A lifetime of associating fresh fava beans with Spring and with Easter lamb urged me to pass them by. The bin at Whole Foods was overflowing, they had just come in to the store, they were fresh, and in anticipation of the pleasure they could bring, I stopped and loaded my cart, perhaps ten pounds’ worth. What do two old people living alone do with ten pounds of fava beans?  All the largest ones I blanched and peeled them, ziplocked them, and every few days grabbed a fistful out of the fridge to snack on, serving them with shreds of pecorino or aged Manchego, a drizzle of olive oil and grating of black pepper, and once with freshly sliced bresaola; the medium ones I braised in olive oil in their flavorful skins together with guanciale; in another unseasonal miracle, fresh English peas and tiny artichokes came to the market, and a couple of cupfuls of the medium favas went into making frittedda, which along with vignarola, composed of  the same ingredients, may be a strong candidate for the most delicious thing one can eat; there were some blanched, peeled  favas left over and they went into a quick sauce for homemade tagliatelle, sautéed in butter with a hunk of prosciutto ground very fine and whipping cream. How could I turn my back on decades of sticking to the season? It was easy.

Sometimes one just needs to celebrate, and one of our favorite dishes to celebrate with is Tiramisù, one of Italy’s best known and loved desserts.  Luscious and silky, it is a wonderful dessert for many occasions and is quite easy and quick to prepare . Often thought of as the quintessential Italian dessert, it is actually rather young in the pantheon of Italian cooking, originating in Venice in the mid 20th century.

What makes the perfect recipe?  Almost everyone we’ve met in the Veneto has their own “perfect” variation for Tiramisu.  There is no such thing.  As we say about all of Giuliano’s recipes, please try it the way it was written at least once, and then feel free to tweak it and make it your own.  Giuliano created the recipe in the way he thought was best.  Our rendition is light and the flavors are not overpowering.  One can diffentiate the chocolate, rum and espresso, and there is no cloying aftertaste.  The only problem with this recipe is that in our family, we can eat much more of it than is appropriate.

Tiramisù literally means “pick me up” so it’s important to use richly flavored Italian coffee, which is easily made in a stovetop Moka.  One of the key ingredients in Tiramisù is mascarpone, and we add it, one third at a time, incorporating it into the mixture taking care not to over-whip it. Finally, whip the cream until it is firm and carefully fold it in.

Pour half the filling over the layer of ladyfingers then cover with another layer of coffee-soaked ladyfingers. Then pour in the remaining mascarpone filling then generously sprinkle unsweetened cocoa on top. The tiramisù now needs to set in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours, or overnight and it’s ready to serve. Buon appetito!

Watch Giuliano prepare tiramisù in the video below he made for Safest Choice pasteurized eggs.

Photo by Joseph de Leo

Some dishes are already perfect. One of them is that salad in summer in which you would find very good canned tuna, a raw onion sliced very thin, cooked beans, the whole seasoned with salt, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and coarsely ground black pepper. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the quality of the ingredients. The tuna must be packed in olive oil, probably either in Spain or Italy, and ideally, but not indispensably, it could be the belly portion, ventresca. The beans may be fresh shelled cannellini or cranberry beans, if your market has them, or else very good recently dried beans, soaked overnight, and cooked at a gentle simmer until tender – possibly two hours – in water, olive oil, salt, sage leaves, and several garlic cloves. Use them in the salad while still warm. The salt: from the sea; the vinegar: the straightforward acidification of true red wine; the oil: non-industrial genuine extra-virgin; the onion: not diced,  but sliced very thin, soaked in water an hour so, drained and dried in paper towels; the black peppercorns: tellicherry.

David Tanis, a chef writing the City Kitchen column for the NYT, has taken this immaculate dish and, as chefs are wont to do, has touched it up. Red and yellow bell peppers, red pepper flakes, a smashed garlic clove, basil, mint, or marjoram appear, gratuitously, in the salad. Most unfortunately of all, he replaces the good canned tuna with fresh albacore. Fresh tuna, a bland, almost neutral-tasting meat can’t compare with the irresistible flavor of good Mediterranean tuna packed in olive oil. People who think to improve a niçoise salad by using fresh instead of olive oil-packed tuna make the same mistake.

The City Kitchen is a column intended to showcase simple home cooking, one of the Times’s most commendable ideas. Why is a chef writing it?

Summertime brings the onset of sweet, succulent melons, and one of our family’s favorite recipes is this surprisingly fresh tasting Spaghetti with Melon pasta.  Pasta with melon might sound like an unlikely combination, but this dish is REALLY good.  While on our European extravaganza trip, we stopped off to visit our friends Mike Yourison and Dr. Suzy Steelman in Umbria.  They were kind enough to invite us to stay at their beautiful hilltop home, so the least we could do was to make dinner.  They graciously accepted and thought it would be nice to invite a few of their Italian friends.  We ended up having a wonderful evening with 15 people in attendance.

Giuliano thought it would be fun to make this dish and have the Italians guess what was in it.  Many thought of squash due to the color, a couple thought pineapple and we had one person who guessed strawberry.  After numerous tries, someone finally came up with the correct answer.

The origins of this dish are unknown.  Giuliano found it when he went to a restaurant in Venice that specialized in unusual dishes, none of which were seafood or risotto, the staples of Venetian cuisine.  Although the restaurant is no longer there he did remember this delicious dish of pasta with cantaloupe.  Marcella started making it at home and now Giuliano often makes it when we have friends over.  Once it is cooked, the melon is mostly unrecognizable and it’s great fun seeing if people can guess what the sauce’s “secret” ingredient is.  The freshness of the dish is soothing on a hot evening and takes full advantage of the bounty of summer.

Giuliano made this dish for a TV segment he did.  This Spaghetti with melon pasta on Daytime TV video shows you exactly how to make this lovely pasta.  As in Umbria, not a bit was left in the bowl.

When I was cooking only for my husband, and subsequently for him and my growing son, I had no doubt about what would taste good to us and what would be the simplest way for me to produce it. I embarked on a professional food career with the same conviction. I understood cooking to be a set of simple techniques applied with respect for the basic components of a meal freshly made from good, everyday ingredients. Cooking was the craft, I thought, practiced at home to bring good food and happiness to the family table. The classes I taught and cookbooks I wrote were intended as demonstrations of those principles. Cooking was from always, cooking was forever, I thought.

A time came, however, that I began to wonder whether cooking was something else. Was it entertainment for television, was it the arbitrary creation of attention-seeking and media-ennobled chefs, did it emerge from an expensive collection of science-fiction gadgetry, was it the product of a laboratory or of a kitchen, was it foaming cauliflower or spherical tomatoes, was it a two-and-a-half hour process for frying a skilletful of potatoes? Could it be that the subject of my teaching and writing was becoming an anachronism, headed for the waste bin of history?

It was almost a year and a half ago that I began to bring up the posts of a group calling itself Pomodori e Vino. There were nine of them, seven women, two men, scattered in the US from Alabama, Florida, Missouri, and California, to Alaska. Two lived in Canada. They had proposed to cook their way in rotation through all the recipes, more than 400, in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, a book some of whose contents I had set down 40 years ago.

Every day for sixty-two weeks my Pomodori, as I began to refer to them, cooked a dish from Essentials without skipping a day or a recipe. There were no failures, although they experienced different degrees of pleasure. If you are brought up in North America, you may have a cultural impediment to the free enjoyment of lamb kidneys. Every post provided a candid commentary on the production of the recipe of the day, on its provisioning, on the sometimes unfamiliar techniques and methods it required, on the stages of its preparation, and on the final result. Photographs lucidly accompanied the steps, from assemblage of ingredients to presentation at table.

If you have ever feared, as I have, that the practice of good, simple cooking was going out of style, go to the Pomodori e Vino blog, and retrace as many of its posts as you can make time for. No comparable collection of recipes has ever before been brought so fully to life, so respectfully executed, so minutely illustrated, and so usefully commented by such a collection of genuine cooks. As I followed my Pomodori each day that they cooked from a page of that tome of mine, I was comforted to find that cooking, as I had understood and practiced it, had endured and still mattered.

Spring has sprung and  one of our favorite dishes to make with all of the wonderful spring bounty that is to be had in the farmer’s markets is Spaghetti alla Norma. In Sarasota, Florida, where we live, there are 7 farmer’s markets where vendors of fruits and vegetables, fresh gulf fish, and even a traveling crepérie ply their wares and there are some fabulous foodie finds.  Many of those with stands have only recently become produce farmers.   Recently I met someone whose family had been sod farmers, I was amazed to learn that due to the downturn in the economy her family has turned to growing fabulous vegetables and flowers. They were able to use the Obama administration stimulus money to assist them in diversifying their crops and making their land create income.  Like many who go to the farmer’s markets, when we go it is part shopping expedition and part amusement park visit.  We almost always find unplanned gems that we must purchase, and then wonder what we will do with them when we get them home.

One of the dishes we’ve made with the bounty of vegetables we’ve bought at the farmer’s market is Pasta alla Norma.  This is a recipe we have taught in our home cooking class and is delicious.  This dish was named after Vincenzo Bellini’s opera, Norma.  It is a typical Sicilian pasta recipe, flavorful, fresh, and even vegetarian.  It is exceptional with fresh farmer’s market produce.

I love espresso, I hate espresso machines. In the first part of my life I made coffee over the stove with the Moka, the Italian 8-sided aluminum pot. I so loved it that when I wrote my first cookbook I had the artist do a drawing of it accompanied by my instructions for using it. About 30 years ago I switched to an electric espresso machine. I have had several. I have just given away my last one. It was ostensibly fully automatic, but it was as automatic and accommodating as this computer. Now I am back to the Moka, one less machine to argue with, lots more room on my counter, and terrific coffee in the morning!

Deborah Johnson Horn wrote to Marcella: Love my Mokas (or would that be Moki in Italian?) I have the 3 cup, 6 cup, and 12 cup sizes. For home brewing, there is nothing as good as that low-tech stovetop!

Marcella Hazan Moke, the plural of feminine “a”. When I used to travel, I always packed Bialetti’s electric Moka. How could I start the day without my Moka?

Must it be necessary, I wonder, to be born Italian to experience the sustenance that coffee from a moka brings? Studying at night for your finals with a cup of it in hand? Running up the stairs to put the pot on the stove to melt away the chill from a frosty winter day? Gulping searing swallows of it at daybreak when rushing to take the train that will take you to a job interview in the city? Sharing the last large cup of the day with your love feeling wholly unconcerned that it might deprive you of sleep? No single shot or two from an espresso machine could take its place. That Italians know what a good espresso from the bar tastes like cannot be disputed. They have all had it, probably once and possibly several times a day. Yet few Italian families own an electric espresso machine. They know they cannot duplicate the bar’s espresso. Not even the $1,000 contraption that a kind manufacturer had sent me could. And at the same time, they really prefer the taste and satisfaction to be had at home from a cupful of Moka-made coffee. Many may be surprised to learn that it’s not the least like dust dissolved in hot water. It can be delicious, if you learn how to use the Moka. It’s not pushbutton coffee, it requires judgment to do well.

During the spring Easter or Passover season, many of us are looking for those perfect dishes for a feast.  Side dish ideas are often left to last minute and thrown together.  This year, my family decided to make a sexy side dish with potatoes.  Now, potatoes may not sound very sexy, but when you add truffle salt, that’s pretty exciting.

Although not native to Italy, the potato has a long history in Italy.  Brought from the “new” world in 1585 it was first thought to be a strange and somewhat evil plant.  It took the food shortages of the 17^th and 18^th century for the potato to be used as food for human consumption, and then it was only eaten by the lower classes.  The Napoleonic wars devastated the farms of Europe, but the potato, grown underground, survived and began to be eaten by all.  In Italy it was found to be particularly useful in creating the famous “Gnocchi”, little potato dumplings, and soon was accepted by the upper classes.

In Florida, spring is potato season, and I recently visited a local potato farm.  The Jones Potato Farm plants over 2,000 acres with a variety of potatoes.   From the planting, it takes 120 days until harvest. I discovered that it isn’t the starch or waxiness that determines what a potato is best suited for, instead it is a matter of specific gravity.  Farmer Jones told me that the lower gravity potatoes are better for baking and making mashed potatoes, while the higher gravity ones are better for frying and potato chips. He described it as the “stick in your teeth” difference.

Each plant produces between 8 to 10 potatoes.  While there is still green on the plant, the skin of the potato is soft and scratches easily.  The potato farmer has to kill the top of the plant and wait a couple of weeks before harvest, to set the skin.  I was lucky enough to be allowed to pick some potatoes and found a ruby red cluster of goose eggs beneath.

That night, we ate the potatoes.  The skins were thinner than what we buy at the market, but we also noticed that these potatoes had flavor and texture that we haven’t been aware of before.  We prepared them simply, boiled with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and a dash of truffle salt.  They were delicious and tender, I looked at Giuliano and said,“ It’s a pity that potatoes don’t get more respect”.  I know I will never take a potato for granted again.

We used truffle salt on our potatoes to enhance the flavor.  The girls liked it so much that they wanted them again the next evening.  Buonafide Foods was kind enough to let us taste their truffle salt and have offered to let you taste it too.  They are sponsoring our next giveaway.

Our family adores Truffles.  To the delight of our palates but dismay of our bank accounts, both our children would rather have pasta con Tartuffo than almost any other food in the world.  Since truffles are often unaffordable and unseasonable we’ve been trying different methods of getting the flavor without resorting to expensive European vacations or exorbitant shipping costs.  One of those methods has been to use truffle salt.

Good Fior di sale al Tartufo isn’t cheap, it retails from around $20.00 per 100 grams.  Good Truffle Salt is sea salt infused with truffle and nothing else. The more truffle in the product, the more aroma and flavor.  Opening a jar of the salt, to me, is better than opening a jar of perfume.  The aroma of the truffle permeates and my salivatory glands immediately begin watering in anticipation.  Although the salt is expensive it is worth it.  Used in small amounts, the truffle can give subtle depth to a dish and give a rich flavor.

Buonafide foods wants you to experience real Sale al Tartufo and has sponsored a giveaway of Urbani product that we are pleased to present.  They are giving away two jars of Urbani Truffle Salt.  Please read the rules below.  In your comments we would love to find out if you’ve used truffle salt and whether you prefer the black or the white.

Retail Value:            $41.90

Giveaway dates: Our giveaway will be from April 20-May 1st. We are pleased to announce that Merry-Jennifer of Merry Gourmet won this giveaway.  We look forward to finding out how she uses the salt.

Official rules and methods to enter:

OFFICIAL RULES:

This is where we get to put in all of those lovely legal disclaimers.  Our intent with this give-a-way is pure enjoyment.  Buonafide foods is responsible for the shipping and product and we assume no liability.  We aren’t lawyers and we think it is sad that we need to put in disclaimers; however, it is our intent to conform with all U.S. rules and to only offer the possibility of the product to people who will personally enjoy it.  Basically, if something “bad” happens, we are sorry but don’t hold us liable, we enjoyed the product and are trying to give you an opportunity to do so too!  If you are out to “get” us, please stop and think of what kind of world you are creating.

No purchase necessary to enter or win. The selected winner will be notified by e-mail. Entrants can enter 1 x comment per e-mail address per day. Extra entries can be obtained once a day per social media outlet (tweeting (please put @educatedpalate in your tweets so we will know), facebooking, or “sharing”) with a trackback to this post. Give-a-way is open only to those who are 18 years of age at time of entry. Educated Palate and Hazan Enterprises assumes no responsibility for late or misdirected entries due to SPAM, technological, or e-mail filtering issues or for lost prizes. The use of any system, robot, agent, or software to automatically submit entries in connection with this Giveaway is prohibited.  Educated Palate’s decisions concerning all matters related to this sweepstakes are final. Odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received. Hazan Enterprises employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.  No cash substitutions, transfer, or assignment of prizes allowed. Winner must claim prize within 1 week after notification or the prize will be forfeited. Prize can only go to a physical addresses in the US, no PO Boxes. Winner grants to Educated Palate the right to use his/her name and biographical information in advertising and promotion without compensation or permission. We would appreciate a photo of you and your “salt” with which we could update our post.  Buonafide foods will pay for shipping and postage. Any tax, is the sole responsibility of the winner. By entering the giveaway through this website you are releasing Educated Palate, Buonafide foods, and Hazan Enterprises from any liability arising out of participation in this Giveaway or the acceptance, use, or misuse of the prize. Void where prohibited by law.

Pesto is a fresh tasting burst of spring in the mouth. Although in Florida basil can be grown throughout the year, our family doesn’t have green thumbs. In Spring basil plants are readily available at farmer’s markets and cheaper than purchasing the already cut stems. The beauty of pesto is that it is easily freezable which makes it available at anytime. But to me, it is the quintessential spring dish. We tend to eat it in the traditional manner, just the pasta with a few boiled green beans and sliced potatoes and would make a great primo, first dish, during an Easter Feast. For this recipe I made it with dried spaghetti, but it is also wonderful with homemade potato gnocchi, maccheroni alla chitarra (square spaghetti), spaghettini, linguine, and the classic trenette, narrow fettuccine. Easy to put together, it is one of the recipes that the children and I make when Giuliano is traveling. It only takes as much time to prepare as the water takes to boil for the pasta.

The word pesto means “to mash” because originally the ingredients were painstakingly hand processed with a mortar and pestle. Fortunately, since the invention of the food processor, the excruciatingly slow process has become quick and easy. The dish is synonymous with one of my favorite Italian regions, Liguria. Although not on Americans’ traditional Italian itinerary, Liguria is a must visit area. The “fantasy in green” as pesto has been called, when eaten from the local tiny fragrant sweet basil takes on extraordinary undertones that are impossible to replicate.

Porto Venere

Liguria is often called the Italian rivera. It is known as an area of relaxation, luxury, and delectable food. Brightly painted towns nestle in the crevices of cliffs that abut the sea. The five cities of the Cinque Terre, are easily accessible by train or by a beautiful walking path; no cars are allowed. We were fortunate to stay in Rapallo one summer and spent the time exploring and eating our way through remote villages. One of our favorite restaurants became Ü Giancu, an incredible place in San Massimo a hamlet near Rapallo. Known for its Ligurian specialities it is also a destination for anyone interested in the art of cartoons. Hanging on its walls are original drawings from some of the world’s most celebrated cartoonists. Going to the restaurant serves a feast for both the stomach and the eyes as one can see works by Dik and Chris Browne, Hank Ketcham, Luciano Bottaro, Gary Trudeau, Milton Caniff, Will Eisner; and many, many others. A small mountain road that fits only tiny European cars hugs the mountain side.

U Giancu restaurant

Of course, what we Americans would consider a path, is a two lane road that at night has no lights. Italians regularly speed around the turns making for a hair raising drive to and from the restaurant. The drive gets the gestational juices flowing for the meal that awaits. Seasonal delicacies fill the plates and we recommend going with a group so you can have a variety of dishes.

Portofino

Pesto is also a dish that can made by children. Recently our oldest, twelve-year old Gabriella, had a sleepover. The girls had a wonderful time creating a full multi-course Italian meal for us. They shooed us away from the kitchen and did everything themselves. This was the dish that they created as their primo. After a wonderful meal we were all satiated, it was only then that they presented their surprising bill, instead of payment, they asked that we clean up…

 

Recipe: Basil Pesto

Summary: Classic Italian Pesto, HOW TO COOK ITALIAN by Giuliano Hazan

Ingredients

1. 1 1/3 cups fresh basil leaves
2. 1 small garlic clove
3. 1/4 cup pine nuts
4. 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
5. 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
6. 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
7. 3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino romano
8. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter
9. 1 pound of dried pasta

Instructions

1. Rinse the basil leaves and spin dry. Peel the garlic and place it with the basil, pine nuts, salt, and olive oil in a food processor. Run the processor until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Transfer the contents to a mixing bowl and mix in the grated cheeses with a spoon or rubber spatula.
2. While the pasta you will serve with the pesto is cooking, ad 2 tablespoons of the pasta water and the butter to the pesto and mix well. When the pasta is done, toss it with the pesto and serve at once.

Quick Notes

Pesto can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 3 months. After adding the cheeses, place the pesto in a freezer container and coat the surface with olive oil before sealing and placing in the freezer. Defrost before adding the pasta water and butter. It is advisable not to use a metal pan.

Cooking time (duration): 15

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 4

Meal type: dinner

Culinary tradition: Italian

Modernist Cuisine is part of the attack on many fronts on the values of simple family cooking that better than other kind deserves to be called cooking.

“The business of a healthy eye is to see everything that is visible, not to demand no color but green.”Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations” (This quote was posted on Marcella’s page, here is her response).

In case you missed the intent of the Marcus Aurelius quote, it was a barb that was lofted from France in my direction. But, pace, I have grown old, but not color blind. El Bulli and Modernist Cuisine may be examples of ingenuity and engineering but they are not different colors of cooking because they are only about recreational eating, they are not about Cooking. Cooking is the institution that fosters the development and endurance of familial bonds in many of our worlds. In my world, the Mediterranean, it is based on simple meals freshly cooked with fresh ingredients, it is based on the sincerity of the home cook who through custom and experience is intuitively in tune with her craft. Why does Cooking needto be defended? Isn’t it only about food? It isn’t only about food the way love isn’t only about sex.

It is about the societal bonds that made us human. And it needs to be defended because the home cook’s grasp of her craft has been loosened and corrupted by the culture of celebrity chefs, by the homage paid to the technical exploits of such as Ferran and Myhrvold, and because for those that Frank Bruni, the Times critic, has recently described as “the growing ranks of the restaurant-obsessed” home is not the place where you prefer to eat.

Most of the meals Americans are now having, whether they come in the form of deli or Chinese take-out, or tacos and burgers, or packaged supermarket meals, or what the most recently canonized chef is serving at his restaurant, are no longer prepared fresh at home by a member of the family. It is probably too late for any kind of defense. The only thing we can do about it is talk. Futility.

When words aren’t enough to say THANK YOU, sometimes chocolate cookies can do the trick.  It is fortunate that we had cocoa on hand to make them, as we wanted to thank our neighborhood fire fighters as soon as possible after our recent adventure.

The blaring in our ears awakened the entire family.  At first I thought it was the morning clock going off, it took a few seconds to register that it really was the fire alarm.   We quickly got up and looked to see what was the problem, the children running into our room frightened.  It was four in the morning and very dark, nothing in the kitchen seemed to be amiss but there was a smell of burnt toast.  Ironically, our dog, an usually exuberant toy poodle, continued to sleep soundly.

The phone rang, it was ADT on the line, asking if we were alright.  When I told the lady that we hadn’t been able to find the source of the fire, she said she was notifying emergency services and that we should leave the house.  Feeling like one of those people in a State Farm commercial, we bundled the girls up and got ready to leave.

All of this probably took place in less than five minutes; however, it felt like hours.  On the advice of the lady on the other end of the phone we turned off the circuit breaker and were plunged into the unseasonably cold and dark Florida night.  Immediately after the ADT lady hung up, I received a call from the fire department letting us know they were on their way. I was worried about our neighbors and asked if they could not come with sirens, but they said they had protocol to follow.

Soon fire fighters in huge yellow suits were walking down the driveway.  Our driveway is so narrow that the truck didn’t fit; however, firefighter/paramedic Debroah Schuster said that if she had seen flames, the truck would have come, probably taking some trees with it.  The firefighters looked through our home, and said that they too smelled “burnt toast”.   But even with their thermal scanner they couldn’t find a heat source.  Eventually they did find burnt toast in the toaster, although the toaster was cold.  They told us to make sure the alarm was reset and that we should probably throw out the toaster.

My husband, being male, wasn’t ready to throw out the toaster.  The very next day someone again tried to make toast (guess who), yes, the fire alarm went off.  This time the department didn’t need to come.  Right now the toaster is sitting on our lanai.  Has it become an art piece, or are we just too lazy to throw it out?

We are very appreciative of the Bee Ridge Fire Station. Yes, it was their job, but they were efficient and kind.  The girls were so impressed with the firefighters that they wanted to thank them.  In our house, making cards isn’t enough.  We need to make food too.  I’m of the belief that when kids want to do something for others, one does it as soon as possible.  Therefore, we raided the pantry to find items to make cookies.  Who knew we could be out of chocolate chips?  Here is our recipe for chocolate cookies, made with cocoa.  The firefighters were pleased with their gift, and we feel very fortunate that they came to our rescue.

These are fun and easy cookies to make.  Even the smallest child can assist.  The greatest challenge is to get them to actually make the cookies rather than just eating the yummy dough.

November to May is social season in Sarasota; a time for charity dinners, visitors, and dinner parties.  Pot luck dinner parties are very popular and one of our favorite dishes to bring is this easy to make barley and tomato salad.   Sometimes the parties have themes, such as: bring a dish that starts with the same letter of your last name, or an Asian theme; however, sometimes they are just get togethers for fun and relaxation and one can bring anything one wishes.  When that occurs, it is always difficult to figure out what to make.  We’ve discovered that this dish is always a winner, it has everything an ideal potluck dish should have: easy to make, easy to transport, and holds up well sitting on a counter.

The ingredients for the barley and tomato salad are few, but the key is to get the freshest and tastiest tomatoes possible.  We like to use Florida “ugly ripe” tomatoes.  Although they live up to their name in appearance, they tend to have the most flavor of any tomato in our  market. Of course, if you can grow your own tomatoes that is even better.  Cooking barley is just like rice, yet the grain has a nutty flavor that gives depth to the dish.  Add the tomato, parsley and onion to the dish and you are set with an easily transportable dish that all will enjoy.  Our host for the evening, Melanie, enjoyed the dish so much she saved some to have the next day for her lunch!

Giuliano often teaches how to make this cake in his classes and it is always a hit.  A few well-placed tricks, like chopping the almonds together with the sugar so they don’t become a paste, and gently folding the egg whites into the mixture, make a lot of difference.  We’ve often heard surprise and delight from people who normally don’t like carrot cake.

This cake exemplifies the Italian simple and genuine approach. There are equal amounts carrots and almonds in this cake, with both flavors present and not covered up.  It is neither heavy, oily, or overly sweet.  Rather than a cream cheese topping, a dollop of simple homemade whipped cream is all that’s needed. Of course, I’m not sure that makes it “low cal.”

Recipe: CARROT ALMOND CAKE

Summary: (Adapted from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen by Marcella Hazan)

Cooking time (duration): 15 prep time, 50 minutes cooking time.

Number of servings (yield): 8-12

Meal type: dessert

Culinary tradition: Italian

Photo by Dana Gallagher

There has been a lot of discussion in the twitterverse about the new google mandates that will help make recipes more searchable. However, just trying to understand what is a “rich snippet”, and to figure out which google recipe plugin we should use, made me realize that we will all need something sweet to pick us up.  Since our girls are very much into baking, I thought it would be good for them to make one of the Sorelle Simili, the Simili sisters, fabulous treats, their Torta Della Nonna, or Grandmother’s cake.  Also, we had to honor Pi day.  Pi day, at our daughter’s school is a big deal.  This year, the winner of Pi day memorized 1266 digits!  Although Gabriella didn’t memorize anything like that, she made a valiant effort and definitely deserved to eat Pi.  Long ago the sisters Simili had given their recipe of this homey and comforting custard pie to Giuliano.  I thought it was a perfect chance for the girls to learn how to make custard and to roll out pie dough.  It also worked well for this plugin test, as the recipe is in two parts and I could compare the ease of use for the two WordPress plugins that I found.  If you aren’t on WordPress, there is still hope, as there are other suggested plugins in the articles we’ve linked to below.

Margherita and Valeria Simili are twin sisters and good friends of our family.  They grew up baking in their father’s award wining bakery in Bologna and learned the art of  traditional Bolognese specialties.  In 1972 they met Marcella and Victor and assisted in their cooking school.  The sisters’ teaching fame spread and they have become authors, television darlings, and made guest chef appearances from New Zealand to America.  We still make a point of seeing them when we are in Italy at our own cooking school.  Having no children of their own, they dote on Gabriella and Michela and love spoiling them with sweets.

It is said that Torta della Nonna, or Grandmother’s cake, was invented by chef Guido Samorini in Florence for his patrons who wanted something “different”.  However, that has been hard to verify. Most people seem to believe it came to popularity in the 18^th century when  “confectionary custard” became popular.  Some authors think that it was originally filled with ricotta rather than cream, like the Sicilian  Cassata al Forno; however, there isn’t much information available.  Whatever the history, it is a wonderful rustic pie that one could easily imagine a loving grandmother making.

 

Review of the Plugins:

Grandmother’s Custard Pie

Torta della Nonna

Copyright, Giuliano Hazan HOW TO COOK ITALIAN

Marcella wrote about cooking with olive oil on Facebook and her thread received many comments.  We share her thoughts with you and a few comments from her “friends” with whom she intereacted.  We welcome more discussion.

A great deal of nonsense about cooking with olive oil has been navigating the blogosphere. I am happy to bring to your attention Sara Jenkins’s sensible, well-grounded effort to shine truth onto this issue. It all comes down to taste, that mysterious quality that culinary schools do not trouble to teach. If you understand and possess taste, you will have no trouble accepting that taste is what good olive oil brings taste is what good olive oil brings to cooking.” Thank you.

She received 67 responses.  We give only a small selection and her responses to them.

Warren Bobrow Never us EVOO in cooking food. The flash point is just too low. what you end up with is scorched olive oil. And what is the point with that? I use a lower grade olive oil for heating and an expensive EVOO for finishing a dish.

Marcella Hazan Oh, Warren, Warren! Why must you loft that canard again about EVOO having too low a smoke point for cooking? The smoke point for good quality EVOO is around 200o C, which is more than hot enough for frying. The interesting thing is that the cheap oil you are recommending has a lower smoke point than EVOO. What is vulnerable here, Warren, is not the oil, it’s the truth. It’s only myths that are tough. Do you know what really matters in the end? It’s how the food you cook tastes. There is no more powerful agent for good flavor than genuine EVOO.

Beatrice Ughi how interesting. i just ended 2 weeks of demos of ev olive oils at several whole foods stores. i must have met hundreds of “educated” customers. one of the most common question was: can you cook with it? is it dangerous? being italian and having always used ONLY ev olive oil, this was a big surprise to me. grazie for this thread.

Nathalie Dupree So where does that leave the average consumer? I promise you, the olive oil available to me in Charleston, SC, does not heat to 350 degree and leave a good flavor. i wish it were not true. I remember fresh olive oil in Spain, where I lived on an olive oil finca, and in other countries — Italy, among others — but I cannot find an olive oil here to compare to my memory.

Marcella Hazan Shall we sort out some of the issues here? There is too much talk about frying. Frying happens to be my favorite and most natural way to cook, but there is a great deal more to cooking than frying. There is braising, and stewing, and sautéeing, and baking. When you are cooking vegetables for a braise, a stew, a minestrone, a sauce, a torta rustica, nothing you can use has the flavor of a good EVOO. Mushrooms and greens in particular come fully to life only through the magic of a good olive oil. And in none of those instances, does that bogey man, the smoke point, enter in consideration.

But to get back to frying. Put the frying thermometer away and pour a genuine, fresh, EVOO into the pan. The smoke point? Fuggedaboudid Warren Bobrow! Here the questions are only about logistics and finances. Where should you buy your oil? Not in any supermarket, although there may be some in California, in particular Darrel Corti’s, that may be exceptions. I haven’t been to them in many years, so I cannot say. Otherwise, buy oil from a reputable specialized food grocer or online source. What you choose may depend either on what you demand or what you are able to spend. Even people with deep pockets seem unable to overcome resistance to the price of choice, estate-bottled oils. Yet it is the most important ingredient you can have in your kitchen, and nothing replaces it. If lacking deep pockets, follow Sara Jenkins’s sage advice, and buy EVOO from countries like Greece that produce a fine oil without the international prestige and high ticket of Italy’s estate bottlers.

Let’s not be olive oil snobs, however. On its own terms, EVOO has no competition, but to be absolutely frank, it is not the only fat for the kitchen, and you can limit its use – while keeping a lid on your food budget – to those cases where it is irreplaceable. I am from Emilia-Romagna in the north of Italy, and in the north we don’t shrink from using butter. There would be few occasions when I would make a risotto with anything else. One of my most popular and successful recipes is my sauce of tomatoes, onion, and butter. As for fried potatoes, nothing can top leaf lard. For mayonnaise, which is always homemade, I have grown to prefer vegetable oil because in it I find the intensity of olive oil too distracting.

David Zappelli We made olive oil mayonnaise in Italy, whereas I found it to be quite fabulous. Some people say it’s too strong and others don’t like the weight or the color. Again, I find that criticism was nonsense. Anyway, there’s many ways to make mayonaisse, all good.

Joshua Ozersky I always knew this was true! It does change the taste a little I guess, but who cares?

Karen Epstein Roseth When I cook with olive oil, I always use extra virgin and have been doing so for years. I also cook with butter. It depends what I’m preparing. I am a home cook.

Giuliano Hazan We import a wonderful 100% Ogliarola EVOO from Puglia and we are hosting a give away of a case of 6 bottles until March 14th.

Marcella Hazan Giuliano darling, your wonderful olive oil is the mainstay of my cooking and I know that I am lucky to have such ready access to it. I cannot accept, however, that other cooks less fortunately connected, have no recourse but to the dismal selection of supermarket oils. I can buy EVOO in Sarasota when Giuliano is not around and, @Natalie, I am sure you can get your hands on some in Charleston if it matters to you enough. Where your legs or your car won’t reach, there is UPS and Fedex, and the universe of online ingredient shopping.  @Karen; All praise and honor to the home cook! No one can make a more significant contribution to our happiness.

photo by Dana Gallagher

Short ribs are much more common in the U.S. than in Italy but they lend themselves well to  and size of the cut lend it to many Italian preparations. Braising, a very common way of cooking meat in Italy, is the ideal way to prepare them. These fork-tender, succulent short ribs are the perfect antidote to a cold winter’s day. By the end the potatoes become partly mashed, and together with the tomatoes form a wonderful thick sauce. This dish can be made up to two days ahead.  Short ribs have become one of our family’s favorite cuts of beef and they are a wonderful rustic winter delight.

Beef Short Ribs Braised with Tomatoes and Potatoes

From How to Cook Italian by Giuliano Hazan

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Total Time from Start to Finish: About 2 hours

Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as part of a multi-course Italian meal

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 pounds beef short ribs

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 medium yellow onion

1 tablespoon fresh sage

1 pound ripe tomatoes

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes

1.  Put the olive oil in a braising pan large enough to accommodate the ribs snugly over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, add half of the short ribs and brown them on all sides.  Transfer to a platter and repeat with the remaining short ribs. After all the meat has been browned, season with salt and pepper

2.  While the meat is browning, peel, halve, and slice the onions.  Add them to the pan and turn the heat on to medium-low.  Season lightly with salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes

3.  While the onions are sautéing, peel the tomatoes and cut into 1/2 inch dice.  Chop the sage and add it to the onions when they are done.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes.  Season the tomatoes lightly with salt, then return the short ribs to the pan.  Cover with the lid slightly askew and cook, turning the ribs every 15-20 minutes, until all the liquid in the pan has evaporated and the meat becomes colored with the tomato, about 1 hour. If all the liquid evaporates before an hour has elapsed, add some water to the pan.

4.  While the meat is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut them into 3/4 inch cubes.  Place them in a bowl and cover with cold water to prevent them from discoloring.  Add the potatoes to the pan and stir well.  Season lightly with salt, and add about 1/2 cup water.  Cover the pan completely and cook until the potatoes and the meat are very tender, 30-45 minutes, adding more water if needed.  Serve hot.

A recent letter to Marcella and her answer:

Here is the recipe for squash risotto.

Dear Marcella
I thought of you watching Top Chef these last couple of weeks. One chef used cream in his risotto, to make it creamy, and clearly that would make any student of yours upset. Then Tom Colicchio said that if a risotto is not runny then it is not risotto. He went to write: “Risotto should be soupy. If you go to Italy, you’ll be served it that way; ditto, a good Italian restaurant here…The starch should go into the stock and the risotto should run on a flat plate and not hold its form at all.” My risotto, which I learnt from your writings, holds its form. I’m not sure if it should, according to others, but I like it.

Regards David

Ciao David,
American chefs who go to Italy suffer from a Moses complex, they are always coming down from the mount with a tablet of rules for the unlearned. What he should have said is, “If you go to Venice …”. Yes, our Venetian risotto, while not quite soupy unless it’s made with peas, is indeed runny, and of course we love it. But in Bologna and in Piedmont, risotto is firmly clingy and it is not less delicious. As for the chef who adds cream, well, follow my example, pay no attention to chefs.

Ciao, ciao.

Marcella

Here is the recipe

I answered my cell phone and heard Giuliano on the line saying…. “You just received a Valentine’s bouquet, care to explain?”  Huh? I had no idea what he was talking about.  ”Rather unusual, I must say” he continued, “it’s belgian endive.” Oops….  I had completely forgotten that California Vegetable Specialties (CVS) was going to send me a box of endive for Valentine’s Day.  It was a marvelous gift from and we are most appreciative.

Endive, either curly or the smoother Belgian version, is a versatile vegetable that is often found in Italian cooking.  Part of the chicory family, it comes in many varieties that range in flavor from mild to sharp.  For those who find the bitterness of chicory a bit bracing, cooking it brings out its sweetness.

Originating in the Veneto region of Italy, many of Italian cities are known for their particular kind of what they call radicchio.   As we walk with our cooking school students through the crowded pathways of the Padua market we are often regaled by the beauty and multitude of the variety and colors.  It’s tempting to buy them all, and often we will bring some back to the kitchen to prepare for the evening’s cooking class.

Our family has a mantra, use only the best ingredients and use them with thought and care.  This includes everything from vegetables, to herbs, to olive oil.   Recently there has been much discussion on whether to use extra-virgin olive oil when cooking.  Our answer is of course!  Since we are using olive oil for the flavor it gives a dish, why would we want to use an oil with no flavor?  We would like you to try the single varietal, 100% Ogliarola olive, extra virgin olive oil we import from Apulia and to hear what you think of it. For a chance to win 6 bottles of our olive oil, please go to our giveaway page for more information.

We love to add belgian endive to our salads. Remember, the tender heart, just below the base of the leaves, is the best part. We also love using it to make a pasta sauce with pancetta.  In Italy, we usually find it in the fall.  But CVS has figured out a way to grow it year around so we can have it anytime we wish.

A wonderful way of preparing endive is to grill it, which gives it a deep, nutty flavor and sweetens it.  Last week Giuliano grilled some and the children liked it so much it was gone in an instant.

Grilled Belgian Endive

© 2011 by Giuliano Hazan

Serves 4 people as a side dish

Cooking Time: 25 minutes total

4 heads Belgian Endive

Salt

about 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat the grill

2.  Cut the Belgian endive in half lengthwise, make a deep incision at the root end. Drizzle a little of the olive oil on the cut side and season with salt. Place the endive on the grill with the cut side facing the fire. Turn them over when they are lightly charred and drizzle a little more olive oil over them. Continue cooking until they are tender, total cooking time should be about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle olive oil over them one last time, and season with some fresh black pepper. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Recently there has been a lot of contoversary about Extra Virgin Olive Oil.   Much has been made about the health benefits of polyphenols and the marvelous aroma.  Food Scientist, Harold McGee wrote in the NYTimes, about how many people can’t taste the difference between oils.    To which my mother-in-law, Marcella Hazan replied:

What has escaped Mr. McGee’s attention is that what a good olive oil transfers to the food that is cooked in it – whether it be a single vegetable, or a sauce or a soup – is something that only a good olive oil can bestow: aroma and depth of flavor. It obviously can no longer be the oil that it was before cooking because in the process it has surrendered its qualities to the food for which it provided its sacrificial bath. If Mr. Mr. McGee wants to perform a comparison that has culinary value, it should be between something, spinach say, that is cooked in a good olive oil and samples of spinach cooked in different industrial seed oils.

When Italians use olive oil in cooking it is for the flavor it gives a dish.  It is not just a cooking oil, therefore, the highest grade or extra virgin is always used.  True extra virgin olive oil is made with olives that were picked just at the ideal degree of ripeness and then immediately taken to the mill for processing.  It is a labor-intensive product that is expensive to produce.  Please don’t compromise; good olive oil is critical to good cooking.

Giuliano and I are often asked, “How do you choose an olive oil”?  Which ones do you like best?  What does “extra” mean?  How can you be a very virgin?  Extra virgin refers to olive oil that has no more than aa 0.8% acidity level and comes from the first cold pressing of the olives. Giuliano and I import our own line of extra virgin olive oil from Apulia, where the spur and heel of Italy’s boot is.  It is made from 100% Ogliarola olives, Apulia’s most prized varietal.  It can be purchased online at Cybercucina, a great online Mediterranean gourmet food shop.

We are pleased to offer as a giveaway 6 half liter bottles of  our A & H Selections olive oil.  To be eligible to receive 6 bottles of our extra virgin olive oil, please read our official rules below then leave a comment.  On March 15, we will announce the lucky winner here.

Retail Value:            $165

Giveaway dates: Our giveaway will be from March 1st – March 14th. This giveaway is now CLOSED!

We are pleased to announce that Barbara from Vino Luci Style has won this giveaway.  We thank everyone who participated!

Official rules and methods to enter:

OFFICIAL RULES:

This is where we get to put in all of those lovely legal disclaimers.  Our intent with this give-a-way is pure enjoyment.  Fruit of the Boot Distribution is responsible for the shipping and product and we assume no liability.  We aren’t lawyers and we think it is sad that we need to put in disclaimers; however, it is our intent to conform with all U.S. rules and to only offer the possibility of the product to people who will personally enjoy it.  Basically, if something “bad” happens, we are sorry but don’t hold us liable, we enjoyed the product and are trying to give you an opportunity to do so too!  If you are out to “get” us, please stop and think of what kind of world you are creating.

No purchase necessary to enter or win. The selected winner will be notified by e-mail. Entrants can enter 1 x comment per e-mail address per day. Extra entries can be obtained once a day per social media outlet (tweeting (please put @educatedpalate in your tweets so we will know), facebooking, or “sharing”) with a trackback to this post. Give-a-way is open only to those who are 18 years of age at time of entry. Educated Palate and Hazan Enterprises assumes no responsibility for late or misdirected entries due to SPAM, technological, or e-mail filtering issues or for lost prizes. The use of any system, robot, agent, or software to automatically submit entries in connection with this Giveaway is prohibited.  Educated Palate’s decisions concerning all matters related to this sweepstakes are final. Odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received. Hazan Enterprises employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.  No cash substitutions, transfer, or assignment of prizes allowed. Winner must claim prize within 1 week after notification or the prize will be forfeited. Prize can only go to a physical addresses in the US, no PO Boxes. Winner grants to Educated Palate the right to use his/her name and biographical information in advertising and promotion without compensation or permission. We would appreciate a photo of you and your “olive oil” with which we could update our post.  Fruit of the Boot Distributors will pay for shipping and postage. Any tax, is the sole responsibility of the winner. By entering the giveaway through this website you are releasing Educated Palate, Fruit of the Boot, and Hazan Enterprises from any liability arising out of participation in this Giveaway or the acceptance, use, or misuse of the prize. Void where prohibited by law.

This giveaway is now CLOSED!

We are pleased to announce that Barbara from Vino Luci Style has won this giveaway.  We thank everyone who participated!

When did undercooking replace cooking? When did gritty replace juicy, when did stiff replace pliant? I recall a post by chef Scott Conant in which he lamented the extreme definition of al dente pasta that patrons of the restaurant ever more frequently insisted on. I recently took up the question with a Brazilian food journalist – aptly named Olivia – who was interviewing me for a pasta story that her paper would publish.

The tactile pleasure of eating pasta consists in the kind of resistance that it offers to the bite. It’s a resistance that varies from the plushy gentleness of homemade Bolognese egg pasta to the muscular firmness of Neapolitan spaghetti. But throughout that broad range of textures, the resistance always has an agreeable give that releases flavor not just from the sauce, but also from the pasta dough.  The encounter in the mouth ought not to be a test of strength wherein a tough opponent is overcome by sheer masticating power. What is most dismaying that some Italian pasta producers have jumped on the tougher the better bandwagon.  Cocco, a manufacturer whose product is absolutely top shelf, will recommend 11 minutes for its penne. I cook them 16 minutes and they are still distinctly firm.

The retreat from tenderness is not limited to pasta, it is a general plague. Why have we submitted to eating crunchy green beans that exhibit no flavor, save that of grass? Even worse are the undercooked shell beans that deprive us of the luscious joy of a creamy fully cooked bean. Nor is it only these and other vegetables that have been penalized. Why are we bringing home rock-hard fruit, stuffing it sometimes in a brown bag where we are told it will ripen? It’s the sun not a paper bag that ripens fruit, that makes it produce succulent, sugary flesh. Have we all forgotten the difference?

Like many wives I periodically expect my husband to do the impossible – read my mind.  Although not always telepathic, Giuliano hit the ball out of the park for my birthday.  He knows my favorite dish is his lasagne bolegnese and that was his unexpected, but greatly appreciated gift to me this year.

A few weeks before, my girls asked me what I wanted for my birthday.  Specifically, they wanted to know if I wanted a party.  Like all good moms, I said, “Anything you make will please me”.  However, 7-year-old Michela, who adores making lists, came back and asked me whom I wanted at my party.  I told them, within hearing distance of my husband, that this year I didn’t want to think about it.  I wanted them to come up with and execute (yes, I really used that word) the entire project.

I have a confession to make.  Birthdays are a BIG deal to me.  Growing up, my parents meant well but because my birthday is so close to winter vacation, I often was told, “Oh, we are traveling to (insert name of city to visit family members here), or going to see (insert name of play I didn’t choose or great place I didn’t care about, or fancy restaurant here) and that will be your birthday present.  It wasn’t that they were forgetful nor that they weren’t generous.  The trips were great and the dinners spectacular, but they never occurred on the exact DATE of my birth and often seemed an afterthought, something that we would be doing anyway, and my birthday just coincided.  Yes… it is a whine that has stayed with me and even as I’ve grown older, it grates.  Not wishing to repeat my growing up experiences, I tend to throw my children overly lavish parties.

Now that you know my baggage, you will understand that giving up control of my birthday was a big deal.  However, I did want to mature, I was turning 45 after all, and I was thrilled that my kids, aged of 7 and 11, wanted to do something that didn’t necessarily revolve around themselves.  I tried not to give my birthday any more thought.

During the week before my birthday, both the kids and Giuliano acted completely normal.  At one point Giuliano said, “I’ve made arrangements with Cynthia to watch the kids on your birthday night, a Thursday, so we can go out”.  “Oh”, I thought, “that is generous of her and it will be nice to have a date night as we haven’t had one in awhile”.  Giuliano went on to say that the next night, Friday, we would celebrate my birthday with the kids.  It all sounded lovely and low key, a perfectly fine way to celebrate.  Later he asked which kind of lasagne he should make, mushroom or meat.  I told him I preferred meat lasagne and he said he would make it for the evening when we celebrated with the kids.  What more could I ask for or want?

Lasagne, the Italian plural of lasagna which refers to just one sheet of pasta, is now one of my favorite foods.  Before I met Giuliano I had experienced what I thought was lasagna and although I enjoyed the taste, it didn’t leave a fabulous impression.  You know the lasagnas of which I speak, those heavy things that rest in the pit of your stomach for days after eating.  The first time I had Giuliano’s lasagne was at a family celebration.  His father Victor adores green lasagne and Giuliano had made it.  It was nothing like what I had experienced before. True Bolognese lasagne is light, almost airy.  It is a savory concoction, with each creamy bite melting in your mouth.  It must be made with homemade egg noodles and there is NO ricotta to be found in any of the Hazan’s recipes.

Lasagne makers are often judged on how many layers than can create.  Five or six layers are considered the minimum for acceptability.  Ooh’s and ahh’s occur the higher they go.  For my birthday celebration, Giuliano created a spectacular 9-layer lasagne!

Thursday, the day of my birthday, arrived with great fanfare.  My children had created beautiful homemade cards that I proudly now display in my office.  My husband, who knew I wanted an easy point-and-shoot purse sized camera, bought me an iPhone because the camera is just as good as most point-and-shoots. I can see most of you wives smiling, as you understand the rationalization.  During the day I received a notice from the post office that a package had arrived from my “computer” friend Jamie, author of Life’s a Feast.  I also received great cards from friends and relatives.  My in-laws sent me a bouquet of beautiful peonies, and I was truly overwhelmed by the amount of Facebook and twitter kudos.  Thank you to all who participated.  Early that evening the girls got themselves ready and soon we were off to our friends’ house to drop them off.

When we arrived, the only person there was the housekeeper.  Both of our friends are physicians and often put in long hours, so I didn’t think that anything was unusual.  However, Michela ran off and I thought she was looking for her friend, so I admonished her to “listen” and ask “permission” from the housekeeper to explore.  Just as I was disciplining her, out from the hallway came our friends wishing me happy birthday!  I was so surprised I was speechless!  I later learned that Michela, who is known for telling me the endings of movies she has yet to see, not only knew of the surprise party, she had told everyone in her class and in her after school activities about it.  However, she amazingly had kept the secret from me. Giuliano had also invited another couple I am good friends with and I

was thrilled.  The evening began with Prosecco, and had a finale of a cake that our friends had made with help from our children!  Of course, the pièce de resistance was the lasagne, perfectly crispy on the top and soft and creamy inside. I teared up – the evening was perfect.

Below is Giuliano’s recipe for the lasagne he made and videos showing how to make the homemade pasta for it.  That evening, I think Giuliano made three times the recipe, enough, we thought, for a small army.  It was so tasty and delicious that even the kids had thirds.  So don’t expect any leftovers!

Lasagne alla Bolognese

(from How to Cook Italian by Giuliano Hazan)

Preparation time:  1 hour and 25 minutes

Total time from start to finish:  5 hours

Serves 6

Classic Bolognese Meat Sauce

Green or regular Egg Pasta of Emilia Romagna, made with 2 eggs and 1 1/2 cups flour

Béchamel sauce

Salt

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tablespoon butter

1.  Make the Bolognese sauce.

2.  Make the pasta dough, wrap it in plastic and set aside to rest.

3.  Make the béchamel sauce.

4.  Fill a pot for the pasta with at least 6 quarts of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil

5.  Roll out the pasta dough according to the directions.  Cut the pasta sheets so you have a total of 8 pieces.  Fill a medium bowl halfway with ice water and keep it close to the pot of water on the stove.

6.  Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the boiling water and put in 4 of the pasta sheets.  Cook for a minute, then lift the pasta out of the water with tongs and place it in the ice water.  Swish the pasta sheets in the water, then lay them flat on dry towels.  Repeat with the remaining 4 pasta sheets.

7.  Preheat the oven to 425° on the regular bake setting.

8.  Coat the bottom of a 8” X 11 1/2” rectangular baking pan with some béchamel, then mix the rest with the Bolognese sauce and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Place a sheet of pasta on the bottom of the pan, trimming any excess so it fits.  Spread a thin coating of the filling over the pasta sheet, then cover with another sheet of pasta.  Continue until you have 7 layers of pasta and filling, saving a little filling to cover the top layer.  Do not worry if the sheets of pasta do not fit perfectly; it’s all right to patch as necessary.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top and dot with the butter.

9.  Bake until the top has lightly browned, about 25 minutes.  Take the lasagne out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: The lasagne can be assembled completely up to a day in advance and kept, well wrapped, in the refrigerator.  Take it out of the refrigerator I hour before baking.  It will also keep in the refrigerator after it is baked, for up to 2 days.

In Italy, il giorno della festa degli innamorati or Valentine’s day is considered to be an imported American holiday.  But that doesn’t mean it isn’t celebrated, particularly with chocolates, roses, or in this case, strawberry gelato.  Especially in the area where we have our cooking school, near Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, all expressions of love are observed and venerated.

Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous; and it pricks like thorn. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1.4

Juliet's balcony in Verona

In Italy, Valentine’s day is exclusively for lovers.  It isn’t a holiday where children give Valentine’s day cards to their classmates and teachers.  Rather, in some cities, there is a tradition of young unmarried girls getting up before dawn and believing that the first unmarried man they set their eyes on will become their beloved.

I’m fortunate that I’ve been married to my beloved for 13 years now.  Although we don’t always go out to dinner for Valentine’s day we usually do celebrate it, mostly as a family.

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!/ For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1.5

We are the parents of two girls, so Valentine’s day has become a BIG deal in our house, and the day is all dressed up in pink, our youngest child, Michela’s, favorite color.  Recently, Giuliano has been traveling a lot, so for this Valentine’s day we will stay home and celebrate together as a family.  While we still haven’t completely figured out the menu, the dessert will be strawberry gelato.

Gabriella next to Juliet's statue in Verona

Gelato is a bit different from American ice cream.  It is made with less sugar and is often made with milk rather than cream.  It has a more intense flavor.  Italians like their flavors to “pop”, melon tastes like melon, not melon and cream.  In this case, the strawberry flavor is intensely delicious, perfect to cleanse one’s mouth for a more intimate Valentine’s Day celebration.

Good night, good night!  Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow – William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.2

Strawberry Gelato

© 2011 by Giuliano Hazan

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time from start to finish: about 1 hour

Makes about 1 quart

¾ pound fresh strawberries

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup water

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1.  Remove the stems and leaves from the berries and rinse in cold water.

2.  Place the berries and the sugar in a food processor and process until liquified.  Add the water and run the processor until all the ingredients are mixed together well.

3.  Whip the cream with a whisk until it begins to thicken and becomes the consistency of buttermilk.  Put the cream and the liquefied strawberries in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

4.  Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s directions.

When one thinks of a sauce for pasta, most people think of the classic Bolognese.  It is the quintessential comfort food, and one of our family’s favorites.  Although true Bolognese is time consuming to make, it freezes well so we often make large batches that we divide into meal-sized containers that can be ready anytime.

Classic Bolognese is one of those sauces with many versions, and most Italian cooks believe that theirs is the only truly authentic preparation.   Most food historians agree that the sauce was created in the city from which it is named, Bologna, the capital of the region where my husband’s family is from.  People from that area are so serious about “their” recipe that they have trademarked the name and made January 17^th “Ragù alla Bolognese” day.  The Accademia Italiana della Cucina registered their recipe for the sauce in 1982 as the one authentic version.  It organized an international Bolognese day in 2010 during which 450 chefs cooked the sauce; however, true to Italian custom, most used their own “authentic” recipes and not the trademarked registered one.

The first Italian immigrants to the United States hoped to find a land of milk and honey with streets paved of gold.  In the late 1800’s southern Italy was very poor and the American railroad barons, realizing that Southern Italians could be a source of labor, produced films showing a picturesque America that was welcoming and where hard-working people could achieve great wealth.  Of course, the reality was a bit different.  The Italians who moved to the US were lucky to find back braking labor and slave wages.  In addition, they were considered the lowest of the low in the communities they moved into.  As it was in Italy, their cuisine was “la cucina povera” the food of poverty and included little meat.  However, as years went by and through hard work and perseverance, many children of those first Italian immigrants were able to succeed.  They craved the dishes of the wealthy Italians that their parents had told them about.  However, in most cases, neither they nor their parents had ever experienced the lightness of true lasagna or the delicacy of a risotto.  The Italian American community had to create their own variations of the dishes and since, in the US, bigger is better they came up with the gigantic meatball on a dish of spaghetti.  Something that is not seen in Italy.  So American Italian cuisine developed and should be celebrated as its own creation. Baked Ziti, deep-dish pizza, and Italian dressing are only a few of the recipes in the vast repertoire. Bolognese sauce isn’t one of them.

Meat ragu in America tends to be very heavy and the pasta almost drowns in the sauce.  In classic Bolognese, the sauce and the pasta are in symbiosis and enhance each other.  This is one of those sauces that is best with homemade egg pasta, and is a delicacy that, in my family, we could eat weekly.

Bolognese Meat Sauce

(From How to Cook Italian by Giuliano Hazan)

Preparation time:  25 minutes

Total time from start to finish:  3 1/2 hours

Makes enough for 1 pound dried pasta, or 3 eggs of  homemade pasta

1/2 small yellow onion

1 small carrot

1 stalk celery

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

12 ounces ground beef chuck

salt

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup whole milk

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes with their juice

1. Peel and finely chop the onion.  Peel the carrot and celery and cut into 1/4” dice to get 1/4 cup each.  Put the onion, carrot, celery, butter, and olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pot and place over medium high heat.  Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon.  Season with salt and continue stirring until the meat has lost its raw red color.

3. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has almost completely evaporated.  Add the milk and the nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has mostly evaporated.

4. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot.  Season with salt.  Once the tomatoes have started bubbling, turn the heat down very low so that the sauce is barely simmering.  Cook uncovered for 3 hours stirring occasionally. If all the liquid evaporates before the cooking time is up, add 1/2 cup of water as needed.  After 3 hours, make sure all the liquid has evaporated before you remove the sauce from the heat.

Note: You can prepare the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it for 2-3 days or freeze it up to 2 months.

In honor of World Nutella Day on February 5^th, I offer this recipe of a friend of ours for Nutella Semifreddo. For those of you who are Nutella novices, World Nutella Day was created by American expats Sara and Shelly in 2007, and Michelle joined the fun in 2008. Nutella Day has inspired many of us to come up with Nutella creations to celebrate the day. Nutella is a wonderfully addicting chocolate hazelnut spread that my children consume frequently in their sandwiches. However, the nutty sweetness of the mixture lends itself to many preparations and there are a variety of recipes on the web. A word of caution, the European version of Nutella is slightly less sweet than the American version, but both are delightful. Nutella was created in 1940 by baker Pietro Ferro as a way to extend the chocolate supply in post World War II rationed Italy. His invention was so delightful that it now has worldwide distribution!

Last fall Giuliano taught by himself at our cooking course at Villa Giona. Now that, our oldest daughter, Gabriella is in 6^th grade, we’ve realized that we can no longer pull her from school and go as a family as we used too. I must admit a bit of trepidation, Giuliano and I usually team-teach the course and I’m the one who smoothes out any ruffles. One of the courses had been bought out by a group of ladies from a country club in Huston Texas. Now I knew the ladies would be lovely; however, Giuliano didn’t even know what a Lilly Pulitzer was. Fortunately, all went well, the ladies adored him and even had matching aprons made (should I be jealous?). After the week, they said that it was one of the best vacations they had ever experienced. While Giuliano was away, I attended the BlogHer Food conference in San Francisco. An Italian friend of ours offered to fly to Sarasota to take care of our kids. Of course, the fact that she would get a two-week vacation on the beautiful beaches didn’t hurt, however, it was an EXTREMLY generous offer, and we jumped at the chance.

Like most Italians that I’ve met, our friend Lorella Cappellato, loves to cook. Half of her luggage contained Italian ingredients that are not yet possible to get in the States. She also brought loads of recipes to make with the girls. My girls were excited because Lorella is a baker and loves to make cakes and candies. Her pièce de resistance is her Nutella Semifreddo.

For those of you who think Nutella is just a sandwich spread, you are in for a treat. This is a sweet and creamy dessert that the kids love, yet is sophisticated enough for adults too. Lorella made it as a semifreddo in a glass for the adults, she then surrounded it with chocolate and created popsicles for the kids. Semifreddo in Italian means half frozen, and this recipe had the lightness of meringue mixed with the sweet flavor of Nutella. A fun dessert for the entire family.

Nutella Semifreddo

Adapted by me, Lael Hazan from Lorella Cappellato’s recipe in Italian

1 cup heavy cream

2 oz meringue Italiana (see below)

2 tablespoons of Nutella

Whip cream until firm peaks are formed

Mix whipped cream and meringue together.

Add Nutella and whip until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Pour into small dessert goblets,

Decorate as you wish, for adults you may want to add pistachios, for the kids perhaps sprinkles or chocolate chunks.

Freeze. It won’t get too hard.

Meringue Italiana

Makes 2 cups

1 cup egg whites

2 cups sugar

½ cup water

1. Mix 1 ½ cups sugar with water on top of stove until it boils.

2. In bowl, mix egg whites with ½ cup sugar until combined.

3. Slowly add sugar mixture into egg whites a little bit at a time. Continue mixing until the mixture forms peaks. Around 10 minutes on high speed.

To make Nutella popsicles.

Put Nutella semifreddo mixture into marshmellow sized silicon mold, insert small sticks, and freeze.

January 10^th was national milk day, and we thought we would honor the day by posting a recipe for béchamel, or balsamella as it is called in Italian.  Known as the “mother” sauce in French cooking it is also used in many Italian baked dishes and gratinées, and is a necessity in meat lasgane.  It is never used alone, and Italian béchamel doesn’t have the clove that is considered the staple of the recipe by French authority Escoffier.

There is a theory that the famous white sauce was brought to France by the great chefs of Italian born, Queen Catherine de Medici.  In Italian lore, all the good food that France has is due to her.  According to many, she even introduced the fork to France.  Although its origins may be somewhat mysterious, béchamel is a sauce that was certainly used mostly by royalty as the rest of the populace didn’t get refrigeration for their kitchens and couldn’t afford ice until a bit over 100 years ago.

Traditionally made béchamel is created by whisking hot milk into a flour and butter roux.  A roux is made of equal parts butter that has been clarified and flour.  A roux is often called a brown sauce.  Italian béchamel uses whole butter and the roux is not allowed to brown.

The creamy, rich white sauce is easy to make but requires a bit of patience.  Don’t worry if it doesn’t thicken right away, it will eventually so don’t panic and add more flour.

Bechamél (Balsamella)

Total time from start to finish:  20 minutes

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

Salt

1. Pour the milk in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.  Heat until steam is released when the milk is stirred, just before it boils.

2.  While the milk is heating, melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium low heat.  Add the flour, mixing it in with a wire whisk until the mixture is smooth.  Cook, whisking constantly, for about a minute.  Do not brown.  Remove from the heat.

3.  When the milk is hot, transfer it to a measuring cup or pitcher with a spout.  Return the pan with the flour mixture to medium heat and begin adding the hot milk, very slowly at first, mixing with the whisk.  Do not be concerned if the mixture becomes quite thick at first.  Continue adding the milk slowly while mixing with the whisk.  As the consistency becomes thinner, start adding the milk more rapidly until all of it has been mixed in.

4.  Season with salt and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sauce begins to thicken, about 15 minutes.  The sauce is done when it coats the whisk thickly.  Béchamel is best when used the same day but will keep overnight in the refrigerator if necessary.  It’s not necessary to reheat before using.

The name Medici is intertwined with Florence.  It is a name that connotes intrigue, romance and drama.  The family members, ruling as the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, were inspired patrons for some of the greatest artwork of the Renaissance.  However, their might extended far beyond their borders, they produced four Popes and the Medici Bank was the largest in Europe during the 16^th century.

The remains of the families’ influence are not only found in the great monuments in Florence and Rome, they are also found in their vast archives.  Because of the Medici Archive Project, people from throughout the world are now able to have access to some of the more than three million private letters and documents that were once only accessible to scholars.

From the Medici Archive Project: The archive of the Medici Grand Dukes is one of the greatest yet least known Medici monuments. Established by Grand Duke Cosimo I in 1569, it offers the most complete record of any princely regime in Renaissance and Baroque Europe. Since this Archive consists mostly of letters (nearly three million filling a full kilometer of shelf-space), it offers an incomparable panorama of two hundred years of human history, as told in the words of the people most immediately involved. However, this unique documentary resource has never been catalogued and indexed, nor microfilmed and accessed by electronic means. Only now, with The Medici Archive Project, is it fulfilling its potential to revolutionize our understanding of the past.

Photo by Andrea Hillebrand

Although salmon is not a native Italian fish, and is rarely seen on restaurant menus in Italy, it lends itself well to Italian preparations.  In this recipe, the salmon is baked in a pouch, which is an easy and forgiving way to cook fish, ensuring it will turn out moist and flavorful.  The presentation is impressive and your guests will ooh and ahh both when they see it as well as when they taste it.  Giuliano uses aluminum foil rather than parchment paper because it is much easier to seal.

Photo by Andrea Hillebrand

When we designed our home kitchen we wanted a kitchen that allowed us to be with our guests while we were cooking.  We also designed it with the idea of having cooking classes where people could easily participate and see Giuliano cooking. For quite some time we have been getting requests for hands-on classes in the US. so last winter we started offering intimate classes in our home.  Our sessions begin with a group of strangers who, after preparing a full Italian meal and sharing it together at the table have become friends by the end of the class.

Photo by Andrea Hillebrand

Recently, two of our students were long-time personal friends. One was Andrea Hillebrand, exceptional Sarasota photographer, who took pictures and was generous enough to let us use some of them for this blog. The other was Carolyn Vioni, Giuliano fan extraordinaire. Not only has Carolyn taken countless classes from Giuliano in Sarasota, she and her husband Ron have also joined us at our cooking school in Italy twice. As he does for any student who has taken courses with him, Giuliano wanted to create a menu that Carolyn had not had previously.  In Carolyn’s case it was particularly challenging, but she assured us that Giuliano had succeeded.

For this class, the menu was:  Spaghetti alla Norma, 
Aromatic Salmon, 
Braised Baby Artichokes
, and Prosecco and Clementine Sorbet. These were preceded by an aperitif of Prosecco and accompanied by Bruno Giacosa’s Dolcetto d’Alba.  

Giuliano showed the students that preparing the meal is a recipe in itself. Rather than focus on one dish, he used the time while something was cooking to prep for another.

Photo by Andrea Hillebrand

He showed the students why peeling tomatoes was important and to do it easily. He also taught the students how to dice onions with the least amount of tears, how to get the tenderest parts from an artichoke, and how to sharpen their knives.

Everyone had a great experience. We receive e-mails and notes afterwards from the students telling us how much they enjoyed themselves and look forward to taking future courses. Our next course will be in February. Maybe we will see you there or, for the ultimate food & wine experience, in Italy.

Aromatic Salmon in a Pouch

(From “How to Cook Italian” by Giuliano Hazan)

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Total time from start to finish: 1 hour

Serves 4 people

3/4 pound fresh ripe tomato (about 1 cup diced without seeds)

3 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoons fresh oregano

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds skinless salmon fillet

extra wide heavy duty aluminum foil

2 tablespoons dry white wine

1.  Preheat the oven to 400° on convection heat setting, or 425° on the regular bake setting.

2.  Peel the tomato, remove the seeds and cut into 1/2” dice.

3.  Finely chop the parsley and garlic.  Coarsely chop the oregano and mix with the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the olive oil.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

4.  Butterfly the salmon fillet by slicing horizontally along its thicker side so that the fillet opens like a book.  Spread the mixture from the previous step on the inside and outside of the salmon fillet.

5.  Tear a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the fish completely.  When you seal the foil later there should be enough room around the fish for the steam to circulate while it cooks.  Place the fish in the center and add the white wine.  Spread the diced tomato over the fish and sprinkle the remaining parsley on top.  Season with salt and pepper and seal the foil making sure not to leave any openings.  Place the pouch on a cookie sheet and put it in the preheated oven.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is. If you are unsure whether the fish is cooked or not, it’s perfectly okay to partially open the pouch and check with a fork to see if it flakes.  When it is done, gently open the foil taking care not to spill the juices.  Lift it out of the baking pan and slide the contents into a serving dish.  Serve at once.

Giuliano called me from our local farmer’s market ecstatic.  “They have beautiful kale, I want to make a soup!“  He was calling me because he wanted to make the Tuscan soup that traditionally calls for cavolo nero, a dark leafy vegetable typical of Tuscany whose closest equivalent in the States is kale.  He said he remembered writing a recipe for it, but couldn’t recall which book it was in or what the other ingredients were.  I quickly looked through How to Cook Italian to no avail, then I checked Every Night Italian.  There I found a recipe for his Classic Tuscan Vegetable Soup, La Ribollita, and he said to read him the ingredients.  It had Savoy and red cabbages, Swiss chard, zucchini, and leeks.

Giuliano arrived home with bags of greens and got the recipe out to make the soup.  As he read the recipe he realized it didn’t call for kale at all.  The combination of greens called for was supposed to “approximate as close as possible” the flavor of Tuscan cavolo nero.  Every Night Italian was written over 10 years ago and it must have been after that the he had started using kale as a substitute.  Faced with the beautiful bunch of fresh-from-the-farm kale he decided to use it instead of the Swiss chard.  The result was a wonderful ribollita, that is a perfect antidote to the cold weather most of the country has been experiencing.

Now when your local Community Supported Agriculture  (CSA) farm delivers a mountain of kale, you’ll know what to do with it.  Both of our girls enjoyed this soup.  In fact, our oldest, 11 year old Gabriella, brought it to school in her thermos for lunch and said that all of her friends were jealous. It is very easy to make and freezes well if you’ve made more than you need.

Tuscan Ribollita

©  Giuliano Hazan

Preparation:  30 minutes

Total time from start to finish:  2 hours and 30 minutes

serves 8 to 10 people

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 medium size leek

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces Savoy cabbage

8 ounces red cabbage

8 ounces kale leaves

1/3 cup celery, cut into 1/4″ dice

1/3 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4″ dice

6 ounces (3/4 cup) zucchini, cut into 1/2″ dice

1 cup canned cranberry or cannellini beans, drained

1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, coarsely chopped

8 ounces white boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

A slice of good crusty bread for each serving (optional)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1.  Put the chopped onion and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 6 to 8-quart heavy bottomed soup pot and place over medium high heat.  Sauté until the onion turns to a light golden color, about 5 minutes.

2.  While the onion is sautéing, trim the leek by cutting away the root end and removing the tough green tops of the leaves.  Cut the leek in half lengthwise and then across into 1/2″ pieces.  Soak the pieces of leek in cold water to loosen any dirt.  When the onion is ready, add the leek and turn the heat down to medium low.

3.  Add each of the following vegetables as you prepare them, periodically stirring the contents of the pot.

Savoy cabbage: cut off the root end and shred it finely.

Kale: remove the stalks.  Wash the leaves in cold water and chop them very coarsely.

Red cabbage: cut off the root and finely shred.

Celery: peel the back of the stalk to remove the tough strings, rinse under cold water and dice.

Carrot: peel and dice.

Zucchini: scrub under cold water and dice.

Canned beans: simply drain them of their juice.

Canned tomatoes: chop coarsely or simply break them up with your hand.

Potatoes: peel and cut into 1/2″ dice.  Wash them by placing them in a bowl of cold water as you cut them.

4.  When you have finished adding all the vegetables season generously with salt and pepper.  Pour in the 5 cups of water, cover the pot, raise the heat and, when the soup comes to a boil turn the heat down so that it cooks at a gentle simmer.  Cook for at least 2 hours checking it about every 30 minutes to stir.  The soup is done when the vegetables are very tender, almost creamy.

5.  When you are ready to serve the soup, toast or grill the slices of bread and place them on the bottom of each soup bowl.  Pour the soup over the bread and let it stand for about 5 minutes.  Just before serving, drizzle a little olive oil over each serving and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

To a habitual patron of Venice’s bacari – that uniquely Venetian interpretation of a wine bar – my friend Gudrun is likely to be a familiar sight. On any evening of the week you will find her and her other friends, tippling, nibbling, exchanging social intelligence at one or, if like her you graze, at several of these neighborhood haunts.

When I told Gudrun I wanted to do a story about the bacaro phenomenon, “Oh, nooooo …” she cried “There will be nothing left in Venice we can keep to ourselves!”. To live in Venice is to be one of the most privileged persons alive, but you share that privilege with the visitors – approximately ten of them for every one of you – who come to gaze at the miraculous city. You share the calli, Venice’s maze of streets, the campi, its squares, the vaporetti, its water buses, the exquisite opera house, the glorious churches, even the outdoor food market at Rialto, to whose stalls, resplendent with daily renewed displays of produce and fish, you must elbow your way past the ogling crowds. Up to now, the only thing residents haven’t had to share with outsiders was a place at the counter of a bacaro, where one can spend minutes or hours, alternating cheering draughts of refreshing young wine with morsels of the savory tidbits that abound with copious variety on this singular branch of Venetian cooking.

The word bacaro comes from the name of the pagan god of wine, Bacchus. Churches in Venice are more numerous and certainly far more monumental than bacari, but the worshipful constancy of the latter’s congregations and the sincerity of their devotions are such that the ancient deity need not feel slighted. True to the teachings of Bacchus, what all bacari have in common is an extraordinarily convivial spirit, probably unequaled in any other public house in Italy. In part this is a result of the small quarters that most of them, although not all, occupy. There are tables available, only two or three of them in the cozier establishments, but regular patrons prefer to stand not minding, during crowded moments, the press of their neighbors. It is rare not to find some acquaintance to greet and even though one has no trouble keeping to oneself, it is an unusually dour soul who can spend time in a bacaro without eliciting a friendly nod or word.

The wines bacari dispense by the glass are of the kind Italy excels in making: very young, light-bodied, exuberantly grapey, inexpensive and deliciously gulpable. Many are produced in the Veneto itself, including the most popular white, the fresh, soft, and gently sparkling Prosecco, and the most popular red, Merlot, produced in a simple, tenderly fruity style. Out of the highly regarded vineyards of the Friuli region northeast of Venice, come wines from both local and international varieties. Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon, Tocai, Ribolla satisfy a thirst for whites and for lovers of red there is Refosco, Schiopettino, Tazzelenghe, and Cabernet. Expect the latter, unless Cabernet Sauvignon is specified, to be the effusively fragrant Cabernet Franc. The more sophisticated bacari also pour some of the fuller reds from Tuscany and Piedmont. For their last round, Venetians often take a glass of Fragolino, an irresistibly scented white or red sweet wine – never exported – made from the locally grown Concord grape known as uva fragola, the strawberry grape. The white costs more but it is infinitely more delectable.

Bacari are not just about wine. Each good bacaro is a depository of genuine gems mined from the great mother lode of Venetian home cooking. Brilliant examples are based on the city’s most precious resource, Adriatic seafood. Among them you may find folpeti, tiny octopus whose sac can measure as little as an inch and no more than two. They are boiled, served warm out of their cooking bath and dressed with 3 drops of olive oil and one of vinegar, surpassing in succulence and sweetness whatever is done with octopus anywhere. There are fresh sardines or small soles in saor, fried and marinated in vinegar, onions, pine nuts, and raisins. There may be canoce, a pearl-gray, flat, broad, shrimp-like creature native to the Adriatic, whose flesh, tasting of almonds, is the most delicate of any crustacean’s. There are meat dishes as well: soppressa – the indigenous soft Venetian salami; musetto – the local version of cotechino, a mildly spiced, unbelievably creamy cooked salami; exquisite little meatballs, made with three kinds of meat mixed with potatoes. And in season there are the native vegetable specialties, baked radicchio, sautéed artichoke bottoms, steamed white asparagus. Not every bacaro has everything. Each has its specialty and each does some thing better than any one else. In a few you find a rich assortment of tramezzini, a sandwich created in Venice that encloses between small triangles of soft bread an infinite variety of meat and vegetable stuffings laced with mayonnaise.

What one consumes at bacari is not just delicious food and wine, but a generous portion of authentic Venetian life. It helps, but it is not necessary, to be Venetian yourself. As long as you are equipped with an unbiased palate and a sociable disposition, you can savor the experience as expertly as Gudrun does. After all, she too was a tourist once.

This article was originally printed in Food and Wine Magazine in 1995