Easy Italian Recipes

Molise Rosso Riserva D.O.C.
Written by Gaetano Galasso, Slow Food sommelier, I - II - III Level

Questa tipologia di vino, come si evince dal nome stesso, è prodotta nella regione Molise tra le province di Campobasso ed Isernia. Questa piccolissima ed incantevole regione del centro sud Italia ha ricevuto la sua prima e tuttora unica D.O.C. nel 1982 proprio con il Molise Rosso Riserva, ma negli ultimi anni sta facendo passi da gigante nell’enologia nazionale con ottime produzioni sicuramente di livello sia tra i rossi sia tra i bianchi.

Vitigno: Il vitigno principale è il Montepulciano che deve essere presente con una percentuale minima dell’85%, per la restante parte può concorrere unicamente uva a bacca simile raccomandata ed autorizzata in Regione.

Vista: Si presenta con colore rosso rubino con riflessi violacei tendente al granata con l’invecchiamento.

Olfatto: risulta gradevole mettendo in evidenza note di sottobosco e marasca con sentori speziati. La gradazione alcolica minima è di 11% vol., ma è sempre ampiamente superata.

Gusto: risulta un vino corposo, ricco, pieno e intenso ma di grande armonia con sentori di sottobosco, frutta matura, prugna, legno tostato e vaniglia dovuti al passaggio in botte.

Abbinamenti: Cacciagione, cinghiale, lepre, carni rosse, stracotti, brasati,  stufati e formaggi (caciocavallo molisano).

Temperatura di servizio: 18°

Calice: Bordolese

The tart usually contains the soft cheese prescinsoeua, but this is hard to find so we suggest crème fraiche. Swiss chard is used traditionally but spinach is easier to get hold of. If you are making the pastry, roll it by hand or use a pasta machine.

Server 8-10
FOR THE PASTRY
350g plain flour or '00' flour 175ml water
2 tablespoons olive oil
a good pinch of salt or 16 sheets filo pastry, plus extra olive oil for brushing

FOR THE FILLING
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
500g cooked spinach (weight after being cooked and squeezed dry)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g creme fraiche 1 egg
100g Parmesan, finely grated
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
6 eggs (1 reserved for the glaze)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 25cm tart tin, preferably loose-based. Make the pastry by mixing the ingredients by hand in a bowl or in a food processor. Knead briefly on a floured work surface, then divide the pastry into six even balls. Let them rest in the fridge while you make the filling.

For the filling, heat the oil and fry the onion for 5 minutes or until softened, then add the spinach to heat through, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl to cool. Add the crème fraiche, the egg, Parmesan and parsley, and mix well.
Roll each ball of pastry into a circle 1mm thick and large enough to fit the tin.

Cover the bottom of the tin with three layers of pastry. Fill the tart with the stuffing and make five shallow holes for the eggs. Break the eggs into the holes. Cover with the remaining layers of pastry. Seal the edges with oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve straightaway or refrigerate overnight until needed.

We never thought we would see a chip butty for sale on a hot sunny day in a Sicilian market! The 'chips' were actually triangular fritters made with chickpea (gram) flour wedged into a soft bread roll, but the carbohydrate intake was the same! we prefer the fritters without the bread as antipasti or a snack. They are sometimes flavoured with parsley or fennel seeds. we have also eaten these fritters made into chunky chip shapes in Liguria as a delicious accompaniment to Pot-roasted Loin of Pork with Prune, Apple and Rosemary Stuffing

Also known as sardinaira, this pizza is baked in a tray and served in rectangles and resembles the Provencal pissaladiere, which is no surpise as Liguria touches Provence. Pissadella has a topping of sweet onions, tomatoes and anchovies and is served without cheese.

Make the dough following the masterclass pizza margherita and prepare the tomato sauce. While the dough is proving and the sauce cooking, fry the red onions and the garlic in the oil over a medium-low heat. Stir frequently, adding 2 tablespoons of water if they start to dry out. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the onion is soft and cooked through. Add the honey 5 minutes before the end of cooking. When the tomato sauce is ready, add the onions and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and oil a baking tray. When the dough is doubled in size, roll out a rectangle to the size of the baking tray. If the dough is difficult to stretch and retracts, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again. Lay it on the tray and gently push it up to the edges. Pour over the sauce, spreading it evenly, then make a lattice with the anchovies. Put an olive in each diamond, scatter over the capers and season to taste. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the base is golden and cooked underneath.

Photo: example of Pissadella with mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes

This has to be one of my favourite pizzas. I ate it about 20 years ago in Viareggio on the coast of Tuscany where there is a daily fish market, and it still stays in my mind. When telling my children about my travels, I said the fish on the pizza was so fresh, the squid got up and ran away. I hope they don't believe me, but it really was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten.

Make the pizza dough following the masterclass pizza margherita, roll out the dough balls to a thickness of about lcm and place them on one or two oiled baking trays. Spread a little of the tomato sauce over each one and top with a quarter of the seafood. Mix the oil, parsley, chilli, if using, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in a small jug. Drizzle over the seafood and bake for a few minutes in the oven until cooked through and bubbling hot.

Serves 4

1 quantity of pizza dough
1 quantity of Tomato
Sauce (see masterclasses, pizza margherita)
12 king prawns
300g fresh mussels, cleaned 300g fresh clams
4 small squid, in 5mm rings 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 chilli, sliced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped salt and freshly ground
black pepper

It was not just a coincidence that hundreds of chefs around the world, including those in Saudi Arabia, found themselves on their feet in their kitchens Sunday to simultaneously cook a traditional Italian dish, strictly according to its authentic recipe. The day, Jan. 17, has been observed for the past three years as the International Day of Italian Cuisines (IDIC), on which chefs and restaurateurs in over 50 countries prepare concurrently any one Italian dish that truly represents the authentic and evocative flavors of Italy in their bid to say “no” to the global forgery and counterfeiting of Italian products and cuisine. The official IDIC 2010 dish was the Tagliatelle al Ragù alla Bolognese - one of the most popular dishes of Italian gastronomy, and which apparently has nothing to do with the wrongly-called, but equally popular ‘bolognaise sauce’.
“If there’s a dish that represents the worst universal forgery of Italian cooking, it has to be the so-called bolognaise. It is prepared out of the most bizarre ingredients, often with overcooked spaghetti, sold in a can; stuff that has nothing to do with genuine original Tagliatelle al Ragù,” remarked Emanuele Esposito, executive chef of Italian restaurant Il VIllagio in Jeddah, one of the two restaurants in Saudi Arabia participating in the event.
Describing the IDIC as a “celebration of Italian flavors and culinary culture,” Esposito said the initiative is being promoted by Italian chefs abroad, “who must maintain the identity of Italian cuisine in international markets. Without this identity, it would be very difficult to sell ‘made in Italy’ food products abroad.”
The GVCI, Virtual Group of Italian Chefs - a network of over 900 Italian professionals in cuisine working in 70 countries, with the aim to “preserve and improve the standard of quality and authenticity of Italian gastronomy in the world” - is at the forefront of organizing the IDIC. Its Web site lists Roberto’s Restaurant in Al-Khobar, as the only other IDIC participant from the Kingdom.
Joerg M. Wickihalder, general manager of Il VIllagio, said the Sunday evening celebrations comprising about 90 guests were to “offer Saudi society a short journey to Italy.”
“Tonight Italian food enthusiasts round the globe celebrated authentic Italian cuisine with a special menu. The guests also interacted with the Italian chefs to discover more about it,” he said, adding that the objective was not to patronize or teach people, but to “show them what Italian cuisine is all about.”
Gastronomic aberrations in the name of ‘Italian’ food have been many. “In Jeddah, what they say is ‘Italian’ food is actually more American than Italian, which makes me very upset. For example, Italian Fettucini Alfredo made with cream or spaghetti Bolognese are not acceptable as Italian dishes. Though they may not taste bad, they don’t have anything to do with Italy,” said chef Esposito.
He added that for the restaurant, most of the ingredients are imported from Italy as “in Jeddah there is a problem finding good quality Italian products. With the help of our restaurant owner, Nashwa Taher, we try to promote and teach people better understand Italian food.”
According to Wickihalder, there has been a somewhat greater acceptance of Italian cuisine in Saudi society in the last two to three years. “The popularity of Italian food is not only limited to the upper class but is also gaining momentum among the middle class, which is because of a growing awareness among the masses of what comprises healthy and nutritious food,” he said. “Italian food is part of the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the healthiest – with all the fresh vegetables, fish, and the highest quality of fat, i.e. in olive oil. Moreover, it scores high on taste too.”
Commenting on a common food habit found in the Kingdom, the Swiss restaurateur said: “Here, people have an affection towards tomato ketchup and associate it with Italian cuisine.
Ketchup has a lot of sugar and very less of tomatoes. If you ask for ketchup with pizza in a restaurant in Italy, chances are the owner of the eatery will ask you to leave!” He added that the Italian government takes serious interest in preserving the authenticity of its cuisine, which is considered a part of the country’s cultural heritage. “Italian embassies and consulates fully support this event (IDIC). Last year’s IDIC event in Jeddah - which was the first time there was a participant from the Kingdom - was a huge success,” he said.
The last two IDIC events celebrated Italian delicacies Spaghetti alla Carbonara and Risotto alla MIlanese, respectively, in over 400 restaurants worldwide. “I, along with our pastry chef Vincenzo Raschella, wish to give Saudis the chance to learn Italian food through a soon-to-be-started free cooking course for young Saudis, a program that would be sponsored by the IFSE-WORLD and the Italian Consulate in Jeddah,” said Esposito. – SG

Text by Afifa Jabeen Quraishi
From: http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010011960659

Le Tagliatelle alla Bolognese, la ricetta che spopola nel mondo non è quella italiana

Ma, il termine "bolognese" campeggia anche su strane confezioni di mortadella di tacchino e soprattutto è usato, in tutti i continenti, come condimento degli spaghetti secondo una ricetta che spopola nel mondo, ma che è del tutto sconosciuta in Italia.

E’ quanto afferma la Coldiretti in occasione della Giornata Mondiale delle Cucine Italiane (International Day of Italian Cuisines – IDIC) del 17 gennaio dedicata alle tagliatelle alla bolognese, dopo le precedenti due edizioni dedicate rispettivamente agli Spaghetti alla Carbonara e al Risotto alla Milanese.
Un evento che – sottolinea la Coldiretti – coinvolge centinaia di cuochi, in oltre 70 paesi, impegnati a cucinare simultaneamente il famoso piatto, per dire no ai taroccamenti e alle falsificazioni della cucina e dei prodotti italiani nel mondo. L’elenco dei partecipanti alla Ola delle Tagliatelle al Ragù bolognese è aggiornato continuamente su www.itchefs-gvci.com.

Dedicare la giornata mondiale delle cucine italiane alle tagliatelle alla bolognese ("tagliatella day") significa riaffermare l’identità storica di uno dei piatti più gustosi della tradizione emiliana le cui origini risalgono al medioevo, ma anche – precisa la Coldiretti – fare definitivamente chiarezza su una invenzione per stranieri, molto diffusa all’estero ma completamente sconosciuta in Italia, come gli spaghetti alla bolognese, che indicano un condimento con sugo di pomodoro e polpettine (meatballs).
Un combinazione inesistente nella realtà gastronomica nazionale che tuttavia è molto gettonata all’estero come negli Stati Uniti o in Inghilterra dove gli spaghetti alla bolognese sono stati addirittura indicati come piatto preferito, secondo un recente sondaggio su 700mila persone effettuato dal sito www.tourchlocal.com.

Il campione della tagliatella (che riporta le misure esatte, secondo la tradizione) è depositato dal 16 aprile 1972 alla Camera di Commercio di Bologna e prevede che la larghezza della tagliatella bolognese "cotta e servita in tavola" corrisponde alla 12270ma parte dell’altezza della Torre degli Asinelli e, precisamente alla misura di circa 8 millimetri.
Tale larghezza a cottura corrisponde alla larghezza di millimetri sei e mezzo-sette al momento del taglio, a seconda della durezza della pasta. La ricetta del ragù alla bolognese è custodita dal 17 ottobre 1982 presso la Camera di Commercio di Bologna e nel documento ufficiale si riporta che la Ricetta del Ragù Classico Bolognese prevede le seguenti componenti e quantità: cartella di manzo (300 grammi), pancetta distesa (150 grammi), carota gialla (50 grammi), costa di sedano (50 grammi), cipolla (30 grammi) e salsa di pomodoro (5 cucchiai) oppure estratto triplo (20 grammi), vino bianco secco (mezzo bicchiere) e latte intero (un bicchiere).

Se una certa flessibilità rispetto alla ricetta storica è senz’altro tollerata, il rischio è quello delle degenerazioni con la diffusione di miscugli che non hanno nulla a che fare con la realtà culinaria tradizionale: dalla pasta ottenuta con grano ucraino al pomodoro concentrato cinese. Nei diversi continenti, dall’Australia agli Stati Uniti fino all’Europa, la Coldiretti ha scovato pseudo ragù alla "bolognese" ottenuti con i piu’ svariati ingredienti.
Insieme alle tagliatelle alla bolognese tra i piatti più taroccati nei ristoranti italiani ed esteri ci sono – precisa la Coldiretti – la cotoletta alla milanese preparata con carne di pollo o maiale, fritta nell’olio di semi al posto della carne di vitello fritta nel burro, gli spaghetti alla carbonara con prosciutto cotto al posto del guanciale e formaggio grattugiato al posto del pecorino romano.

E ancora ci sono – continua la Coldiretti – la tipica caprese servita con formaggio industriale al posto della mozzarella di bufala o del fiordilatte e i casi di pasta al pesto alla ligure proposta con mandorle, noci o pistacchi al posto dei pinoli e con il formaggio comune che sostituisce l’immancabile parmigiano reggiano e il pecorino romano.

Un inganno che colpisce anche la tradizione siciliana con la pasta alla norma preparata spesso con semplice formaggio grattugiato al posto della ricotta salata. E tra i falsi culinari più spacciati lungo tutta la penisola durante l’estate figurano anche – conclude la Coldiretti – il tiramisù con la panna al posto del mascarpone.

Fonte: http://diodatobuonora.blog.tiscali.it

This is the very basic pizza - tomato, cheese and basil. Its former name was Marinara, topped with tomato, garlic and sometimes anchovies, because it was eaten by Neapolitan fishermen who couldn't take cheese on their trips. We make pizza at home at weekends; I leave the dough to rise while we go shopping or walking and once we get back everyone helps out - turning the oven up high, flattening out the pizzas and putting on their favourite toppings. We always leave enough dough to make one Camicia da Notte with Nutella and banana to finish.

FOR THE PIZZA BASE
10g fresh yeast or 5g dried yeast
325ml tepid water
500g strong bread flour or '0' flour (or half strong flour, half plain or '00')
2 teaspoons salt

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
(makes enough for 4-6 pizzas) 400g Italian tinned plum tomatoes
1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
semolina, to help the pizza glide from pala to oven tray
2 x 125g balls of mozzarella, drained and sliced

Add the yeast into the tiepid water, then mix together all the ingredients for the base. Knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape it into a ball, put in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm or a tea-towel. Leave in a warm, draught-free spot to rise until doubled in size. If you have time, make the dough the night before you need it and leave it to rise very slowly in the fridge. This ensures a good acidity and flavour to the dough.

After the dough has risen, split it into four even-sized balls and leave to rise until doubled in size again. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce: put the tomatoes in a bowl and squash them into pieces with your hands (or use a stick blender for a really smooth sauce). Add the oregano, the salt and the oil, and stir well. Use straight away or store in the fridge for a couple of days.

Put a couple of baking trays, spaced apart, upside-down in the oven. This gives a flat surface to cook the pizza on and since upside-down trays have no lip, you can slide the pizza into the oven easily. Have a thin wooden chopping board or pala (a thin piece of wood or metal used for transferring the pizza to the oven) and the semolina nearby.

Preheat the oven to its hottest setting - 250-280 °C would be perfect. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface using a rolling pin. Scatter some semolina onto the pala in readiness for the pizza. When the dough is rolled out to the required thickness, pull it onto the pala and spread over a tablespoon of tomato sauce. Top with a quarter of the mozzarella or other toppings (see below). Now slide the pizza into the oven and quickly pull the pale away so that the pizza glides onto the hot, upturned oven tray. Leave to cook for 7-10 minutes. The base should be golden underneath and the cheese bubbling. Garnish with the basil leaves and serve.

Other additions
The many variations and whims of fashion make the list of additional pizza toppings endless, so I asked two Neapolitan friends for their favourites. Maria likes her pizza topped with anchoivies and Guiseppe prefers a smoked cheese like provola or scamorza and ham. His other favourite is calzone, the folded over version, filled with ricotta, provola and little pieces of fried lardo and served with tomato sauce on top. My favourite topping is salami with marinated artichokes in oil and sun-dried tomatoes.

Romans baked a flat bread known as picea; centuries later it was still popular, but had changed from a plain bread to something similar to the pizza we know today.

Ferdinand II, the Bourbon monarch, loved the pizzas of famous pizzaiolo Don Domenico Testa so much that he made him a monzu (from the French word monsieur), which in 18th-century Naples was an honour normally reserved for the great French chefs who cooked for the rich. Ferdinand even had pizza ovens built in his garden so that he and guests could enjoy this Neapolitan delight.

In the book Usi e costumi di Napoli e contorni, published in 1858, Emanuele Rocco wrote that pizza, as it was called by then, could be finished with an assortment of toppings, such as basil, fish, cheese and oil. If you were to fold this over it would be known as pizza calzone.
In 1861, Umberto I, from the House of Savoy, came to the throne of Naples and visited the city. His wife Margherita was presented with a pizza by the chef Raffaele Esposito which was topped with ingredients in the colours of the -unified Italy - red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil - hence the Pizza Margherita.

Pizza, like everything else, differs across the country. In Naples, the crust is thicker than elsewhere in Italy. This helps keep the filling inside the parameters of the circle of dough. They are also more generous with their toppings in Naples. In Rome, the pizzas have thinner bases or are often made as tray pizzas.

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