strolled through the Palisades in northern New Jersey to find edible mushrooms for pickling and frying (the preferred methods of consumption amongst the people of Pellegrina).

Foraging for wild mushrooms can be a dangerous proposition and, like learning a trade, it takes years to get it right and the help of an experienced technician is mandatory. You can find wild mushrooms in large cities next to shade trees, suburban lawns, and the remote woods. The best season to look for wild mushrooms is in the Fall and preferably a day or two after a large rainfall. Identifying edible wild mushrooms can be tricky and that's why you should forage only with an experienced picker (they don't have to have Mediterranean blood, however!).

Many non poisonous mushroom varieties are easy to identify, such as Morel, Chanterelle, Oyster, Puffballs, and Coral Fungus (click here for some pics). You should assume that other varieties are poisonous as your safest bet is to stick with the type you've confirmed are edible and look for new types only with an expert. My father, for example, is an expert only in the wild mushrooms that he's consumed and identified here in the US and in Italy (that is to say, he sticks to looking for 2-3 basic varieties of wild mushrooms).

Picking mushrooms is fairly easy, but you'll want to bring along a good quality knife to remove and clean the 'shrooms. You'll also want to bring along a few plastic bags to store the items along with a backpack if you're taking a day hike.

(Photo: mushroom prep: cutting into finer pieces)

Cleaning wild mushrooms is straightforward but you'll want to keep the following tips in mind:

1. Use a clean rag or small brush to remove all the dirt.

2. Look for bugs and other creatures before bringing any mushrooms into your home.

3. Mushrooms can spoil quickly so after cleaning the items store them in your refrigerator until you're ready to prepare your newfound delicacies.

Cooking your mushrooms is where the fun begins! Like any store bought mushroom, wild mushrooms can be prepared in many different ways, including fried, baked, boiled/pickled, in pasta and risotto, etc. Personally, I'm a sucker for pan fried mushrooms with lots of garlic and parsley. My mother pickles a few different varieties of wild mushrooms (especially the varieties that contain lots of water). If the family happens to find wild porcini they are excellent with penne and a quick pan tomato sauce.

My advice on how to start finding wild mushrooms: ask around and see if you have any old world Europeans living in your neighborhood, my hunch is that they have a secret mushroom foraging fetish. So, be nice to your German or Italian neighbor (maybe buy him a bottle of wine) and he'll take you mushroom picking in the Fall (I swear you'll be hooked!).

Here are some other excellent resources:

Wildman Steve Brill

North American Mycological Association
NJ North American Mycological Association

Mushrooms Demystified, David Arora

Guide to Cured Italian Meats: Salumi

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By Vincent Scordo on October 20, 2009 | 4 Comments | 1 TrackBack

(Photo: Nonno's pigs on his working farm in Calabria)

If you're looking for my Creminelli and Columbus Artisan Salami review click here!

One of the highlights of my summer trips to Calabria as a small child included spending time on my grandfather's working farm. Nonno Vincenzo's farm was a 10 minute drive north of the small village of Pellegrina on Via Nazionale. Nonno would wake me up early in the morning and we'd jump into his white Fiat 500; while sitting in the passenger seat I anticipated a ride on his red tractor, visiting with the many roaming goats, and running through the olive tree orchards. However, I was secretly looking forward to one thing above all else: lunch!

Lunch included the typical pasta starter, green, roasted meat, and tons of figs, peaches, wild berries, and cactus pears, but it was the cured meats that we ate before lunch that I enjoyed most. You see, Nonno was an expert salumi maker and he kept his best products hidden the entire year for his American grandkids to enjoy (at least that's what he told me though my Italian cousins Vice, Maria, Vincenzo, and Giuseppe all had that "salumi glow" about them!).

Nonno produced wonderful cacciatore, capocollo, salt pork, and Soppressata. The cured meats represented the ideal combination of salt, red pepper, herbs, wine, and intoxicating flavor and I often filled up on the meat and homemade bread and had no use for lunch. Salumi antipasto equaled lunch for me and a bit of frustration for my grandmother who didn't appreciate the fact that nonno tempted his grandson with some "vile" salted pork!

My love of cured meats continues to this day, but nonno has stopped running his farm and there are no pigs left to make capicollo, so we're left to buying our cured meats from a salumeria (an insult and something that is looked down upon if you're used to producing your own meats; Rhulman makes his own cured meats and has a wonderful book called Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing). It's even harder to find good cured meats in the US, but the situation is changing with many local, artisan, salami makers sprouting up in places like California (see my recommended online shops below). It's also technically illegal to import Italian cured meats into the US, so outside of Prosciutto di Parma (which is allowed) finding good Italian cured meats can be a challenge outside of large, ethnic, cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, etc.

What follows are my personal favorites in terms of salumi and a small description of how to consume and enjoy the cured meats. Look for a more detailed review on specific salumi makers in US in next couple of months.

Capicola or Capocollo

My all time favorite cured meat and apparently Tony Soprano enjoyed it as well (though his pronunciation of the delicacy wasn't exactly grammatically correct). Capo means head in Italian and the capicola is made from the neck or shoulder of a pig. Capicola has a tender texture and usually smoked and prepared with a variety of spices, herbs, and sometimes wine. I enjoy capicola in a sandwich made from fresh baguette. I usually don't include any condiment or cheese as I don't want to mess with the flavor of the meat.

Cacciatore

Literally means hunter and the folklore states that hunters used to carry this small salami in their pack and eat several pieces for sustenance during the hunt. Cacciatore is usually 6-7 inches in length and cured with the usual spices, wine, and herbs. Cacciatore tends to be a bit tougher than Capicola or Prosciutto. I love cacciatore with sharp Provolone and good bread. You could use the meat for a sandwich but the small pieces aren't ideal.

Soppressata

Like cacciatore, Soppressota is made from pressed pork belly, tongue, stomach and other parts of the pig. Again, spices and herbs vary by region and preference. Soppressota can be spicy and is an excellent meat for sandwiches. If you want to try and make your own see Michael Rhulman's recipe on his exceptional food blog. Soppressata is less chewy and compacted than cacciatore and has the consistency of sausage. Generally speaking it's important to note that most salumi are either categorized into products made from ground pig parts or from whole sections of the pig (for example, sopresseta versus prosciutto).

Salt Pork

Most salumi affeciondads have a love hate relationship with salt pork; I happen to love this fatty, bacon like, salumi but it tends to be very salty. Moreover, I don't particularly like cooking with salt pork, thought most folks use it as a fat for sautéing. I enjoy salt pork cut very thin with chunks of parmiggiano reggiano and a glass of homemade wine (I think the juxtaposition of the complex and creamy parmiggiano goes will with the simple, salty, and earthy flavors of homemade wine and salt pork). Salt pork is made from the pig's belly and is not smoked.

Pancetta

As you probably guessed, Pancetta is another salt cured and spiced salumi. Most folks know pancetta and fry it to use in varied dishes. Pancetta when done is small batches is usually produced in a flat manner with the fat located on one side (unlike the rolled kind you will find in most shops in US). I've had both varities and it's not one of my favorites. See Rhulman's recipe if you want to try and make pancetta at home:

Speck

Speck is a type of Prosciutto made with the hind leg of a pig, however the bone is usually removed with this kind of salumi. Speck is usually cut thin and served with bread. The flavor is robust and the texture a bit chewy. Speck is also a smoked product. I'm not a big consumer of this cured meat, but it is tasty.

Culatello

Culatello is a special type of Prosciutto made via larger pigs. Culatello is a prized cured meat and extremely flavorful. Here's a nice write up on Culatello as I don't have too much experience with the product (it's a bit expensive).

Also, see La Cucina Italiana's salumi FAQ as well as their Oct, 2009 article on artisinal salumi makers in the US.

Finally, here's a list of where to purchase artisanal meats online (also, if you're looking to buy me a Christmas present a couple of pounds of soppressata would do nicely!):

Creminelli

Columbus Salame

Salumi Cured Meats

Knight Salumi Company

Fra'Mani Handcrafted Salami

More Essential Kitchen Tools

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By Vincent Scordo on September 29, 2009 | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Back in October of last year I wrote about essential kitchen tools and kitchen simplicity. The article attracted a few comments from readers stating that my list was too extreme and left out some key tools and items. So, I've decided to take another look around my kitchen and update my essential kitchen tool list (sorry still no pizza stone):

1. CuisinArt Food Processor and Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

OK, I'm going to start off by saying that both my grandmother and mother never used or owned the above tools and they both made/make fantastic food. In fact, I remember trying to convince my grandmother to let us buy her a large stand mixer so that her weekly bread making would be a little easier for her (she of course said no).

I use our CuisinArt Food Processor for making hummus, slicing onions for French Onion soup, and, when I'm lazy, pesto. Our Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer is used for pizza dough, bread, and countless cakes. Both products are very well built and should last a lifetime.

2. Krups Hot Water Kettle

Boiling water takes time, not a whole lot of time, but just enough minutes to annoy me at certain key moments (for example, waiting for boiling water in the early morning for your French Press Pot). We picked up a Krups electric kettle two years ago and it's been a terrific, time saving, device. We use our kettle for tea, coffee, pasta water, etc. Plus, it actually saves energy when you consider that the device boils water faster than our fancy Wolf, 18,000 BTU, gas stove.

3. Microplane Grater

For citrus zest and emergency cheese grater.

4. Kitchen Shears

For emergency tasks, quick herb mincing, etc.

5. Large Grater

For the best way to grate most soft cheeses.

6. Serrated Bread Knife

The best knife to cut fresh bread.

7. Locking Tongs

Tongs are essential and most are made in an inferior manner. Buy two , well made, products (one with metal pincers and one with rubber) - All-Clad makes a pricey, but well built, all metal version.

8. Vegetable Peeler

Pepin used a paring knife, for everyone else get a vegetable peeler.

9. Instant Read Thermometer

You'll throw this out after becoming a competent cook, but you should have one in your kitchen for the early years.

10. Peppermill

You'll use this every day and there' a big difference with freshly ground pepper (same difference with freshly ground coffee). I own a French made, Prefex, that's compact and very functional.

11. Salad spinner

If you eat tons of greens then you need to dry most of them before cooking or consuming, the salad spinner is a revolutionary product and you should have one.

12. Colanders

You should have about three of these for draining pasta, cleaning vegetables, etc.

13. Toaster Oven

This will cause some debate, but I could not live without our small toaster oven. I used out tiny DeLonghi toaster oven to broil thin white flesh fish and salmon, heat up pizza, toast bread, etc. The device cooks food in no time and unlike a microwave it perfectly toasts and browns food for tremendous flavor. The device also does not use as much energy as our larger Wolf or Cadco ovens.

A Guide to Dry Pasta

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By Vincent Scordo on September 22, 2009 | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBack

I love pasta; in fact, I'd venture to say it is a glorious food product! And it doesn't really matter how it's prepared (condiment or sauce-wise, that is); I'll eat penne rigate with good olive oil (recipe) and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Bucatini with a fresh, tomato, pan sauce (recipe), or linguine fine with a homemade pesto sauce (recipe). The condiment for any pasta is important, but what's key is that the pasta is not over or under cooked and that the water used to boil the pasta is both salted and abundant (don't crowd your pasta during the cooking process).

You'll also hear the word al dente thrown around a lot but it's the food equivalent of drinking only Bordeaux; that is to say, you can cook pasta al dente most of the time (and be happy), but all pasta does not need to be cooked, "to the tooth" at all times (large rigatoni is a good example).

Moreover, dry pasta is not inferior to fresh pasta and, in fact, the very best dry pastas are superior to average, fresh made, pasta. I always aim to keep, at the least, 5 varieties of dry pasta in my pantry, including:

1. Linguine Fine

The pasta cooks very fast and is great for loose sauces like tomato or cream based sauces, like the ubiquitous Alfredo. I also use linguine fine when I cook up a batch of super simple Aglio e Oli pasta.

2. Angel Hair or Capellini

The fastest cooking dry pasta on the market. You need an abundant condiment for this type of pasta or you'll get lumpy bundles of thin pasta. My mom used to make angel hair for me during the school year (with plenty of tomato sauce and freshly grated cheese); in fact, every time I have Angel Hair I'm brought back to lunch time during my elementary school years.

3. Penne Rigate

Another pasta staple that goes well with pesto or baked in the oven with fresh mozzarella, ricotta and a bit of tomato sauce.

4. Large Rigatoni

Ah, this was the go to pasta for Nonna Rosa. Nonna Rosa preferred the large type rigatoni and she would often serve the pasta with a ton of olive oil (mixed with a bit of corn oil because she liked to save money) and freshly grated Pecorino Romano. Large rigatoni is also the base for my white wine dark turkey meat Bolognese sauce (pictured above).

5. Bucatini

This is a thick spaghetti with a hole in the middle. Bucatini is a hardy pasta that, because of the hole at the center of the pasta, takes any sauce surprisingly well. I like bucatini with anchovy, hot peppers flake, garlic, freshly chopped parsley, and olive oil.

Pasta is a wonderful food ingredient. It gets a bum wrap in the US because most Americans tend to have pasta as a main dish when having dinner (this will lead to you getting fat!). Pasta, if proportioned correctly, can be used to start a meal 2-3 times a week (as they do in Italy on most nights). The correct portion is about two ounces. And if the condiment or sauce is made well (and used sparingly) you will feel very satisfied (the problem occurs when there's no taste in your sauce and you look for additional pasta to make up for the lack of taste). Good pasta also needs two key ingredients to thrive: olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Moreover, don't forget to save some of the golden water used to cook your pasta (you may want to add a little bit with your condiment/sauce when mixing it with pasta) and always bring your pasta to your pan containing your condiment/sauce (never the other way around).

Finally, you may want to know which dry pasta brand is best. In terms of large, well known, and readily available brands I like De Cecco. I also think Colavita makes a good dry pasta. I used to consume Barilla but I think their quality has suffered a bit in the last ten years or so (I'm not sure what it is but De Cecco pasta tends to have more flavor and a better consistency). There are also tons of small production type dry pastas from Italy (such as Rustichella), but you really just need to try them and stick with what you like (many are also outrageously priced and, in my view, not worth the extra money).

8 Simple Food and Kitchen Tips

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By Vincent Scordo on September 17, 2009 | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Cooking at home isn't rocket science and like most things in life it just takes a little bit of practice to get right (and of course a few good tips). Here are eight essential food and kitchen tips so that you can become a good home cook (be careful what you call yourself or some foodies will get upset, just kidding Michael Ruhlman!) :

1. Buy high quality, fresh food. Good ingredients need very little in the way of jazzing up. For example, a piece of, just caught, fish requires a bit of salt and a few minutes in the broiler. Home made pasta requires a bit of olive oil and some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. In general, buying high quality ingredients will take the stress out of making food taste good and also reduce the amount of prep time for most foods (don't listen to the personal finance types who advocate eating whatever is on sale at the local mega-market).

2. Condition yourself to cook at home. It takes a bit of time before a home cook can become efficient in his or her kitchen. For folks who haven't spent much time cooking at home, the first couple of months may include long prep times, starting over with some dishes, and what seems like forever cleaning up, but it does get easier over time.

3. Invest in good equipment. You don't need too many gadgets, but what you do buy should be high quality. Here's my list.

4. Write down dishes that you enjoy and are good at preparing. Cooking at home doesn't mean making elaborate dishes every night; in fact, if you have a real life you'll end up making the same core dishes over and over again. In turn, documenting the dishes that work for you will take the stress out of deciding what to cook each night. This is a fine philosophy especial for the Monday - Thursday time period; experiment with exotic recipes during the weekend.

5. Become a wine expert. Wine was designed to be consumed with food; this is a fact and the more you know about wine the more you'll enjoy eating and cooking at home. There are plenty of great wine resources on the web (I like Robert Parker, but there are resources including the media crazed Gary Vaynerchuk at WineLibrary, but be careful with the latter resource as Gary both rates and sells wine. UPDATE: just got some clarification on this from Gary V. and it looks like the operation is legitimately concerned about honest reviews and selling inventory is a secondary concern). I always advise folks to get to know a few local wine merchants (there's no substitute for someone understanding what you like and making personal recommendations; plus the same person will probably give you a discount over time). Yes, the merchant wants to sell wine, but a good merchant favors the relationship over the dollar.

6. Burn your take out menus. If there's no option to order in or go out for dinner then you'll certainly begin cooking at home (you gotta eat, right?). Also, 99 percent (especially outside of the big cities) of what you get at restaurants and take out joints is pure junk.

7. Keep a pantry full of staple food items. A well stocked pantry means you'll most likely be able to whip up a fantastic meals in no time. Here's a list of good Italian pantry items and a list from Mark Bittman.

8. Keep fresh bread in the kitchen at all times. I always advise folks to purchase a baguette every other day and re-heat it for dinner or lunch once it gets stale. Don't consume bread with butter each night, but rather have a few pieces with good tuna in olive oil, homemade soup, or a lush tomato salad with plenty of olive oil and basil. Sandwiches are also great dinner items (especially with good ingredients!).

Movie Night At Home: Movie Recommendations, Dip Recipes, and Top Chips

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By Vincent Scordo on September 11, 2009 | 2 Comments | 1 TrackBack

The following is a re-post form February 2009 and I thought it was appropriate given the gloomy and cold weather here in the northen New Jersey area. The post includes two great dip recipes, my favorite potato and tortilla chip brands, and 23 movie recommendation by genere and actor.

The upcoming Oscars Award show always gets everyone in the movie-going spirit and why not it's fun to plan a night at your local theatre taking in a good movie followed by a late night meal and a glass of good Zindfandel! But wait, hold on, are you really going to spend $20+ dollars for tickets, $15+ dollars on snacks, and then $75-$100 dollars on dinner and a decent bottle of wine? The answer is an obvious no and not just in the current economy; I find many of our friends who consistently do dinner and a movie to be amongst the cash-strapped crowd. Don't get me wrong I love film, I just don't like spending my hard earned cash on overpriced tickets and snacks. What I do instead is plan movie night at home and head to my local library for DVDs. Yes, some local libraries lack a decent film collection, but our town library happens to have a nice assortment of films. I'm also an on and off subscriber to Netflix, but I never keep the service running for more than 4-6 months (I essentially exhaust the movies I really want to see and then cancel my, auto renew, subscription - Try This Tip!).

Either way you get your films, you'll need some snacks to go with your movies! Here's a list of some of my favorite chips and dips, as well as a list of some great movies by category!

Potato Chips

There's something about thinly friend potatoes with copious amounts of salt that gets me excited! Potato chips are one of my all time favorite foods and please don't let my mother find out. I can enjoy potato chips during a late night rummage through the pantry or, in this case, with a good movie. My all time favorite potato chips include:

1. Cape Cod Potato Chips (Classic and Salt & Vinegar are my favorite)

2. Kettle Chips (any flavor, they're all great!)

3. Lay's Classic Potato Chips

4. Terra Chips (Original)

Tortilla Chips

Corn chips exploded into the US marketplace in the early to mid nineties and they've become a staple (any one know why?) of informal get togethers and parties. There are many tasteless, and overly salted, products on market, such as Tostitos, Santitas White Corn chips made by FritoLay, and TraderJoe's house brand. You can of course make your own Tortilla Chips, however there are also some good brands on the market and I prefer the following products:

1. Green Mountain (great combo of salt and corn taste)

2. Garden of Eatin Blue Chips

3. Doritos (yes, I like Doritos!)

Guacamole

Next to the egg, the avocado would be one of those food items I would want with me if I were stranded on a remote island (it has good fat content, nice texture, and pretty versatile).

Mix in fresh lime juice and cilantro and mashed avocado becomes an exquisite tortilla chip accompaniment; here's my recipe:

- 2 large, very ripe, Hass avocados

- 1 large lime (keep out of the fridge for a few hours and roll on cutting board before juicing)

- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (I know cilantro is a love/hate type of herb, but I happen to love the flavor)

- ¼ finely diced red onion

- ½ finely diced plum tomato

- Salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocados with a fork and add your lime juice (click here if you've never sliced an avocado before). Stir the two ingredients and the cilantro, onion, and tomato. Next, add salt and pepper to taste and give the mixture a final stir.

Sour Cream Dip

Potato chips, in my view, really don't need a dip, but that's not to say that I don't enjoy dipping my perfectly salted chips into a nice white mixture of sour cream! Here's my favorite recipe for Sour Cream and Onion Dip:

- 1 pt of sour cream

- 3-4 finely diced green onions

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 3-4 cloves of mashed caramelized or roasted garlic

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix very well.

Movies

A movie critic will tell you that one can, objectively, rate and talk about a given movie. In my view, however, deciding on whether a movie is good or bad can often be a very subjective experience and depdendent on how many other films one has watched, personal history, ethnicity, education, mood, etc. So, I recommend the following "movie night" movies based solely on the fact that I liked them all! Most of all, however, each one of the movies below (categorized by actor, genre, or style) made me feel as though I was totally submerged in the plot and the story the director wanted to convey.

1. Woody Allen

Match Point

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2. Bill Murray

Lost in Translation

The Royal Tenenbaums

3. Johnny Depp

Finding Neverland

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

4. Sean Penn

Mystic River

Carlito's Way

5. Foreign

The Son's Room

Y Tu Mama Tambien

La Strada

Respiro

6. Engrossing

The Shipping News

Pollock

Mulholland Drive

7. Classics

The 400 Blows

Odd Man Out

The Bicycle Thief

Sudden Fear

Notorious

8. Western

The Magnificent Seven

High Plains Drifter

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Recipe: Fava Bean Spread with Wild Flounder and Roasted Eggplant

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By Vincent Scordo on September 9, 2009 | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

The US Open is in full swing and I've been boring my wife and small, pre-linguistic, son with endless tennis viewing on ESPN and CBS (I've also been watching online at USOpen.org where pretty much every match is streamed live for free - this is why the web is awesome and nobody makes money!). As most folks know, Nadal and Federer are the superstars of the tennis world given their mesmerizing athletic ability, keen knack for developing points, and great shot making ability (this is fancy talk for the ability to hit a tennis ball very hard and keep it within the white lines!). While Nadal and Federer are the superstars of their sport I started thinking about who or what would be the equivalent of the superstars of the food world.

At first, I gravitated towards the mighty pig; the succulent and delicious beast that manifests itself like an extra large pink tootsie roll with four legs and a strange, non functional, tale. Thereafter, I thought of wheat flour - the all purpose ingredient that has birthed delicate pasta and noodles and crunchy bread and soft naan (a staple for folks living in India). However, my mind finally settled on two delectable beans that I've enjoyed since the age of five or so: lentil and fava (I swear I have a photo of my mother cramming homemade lentil soup down my throat in the attic). Lentils are full of protein and fiber and have a wonderfully complex taste (see my lentil soup recipe). Fava beans, one of the oldest cultivated plants on the planet, are buttery, satisfying, and have even been used as alternatives to such drugs as Viagra!

If I had to pit the fava bean versus the lentil I would have to choose the fava bean. Fava beans come across as having a richer flavor and seem to sustain me longer than the lentel (this is great if you want to feel full!). So, in honor of my love affair with the fava bean, and the clash of the tennis titans mentioned above, I've included a pureed fava bean recipe in my weekday recipe post below (click here for a cold fava bean sou p):

I went to the market yesterday and had no idea what to cook for dinner. As usual, I looked for what was fresh, well priced, and didn't require a ton of time to prepare. I settled on fresh wild flounder filet, fava beans, and baby eggplant grown in New Jersey.

I prepared the flounder filets with a breadcrumb topping consisting of homemade bread crumbs (1 cup), chopped parsley, dried oregano, kosher salt, pepper, and the zest of one lemon. For the flounder filets I simply rubbed olive oil on both sides and placed them on a cookie try with aluminum foil. Thereafter, I placed the breadcrumb mixture on top of the flounder filet and drizzled some additional olive oil on the mixture. I broiled the fish for about 5 minutes (on the high setting).

For the fava bean spread, I used a mortar and pestle to crush 10-15 large beans with half the juice of a small lemon, salt, pepper, finely diced basil, and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. I served the spread with baked whole wheat chips (these are easy to make).

I prepared the small eggplant by cutting it into small cubes and simply pan roasting with olive oil, salt, and pepper. The key to pan roasting eggplant is to season well with salt and let each side of the eggplant cubes sit in a hot pan for 4-5 minutes before turning. The salt will force the water out of the eggplant and allow for good caramelization to occur.

I served the dinner with homemade white zinfandel from 2008.

4 Key Personality Traits Needed For Success

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By Vincent Scordo on September 8, 2009 | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

As the peak summer growing season comes to an end, I took a trip to my parent's place to have a look at their urban garden in full bloom. My parents have grown ripe tomatoes, feathery zucchini flowers, sweet string beans, basil, parsley, figs (yes, in New Jersey!), blazingly hot cayenne peppers, mint, squash, and woodsy rosemary for as long as I can remember. Most of the vegetables are started from heirloom seeds and mom and dad spend a considerable amount of time watering, weeding, cutting, tilling, etc. the garden. Generally, my parents don't take on a project unless they can do it extremely well and their home garden is no exception.

The aforementioned garden inspired me to start my own small garden when we first purchased our home several years, but I quickly encountered two big problems: 1. lack of sun and 2. lack of time. I couldn't do much about the lack of sun in our backyard given several large trees (I like the shade) but I could motivate myself to work harder on the garden. So, I tried to weed and nurture our small suburban garden, but I just didn't have the passion and feel needed to make it flourish. So, now several years later we're left with a few patio planters (in terra cotta) filled with lush basil and parsley (hey, I can make plenty of pesto).

I bring up my own garden malfunction story to prove a point. Namely, even with a good background and the know-how to garden there were still a few key elements missing that prevented me from growing high quality vegetables and herbs. That is to say, there are basic intangibles that allow high achievers to win the US Open or climb the corporate to CEO, for example, or even complete a large home improvement project or start and maintain a thriving garden that I didn't possess when I started my garden.

Here are four intangible personality traits needed for general success in life (not necessarily to grow a great garden!):

1. Passion. You know what I'm talking about here; passion is the fuel that drives any big dream or desire to get stuff done. Passion pushes people to work countless hours on a crazy garage-bred idea or quite their job and move half way around the world to travel and explore the world.

2. Shortsightedness. Any time someone achieves something extraordinary something else in their life, inevitably, takes a back seat. If you're practicing to win the US Open, then it's going to be tough to maintain a romantic relationship, travel for pleasure, or read a few great novels (do you think Roger Federer is a well rounded person?). Anything worth achieving requires a ton of time and certain things will take a back seat in life when time is at a premium.

3. Stubbornness. My parents would never allow their garden to die or produce mediocre results. In many ways, my parent's greatest strength is their perseverance and willingness to push through life (even if the path is uphill and windy). This is a typical recent immigrant characteristic and tough to teach.

4. Feel. You can instruct someone to swing a tennis racquet, but you'll quickly get a sense if that person has a "feel" for the racquet and how to, generally, hit a tennis ball. You'll notice how their body moves and bends to greet the tennis ball and the explosion of arm and back muscles to propel the ball forward. You'll also notice how the person reacts after they hit the ball; namely, how they land ready to swing again and quickly sprint left or right to chase down the next spinning tennis ball. This, in a crudely described manner, is having feel. Apply the description to business, cooking, parenting, sport, etc., if you don't have it you'll probably never be able to excel, at the highest level, at a particular task or goal.

Recipe: Roasted Whole Chicken on the Barbeque

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By Vincent Scordo on September 1, 2009 | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

One of the earliest food memories I have is of Nonna Vincenzina slaughtering a young chicken on Via Nazionale in Calabria. Nonna simply walked into the chicken coup, grabbed one of my feathery friends, and snapped it's fragile hea d (the bird ran around for a few minutes and thereafter dropped to the dirt floor).

The image above was, at the time, traumatic, but like the similar pig and goat incident of my youth (same scenarios as above but it included a few of my brawny uncles and grandfather) it gave me an appreciation of where food comes from and the work involved to actually get it to the dinner table. So, no, I don't have an aversion to chicken and it's actually one of my favorite foods. More specifically, I'm obsessed with whole roasted chicken (Bell and Evans tastes great if you can't raise and slaughter your own in your backyard). My latest technique has been to remove the breast bone and backbone and butterfly a whole chicken (here's a good video and descriptio n on how to do this or you can ask your butcher to do it for you.) Because the whole bird becomes flat it's quite easy to grill, which I look to do on my trusty Weber One Touch grill (oh, before I forget, don't overspend on a fancy grill as it will not make your food taste better).

Here's the recipe for grilled, whole chicken on the barbeque starting with the ingredients:

- one 3.5 - 4 pound whole chicken

- zest of one lemon

- Salt and Pepper

- ¼ cup of olive oil

I don't like propane fueled grills, so I always use a chimney starter and wood charcoal briquettes. Under no circumstances should you use lighter fluid to start your fire (the smell is nasty so just imagine what's in the fluid itself and what will go into your body).

Rub the entire chicken with olive oil and thereafter add your lemon zest, kosher salt, and freshly ground coarse pepper (make sure to coat both sides of the chicken). Rub the ingredients into the chicken well and move to a large plate.

When I set up my grill fire I like to push the coals/embers to one side of the grill so I have an area for searing and an area for roasting that's not over direct heat.

I start by putting the chicken (skin side down) over the direct fire. I leave the chicken skin side down for about 2-3 minutes (you simply want to brown and crunch up the skin). Thereafter turn the chicken and let sit for another 2-3 minutes. Once you have good color on the bird move it to the area of the grill that is not over a direct flame and put the lid on your grill. Let the chicken cook for 15 minutes and turn it thereafter. Let the other side cook for an additional 15 minutes. At this point, and depending on the size of your chicken, your close to finishing up. Ultimately, you want the darker meat on the bird to be fully cooked (specifically the thickest part of thigh should reach about 150 degrees). Once the chicken has reached this temperature let the bird sit for about 10 minutes. I usually cut the wings, legs and thighs off the bird and then cut the breast into 4 pieces. You can serve roasted, BBQ, whole chicken with oven fried French fries and a tomato salad with tons of basil. Try an American Zinfandel or a French Burgundy with the dish.

Recipe: Pan Fried Pork Cutlets with Turmeric Lemon Butter Sauce

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By Vincent Scordo on August 27, 2009 | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I have to admit that I purchased my first bottle of Turmeric because of the bright orange color. I use Turmeric in my turkey chili recipe as well as on roasted, bone-in, chicken breast. Recently, I've been experimenting with Turmeric and pork. One of my favorite pork cuts is the center cut pork chop (sliced into cutlets). This is essentially a bone out pork chop which has been thinly sliced (you can do this yourself or buy the cutlets like this at the market, of course the latter will cost you more).

I usually prepare the same side dishes to go with my Turmeric pork cutlets, namely, sautéed whole button mushrooms and pan fried potatoes with red onion and white wine (I use the white wine to deglaze my pan after the potatoes and onion have caramelized <note: I'm not after a crispy potato with this application>).

Let's start with the ingredients:

- 2 pork chops (with or without bone).

- Juice of half a lemon

- Salt and pepper

- 1 tablespoon of Turmeric

- 2-3 sprigs of Italian parsley

- 2 large potatoes

- 1 medium sized red or white onion

- ½ cup of good white wine (something you would drink)

- 1 package of small white button mushrooms (leave whole). TIP: As Jacques Pepin says, don't splurge on expensive mushrooms, you can get good flavor from standard white mushrooms.

- 2-3 tabs of butter

- Olive oil

For the pork cutlets begin by slicing your pork chop into three thin pieces; I like to stand the pork chop on it's side and cut through the meat with a sharp knife (make sure you're not using a dull knife). If your chops have a bone simply remove it and save it for soup or roast it in the oven (it's hard to get all the meat off the bone). Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of your pork cutlets and pound them until you get the appropriate thinness. You can pound the pork until the meat is paper thin or you can simply reduce the size of the meat by roughly half (it's up to you, but make sure you use a good mallet, I like the following meat tenderizer).

After the pork has been sliced and pounded, heat up a large pan over medium to high hear (doesn't need to be non-stick) and add 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil. At the same time, flower your cutlets with a combination of white flour, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Make sure to remove any excess flour. Next, place your cutlets in the hot pan and sear on both sides for 1-2 minutes, you're looking to get good color and not to cook the meat all the way through. Remove the meat from the pan and place on a clean dish once the desired color has been achieved. In the same pan, add your butter and allow to melt down. Thereafter, add your lemon and place the meat back in the pan. Combine the ingredients and let the pork cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add a bit more salt and pepper after tasting your sauce (if needed).

For the mushrooms, simply heat up a small pan and add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. At the same time, thoroughly wash your mushrooms (yes, you can submerge mushrooms in water to clean them as long as you use them right away) and dry them as best as possible. Thereafter, add the mushrooms to your hot pan along with plenty of salt and pepper. Sautee the mushrooms for 6-9 minutes. You're looking for the water in the mushrooms to be released and for caramelization to occur. Keep the mushrooms moving in the pan given that you're working with a hot pan.

For the white wine potatoes, begin by peeling two large potatoes and thinly slicing them into 1/8 slices. One you have all of your potatoes sliced submerge them in a large bowl with clean water; thoroughly wash the starch off the potatoes and repeat this process. Heat up a large non stick pan and add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add your potatoes, along with a good amount of salt and pepper, and let them sit for 4-5 minutes before turning (you want to let the potatoes cook and establish some color before turning them). Do the same after stirring the potatoes and repeat until all sides of the potatoes are brown and cooked. Once the potatoes have been cooked remove them to a clean bowl and add your thinly sliced onion along with salt and pepper to your hot pan (along with a bit more olive oil). Sauté the onions until translucent and add the potatoes back to the pan. Stir the mixture well and make sure your pan is hot (this is key for deglazing). Finally, add your white wine and scrape the pan to loosen up all the good browned bits. I realize that this is an unorthodox process for pan fried potatoes but the flavor is very pleasing when combined with the Turmeric pork; again, this technique will not yield crispy potatoes.

Enjoy the pork, potatoes, and mushrooms with a crisp lager, like Pilsner Urquell or an equivalent beer.

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