Recently in food Category

 

 

Food Philosophy - You Got to Be Kidding!

(Photo: Courtesy of Dr. K., whole wheat and durum ciabatta)

 

(photo: cooking at home begins with basic ingredients; olive oil is key)

"By becoming a cook, you can leave processed foods behind, creating more healthful, less expensive and better-tasting food that requires less energy, water and land per calorie and reduces our carbon footprint. Not a bad result for us -- or the planet."

 

Young Scordo's First Experience with Fennel

Like most foods I love today, my first introduction to fennel was a catastrophe.  My mother recalls a Christmas Eve dinner back in 1981 when a young Scordo (viz., me) erupted in a temper tantrum to end all temper tantrums when it was suggested by an inebriated uncle that he try a piece of raw fennel.  The modern day Scordo couldn't live without fennel during the winter months and in honor of the upcoming holiday season I've decided to offer a brief FAQ on one of my all-time favorite vegetables.

About Fennel

Fennel is considered both an herb (seed) and a vegetable and most fennel found in the US is grown in California (in Calabria wild fennel can be found in the countryside). The most common type, finocchio or Florence, has a bulbous part  (which can be consumed raw or cooked) stalks, and leaves.  Fennel has an anise flavor and is very crisp, in terms of texture.

(photo: thanks to my Aunt Tina who inspired the post; the rabbit was made at her house!)

(photo: via iPhone, local persimmons)


(photo: via iPhone: sage drying in NJ basement)

I snapped these two photos with my iPhone earlier in the week and I really liked the deep Fall colors in the orange persimmon and green sage. 

The persimmons are courtesy of my mother who can grow almost anything in her tiny New Jersey garden, including a few fig and lemon trees (both trees need to be moved indoors during the winter months).  The drying sage comes via my mother-in-law who was especially excited to show me her collection drying in the basement (the aroma was wonderful!). 

(photo: cover of My Calabria)

Authentic Calabria

When I see or experience anything with a resemblance of Calabrian authenticity here in the United States I get very excited.   I had a wonderful experience stumbling across Mary Palmer's very genuine, and heartfelt, cookbook Cucina di Calabria at a used book store during my college days.  Along the same lines, when I recently sampled a small artisan gelato made in Pennsylvania (Gelato di Baba) the hazelnut flavor brought me back to my childhood days strolling the streets of Reggio di Calabria with my Uncle and cousins (with gelato in hand).

Flipping through Rosetta Costantino's new cookbook "My Calabria", I experienced the same aforementioned sense of authenticity via her recipes, photos, and general understanding of the southernmost province in Italy.  

In honor of National Sandwich Day here are two of my favorite egg sandwiches as well as a guide to Italian cured meats and how to make your own roasted peppers.  Enjoy the day and make a sandwich for dinner tonight!

Fried Egg Sandwich with Provola:



Next to salumi, the fried egg (with a runny warm, runny, yoke) makes the ideal sandwich ingredient, here's a recipe: http://www.scordo.com/2010/07/simple-fried-egg-sandwich-with-provola-leffe.html

Egg Pannino on Whole Wheat with Tomato and Chickpea Spread:



Another egg sandwich (not sure which recipe is better): http://www.scordo.com/2010/04/recipe-fried-egg-panino-on-ciabatta-chickpea-spread-tomato.html

Guide to Italian Deli, or Cured, Meats:



I've waxed philosophically about my love of salumi on Scordo.com on numerous occasions and all of the following cured meats make excellent ingredients: http://www.scordo.com/2009/10/cured-italian-italian-pork-meat-salumi-prosciutto-capocollocacciatoresoppressata.html

Roasted Peppers:



Every sandwich could, or should, contain roasted peppers.  Please don't ever buy canned roasted peppers as they're very easy to make at home.  See my recipe: http://www.scordo.com/2010/05/recipe-homemade-roasted-peppers-olive-oil.html

One of the world's super fish in terms of nutritional content; mackerel is easy to prepare and super tasty, in my view.  The fish also leaves you feeling full and satisfied.

2. Minestrone

 

Minestrone is truly a peasant dish and in the old days it was made as a Spring soup with whatever vegetables the cook had in his or her home.  Romano beans have a nice amount of protein and if you sprinkle a bit of grated cheese prior to consuming you'll need to look hard to find a better soup.

3. Pesto Tuna Salad



Pesto tuna truly explodes with flavor and protein.  I like to consume it as a main course when I'm feeling lazy and don't want to do more than open up a can of good imported tuna in olive oil. Click here for my pesto recipe.

(photo: fennel salad with radish and feta)

(photo: the ideal Italian life represented in Pellegrina, Reggio Calabria)

Italian Shopping on Steroids

You'll have to excuse me if I sound a bit crabby this morning, as I just finished reading a New York Times review of the mega supermarket Eataly (located in New York City).  While the Times article was somewhat critical of the 50,000 square foot space (including multiple restaurants, an espresso bar, butcher, fish shop, wine store, cooking school, etc.) calling it, "...a mass-market retail play that capitalizes on the fame of its most visible partners, Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and his mother, Lidia Bastianich", they also applauded the store for possibly, "represent[ing] a step forward for Italian food at the upper end of the economic spectrum of New York" (I hate to think of the hidden implications behind this statement).

The Authentic Italian Life:
The Mom and Pop Shop Versus the "Unlimited Brand Experience"

What gets me all fired up is the fact that one aspect of what makes Italian life so special is the experience of purchasing and consuming food. That is to say, in many small villages in Italy the average Italian visits the cafe for an espresso in the morning, the Salumeria for some sausage and salumi, the Panificio for bread, and a local farmer for fruits and vegetables (or their own farm if they're lucky) - this may be changing in large Italian cities where "supermarket" shopping is beginning to take hold.  If Eatly-like establishments were to open throughout Italy (there are, in fact, a chain of Eataly like Über stores in Italy) then we could all say good by to the small, local, shops and the idea of supporting local farmers and artisans directly.  And while Eataly claims to carry some local products, most of their items are brought in from overseas (as the Times article points out). 

What Eataly is telling it's customer is to shop here and you can find everything you need (and, by the way, screw the mom and pop shop selling cheese and salumi next door, because they don't offer cooking classes, a handmade pasta station, and the option to have "dinner" in the middle of a super market).  The question that keeps popping into my mind is why would I shop at Eataly and, beyond the novelty of seeing a 50,000 sq. ft. Italian circus (as, again, the Times suggests), would anyone would want to form a relationship and shop in an overly exploited corporate environment?  And, moreover, haven't we had enough of Home Depot, Starbucks, Staples and the idea that every consumer niche in the US (including our beloved Italian lifestyle) can become a brand commodity?

Simple Advice

My advice this morning is to continue (or start) to support the local shops in your area that offer wonderful products, great service, and that one to one relationship and connection that makes living life the Italian way (i.e, the good life) so special.

 

(photo: farro salad with red onion, plum tomato, and feta)

The whole wheat grain farro has a long and interesting history and for many years fed almost the entirety of the Mediterranean and Near East.  Specifically, it fed the vast majority of Romans from 44BC to the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476.  The poor of the Roman Empire ground farro and included it as an ingredient in a type of polenta called, plus.  As other grains become more easily cultivated farro lost it's popularity until the French began using the grain in soups.

 

(photo: fresh frittelle di fiori di zucca, or zucchini fritterr; most Italians cosume this little treasures as a pre-dinner type of meal)

Michelle over at BleedingEspresso.com recently posted an excellent recipe for Fried Zucchini Flowers and it inspired me to look through my photo archive and post a few Frittelle photos.

Michelle's recipe is similar to the recipe my mother has been using for nearly 30 years here in the States, however my mother's version does include a few more ingredients (namely, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh parsley).  My mother's technique also includes "flattening" out the batter when it hits the hot oil so that thin frittelle are produced.  Note, you can also simply batter and fry a single, whole, zucchini flower (I prefer chopping the flowers to release more flavor).

For many Calabrians the zucchni flower is the best part of the vegetable (in fact, and to be perfectly honest, zucchini are often seen as "second rate" vegetables in Calabria, don't ask me to explain this view but I think it has something to do with the abundance of zucchini during the summer months and the same can be said about other fruits and vegetables in the region).

Here's my mother's recipe:

- 1-2 cups of roughly chopped zucchini flowers (with the stem removed and interior material removed)
- 1.5 cups of flour
- 2 tablespoons of baking powder
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 egg
- 3/4 tablespoons of salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper

Oil for frying (you can use olive oil but I think it's a big waste of a precious oil, try an oil with a higher smoking point that is less expensive like Canola, for example)

The technique is fairly simple: start by mixing the flour, baking powder and salt together. Grab another bowl and mix the milk, egg and zucchini flowers.  Combine the dry ingredients well and fry until crispy and golden (about 4 minutes if your oil is at the correct temperature). 
   

(photo: harvesting zucchini flowers outside of Bagnara Calabra in the village of Pellegrina, my parent's birthplace)

(photo: just out of the oven baked mackerel)

I've written about my love of fish on multiple occasions here on Scordo.com, expounding on sardines, smelts, tuna, branzino, and salmon.  Yet I was sad to discover that while I hold all of the aforementioned fish in high esteem, I've only written about fresh mackerel on one other occassion (leaving one of my favorite fish with a single entry!).


(photo: baked mackerel with olive oil, salt, and pepper)

Mackerel is an ideal fish, in my view, because it has a wonderful texture, oily composition, and includes a meaty flavor profile which is akin to good canned tuna in olive oil.  The fish has a firm flesh and is extremely high in vitamin B 12, Omega 3 (a type of fatty acid), and Phosphatidylserine (linked to positive brain function, especially in folks suffering from dementia, for example).  In fact, Mackerel has twice the amount of Omega 3 than Salmon.  Mackerel is also low in mercury and the Atlantic variety is in good shape (from an over-fishing perspective).

I recently prepared a baked version of mackerel with a vinegar based sauce comprising of fresh mint, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, dryed oregano, and garlic.


(photo: Calabrian vinegar and mint sauce referred to as Sermoglio)

My mother refers to the sauce as "sermoglio" and is typical in Calabria and used with many fish dishes, including swordfish. 

I served the mackerel with a split pea soup and sauteed broccoli rabe.
 

(photo: split pea soup with carrots, garlic, and fresh parsely)



(photo: brocolli rabe)


(photo: freshly made croutons to accompany the split pea soup)


(photo: vinegar and mint sauce with baked mackerel)