Food Lover's Odyssey

Italy on a Plate: The Week in Italian Food: Jan 29, 2011

 

The week in Italian food has a nice roundup of recipes.  Pasta recipes for orecchiette, ravioli and lasagna for primi piatti.  For secondi, there are few traditional dishes - polpettone, porchetta and stoccafisso.  We have more than a few dolci, including a sweet bread and sweet story from Perugia.  Eating Italy includes food finds in Tuscany, more about pizza lessons from Bonci in Rome, a "nonstuffy" guide to ordering wine in Italy along with tales and tips on eating & drinking in Todi, Verona, Puglia and Sicily.

On a side note, except for Italy on a Plate, I've been a little absent due to an unplanned and last-minute trip over the last few weeks.  Now, I'm back in my own kitchen and with my computer.  You can be sure the week will be full of food & travel in Puglia, Provence and Paris.  I will also have Pugliese pasta and Nutella recipes coming up at the end of the week - World Nutella Day is next Sunday, you know!

Enjoy this week's roundup of Italian food & buon appetito!

 

 

 

My Choice for This Week's Top 10 Italian Food Recipes from Around the Web:

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, Sausage and Tomato Pesto - Italian Food Forever

Mushroom Lasagna - Ciao Chow Linda

Ricotta Ravioli & a Kitchenaid Giveaway - Bell' alimento

Polpettone al Forno - Napoli Unplugged

Porchetta - Italian Notes

Stoccafisso: Pan Simmered Whole Dried Cod with Tomatoes and Potatoes - Scordo

Italian Rice Pudding Tartlets - Jul's Kitchen

Pears Poached in a Tuscan Red Wine (Pere Martine al Toscana Rosso) - The Front Burner

Il Torcolo di San Costanzo - A sweet bread and a story from Perugia - Anne's Blog

Marmellata di Mandarini: A Winter Ritual - Z Tasty Life

 

 

 

 

Eating Italy:

Top 25 Tuscan Food Finds - Emiko Davies

The Battle of The Baccala - History of baccala in Italy and some regional dishes - Freya's Florence

How to Order and Enjoy Wine in Italy (Nonstuffy Traveler's Guide) - Walks of Italy

Passion for Pizza: Bonci - Over a Tuscan Stove

Unearthing a Culinary Rarity: Cheese from a Pit with Vittorio Beltrami, Le Marche - La Tavola Marche

10 of the Best Places to Stay, Eat and Visit in Verona - The Guardian

Happy Hour Bars in Florence - Nile Guide Florence

Best White from Puglia? Fatalone's Gioia del Colle Greco Spinomarino - DoBianchi

Todi: In the Land of Grechetto - Umbria on the Blog

Il Leoncino - Pizza in Rome - Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome

A Perfect End - All about Vin Santo - The American in Italia

Modica and the "Dark Chocolate" - A little history about chocolate in Sicily - Sicily Lovers

Italians Refuse to Give Up Their Ice Cream Amid the Belt Tightening - The Guardian

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Food and Wine Festivals in Italy:

Almond Blossom Festival - February 3 to 12 - Agrigento, Sicily

Cioccolentino 2012 - February 10 to 14 - Terni - Chocolate festival and more in the Umbrian town half way between Rome and Perugia

Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale - February 10 to 19, 2012 - Florence - Artisanl chocolate festival

Carnevale di Venezia -February 11 to 21, 2012 - Venice - Not really a food and wine festival, but it is a festival, one where the entire floating city becomes a stage, that one should attend at least once in a life time.

Cioccola-To - March 2 to 11, 2012 - Turin - Italian chocolates & more, with a focus on the chocolatiers of Turin, fill the Piazza Vittorio Veneto.

Taste Firenze - March 10 to 12 - Florence - The Leopolda Station

Sagra della Seppia - March 18 to 25 - Pinarella di Cervia - The seaside town near Ravenna celebrates seppia

VinItaly - March 25 to 28, 2012 - Verona - Italy's largest wine exposition

Wine in the City - May 16 to 19 - Naples - Throughout the city wine will be the focus of this event, where there will be wine to taste

Vitigno Italia - May 20 to 22 - Naples - 8th Annual Wine Festival in Naples at the Castel dell' Ovo

Firenze Gelato Festival - May 23 to 27 - Florence - The piazzas and streets of Florence will be filled with gelato stands and gelato!

Events in Tuscany - Site listing many events throughout Tuscany, and not only food and wine

Events in the Langhe area of Piedmont - Site from the Alba Tourist office listing many festivals, mostly wine & food, happening in the Langhe area of Piedmont

 

Join me on a Food & Wine Lover's Culinary Journey Through Puglia!

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Puglia

Cantucci - Biscotti from Tuscany

Gianduia Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

Artichoke and Spinach Ravioli in a Browned Butter Sauce

Genovese and Other Classice Neapolitan Sauces from Citta del Gusto

Taste of Napoli - 15 Favorite Dished for the Food Lover in Naples

Roman Pasta Dishes and 10 Places to Eat Them in Rome

 

Italy on a Plate: The Week in Italian Food: Jan 22, 2011

 

 

Welcome to this week's Italy on a Plate - the weekly roundup of Italian food from around the web.  I'm so happy with the list of links this week because they include the two things I love most about any Italian dish - history & regionality.  There are canederli from the very north, Alto Adige and pasta fagioli from Naples & the Campania region.  There are also a few dishes from Piedmont & Tuscany - one with ties to France and cookies from Liguria.  There's also and a handmade pasta from Artusi.  In Eating Italy, too, you will find links that talk of the history & tradition behind the food, along with lots of food from around the boot: There's a pizza battle between Rome & Naples (Which city's pizza would you choose?), wine tasting along the hills in Assisi, restaurant museums in Rome and a little bit about the upcoming national holiday on February 5th - World Nutella Day!  Enjoy & Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

My Choices for This Week's Top 10 Italian Food Recipes from Around the Web:

Torta Salata con Ricotta e Verdure Novelle (Savory Tart with Ricotta and Baby Leafy Greens) - Briciole

Gnocchi di Semolina in Brodo di Carne - Domenica Cooks

Carabaccia: Ancient Onion Soup from Tuscany - And a little history about how this soup is tied to the famous French one - Un Dejeuner de Soleil (in French & Italian)

Canederli: The Italian Knodel - Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu

Cannelloni with Beef (Cannelloni di Manzo) - Scordo.com

Artusi's Ricotta Tortelli Recipe - The Florentine

Gnocchi di Zucca with Fonduta - ItaliAnna

Pasta e Fagioli - Italian Food Forever

Melanzane and Zucchini Lasagna - Bella Baita Views

Baci di Alassio - Manu's Menu

 

 

 

 

Eating Italy:

Gastronomy, Place and Preserving Traditons - Mario's Italian Kitchen

The Best Pizza Town in Italy: Rome and Naples Battle for the Title - The Atlantic

Nutella Book and World Nutella Day, February 5th - Ms. Adventures in Italy

Brunch in Rome Roundup - Tavole Romane

Best Museum Restaurants in Rome - Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino

Hemingway's Valpolicella and the Quintarelli Legacy - DoBianchi

Pizza in Rome: Pizzeria da Simone - Browsing Rome

Recipes from a Tuscan Farm - Gorgeous photos of food and scenes in Tuscany - Emiko Davies

Walking and Sipping in the Assisi Hills - Umbria on the Blog

Tavola Azzurra 2 (Eating Fish in Santa Marinella) - Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome

The Purity of Olive Oil - Is that really Extra Virgin you're buying? - Wall Street Journal

Osso Buco in a Day's Gremolata - Kitchen in the City

 

 

 

Upcoming Food and Wine Festivals in Italy:

Latina Chocolate: Festa del Cioccolato - January 26 to 29 - Celebrate chocolate in Piazza del Popolo in the Lazio town of Latina

Cioccolentino 2012 - February 10 to 14 - Terni - Chocolate festival and more in the Umbrian town half way between Rome and Perugia

Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale - February 10 to 19, 2012 - Florence - Artisanl chocolate festival

Carnevale di Venezia -February 11 to 21, 2012 - Venice - Not really a food and wine festival, but it is a festival, one where the entire floating city becomes a stage, that one should attend at least once in a life time.

Cioccola-To - March 2 to 11, 2012 - Turin - Italian chocolates & more, with a focus on the chocolatiers of Turin, fill the Piazza Vittorio Veneto.

VinItaly - March 25 to 28, 2012 - Verona - Italy's largest wine exposition

Events in Tuscany - Site listing many events throughout Tuscany, and not only food and wine

Events in the Langhe area of Piedmont - Site from the Alba Tourist office listing many festivals, mostly wine & food, happening in the Langhe area of Piedmont

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Join me for a Food & Wine Lover's Journey in Puglia

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Recipe with Italian Nonna Vata

Potato Gnocchi for Gnocchi Giovedi

Pizza Lover's Odyssey in Naples

Pizza al Taglio at Pizzarium in Rome

History of Chocolate in Turin - Gianduja and Much More

Roman Pasta Dishes and 10 Places to Eat Them in Rome

Gianduja & Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day 2010

Nutella Love Cakes for World Nutella Day 2011

Italy on a Plate - The Week in Italian Food: Jan 15, 2012

 

It's been a week full of Italian food from around the web. Looks like everyone is back from the holidays - cooking and eating again.  For recipes, we go to Rome for a savory pie and Gnocchi alla Romana, then to Northern Italy for a few hearty dishes - stews from Piedmont and Milan and a meatloaf in Tuscany.  There's also a link to homemade bread and a few desserts.  Eating Italy has much to offer, too.  Eating in Venice, Milan, Rome, Abruzzo & more.  Wine in Umbria.  Breakfast Italian style & a recipe contest. And don't forget that January 17th is International Day of Italian Cuisine.  Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

 My Choices for This Week's Top 10 Italian Food Recipes:

Pane Casereccio (Homemade Bread) - Memorie di Angelina

Artichoke and Chard Savory Pie - Gina Tringali

Gnocchi alla Romana and Home Food's Cesarino - The American in Italia

Squid Ink Pasta - Emiko Davies

Osso Buco Milanese - Italian Food Forever

Brasato al Barolo - Mario's Italian Kitchen

Meatloaf of the Tuscan Peasant Cooking - Jul's Kitchen

Torta alla Nocciola (Hazelnut Cake with a Chocolate Ganache Filling) - Volevo Fare lo Chef (Italian & English)

Pear Crostata with Chocolate Almond Frangipane - La Mia Vita Dolce

Torta di Marzapane e Marmellata (Orange Marzipan Cake) - Cake Duchess

 

 

 

Eating Italy:

Bacaro Tour of Venice: Where to Eat Without Breaking the Bank - Great tips from a Venetian about where to go & what to order on a bacaro tour in Venice - Monica Cesarato

Abruzzo: Sun, Snow, Food - Pasta Bites

Eating the Adriatic: Finding an Authentic Venetian Restaurant - Europe Up Close

The Cube in Milan: Pop-Up Restaurant - Degustinations

Metamorfosi Restaurant (in Rome) - Revolution of Senses - Tavole Romane

Relishing Rome - Conde Naste Traveler

Valchiavenna: Gone to the "crott" - Interesting and mouthwatering piece on caves turned restaurants in Northern Italy - Rubber Slippers in Italy

Sagrantino di Montefalco: Taming the Beast and The Colli Martani: Wine on Wheels - Love both these Umbrian wine posts from Rebecca  for Umbria on the Blog

Fare Colazione - The art of the Italian breakfast & a breakfast recipe contest - Briciole

Il Calendario del Sale - Telling the weather with salt - Italian Notebook

Guide to Italian Supermarkets: Buying Groceries in Italy - Italy Magazine

International Day of Italian Cuisine 2012 - Italy Magazine

Amaretti and Amaretto - Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu

How Italian Food Conquered the World - Italian New York

Campo de' Fiori, Rome - The Purple Foodie

Favorite Bakery in Rome: Regoli - Browsing Rome

 

 

 

Upcoming Food and Wine Festivals in Italy:

Cioccolentino 2012 - February 10 to 14, 2012 - Terni - Chocolate festival and more in the Umbrian town half way between Rome and Perugia

Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale - February 10 to 19, 2012 - Florence - Artisanl chocolate festival

Carnevale di Venezia -February 11 to 21, 2012 - Venice - Not really a food and wine festival, but it is a festival, one where the entire floating city becomes a stage, that one should attend at least once in a life time.

Cioccola-To - March 2 to 11, 2012 - Turin - Italian chocolates & more, with a focus on the chocolatiers of Turin, fill the Piazza Vittorio Veneto.

VinItaly - March 25 to 28, 2012 - Verona - Italy's largest wine exposition

Events in Tuscany - Site listing many events throughout Tuscany, and not only food and wine

Events in the Langhe area of Piedmont - Site from the Alba Tourist office listing many festivals, mostly wine & food, happening in the Langhe area of Piedmont

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Join me on a Food & Wine Lover's Journey to Puglia

Best Ways to Savor Venice

Italian Hot Chocolate and Carnival in Venice

Christmas Around Italy - 10 Addresses for Christmas Sweets in Rome

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Chocolate Festival in Turin

Food in Rome: Taste of Testaccio is Offal

Coda alla Vaccinara (Roman Style Oxtail Stew)

France Roundtable: Favorite French Comfort Food

 

Welcome to the second installment of the monthly France Blogging Roundtable, a project organized by Christine Cantera of WhyGo France. The group includes Christine and four others of us who blog about France: Jennifer of Chez Lou Lou, Jamie of Life's a Feast, EuroCheapo, and me. Each month we'll share our unique perspectives on a predetermined topic about France. So pull up a chair to our Roundtable, have a croissant or an eclair, and join in on the conversation.  We'd love to hear your take on each month's topic and your comments.  This month's topic: French Comfort Food.

When I think of comfort food in general; stews, soups, pork products, potatoes, creamy, cheesey, & buttery dishes immediately come to mind. Oh ya, and chocolate!  France's cold-weather cuisine and its many regional dishes definitely include many of those ingredients.  I would say that one of the top reasons to travel through France during the colder months is to taste some of these heartier seasonal and regional dishes that aren't always available and would be too heavy in the summer months.

I've been able to sample much of what France has to offer in the way of comfort.  Here are some of my favorite French comfort foods. Some are obvious ones of classic French cuisine, and others you might not have heard of before.  Most are savory, but you know I'm a dessert kinda girl, and no French comfort food post would be complete without some of my favorite French pastries:

 

Jarret de Porc aux Lentilles

This is a typical autumn/winter dish in Provence and other parts of the southern part of France. A pork shank is slow cooked, then placed on a bed of lentils (in the top photo), and the cooking is finished in a terra cotta dish.  I recently had this dish with Tuula during our food lover's day in Aix-en-Provence.   

 

 

Paupiette de Veau

One of my favorite dishes in France, these are simply veal rolls, stuffed and braised in wine.  I've made and had many with a pork sausage stuffing, but I also enjoyed a lighter version, one with breadcrumbs and parsley, at L'Epicuriste in Paris.

 

Confit de Canard

Confit de Canard (photo courtesy: Flickr PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE)

The French do duck best.  I make it a point to enjoy as many duck dishes as possible when I'm in France, but the one I enjoy the most is confit de canard.  Duck legs are slowly cooked in their own fat, confit. When ready to serve, they are fried up so that the skin is golden and crispy and the meat is ever so tender.  Definitely not to be missed.

 

 

 

Cassoulet

This hearty dish comes from Toulouse and the Gascony region in southwest France and is a bit complicated to make, but worth the effort.  If you're able to get someone to make it for you, all the better.  Named after the earthenware dish in which it's cooked, the cassoule, white beans, Toulouse sausage and duck legs confit are slowly cooked together then topped with a crispy crust.

 

 

Navarin d'Agneau

Navarin d'Agneau (photo courtesy Flickr: Kent Wang)

The French name sounds much fancier than its English version - lamb stew.  Tougher cuts of lamb stew together with root vegetables and wine.  It's also an easy dish to recreate at home. 

 

Gratin Dauphinois

Layers upon layers of potatoes, cream and cheese, finished with a crunchy topping.  This might be the epitome of comfort cuisine in France, and elsewhere.

 

 

Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon (photo courtesy Flickr: mulberrymint)

Classic French cuisine, this famous beef stew is made with Burgundy wine with pearl onions and carrots as its tradtional accoutrement. It was made even more popular in the U.S. by Julia Child.

 

 

Viennoiserie

 

Although they hail from Austria (hence the name), these flaky, buttery breakfast pastries are symbols of France and French pastries, especially the croissant.  All mornings should start out with a few flakes of pastry remains on your lap.  My favorites are pains aux chocolat and chaussons aux pommes.  What are yours?

 

 

Tart Tatin

 

Legend has it that the Tatin sisters messed up in making a tradtional apple tart, and this caramelized "upside-down" apple tart was the result.  Apples, caramel, flaky pastry; this warms my insides just talking about it.

 

Creme Brulee

Cooked custard with a crunchy sugar crust?! Enough said.

 

 

Tart au Citron

 

Yes, this dessert is a bright yellow ball, making you think of sun and summer.  Although you can get a tart citron year-round in France, (and I do) lemons are actually a winter fruit.  One of the reasons I look forward to winter is because I have a lemon tree that supplies me with lemons for this dessert and many more.

 

  Eclairs

 

I'm often asked which French pastry is my favorite.  I always qualify the question by asking "to make or to eat?"  Although I love putting together different mousses, ganaches, creams & cakes to make many French desserts, the eclair is my favorite to eat.  My all-time favorite flavor, a chocolate eclair with choclate pastry cream makes me think of both Paris & my mom.  I do have to say that the Pur Caramel Eclair from Cafe Pouchkine is a close second.

 

 

Check out what the others have to say about comfort food in France:

• French Comfort Food  from WhyGo France
  
• Paris Food Stuffs: Best Places for Cheap and Yummy Eats  from EuroCheapo
• Galette Des Rois - King's Cake  from Life's a Feast
  

 

January's Roundtable topic - Favorite French Art: Art and Chateau Vaux le Vicomte

 

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What is your favorite French Comfort Food?

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Join me on a Food Lover's Trip to Puglia

 

I'm thrilled to announce the first of what I hope will be many food-focused tours with Food Lover's Odyssey.  This first invitation is to join me in Puglia to cook, eat, drink and discover this amazing "off-the-tourist-track" region in Southern Italy!

 

With the help of my friend Ylenia, of YL Tours, we've specially designed a delicious 9-day/8-night food and wine lover's journey in Puglia. One in which you'll not only taste the many delicacies of the region, but you'll also cook them! You'll be immersed in the culture, lifestyle and traditions of the people of the region.  With a local guide by our side the entire way, it will be so much more than a culinary journey, it will be a truly local and memorable experience.  Each tour is limited to 12 participants, and we have two tours scheduled for 2012: one running May 26 through June 3 and the other September 1 through 9.

 

 

 

Where we'll be.  Puglia is the region at the "heel" of Italy's "boot."  We'll be staying in the southernmost province, Salento.  It's surrounded on three sides by the deep blue sea - the Ionian to the west & the Adriatic to the east. Often called the "California of Italy" and referred to as "Tuscany without the crowds," Salento boasts a cuisine based on cucina povera (poor kitchen), vegetables, local olive oil & seafood. The countryside is an endless stretch of olive trees and blue skies.  Salento's capital is the baroque beauty of Lecce, and we'll stay in the gorgeous and spacious Masseria Provenzani located just minutes from the sea and the city of Lecce.

 

Masseria Provenzani

Poolside at Masseria Provenzani

On the first day, you'll be welcomed to the masseria by your local guide and me with a private wine & olive oil tasting, followed by a welcome dinner where we'll break bread and bond over a typical Salentine meal.  The masseria has a large kitchen where mamma Giulia will prepare our daily breakfasts. It's also where three of our cooking classes will be held.  And there will be plenty of time for relaxing poolside and/or beachside.

 

 

 

 

Imagine preparing local seasonal dishes at a winery and then dining on these dishes with the local wines.  Making hand made Pugliese pasta and traditional meals with an Italian mamma. Watching fresh cheese being made and sampling the still-warm freshly-made, creamy ricotta.  Sampling seafood right out of its shell just minutes after it's been caught. Visiting a pastry shop to learn about the sweet side of Salento, with samples, of course.  Walking tours of Baroque Lecce, the fisherman's village of Gallipoli, the seaside resort town of Otranto,the Trulli of the Itria Valley and the "white city" of Ostuni.  These are just of few of the highlights of this trip, and there's so much more...

 

What's included in the tour:

• 9 days/8 nights stay at the gorgeous Masseria Provenzani (less than 1 mile from the beach and a 10-minute drive to Lecce)
• Experience Puglia like a local - We will have a local guide with us the entire trip
• All breakfasts, lunches and dinners
• Local wines included with all lunches and dinners
• Private shuttle to and from the Brindisi Airport and to all destinations during the trip
• Welcome private wine & olive oil tasting
• Guided walking tours of Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli and the Itria Valley - Alberobello, Ostuni & Locorotondo
• Four cooking classes (two hands-on and two demonstration)
• Two cheese making demonstrations with tastings
• Gelato making demonstration & tasting with Luca, who has been making gelato for more than 20 years
• Guided visit to a Lecce pastry shop with tastings
• Guided Local market tour
• Cortili Aperti Festival (during the May 26th trip)
• Two winery visits and tastings
• Liqueur tasting
• Beach time to enjoy the gorgeous Puglia coastline and lapis-lazuli sea
• All recipes to take home
• Cook in Puglia apron and welcome gift bag
• Assitance with making your travel arrangements to the Brindisi airport and any pre- and post-tour travel arrangements

 

*Airfare, transportation to Brindisi and travel insurance is not included.

 

Dates:  Two tour dates are available for 2012

• May 26 to June 3, 2012
• Sept 1 to Sept 9, 2012

 

Price: $3,200 per person based on double occupancy
             Single supplement: $300

Deposit: A nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 per person is required to confirm enrollment.

Final Payment: The  final payment is due no later than 90 days prior to the start of the tour.

 

Travel Insurance:

We recommend travel insurance to protect against loss of enrollment fees for late cancellations.

The following website has been recommended:

http://www.insuremytrip.com/

Please note that we make this information available for your convenience. We have no financial interest in the web site or the services it offers, and any contract you make is your right and responsibility.

 

 

For more information and a detailed itinerary, go to the page: Food & Wine Lover's Journey in Puglia.  For an idea of what we'll see, do & taste, check out my posts of Puglia & Pugliese cuisine.

 

To make a reservation or for additional questions, contact me at chefkathyayer [at] yahoo.com.