Food Lover's Odyssey

Orecchiette with Cauliflower and Sausage - Cooking with Mariantonietta in Salento

 

For many of us, our image of an Italian mother is one of a sweet, petite, slightly rounded woman, apron tied around her waist and flour always under her fingernails. We see her spending most of her day in the kitchen making pasta by hand and cooking up something wonderful for her family and/or guests whom she dotes on endlessly. It is possible that these women exist, but get in mamma's way at the supermarket and you'll see mamma and nonna in a whole new light. The elbow jab to the ribs or rolly-cart to the shins will quickly shake away any misconception you have of a sweet & frail mamma.  I met up with Italian mamma, Mariantonietta, for a day of food shopping and a Pugliese cooking lesson. 

Now Mariantonietta can cook, and it's clear she knows her way around a kitchen. She owns a seaside restaurant in Salento, is part-owner of Masseria Provenzani and is responsible for organizing many food and wine events in the area and throughout Italy. Obviously, this bustling business woman is too busy to be in the kitchen all day, yet she still insists on eating tasty, nutritious Italian meals. Her motto is that an easy and elegant meal should take no longer than an hour to prepare.  After a day "out in the fields" meeting local farmers, olive oil producers and visiting a wine cooperative, we cooked up a delicious four-course dinner full of the flavors of Puglia. And we did it in less than an hour.

 

Quintessential Italian Table - Perfectly set with tablecloth and flowers

Mariantonietta in her kitchen

 

That morning we spent exploring Leverano, an area in Salento rich in agriculture. We visited a tomato grower who grows 150 varieties of tomatoes, tasted olive oil from a olive oil cooperative and saw wine being made at a cooperative where around 1200 small producers combine their resources to make wine and olive oil. Talk about fresh, the produce we purchased had just been harvested that morning. We even met with a flower grower in the area and picked up flowers for the table.

We brought our purchases back to Mariantonietta's kitchen.  Not only is her kitchen spacious and colorful, decorated with all sorts of photos, tiles and ceramics, but it's also modern and well-equipped. At first look it might seem that the pots and kitchen utensils were only for decoration, but they were hung strategically, which allowed for quick and easy retrieval when cooking. It wasn't all work in the kitchen either. In between chatter, photo breaks, and plenty of wine (the wine was a Negroamaro from the Leverano Wine Coopertive), we put together a fabulous meal, where local vegetables and ingredients were the stars.

 

 

Although she never seemed rushed, Mariantonietta was swift in the kitchen. She moved from sink to prep area to stove like a ballerina, each motion seemingly choreographed and practiced many times before. Local and seasonal vegetables were key to making this meal. Mariantonietta pointed out that the fresher the vegetables are, the quicker they cook and the tastier they are. And if you use dried pasta, which we did, most Italian pasta dishes are quite quick and easy to make. With five ingredients or less, you can make a wonderful dish. Our meal was the essence of Italian cooking, simple yet so full of flavor because Mariantonietta let the unadulterated quality and freshness of the ingredients shine.

 

 

 

We started with antipasti of local salumi and cheese. We also had bruschetta made with local tomatoes, the famous bread from Altamura and olive oil from the Leverano Oil Cooperative. 

 

 

 

The primo piatto was a gorgeous plate of orecchiette with cauliflower, sausage and cheese. The mild flavor of the cauliflower blended well with the bold taste of the sausage, and the cheese, not too much, brought a perfect creaminess to the entire dish.

 

 

Using extras from the pasta dish, we made a secondo of grilled sausage links and a contorno (side dish) of cauliflower gratin.  That wasn't all.  Two more contorni rounded out the meal: the classic dish peperonata, bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic slowly cooked in olive oil. We also had the famous Pugliese vegetable cime di rapa (broccoli rabe), again boiled and dressed with olive oil.

 

 

 

Dried figs with an almond inside (a Salento specialty), walnuts and limoncello were dessert.

 

 

Mariantonietta and I taking a cafe break in Porto Cesareo, near Leverano

 

The day was much more than a cooking lesson. I was able to see exactly from where the produce we purchased came, meet those producers - the many that get their hands dirty so we can eat well, and learn a little about agricultural life in Salento. Not only that, I made a new friend in Mariantonietta. Whenever I make this dish (which I have many times because it's so easy to make), I think of her, cooking and eating together, and the people of Leverano. (More on Leverano and its producers coming in another post.)  Below is the recipe for orecchiette with cauliflower,sausage and cheese based on Mariantonietta's recipe.  She used cacioricotta cheese, which is hard for me to find in California, but any semi-soft, not too strong cheese will do.

 

 

 

 

 

Orecchiette with Cauliflower, Sausage and Cheese
(Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a primo piatto)
 

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
About 1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
12 ounces of Italian sausage (3-4 links)*
1 pound orecchiette or other small dried pasta (i.e. mezzi rigatoni or conchiglie/small shells)
About 8 ounces cheese, grated or diced (cacioricotta, pecorino)
Freshly grated black pepper, to taste

Place the cauliflower florets in a large pot and add water about half way up the pot and the salt.  Bring the water to boil and cook just until the cauliflower are al dente.  Remove the cauliflower and drain.  Use this water to cook the pasta, adding more water and salt if necessary. 

In a large saute pan, add the olive oil and sausage, and cook the sausauge.

When the sausage is almost done, cook the pasta for only four minutes, then drain.  Save the pasta water.  Add the drained pasta to the sausage and stir through to coat the pasta with the olive oil and "toast" it, for 2-3 minutes.  Add the cauliflower and 2 or 3 ladles of pasta water. Cook a few minutes more until pasta is al dente.  Remove from the heat, add the cheese and stir in until the cheese has melted creating a creamy finish.  Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and serve. Buon Appetito! 

*Note: When I recreate this dish, I use 12 ounces of sausage out of the casing, using 6 ounces of sweet/mild sausage and 6 ounces of spicy sausage.

 

 

Join me and cook with Italian mamme, traditional and modern, meet local food purveyors and many other great people of Salento on this Food & Wine Lover's Culinary Tour of Puglia.

 

Mariantonietta and Michael (of YLTours)

 

 

Related Posts:

Making Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

Artisanal Cheese at Masseria CinqueSanti in Puglia

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

Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Wedding in Puglia

Traditional Salentine Dishes at Locanda Rivoli in Lecce

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

Pugliese Pasta Dish: Sagne Ncannulate con Sugo Schiattariciati

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented at Sette di Sette in Lecce

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

Shopping and Eating Local in Italy - Farmers' Market in Lecce

Sagne Ncannulate Schiattariciati - Pugliese Pasta with Schiattariciati Tomato Sauce

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccese

The Dish from Puglia: Ricci di Mare (sea urchins) from Porto Badisco

This Dish from Puglia: Friselle

Christmas Around Italy - Christmas Desserts in Salento

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
  

 

December'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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Chocolate Eclairs: My Mom and Learning to Make Them

 

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“Keep stirring until the dough forms a ball,” the French chef explained during our basic class on pâte a choux.  This statement, the same my mom always used while teaching me, transported me through time to the first time I made éclairs. 

I was perched on a stool eyes glued to the saucepan. My mom stirred the éclair dough, while explaining the procedure.  Her thin but deft arms swirling like helicopter blades mixing the dough into a ball.  After that she handed the pan over to me and let me stir in the eggs, one at a time.  I was eager to do anything to be involved in making éclairs, even something as simple as stirring.  My mom would make cream puffs or éclairs only for Easter and Christmas. I, ever the chocoholic, pleaded each year for her to make éclairs instead of the cream puffs, whining, “But mommmm, there’s no chocolate in cream puffs.” To me, the cream puff was the ugly stepsister, and I wanted Cinderella, the éclair with chocolate. 

 

After I stirred in the eggs, she took back the saucepan and used two spoons to form lumpy mounds onto the baking sheet.  I took about 30 minutes to make two mounds. I started the second over and over again to make them exactly the same.  My mom just shook her head and laughed, “We don’t have all day to make them perfect.” How a piping bag would have helped, but we never had kitchen “gadgets” to make things prettier and easier.  Instead flatware was our baking equipment; spoons took the place of piping bags, butter knives were offset spatulas, forks were pastry cutters and crimpers.  “Gadgets,” she’d sneer, “are for people who don’t really bake.”  My guess is that we really didn’t have the extra money for gadgets, and she improvised with what we had.

 

After the éclairs baked for the first 25 minutes, she used a wooden spoon to jar the oven door open and let the steam exit.  Instead of fondant and chocolate pastry cream, we used melted chocolate chips for the icing and made out-of-the-box pudding for the filling.  To fill the éclairs, she cut them in half, sacrilege to the French pastry chef.  With a butter knife, she plopped the melted chocolate chips onto the éclair top, and flicked her wrist once to spread it, one éclair after the other, not paying attention to any of the chocolate dripping from the sides. 

 

 

 

As she spread, I used a paper towel to wipe away the drippings and any smears.  She let me help with the pudding, and I carefully filled each éclair trying to make sure no pudding ran off the sides.  Again, she shook her head and mumbled my nickname, “piddicusa,” (Sicilian dialect for the Italian term, pignola – meaning excessively fussy).   My mom didn’t have time to be piddicusa.  She had three holy terrors adorable kids, a tight budget, and even tighter amount of time to spend worrying about chocolate dripping from the side of éclairs. 

 

We made about 20 éclairs, not all the same length, with ragged and uneven tops, resembling mountain ranges.  They were not the perfect little cylinders exquisitely coiffed with fondant that you see in Parisian patisseries but they were good. I was so proud of my first endeavor into French pastry, looking upon them like a mother swan admiring the potential of her baby ducklings.  My mom packed them into her Tupperware and carted them off to my Aunt Rosalie’s, where I displayed them on a crystal platter with paper doilies underneath.  Now my aunt, who has never baked once in her life, had all the “gadgets.” 

 

 

 

Somewhere in the background, I heard someone ask, “Kathy, what’s wrong?”  Suddenly, I was back in the present, in class in Paris, and the chef was piping one clone after another onto the parchment-lined sheet tray. Each strip of dough was exactly 12 mm in width and 4 inches in length.  I blinked away the tears and wiped them from my cheek, responding “Nothing, I'm just happy to be learning how to make éclairs.”

As many of you who follow this blog know, my mom passed away almost 8 years ago.  She is still a huge part of my food-loving life.  She wasn’t a professional like her father, from whom she learned to bake. After arriving in the U.S. from Italy, he had a bakery in New York.  (I wonder if he used “gadgets”?)  She did make delicious and simple baked goods that people still remember and talk about today.  Even though I can make fancy French pastries, I’m constantly asked by my family, and long-time friends, to replicate her pies, cakes, cookies, and cream puffs (only I loved the éclairs more).  Although I use more of the professional techniques, even gadgets, than my mom did, I hear my mom every time I stir the flour into the milk mixture "until it forms a ball."

I do enjoy sampling the many varieties of pastries in France, but the chocolate eclair is still my favorite.  When I make them and when I eat them, I think of my mom.  I share this story and the recipe in honor of her.  The technique for making these is what I learned in France, but the icing on this recipe, a ganache one, is closer to my mom's version than the one of fondant that you'll find in French patisseries. 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Eclairs

(makes 20 eclairs)

For the pâte a choux:

2/3 cup (150 ml) whole milk

2/3 cup (150 ml) water

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (120 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cup (180 g) all-purpose flour

4 to 5 eggs, at room temperature

In a sauce pot, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil.  Keep the mixture on the heat until it has expanded and then fallen.  Remove from the heat, and pour the flour in all at once.  Stir vigorously until the mixture becomes a ball.  Place back over medium-low heat and continue stirring about 10 minutes to dry out the dough.  Remove from the heat and stir until you no longer see steam rising from the dough.  Place the dough in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment (or you can do this by hand), and stir in one egg at a time.  With the electric mixer or by hand, the dough will break up into pieces and come back together as you incorporate each egg.  After the fourth egg, lift the dough up with the spoon or paddle attachment to test if it's ready.  As you lift it, it should come to a point, stay for a few seconds, then fall back on itself.  If it doesn't fall, add the fifth egg, or part of it. 

Using a pastry bag and round tip, 12 mm or 1/2-inch in diameter, pipe out cylindars 4 1/2 inches long onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.  Leave 2 inches between each eclair you pipe.  Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 F and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.  Turn off the heat and open the oven to keep the door ajar (yes, you can use a wooden spoon to do this, if necessary).  Let the eclairs dry out for 20 minutes more with the oven off.

 

 

For the chocolate pastry cream:

3 1/4 cup (750 ml) whole milk

1 cup (185 g) granulated sugar, divided in half

8 egg yolks

1/3 cup (65 g) cornstarch

9 ounces (300 g) quality dark chocolate, 70% cacao, melted

Bring the milk and half the sugar to a boil.  As the milk is heating, whisk together the othr half of the sugar and the egg yolks until the mixture is combined and has lightened in color.  Whisk in the cornstarch.  Once the milk boils, slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking the entire time, until you have added all the milk into the egg yolks.  Pour the mixture back into the sauce pot and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Once the mixture boils, keep over the heat for about 30 seconds more, whisking continuously.  Remove from the heat and pass through a fine mesh seive into a bowl.  Add the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate has been combined into the pastry cream.  Place the mixture over an ice bath and let cool for 10 minutes.  Spread the mixture into a 13x9-inch glass dish and cover with platic wrap (the plastic wrap should be touching the pastry cream, so a film doesn't form).  Refrigerate until the pastry cream is cold.

 

 

For the chocolate ganache icing:

2/3 cup (150 ml) heavy cream

4 1/2 ounces (150 g) dark couverture chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl.  In a sauce pot, heat the cream just until it's scalding (little bubbles appear around the rim).  Pour the cream over the chocolate.  Let the mixture rest for a minute, then slowly whisk together.  To create a smooth ganache, place the whisk in the center of the mixture and whisk in a small, slow, circular motion until the chocolate and cream combine.  Break the butter into four pieces and place on top of the mixture.  Once the butter melts, slowly stir it in with the whisk.  Let the ganache cool and thicken just to the point that it will not run when you frost the eclairs, about 90 F.

 

To assemble the eclairs:

 

 

The eclairs should be completely cooled, and the pastry cream should be cold before assembling.  It is best to assemble the eclairs 1-2 hours before serving. Using a star tip about 1/4 inch in diameter, poke three holes in the bottom of each eclair. 

 

 
 
 

Fill a pastry bag with a round pastry tip that is 1/4-inch in diameter.  Fill each eclair by piping the pastry cream into the holes you've just made in the bottom of the eclairs.  Continue piping until the cream starts to run out from each of the holes.  (This will ensure that you have a nicely filled eclair.)  Wipe away the excess pastry cream with a spatula.

 

 

To ice the eclairs, the ganache should be just at the point where it won't run, about 90 F.  The ganache should also be in a bowl that it at least as wide as each eclair.  Gently and lightly lay the top portion of the eclair into the ganache, stopping right when the eclair has just touched the ganache.  Pull the eclair back up and run an arched finer over the top's center to smooth out the icing.  You should only have excess at one end of the eclair.  At that end run your index finger around the edge to wipe of the excess.  Do the same for each eclair.

Refrigerate until serving. Enjoy! 

 

A Few Notes: 

Like my mom, you can use chocolate pudding mix, but once you've tasted chocolate pastry cream, you'll never go back to the box stuff.

When making ganache, I wouldn't recommend using chocolate chips for cookies.  They have a wax in them so they will keep their shape in the heat, exactly the opposite of what you want when making ganache.  A high quality couverture chocolate will not only taste better, but also give you the shine you want on the topping.

 

 

  

 

 

 

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What is one of your most memorable cooking or eating moments with your mom?

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Related Posts:

Slow Cooked Meat Ragu to Honor Mom

Paris Walks for Food Lovers: Rue de Seine and Rue Bonaparte

French Pastries and Ten Top Patisseries in Paris

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part 1

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part 2

The Dish from France: Viennoiserie

Fraisier - To Celebrate My Blog Birthday

Meyer Lemon Tart Inspired by Gerard Mulot

Galette des Rois - Celebrate Epiphany

Flaky Apple Tart from Gascony - Croustade aux Pommes

Four-Spice Palmiers

Cooking Classes for the Culinary Traveler in Paris

Easter Chocolate in Paris Windows

 

 

 

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

I knew little about the Salento region of Puglia when I planned my trip last winter. I knew it was at the bottom tip of Italy's heel. I had heard it's known as the "California of Italy" and that the sea, surrounding three sides of Salento, was rumored to be one the most beautiful in Italy.

During my five-day visit, I learned so much more, thanks to the people I met while there. Laura from Ciao Laura's Culinary Vacations put me in contact with the ladies who run culinary tours for her in Lecce and Puglia. Thinking they would meet me for a drink and give me a few pointers on where to to and eat, I was shocked and delighted over how they took me in and showed me around, filling my head with a wealth of information about the food, culture, history and more. Not only that, but they also welcomed me into their homes and kitchens, so much so, I felt like family. The last day of my visit I looked over my notes and couldn't believe all that I had seen, done, learned, and eaten in such a short time.

Leccese stone, menhir, dolmen, muretti a secco, masseria, frantoio ipogeo, friselle, sagne ncannulate, i maritati, pasticciotto, Albanegra, giuncata, cacioricotta, rustico, The Tables of San Giuseppe, Grecia Salentina, Otranto, Gallipoli. Only a month ago, most of these words meant nothing to me.

These words were only letters strung together on a page. Some having unclear textbook definitions; others not a bit of meaning. Now the words have meanings and images attached to them, of specific places and events and with people I will never forget. The words are as clear in meaning as the first words I ever spoke. They are a part of me, and I am a part of them. I hope to bring these and more Salentino words to life for you as I recount my adventures and introduce you to the people I met during my time with Ylenia and Claudia.

Pina Cooking and Claudia Explaining (photo courtesy of Ylenia)

Pina, personal chef and culinary instructor, cooked for us a Salentino lunch at Cantine Menhir. I had met her two days earlier, and we bonded over food, of course. She told me much about the Salento cuisine, which leans heavily on vegetables, cheese, and seafood. A cuisine born of farmers and peasants, it's light on meat. We exchanged cooking ideas and methods. I shared an American recipe with her, and Claudia, my cheesecake recipe. One evening we popped into Pina's mother's home to warm up with some tea. Mamma sent me back to my B&B with a shopping bag filled with pasta, two bottles of tomato sauce, two types of bread and jam. ALL of it homemade!

The day at the cantina, Pina cooked five dishes. Vegetables were the shining star in each dish. I joined her in the kitchen. I would like to say that I helped, but that wasn't the case. Pina and Claudia cooked. Ylenia took many of the photos. I listened. Hopefully I listened well as Pina explained, in sometimes rapid-fire Italian, how to prepare each dish. Whenever a lost look of panic appeared on my face, Ylenia and Claudia translated.

Here's what Pina cooked:

 

Frittura Salentina - A sort of tempura, Salento style. The batter was flour and sparkling water. Pina tossed vegetables, broccoli rape and fennel to name two, along with apples into the batter. She flavored the frying oil with lemon and orange zest and bay leaves. Crunchy outside and soft inside, these fried treats were devoured almost faster than I could snap a photo.

 

Lampascioni - Pronounced (lam-pah-show-nee) - On the way home from lunch, they laughed because I kept talking about the lampascioni, verifying and reverifying the recipe. This dish is agrodolce (sweet & sour) sauce at its best. Lampascioni are hyancith bulbs that grow wild in the region. They resemble small onions, but are pinkish in color and have a much stronger and bitter taste.  The sweet sauce balances out the bitterness.  In a little olive oil, lampascioni and scallions are cooked, with garlic and bay leaves, until they are soft. A few cherry tomatoes and vincotto are added and cooked down until it's the right consistency and flavor. Vincotto is cooked grape must. The must is slowly reduced to produce a dense, more sweet but also sour, syrup-like liquid. The dish was To. Die. For. (Dopo l'ho mangiato, potrei morire.)

Verdure al forno - Pina boiled greens, chicory, broccoli rape, sliced artichokes, to start. She said you could use any vegetables you'd like or have in the house. Once they were cooked, she drained them and then sauteed them, the traditional way, in only a little olive oil. Nowadays people will saute a little pancetta with the vegetables. It tastes better, but is not necessary. Then the vegetables get layered into a casserole dish. In between the vegetable layers are a layer of grated grano padano cheese. To the top layer she also added bread crumbs, and baked it until the top was golden brown.

 

Pasta schiattariciati - Pasta with a sauce of squished (schiattariciati) cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes are "squished" while exploding in a covered pan of hot olive oil, and then basil leaves are added. After dressing the pasta with the squished tomato sauce, add finely grated cacioricotta (cheese and ricotta combined). The cacioricotta melts and gives each strand of pasta a creamy coating.

 

We finished with a colorful salad of roasted beets, blood oranges, tomatoes, and fennel that was tossed in a lemon and olive oil dressing. Clearly, I was busy eating at this point, as I have no photo of it.

 

Wine-tasting break (photo courtesy of Ylenia)

 

Cantine Menhir provided their dining area, the food and their wines. The cantina, surrounded by an infinite stretch of olive groves, symbolic of the Salento area, has the appearance of a cozy stone cottage. Behind the dining area, is a lounge area open during the evenings with live entertainment.

Gaetano, the owner of Cantine Menhir, is pouring wines in the photo above. (Menhir is the name of the prehistoric structures found in the area, but that's for another post.) All of us worked casually in the kitchen, taking a few wine tasting breaks along the way. Our tasting started with a white wine, Pass-o Fiano Minutolo. Someone made mention of a Chardonnay while we were drinking it, but I think mainly to give a nod to my home region. For me the wine was fruitier than a Chardonnay, I tasted peaches, and was perfect before a meal. From there we moved on to the reds of Puglia, Primitivo and Negroamaro. With lunch we had another red, Albanegra. It was a blend of Aleatico, Primitivo e Malvasia grapes. It was lighter than the Primitivo and went well with our lunch. I adored it almost as much as the lampascioni.

Lingering at the table - sure sign of a much enjoyed meal (photo courtesy of Ylenia)

Claudia, Pina and I still chatting about the meal

An idealic afternoon in the kitchen and a delicious and leisurely meal. Grazie ancora Pina, Gaetano, and of course, Ylenia and Claudia!

 

*Join me in 2012 on a Food & Wine Lover's Culinary Journey Through Puglia!

 

 

The photo at the top of this post and some of the other photos used (they are noted), are from Ylenia at YLTours Congressi and used with her permission. All other photos in the piece are mine, All Rights Reserved.

Related Posts:

Pugliese Pasta and The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Lesson with Nonna Vata

A Tour of Lecce - The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

Cheese of Puglia: Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and a Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented at Sette di Sette in Lecce

Sagne Ncannulate con Sugo Schiattariciati ("Squished tomato sauce)

The Dish from Puglia: Ricci di Mare (sea urchins) from Porto Badisco

The Dish from Puglia: Friselle with Tomatoes

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccese

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

Dining Around Naples with Napoli Unplugged

Pasta con le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo

Cozze alla Marinara (Neapolitan-Style Mussels)

The Itaian Teacher, the Friend and a Magical Chocolate Kahlua Budino

Bella Napoli - Neapolitans Warm My Heart Like Their Food Warms My Stomach

Dining Around Naples with Napoli Unplugged

 

 

More tales of food for you from Napoli.  About now, you're probably saying, "All she did there was eat!"  Well, you're almost right. Between bites, I actually did walk around much of the city (so much so I still have a blister on the ball of my foot) and saw some of Napoli's churches, museums and castles. 

Many of my evenings in Napoli, and a few afternoons, were spent with, Bonnie and Steve, the couple behind Napoli Unplugged.  They write about all things Neapolitan on their site, and share beautiful photos of the city on their photoblog.  Their site and writing shows their love for Naples, which they have called home for about 5 years.  During my visit to Naples last summer, I had the pleasure of meeting them.  We met for dinner, and then Bonnie took me on her stroll of the Centro Storico.  This trip we spent more time together, a lot of it eating (and drinking Campania wines) at some of their favorite places in their neighborhood, the swanky Chiaia district of Naples.

After many of my walks in and around the Chiaia district, I would meet up with Bonnie and Steve.  During our meals, they would share tidbits and stories from their life in Naples.  Steve, who has a dry and sarcastic wit, also shared many of his views on some of the food rules in Italy (sometimes he even created his own).  Their stories and Steve's rules had me laughing through all of my meals.

 

 
Naples Coastline along Via Partenope

 

 
Fountain at Piazza Trento e Trieste

 

 

 

 

This post is mainly about the Neapolitan cuisine I ate with Steve and Bonnie, but I've added little snippets from what I'm calling, Steve's Food Rules for Italy: 

 

The restaurant: Umberto Ristorante and Pizzeria.  It has a casual feel instead of a more formal one that the term ristorante implies.  You see the pizzaioli and the big pizza oven as soon as you walk in the door. The large seating area and red tablecloths , however, do set a more formal tone. 

Antipasti included melanzane alla parmigiana and typical fried treats of, mozzarella in carozze (fried mozzarella sandwiches, arancini (fried rice balls), and crocche (fried mashed potatoes). The mozzarella was sinfully spectacular with cheese oozing out of its crispy bread "carriage."  The crocche potatoes included ham and parsley, also good.  I had their pizza Margherita and tried some of the lasagna Napoletana (Lasagne made with Neapolitan ragu and little meatballs added to the layers of cheese).  For dessert, Bonnie and Steve opted for Sicilian Torta Setteveli, and I for the Neapolitan Ricotta e Pera (sweetened ricotta, whipped cream and poached pears sandwiched between two slices of pan di spagna cake).  I don't remember a meal in Naples that didn't end with a digestivo, almost always limoncello.

Onto our first of Steve's Food Rules for Italy #1: "Real men don't drink limoncello!"

Yes, Steve insists that limoncello is only for the ladies and "real men drink grappa," or in his case aged grappa.  It's so strong that after a sniff of it, I'm sure my blood alcohol level shot way past .10!  I don't know about this rule, as I've seen plenty of men sipping on a shot glass of limoncello.  However, when the waiter tried to confirm that we wanted 3 limoncelli for the table, Steve quickly corrected him. The waiter and Steve shared some conspiratory laugh in a way that added a only little plausibility to Steve's rule.

 

 
Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Eggplant Parmigiana)

 

 
Neapolitan Lasagne

 

 
Pizza Margherita

 
Ricotta e Pera

 

Osteria Don Maccarone: The next night, I dined alone at the osteria recommended by Bonnie and Steve.   It was a rainy Sunday evening and the Napoli soccer team was playing against Parma.  I was practically the only person outside that night, and I was the only person in the small 8 table osteria. 

At first, I thought maybe I should have stayed at the hotel and watched the soccer match. As I was soon to find out, it was completely unnecessary.  Everytime Napoli scored, one of the cooks would run out into the street and yell, "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLL" so loud and so many times that I think they heard him in Parma.  While he was yelling, others in the neighborhood were doing the same, and also blaring horns and other various noisemakers from their windows. Napoli won that night 3-1.

I had zucchini alla parmigiana and spaghetti con le vongole. I loved the zucchini so much, I'm making it tonight.  It's simply fried zucchini slices layered with trace amounts of fior di latte (cow's milk mozzarella) and parmigiano cheese. It is baked until the cheese melts and the top becomes golden and crunchy.  The spaghetti con le vongole was also good, and I liked the addition of cherry tomatoes, which added color, acidity & a little sweetness to the dish.

As I was the only one in the restaurant, I quickly made friends with the waiter, Pippo, who is also one of the owners.  He invited me back on Tuesday for pasta e fagioli con le cozze (pasta and beans with mussels) and promised to have a pastiera (Neapolitan Easter dessert) without the candied citrus (I had mentioned that I don't like candied citrus). 

Bonnie and I went back for lunch.  I really liked the soupiness of the pasta e fagioli with cozze, and especially loved the mussels.  Bonnie is more of purist in this area, and likes the fagioli to outweigh the pasta, creating a less soupy dish and a denser sauce that has been thickened from the starch in the beans.

Steve's Food Rules in Italy #2, "Men can't drink cappucino after 10:00am." Well, since we were women, we could still end our meal with a cappucino, right?  I actually thought that rule applied to all genders, but, hey, it's Steve's rule.  In any case, we ended with Pippo's house specialty digestivo of 7 herbs.  A family secret, he wouldn't tell me which herbs were in it, but it was almost as potent as the grappa. 

Although the prices for this place are definitely in a range for "osterie" (our lunch bill was a little over 20 euros for two), the food is more sophisticated and creative than typical osteria fare.  And, Pippo is the quintessential Italian waiter - jovial, jokester, showman.  He invited us back another day to sample lasagna Napoletana. Bonnie also said that the pasta alla genovese is good, but I ran out of time in Naples......next trip.

 

 
Zucchini alla Parmigiana

 

 
Spaghetti con le Vongole (spaghetti and clams)

 

 
Pasta e Fagioli con le Cozze (pasta and beans with mussels)

 

 

Antica Latteria: My last meal with Bonnie and Steve was at the Antica Latteria, around the corner from where they live.  It's right across the street from Umberto's.  It's a small trattoria with only a few more tables than Don Maccarone.  We started off with a creamy ball of buffalo milk mozzarella and fried treats.  The mozzarella and all of the fried treats were exceptional; there were crocche (these fried potatoes were filled with cheese, my favorites of all I had tasted), arancini, fried broccoli, and little fried meatballs.  I had spaghetti con le cozze (mussels) and liked the spicy kick from the addition of peperoncino to the sauce.  I ended with a slice of pastiera and limoncello.

Steve's Food Rules in Italy #3: "You are allowed to order a dish in Naples, even if it's not Neapolitan."

I think I was driving Steve crazy with my quick dismissal of non-Neapolitan dishes at each restaurant and pasticceria. Even though I do agree with this rule, my dismissal wasn't because I thought they wouldn't be good. It was because I wanted to sample as many Neapolitan dishes as I could during my short stay in Naples, especially those I hadn't already tried. If I lived there, I wouldn't be as determined to eat Neapolitan every night. When one is there for only a short time, though, I believe you should try the regional/local cuisine over, say a carbonara. 

 

 
Fritti Napoletani

 

 
Spaghetti con le Cozze (Spaghetti with Mussels)

 

 
Bonnie's Mixed Grilled Fish

 

 
Pastiera (Neapolitan Easter Dessert)

 

As you can see, sample I did.  Thanks again to Napoli Unplugged for sharing their favorite neighborhood eateries with me!

 

 

Restaurant Information:

Umberto Ristorante & Pizzeria - Via Alabardieri 30/31

Osteria Don Maccarone - Via Gradoni Di Chiaia 12

Antica Latteria - Vico Alabardieri 30 

 

 

Related Posts:

Journey through the Pastries of Napoli

Pizza Lover's Odyssey in Naples Italy

Pasta alla Genovese and Other Classic Neapolitan Sauces at Citta del Gusto

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

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

Cozze alla Marinara - Neapolitan-Style Mussels

Photo Tour of Spaccanapoli and Napoli's Historic Center

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina (my guest post for Napoli Unplugged)

A Drive Along the Amalfi Coast

Bella Napoli - Neapolitans Warm My Heart Like Their Food Warms My Belly

 

Best Food and Travel Memories of 2010

 

The year 2010 was filled with so many fabulous memories of food, travel and friends.  Through writing this blog, I've made many new friends, who have also become regular readers of the blog.  Whenever I see a comment or get an email from a reader who has made a recipe or visited a restaurant or place I wrote about, I'm ecstatic.  I love them!  Please keep the emails and comments coming.  I truly love to hear how your dishes and travels turn out. 

Below are my best memories of the year. Many of them are also some of the most popular posts on Food Lover's Odyssey, so it looks like they're your favorites, too. Thank you for traveling, and eating, along with me.  I wish all of you a very Happy New Year and a 2011 full of great food, friends and happy travels!

 

Pasta and Friends in Rome 

Usually I've planned my meals before I step foot off the plane or train in Rome.  Pasta Dishes in Rome are some of the best in Italy. It looks like you agree as the post, Roman Pasta Dishes and 10 Places in Rome to Eat Them, was the most popular of all others in 2010.  Although I love all of them, my favorite is L'Amatriciana. The readers' favorite was Cacio e Pepe in a Parmesan Bowl inspired by the trattoria Roma Sparita. This year I got to eat these dishes again at some of my favorite trattorie and was able to recreate those two along with Potato Gnocchi for Gnocchi Giovedi and the fall specialty Fettuccine ai Funghi. 

 

Not only were my Rome memories filled with pasta, but they were also filled with friends.  I met up with Daniel - my "big brother from another mother" - yes, the Daniel from my stories in Venice.  We became fast friends last year.  Although it had been a year since we'd seen each other, it felt as if no time had passed when we met up again in Rome. After days filled with sights and pasta, we would walk off our meals under the city in lights.  Paris may be called the City of Lights, but Rome at night is just as enchanting.  

 

As the Italian saying goes, "Rome, una vita non basta." (Rome, one life is not enough.)  Because it is so true, I'm already planning meals for my return in March. I can promise you more pasta posts from Rome and recreations of those dishes in 2011.

 

Fish Ravioli in a Seafood Sauce (Ravioli di Pesce ai Frutti di Mare)

After pasta in Rome, this was my favorite dish of 2010.  Though it has been almost 6 months since I've tasted that sauce of the sea, so simple and so intense, it still lingers in my memories, if not on my tongue.  I remember every last drop that I sopped up with the thick country bread. 

 

La Coda alla Vaccinara - Roman Braised Oxtail

I love this post and this dish for so many reasons - how I obtained the recipe, the history of the dish, how good it is, and that it helped me win a contest!  I was lucky to have the chef  at Capo di Ferro in Rome give me his recipe for this dish.  It, along with the other offal dishes of Rome, is rooted in Rome's culinary history and La Cucina Povera.  By recreating this dish and writing about it, I was the winner of the September GranTourismo Travel Blogging Contest.  My prize is a stay in a HomeAway apartment, which I will be using in Venice in March 2011.

 

Seeing Napoli with Napoli Unplugged

I first met the Napoli Unplugged duo, Bonnie and Steve, via Twitter.  While I was in Napoli this year, we met face-to-face.  The American expats have adopted the city as their own. Their love for Napoli and their gracious and welcoming spirits are equal to any of the Neapolitans I've met.  

They took me to a feast of several Neapolitan food courses at Ristorante Buon Gustaio on via Posillipo.   Afterwards, they gave me a night tour of their neighborhood in Posillipo. We had a Cafe del Nonno (creamy dreamy dessert-like coffee with ice and a little chocolate) from Antonio.  Over the cafe, I met some of the local characters in the neigborhood. Bonnie, Steve and their son had me cracking up over their stories of the city and wanting to return for a New Year's Eve in Napoli.  Another day, Bonnie gave me a personal tour of her classic stroll through the Centro Storico.   Grazie Tanto Bonnie and Steve!

 

Eating Pizza in Napoli

Although there is so much more to the food of Naples than just pizza, pizza in Napoli is always a highlight for me.  This year, I ate pizza in Napoli, and I made it. It was a pizza class in Sorrento through Ciao Laura.  We actually made three courses in total, but the highlight was the pizza, cooked in a wood-burning oven.   The class, geared towards cooks of all levels, was so much fun but also very educational.  The group ranged from teenagers who may never have stepped in a kitchen before to a guy from Canada that had been making pizza professionally for 10-plus years.  We each made the type of pizza we wanted, then shared it with the group.  I made the classic pizza margherita, which was exceptional.  After this class, I'm inspired to make more pizza. That is, once I build my own wood-burning oven. 

 

 

Foie Gras for Breakfast in the Dordogne

I spent a month in the Dordogne in France. It was work-related, but I was also able to venture out and see some of the villages, towns and cities in the area.  Although I haven't shared all my travels with you yet, here are a two: Market Day in Sarlat and Duck Dishes of Dordogne.  In that month, I'm sure I ate more duck than I had in my entire life, even having foie gras for breakfast at a market one morning.  In the next month or two I will share the rest of my travels in Dordogne, and maybe a duck dish, with you.

 

  

Pesto and Other Dishes in Liguria

Liguria was not in my plans for 2010, but the July heat and humidity in Italy had me making some minor travel adjustments.  Instead of a visit inland to Tuscany, I spent a week mostly lounging on the beach in the Cinque Terre.  I did get off my lettino (sun bed) to visit Camogli and a few other coastal towns.  Along with the beach and my lettino, fish and seafood were highlights of my visit.  Besides the fish ravioli I mentioned above, other highlights included Pesto, Seafood Risotto, Spaghetti allo Scoglio. 

 

 

A Sicilian Holiday Dinner

Sadly, I didn't get to Sicily in 2010.  I was able to transport myself and others to Sicily with a few dishes for a December birthday dinner party.  Involtini di Melanzane (Stuffed Eggplant rolls), Spaghetti Siracusana, Braciola di Maiale (Braised Pork Roll), Lemon Granita and the Torta Setteveli (included in my best sweet memories of 2010).  When I cook for others, I'm giving and sharing part of myself with them.  It was such a pleasure to share the island I love so much with Paula (who's also Sicilian-American), her family and her friends.

 

 

Le Fete du Vin in Bordeaux -- Especially the Spectacular Light Show Finale

Many travel to the Bordeaux region and visit only the wine regions located outside the city.  My first trip to the region, I did just that.  This trip I went mainly to check out Le Fete du Vin, but found a truly vibrant city with so much history.  I can't wait to go back.  The wine festival was more about sipping and socializing, than actual wine education, but it was fun.  And, where else but in France would there be foie gras as festival street fare and free samples of Jambon de Bayonne? 

The highlight of the event was the Light Show Finale, which told the history of Bordeaux through light images and an audio retelling. The buildings on Place de la Bourse were used as screens for the light show.  I thought it also appropriate to end this post with a slideshow of the photos I took during the show. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***************

What was your best food and/or travel memory of 2010?

***************

 

Related Posts:

Rome with a View - Five Favorite Spots for Photo Ops in Rome

Best Picnic Spots and Picnic Fare in Rome

Foods Not To Miss in Sicily

Neapolitan Style Mussels - Cozze alla Marinara

Favorite Regional Italian Pasta Dishes

Totano Festival and a Weekend in the Aeolian Islands

Good Eats and Good Views in Taormina

Best Chocolate and Other Sweet Memories of 2010

 
 
 

It's the last week of the year.  You've just eaten at least half your weight in food over the last few days.  It's time for reflection; time for New Year's resolutions; time for making diet and exercise plans.  Not the time for reminiscing about the desserts you've eaten during your travels, but that's what I've been doing.  I don't know about you, the food I ate while traveling, and those with whom I shared a meal, are some of my best travel memories.  Similar to my thought process when choosing a book, when I bake or cook something, I ask myself, "Where do you want to go today?"  Many of the sweets and savory dishes I make, transport me back to a place I've visited and I love.

Actually, I was reflecting and making plans for 2011.  The plans happened to involve food, and travel.  I decided to make a list of my best food and travel memories of 2010. As I was compiling the list, visions of favorite chocolate and other sweet moments kept popping up one after the other.  I added them, realizing that the list was being overtaken by sweets, mostly of the chocolate persuasion.  Another thing I noticed is that those favorite sweets I'd found on my travels, I had quickly recreated when I got home.  Many savory ones, I've yet to start.

 What can I say? My motto is that because life is short, you should eat dessert first.  With that, I'm sharing with you my 10 best chocolate and other sweet memories from 2010.  Friday, I will share my best savory memories in food and travel.  

 

 
Torta Caprese

When I think of Sorrento, its peninsula, and the Amalfi Coast, I usually think of lemons, the blue sea, and horns honking around each curve of the Amalfi drive.  Well that was until my last trip.  While peeking into windows of pasticcerie, I continually saw this chocolate cake, topped with chocolate shards and mounted with snow caps of powdered sugar.  I had to sample them.  The cake comes from the Isle of Capri, but you can find it throughout the coastline, from Naples to Salerno, and maybe even farther south. Even better is it's so simple to make.  

 

 

 

 Lemons, Lemons and More Lemons

Besides the Amalfi Coast, lemons overflow in my own backyard, or I should say, my aunt's.  She has a Meyer Lemon Tree that has been producing hundreds of lemons each winter.  She doesn't cook and only uses them for lemonade.  I'm in charge of actually cooking and baking with them.  I make loads of lemon granita and yearn for Sicily and Tart au Citron to take me to Paris.  However, the completely American Meyer Lemon cheesecake might be one of my most requested desserts.  In 2011 I'll be transporting myself, and hopefully you, to the Amalfi Coast with lemons, in the forms of limoncello and delizia al limone.

 

 

 
 

 A Gelato Binge in Turin (or should I say Pilgrimage)

In either case, it was a gelato extravaganza that I still think about in the cold of December. During a July heatwave in Turin, I nourished myself daily with gelato for at least two of my meals. Even though I was so hot sweat pools formed above my cheekbones, I think back fondly about my time in Turin and all the gelato. I can't wait to go back for more.  The movie, Eat Pray Love, had women making pilgrimages to Rome for gelato, but may I suggest a movie about a gelato binge in Turin. 

 

 

 
Pastries in Paris

Some go to Paris to shop, some for art, some for architecture, some for Michelin-starred restaurants.  These are all good reasons, but I go for the pastries.  This year I was able to return to Paris and sample pastries from patisseries that opened while I was away, and from my old favorites, too. You don't know this, but too many times I ate the pastry before taking a photo!  This is probably a crime against food and travel blogging. Sometimes I'm like a little kid who ignores the card and tears into the wrapping to get to the present. I plan to return again in 2011.  One of my New Year's resolutions is to take photos of all the pastries before I eat them.

 

 

 
Gianduja and Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day

My contribution to the World Nutella Day celebration was also the most popular recipe post on Food Lover's Odyssey in 2010.  A blend of nutella and gianduja from Turin, and a pinch of memories from my first taste of Nutella, this cake takes me back not only to Turin, but also to my very first visit to Italy and to Florence, many years ago.

 

 

 
Italian Hot Chocolate to Take Me to Venice

This dense Italian hot chocolate recipe I had been tinkering with for a while.  The reason for all the tinkering was that I had heard cornstarch was part of the recipe but didn't want to put it in.  Once I did, though, Venice in February, Venetian masks, Carnevale parades and gondolas floated through my mind with each spoonful of the almost pudding-like drink.  It's easier to make than the Torta Caprese and as rich as the Torta Setteveli. 

 

 

 
Torta Setteveli

This is the dessert I'm happiest about this year.  It makes me think of Palermo and my cousins, especially Francesca.  She's one of my youngest cousins, who I've watched grow into such a sweet young girl (she's 10 now). Throughout my visits, she melts my heart by chirping out, "Ti voglio bene, Katy." (I love you, Kathy)  For my Italian-American cousin Paula's Sicilian-inspired birthday dinner, I finally recreated this cake.  The results were seven sinful layers of delciousness.  Although it takes a bit of time and patience to make and put together, it's worth the effort. 

 

 

 
Fraisier for My Blog Birthday

Now I get to celebrate two birthdays each year.  That of my actual birth in September, and the one to celebrate the birth of Food Lover's Odyssey.  Because this blog's birthday is in the Spring, I can now use Spring fruits for my birthday cake.  A Fraisier is a typical birthday cake in Paris.  While I was interning at a patisserie there, we would have order after order of Fraisiers for birthday celebrations.  I'd hold my breath and wait for the chef to approve each cake I had assembled by piping Joyeux Anniversaire in chocolate script on top.

 

 

 
Galette des Rois for Epiphany 

On January 6, France (and most of Europe) celebrates the Epiphany.  Right now the patisserie windows in Paris are flooded with these cakes.  This past year I celebrated Epiphany by making a traditional Galette des Rois (Three Kings Cake).  For the upcoming Epiphany, I'm thinking of a chocolate version.

 

 

Apple Tart from Gascony - Croustade aux Pommes

This year I spent a month in the Dordogne region of France and Bordeaux and fell in love with the area and its little villages.  Although I spent most of my time eating duck, I had this croustade aux pommes, a flaky apple tart, too.  While finding duck in California isn't as easy for us non-hunters, I can make this apple tart and go right back to the rivers and green castle-topped hillsides of Dordogne. 

 

****For an 11th favorite chocolate memory, check out my article posted today on The Travel Belles: We'll Take the Cologne (Germany), The Chocolate, and The Beer Bike

 

 

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What is your best chocolate or other sweet memory of 2010?

***************

 

This post is part of WanderFood Wednesdays. Hop on over and see what other delicious food finds travelers are sharing.

 

Related Posts:

Italy in Chocolate at Turin's CioccolaTo Festival 

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Chocolate Festival in Turin

Easter Chocolates in Paris Windows

Cooking Classes for the Culinary Traveler in Paris

Nutella Love Cake for World Nutella Day 2011

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin 

Four Spice Palmiers 

Cassatelle alle Sicialiane

Five Favorite Food Words in Italian 

 

 

 

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

 

 

Sicilian sweets are some of the most popular in all of Italy.  There is the cannoli, quite possibly the most famous.  Cassata, marzipan treats, and granita are also quite popular.  However, not many people outside of Sicily are as familiar with the Torta Setteveli. The cake of the seven veils, named after the dance of the same name.  The dance of Salome to make Herod confused with want and lust.  Well, this cake definitely elicits want and lust.......for more cake!

The Torta Setteveli is the typical birthday cake in Palermo.  It's a combination of alternating chocolate and hazelnut layers, with a crunchy layer that combines both those flavors.  It's also the cake my cousins introduced me to when I made the mistake of saying I thought French pastries were better than Italian pastries.  They certainly showed me. 

There are many stories about who actually created the cake. Some give credit to Capello of Pasticceria Capello in Palermo, other to Luca Mannori of Prato, whose Torta Setteveli helped him win the 1997 Pastry World Cup in Lyon, France. You can find the cake throughout Sicily, but it is in every pasticceria in Palermo. The Palermitani see it as the ultimate dessert to enjoy on special occasions, especially for birthdays. 

While I was visiting relatives in Palermo, it was my little cousin Francesca's ninth birthday. I snuck out of the house to surprise her and get the cake.  Two hours later and one long half-mile, crowded bus trip back to their apartment, I returned.  I got odd looks both on the bus and walking back to the apartment as I carried the cake in my hands as carefully as I would a baby.  Francesca had her birthday cake, and I had my first taste of the Setteveli.  It definitely lived up to its billing.  Each layer is creamy and rich but also as light at as a veil from which its name derives. 

These are the seven layers of the Torta Setteveli:

7th layer (top layer): Chocolate Glaze

6th layer: Chocolate Mousse

5th layer: Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

4th layer: Chocolate Sponge Cake

3rd layer: Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

2nd layer: Praline Crunch

1st layer (bottom layer): Chocolate Sponge Cake 

 

 

 

This cake was the second of two desserts in the Sicilian-Inspired Holiday dinner I made last weekend.  I had been wanting to recreate this cake since I tasted it last year.  It takes a little time to make, so I would save it for a special occasion like a birthday, Christmas, or it would be a perfect chocolate treat for Valentine's Day.  It could and should be made a day in advance.

 

 

 

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake

(makes one 10 1/2 inch torta)

 

Chocolate Genoise Cake

This sponge cake is adapted from Lidia's Italian Table by Lidia Bastianich

(makes one 10-inch cake to be sliced in half)

2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Preheat an oven to 375 F. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan

Sift together two times the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

Over a double boiler, whisk together the eggs and sugar until they are warm (about 80 F) and almost doubled in size.  Place the mixture into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk until the mixture has tripled in size, about 7 minutes.  It's the proper consistency when you lift the batter with the whisk, and as the batter falls back into itself, the part that fell will stay on top of the batter for 30 seconds before sinking (called the ribbon effect because the form it makes looks like a ribbon).

Sift half of the flour onto the egg mixture, then fold it into the batter, being careful not to deflate the air whipped into the batter.  Sift the other half of the flour on the egg mixture and fold it until all the flour is combined.  Pour the batter into the springform pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  A skewer/toothpick poked into the center of the cake should come out clean when the cake is done.  Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes.  Remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack.  You should make the sponge cake at least one hour before assembling the torta.

 

Simple Syrup for Imbibing

75 grams granulated sugar

75 grams water

In a saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Refrigerate.  The imbibing syrup should be cold when assembling the torta.

 

Praline Crunch

65 grams dark chocolate 64%

25 grams butter

80 grams hazelnut paste**

40 grams cornflakes, crushed a bit by hand

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.  Mix together the melted chocolate & butter, the hazelnut paste and the cornflakes.  Set aside until you're ready to assemble the tart.

 

Hazelnut Bavarian Cream

(makes about 1 quart)

8 ounces whole milk

8 ounces cream

4 ounces hazelnut paste**

5 egg yolks

90 g granulated sugar

12 g gelatin (3 leaves that are 4 grams each), placed in water

16 ounces heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Prepare an ice bath in one large bowl

In a large saucepan, heat the milk, cream, hazelnut paste to scalding. The mixture will start bubbling around the outer edges.  While the milk mixture is heating, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they become pale.  When the milk mixture is scalding, pour a little bit of it at a time onto the yolk mixture, whisking it as you pour. (You want to pour a little at a time so you bring the eggs up to temperature slowly and don't curdle the eggs.) Continue whisking until all the milk mixture has been incorporated into the egg mixture.  Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan, and stir slowly with a spoon over medium heat until the mixture reaches 82 C/160 F.  Strain into a bowl that has been placed on top of the bowl you prepared with the ice bath.  (NOTE: At this point you've made hazelnut creme anglaise.) Squeeze all the water out of the gelatin, and add the gelatin to your creme anglaise, stirring until it has melted and has been incorporated.  Stir over the ice bath until the mixture is chilled.  Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the hazelnut mixture to lighten it.  Fold the remaining whipped cream into the hazelnut mixture in two more stages.  Prepare this bavarian cream right before you will be using it.

 

Chocolate Mousse

150 grams cream

150 grams dark chocolate 64%

250 grams cream, whipped to soft peaks and set aside (out of the refrigerator)

Chop the chocolate into shavings and place into a bowl.  In a saucepan, heat the cream to scalding.  Bubbles will form on the outer edges.  Pour the scalding milk over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk together the mixture until they are combined into a creamy ganache.  Let cool to 100 F. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate ganache in three stages, as you did for the bavarian cream. Prepare right before assembling the torta. (NOTE:  It's important that the temperature of the ganache is 100 F and that the whipped cream is not cold.  If the temperatures of the two mixtures are too far apart, the chocolate will seize up and you will not have a smooth mousse.)

 

Chocolate Glaze

85 grams water

80 grams cream

40 g cocoa powder

120 g granulated sugar

12 grams gelatin leaves (3 leaves that weigh 4 grams each), soaked in water

In a saucepan bring to a boil the water, cream, cocoa powder and sugar whisking constantly.  Once the mixture boils, keep on the heat for another 4 minutes whisking constantly.  Cool to 100 F.  When the mixture reaches 100 F, wring out all the water from the gelatin and add it to the chocolate mixture.  Cool to 90 F.  Make right before using.  At 90 F, use to ice the torta.

 

**Hazelnut paste is not easy to find in the United States.  You can order Hazelnut paste online, and sometimes you can find it at high end supermarkets, but you can also make it yourself.  You must have a food processor to make hazelnut paste yourself.  Below is the recipe.

Hazelnut Paste

250 grams granulated sugar

75 grams water

3 cups hazelnuts with the skins removed

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons hazelnut oil or walnut oil preferred, can substitute vegetable oil

In a saucepan caramelise the sugar, by heating the sugar and water until it is a light amber color to about 340 F.  You do not want to wait until the mixture is darker because it continues cooking after you've taken it off the heat.  Once it is a light amber color, off the heat add the hazelnuts and stir so that each nut is coated with caramel.  Pour onto a silpat or parchment paper and cool completely. Once it has cooled, break the candied hazelnuts into pieces that will fit into your food processor. 

In your food processor, working in batches of 2 or 3, grind the candied hazelnuts until they are a thick paste.  Add all the paste back to the food processor and drizzle in the oil just until its a creamy paste, a texture similar to peanut butter.

 

Assembling the Torta:

Organization is key to easily preparing the torta.  You will want to have the hazelnut cream ready, the sponge cake cooled and the imbibing syrup cold before you start on the other components of the cake. 

Once the above components are ready, slice the sponge cake.  First remove any dome from the cake so you have a flat top surface, then cut the cake in half.  Place one slice at the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan.  It's easier to unmold the cake if you place a mylar plastic strip around the rim of the springform pan.  With a pastry brush, dab the simple syrup onto the cake, imbibing it well. Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, make the praline crunch.  Remove the cake from the refrigerator and spread it onto the top of the imbibed cake layer.  Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, make the hazelnut bavarian cream.  Remove the cake from the refrigerator, and ladle about 2 cups of the bavarian cream onto the chilled praline layer of the cake.  With the bottom of the ladle, spread the bavarian cream to the outer edges of the cake so that you have an even layer of bavarian cream.  Ideally, the layer of bavarian cream, should be the same height as the layer of cake.  Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, so the bavarian cream will set more quickly. 

Remove the cake from the freezer, and place the second slice of cake on top of the bavarian cream layer.  With a pastry brush, dab the simble syrup onto the cake, imbibing the cake well with the syrup.  Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. 

Remove the cake from the freezer, and ladle 2 cups of bavarian cream onto the cake layer.  With the bottom of the ladle, spread the bavarian cream out to the outer edges of the cake, so you have an even layer of bavarian cream.  Again, ideally you want all the layers of cake and bavarian cream to be of equal height.  Place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate mousse.  Once the bavarian cream has completely set, remove from the freezer.  Remove the springform rim from the cake, and the mylar plastic rim if you used it.  Spread the mousse onto the top of the cake and the sides.  The mousse should be as smooth and level as possible on the top and on the sides - and again, ideally the mousse layers should be the same height as the cake slices and the bavarian cream.  Place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to take the cake out of the freezer, make the chocolate glaze.  In the 15 minutes, or so, it takes to make the glaze and to let it cool to 90 F, the cake will be ready to take out of the freezer.  If your cardboard disk is bigger than the diameter of the cake, you should carefully replace it with one that is no bigger than the diameter of the cake.  (This will allow the glaze to run off the cake instead of forming a puddle at the bottom.) Place a baking rack into a sheet pan, and place the cake on the baking rack. (It might be wise to have a second sheet pan ready, in case you have to glaze the cake a second time.  Slowly pour the chocolate glaze over the cake, starting at one end and moving to the other end.  At the same time make sure that the glaze covers all sides.  If the glaze has not covered all sides after the first glazing, move the rack (with the cake on it) to the second sheet pan.  Pour the glaze at the bottom of the sheet pan back into the saucepan and reglaze in the same manner you did for the first glazing.  Ideally, you will want to glaze only once, but if you have to glaze a second time, you want to work quickly before the gelatin starts to set.  You should not glaze more than 2 times, or you risk having an uneven and lumpy glaze.  Place back into the refrigerator until the glaze has set and chilled, at least one hour, before serving.  Slice and serve.  Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Cassata Siciliana

Involtini di Melanzane - Sicilian-Inspired Holiday Dinner Menu

Braciola di Maiale (Braised Stuffed Pork Roll) for a Sicilian-Inspired Holiday Dinner

Eurochocolate Perugia - Italy's Biggest Chocolate Festival

Italy in Chocolate at Turin's CioccolaTo Festival

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Chocolate Festival in Turin

Nutella Love Cake - Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Ganache for World Nutella Day 2010

Chocolate Eclairs: My Mom and Learning to Make Them

Cassatelle alla Siciliane

Cannoli Siciliani

Meyer Lemon Granita

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

French Fraisier - The French Birthday Cake to Celebrate My Blog Birthday

Totano Festival and a Weekend in the Aeolian Islands

Pasta con Le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo

Spaghetti Siracusana

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

The Dish from Sicily: Arancino - Sicilian Fast Food

The Dish from Sicily: Granita

 

Braciola di Maiale - Braised Pork Roll for a Sicilian Holiday Dinner

 

 

Braciola, a stuffed roll of meat, reminds me of my mom.  Not because she made it; actually she never made it.  She would talk about it, pronouncing it bru-shah-loh-nee or shortening it to brah-jyohl, and always complain about the eggs in the dish.  "Why not take the eggs out?"  I asked one day.  Well, that's not how my mom cooked.  She didn't tamper with recipes, especially family ones.  You made them the way the previous generation made them.  If you didn't like the dish, you made something else. 

Not my philosophy at all, especially when I was younger and just starting to bake and cook. If I didn't like something in a dish, I would want to leave it out, even if it changed the dish altogether. I wanted to put chocolate in everything and take walnuts out of everything.  Being the strong-willed child, adolescent and young adult I am was, my mom and I would have debates about how much I could change a recipe while keeping the integrity of the dish.  (I still believe you can take those yucky walnuts out of rocky road and still call it rocky road--the marshmallows make it rocky, too, you know.)  We'd banter over almost every dish on a menu.  Her testa wasn't as dura as mine, so she'd give in more than I would, and some recipes got changed.  Well, except the rocky road. 

We'd also have debates over the Italian language.  My mother and my aunts learned from their parents, and spoke Sicilian dialect.  My grandfather passed away when I was two, and my grandmother only taught me a few words.  I learned at a private school in San Francisco (they didn't offer Italian at my public school). Many of the teachers were from Florence.  The language I learned was sometimes so far from what my mom spoke, she would insist that I wasn't speaking Italian.  I was; maybe with an American accent, but I had the words right.  I would bring her my Italian dictionary and show her, "See, mom, this is the word for lemon, 'limone', NOT lemuna.  This is the word for cherry, 'ciliegia' NOT cirazu"  And so it went, with many other words, including braciola.

As I've become older and have cooked more, I realize there should be a balance struck between honoring the traditions and recipes of the past and changing them.  Before changing a recipe, I strive to understand why an ingredient is in it and whether it's necessary to the essence of the dish.  In the case of braciola, I don't think the eggs are necessary and have actually found other versions without them. 

Because the braciola was so popular at the dinner, I decided to treat my aunts to it and make it again (as most of you know, my mom is no longer with us).  I told them I was going to make, braciola (pronouncing it: brah-chee-oh-la).  Both of them said, "What's that?"  Changing my pronunciation, I repeated, "I'm making bru-shah-loh-nee or brah-jyohl." Then they understood.  I added, "Oh, and I'm leaving the eggs out."

 

 

 

This pork roll recipe came about after Paula emailed me a recipe from Mario Batali saying she would like it or one similar to it for the secondo (main dish).  Mario's was a rolled pork shoulder and had eggs in it.  At the time, I was leafing through the My Calabria cookbook I had just received (my prize from a giveaway at My Bella Vita) and noticed that there was a recipe for Vrasciole (dio mio, the Calabresi are just as bad with the dialect). These were individual-sized pork rolls that looked divine.  The filling in these Vrasciole was pork fat, parsley, and garlic.  Since I often make my grandmother's spiedini (known as involtini to the rest of Italy), I know they take a lot of time to wrap up individually.  To save on time, I decided to make a large roll and combined ideas from both recipes that I thought would enhance the dish.  As I said, it was a hit.  Only the desserts, the Torta Setteveli and Lemon Granita, were more popular. Now, I share the dish with you.

Along with this dish, you can find all the recipes for an Italian (and Sicilian)-inspired holiday dinner here on Food Lover's Odyssey:

Antipasti: Involtini di Melanzane

Primo Piatto: Spaghetti Siracusana

Secondo Piatto: Braciola di Maiale (below)

I Dolci: Granita di Limone  and Torta Setteveli

 

 
 

Braciola di Maiale

Adapted from recipes from Mario Batali and My Calabria by Rosetta Costantino

(Serves 8-10 people)

4 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, bone out, butterflied and pounded to a rectangle about one-inch thick**

About 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

About 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

About 10 slices prosciutto, either di Parma or San Daniele

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 cup grated Parmigiano Regiano cheese

3/4 cup currants (yellow raisins)

1/2 cup toasted pinenuts

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for the garnish

Rind of 1 lemon, grated

4 tablespoons dried oregano, divided in half

About 1/4 cup extra vigin olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

3 cups dry white wine

Two (28 oz. cans) San Marzano tomatoes, peeled and whole

4 cups Chicken Stock

**NOTE: You could ask your butcher to butterfly and pound out the pork shoulder for you.

Open the pork shoulder out onto a working surface and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the meat.  Make sure you have a dutch oven or heavy bottom sauce pot that is big enough for the length of the pork shoulder to fit in it.  (If not, cut the pork in half.) Lay the prosciutto slices over the meat so that the prosciuotto covers the entire surface.

In a mixing bowl combine the cheeses, currants, pinenuts, breadcrumbs, parsley, grated lemon rind, and 2 tablespoons of the oregano.  Spread this mixture on top of the pork, over the proscuitto layer. Roll the pork up tightly and securely tie with twine. 

In a dutch oven or heavy bottom sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it is translucent.  Add the pork roll, and sear all sides until they are all a golden brown. This will take about 15 minutes in total.  Remove the pork from the pan; set aside.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt.  Sweat the onions until they are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the carrots, and cook another 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook about 1 minute more (do not let the garlic brown).  Place the pork back in the pan. Add the wine and turn the heat to high to deglaze.  Scrap any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cover with a parchment paper circle.  Cook 2 1/2 hours turning the meat every 15 minutes so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Remove the meat, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.  While the meat is resting, turn the heat up to low, keep the sauce uncovered and let it reduce a bit.  Slice the meat into 1-inch thick portions and serve with the sauce and a garnish of the chopped parsley.  Buon Appetito!

NOTE: In this case, and to confuse matters further, this roll is really a braciolona (a big braciola), but I called it a braciola initially, so I'll keep it that way. 

 

Related Posts:

Cassata Siciliana

Holiday Dessert Recipes

Snowball Cookies and Christmas Baking Memories

Mom's Slow-Cooked Meat Ragu

Cassatelle alla Siciliana (Fried Sweet Ravioli with Ricotta Cream Filling)

Cannoli Siciliani 

Pignolata (Honey glazed fried dough)

Tiramisu

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

Pasta con le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo 

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

 

Involtini di Melanzane - Starter for a Sicilian-Inspired Holiday Dinner

 

 

 

Last weekend we celebrated my cousin Paula's birthdy, and she is also one of my most faithful readers.  For her birthday, she asked me to cook a traditional Italian dinner, meaning we would have antipasti (before meal "snacks" or appetizers), a primo piatto (first plate - usually consisting of a pasta or rice dish or soup), a secondo piatto (second course - the protein course), and a dolce (sweet or dessert).  Since I'm a huge fan of the dolci, I served two desserts, a "pre-dessert" and a main dessert.  In the traditional four-hour Italian dinner, there would also be a contorno (side dish - the vegetable course) which is served along with the main course, but someone (me) forgot to put it in the oven.....oops. Luckily there was enough food, that no one missed it.

 This dinner was especially fun to create, not only was it Italian, but all the dishes sang of the Sicilian flavors, the birthplace of my grandparents.  There was the eggplant, tomato, cheese combination, prevelant throughout the south of Italy.  Salty sea flavors of Sicily, capers and anchovies, were in the pasta.  Pine nuts and currants, that sweet combination from the island, were added to the pork dish.  Dessert was a completely Sicilian affair with granita and the traditional birthday cake from Palermo.  I'm so excited to share this Sicilian-Inspired holiday menu with you. It's a great way to bring a little bit of Italy and Sicily into your holiday dinner, whether that holiday be a birthday or Christmas - or both.

 

 Paula's Italian Birthday Dinner Menu

~ Antipasti ~

Involtini di Melanzane

~ Primo Piatto ~

Spaghetti Siracusana

~ Secondo Piatto ~

Bracioala di Maiale

~ I Dolci ~

Granita di Limone

and

Torta Setteveli

 

Eventually, I will be sharing all the recipes with you, but today I've started with the starter.  Below is the recipe for the Involtini di Melanzane (Eggplant Rolls).  Involtini is Italian term for any food that is rolled, and filled.  You will also see involtini of fish (especially sword fish), beef and veal on many Sicilian menus.  Come back Friday when I'll have the recipe for Torta Setteveli - the birthday cake in Palermo.  I've been wanting to recreate this cake ever since I had it last October. Next Monday, I'll be serving Braciola di Maiale (Braised Rolled Pork Shoulder).  I've provided links to recipes from this menu that I've already shared here on Food Lover's Odyssey: Spaghetti Siracusana and Meyer Lemon Granita. I hope you make the entire dinner for a special occasion, or try one of them to add a little Sicilian flavor to your holidays.

 

 

Involtini di Melanzane
(makes 20 involtini)

3 - 4 eggplants, yielding 20 lengthwise slices ¼-inch thick
2 tablespoons sea salt
About 2 cups olive oil
2 cups Parmigiano-Regiano cheese
1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup tomato sauce (see recipe below)

 

Layer the eggplant slices in a colandar, sprinkling each layer with salt. Cover the top with a paper towel and place something heavy on top of the covered eggplant to help release their juices, which tend to be bitter.  Let sit for 2 hours.  After the 2-hour period, rinse the slices of eggplant with water and pat dry. 

In a large saute pan, add olive oil until it is about 3/4-inch deep.  Heat the olive oil and add some of the slices of eggplant and fry them until they are lightly browned on each side, 2-3 minutes per side.  Take the slices out and drain them on paper towels.  You may have to add more olive oil one or two more times during the frying process.  Make sure to heat the oil before adding the eggplant slices.)

Preheat an oven to 375 F.

Spread about 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. 

To make the filling, mix together, in a bowl, the grated Parmigiano, breadcrumbs, parsley and pepper.  Reserve 1/4 cup of this filling and set aside.  Take a fried eggplant slices and lay them out on a working surface.  Spread about 2 teaspoons of the filling mixter over each eggplant.  One inch from the top of each eggplant, place 4-5 cubes of the mozzarella.  Roll up the eggplant and place them in the baking dish, with the end part down.  Spread the remaining tomato sauce in a line over the center of the eggplant rolls.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle a little of the Parmigiano/breadcrumb mixture and sprinkle over the top where the sauce is.  Bake for another 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve.  Buon Appetito!

 

Tomato Sauce
(makes about 2 cups)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon salt, divided in half, plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup white wine
One 28-ounce can San Marzano peeled tomatoes, chopped or crushed by hand and their juices
½ cup basil, chopped

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil.  Add the onions and half the salt and sweat the onions for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, until they are translucent.  Add the garlic and cook a scant minute (don't let the garlic burn).  Add the wine and turn the heat to high to cook off the alcohol.  Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano and remaining salt, and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

 

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How do your travels and/or heritage inspire your holiday meals?  What are some of those dishes you have included in Christmas dinners?

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***This post is part of WanderFood Wednesdays - Go on over to the site and check out other posts from more food lovers who travel.

 

 

Related Posts:

Cassata Siciliana

Cannoli alla Siciliana

Torta Setteveli - Seven Veils Cake from Palermo

Holiday Dessert Recipes

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette 

Cassatelle alla Siciliane (Sweet Fried Ravioli with Ricotta Cream filling)

Pasta con le Sarde (Pasta with Sardines, Tomato and Wild Fennel Sauce)

The Dish from Sicily: Arancino - Sicilian Fast Food

Good Views and Good Eats in Taormina

Foods Not to Miss in Sicily

Totano Festival and a Weekend in the Aeolian Islands

The Dish from Sicily: Granita