briciole

bere il tè a casa

drinking tea at home

In a recent post, I talked about my habits as far as making and drinking coffee at home. My day however, always starts with two cups of tea. This is a ritual that I follow no matter where I am, including Italy. It was in fact during my recent trip there that I bought the cute mesh tea ball in the photos.

Until a few weeks ago, my morning tea came in a mug, but then I received as a gift a tumbler that — it was advertised — would not melt or otherwise be damaged by hot water, and would protect both the furniture and the temperature of my tea. I have been using my tumbler for my tea daily since I got it and I am really enjoying it.

I never put a saucer under the tumbler. I used two small plates for the photos because I wanted to play with their reflections. And honestly, I could not take a photo of the tumbler in its normal environment, i.e., my desk, because it's rather cluttered.

If you are wondering about the tea in the tumbler, I'll satisfy your curiosity without delay: it's the ChocolaTea blend by SerendipiTea. I also drink their lovely Colonille.

Many thanks to the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program and Tervis for the tumbler.

This is my submission to week #21 edition of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. Savoring the weekly gallery is highly recommended: it's a very special mid-week treat.

The top photo was shot in color and then converted to light sepia.

This post contains the gallery of photos submitted to the event.

FTC discosure: as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Tervis, I received a tumbler at no charge. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for mentioning the product on my blog.

tea

fagioli monete del papa

Christmas Lima beans

For the current edition of Cook the Books, we are reading Harlot's Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece by Patricia Volonakis Davis. The author falls in love with Greece — or, to be more precise, with her idea of it — then with a man of Greek origin, Gregori. Their marriage ends in divorce, but in the process, Volonakis Davis experiencelife in her beloved Greece and gets to know herself and her capabilities. Throughout the book, the tone is delightfully self-deprecating, which makes the reading eminently enjoyable, even — maybe especially — when we recognize ourselves in the protagonist.

The book talked to me, so to say, on an additional level: In describing what it meant to grow up in an Italian-American family, Volonakis Davis shows that certain cultural values survived intact the Atlantic crossing. She does a great job explaining the concept of figura. I have an emotional — rather than intellectual — sense of what it means. It's a fundamental tenet of education in an Italian family: you are supposed to always fare una bella figura (literally, to cut a fine figure, in the sense of making a good impression), which then reflects well upon your family. The worst thing that can happen is fare una butta figura (literally, to cut a poor figure, in the sense of making a bad impression), which of course embarrasses the whole family. [Volonakis Davis also talks about malocchio (evil eye) and there, though I understand her, I have no direct experience: I don't remember anybody in my family ever mentioning it.]

Let me now move on to more lighthearted notes. At one point, Volonakis Davis talks about the beloved puppet mouse Topo Gigio and about calcio (soccer). One day, Topo Gigio was a guest at the Ed Sullivan Show. I honestly don't like that video for various reasons, so if you don't know who Topo Gigio is, I suggest you watch him sing Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" in this video. You can watch Topo Gigio on YouTube: I particularly like the videos where he is next to singer and dancer Raffaella Carrà. In talking about the soccer team (squadra di calcio) Cosmos, Volonakis Davis mentions the player Giorgio Chinaglia. I hadn't thought about Chinaglia in many years, but since my mother was a fan of Lazio, the team with which he played, I remember the brouhaha surrounding his move to the US (in 1976).

Back to the book, I read it with pleasure. I got very engrossed in the story, especially the part where Volonakis Davis builds a business while living in Greece. Food certainly plays a role: it could not be otherwise with an Italian family and a Greek one as protagonists. One of my favorite episodes of the book occurs in Crete, on the name day (in Italian, onomastico) of Gregori's uncle, who is a priest. Volonakis Davis describes the procedure followed to manage the visitors who come to the priest's house to offer well wishes: how visitors rotate in sitting with Papa Elias, what is served to whom, etc.

As the tension within the marriage grows, Patricia and Gregori express their unhappiness in various ways. For example, Gregori, called upon to prepare dinner, always makes beans, because his wife hates them (there is a bit more to the bean story, and you'll find out if you read the book). That reminded me of gigantes, the beautiful Greek giant beans (or elephant beans) I have admired in recipes by Ivy of Kopiaste and Peter of Kalofagas. I had never seen those beans, but I thought I would look for some them, but then something happened that changed my plans.

In mid-October, I visited my hometown of Perugia and, as always when there, I went to Drogheria Bavicchi to get some legumes (see this post for more information). I was hoping to find more of the lenticchie nere ennesi that I described in this guest post, bu alas! no such luck. However, one cannot leave that store empty-handed: they have such a selection of legumes that I always find something new to me. This time was no exception. The first type of bean I got is quite large and really pretty, burgundy mottled. It is a type of lima bean that actually exists in this country too: it is called Christmas Lima or Chestnut Lima bean. I had in fact seen it in a store in the Bay Area and liked the way it looked.

The beans I purchased are called monete del Papa (literally, Pope's coins) and are not grown in Umbria, but they come from Piemonte, in the Italian Northwest. I was recommended to soak them for 24 hours. In terms of preparation, I decided to give the whole stage to the beans and their bold flavor reminiscent of boiled chestnuts (castagne, hence their name), with some onion (cipolla) as supporting cast. I prepared them the first time for my father and he liked them a lot. I bought more and prepared them for my husband in the same way.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for fagioli monete del papa

Ingredients:

• 125 g / 4 oz. Christmas (or Chestnut) Lima beans (about 1 cup)
• 8 oz. cipollini onion (or other sweet onion), sliced into 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick half-moons
  
• olive oil
• several sprigs of fresh thyme
• sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, to taste

The way I cook beans for further use comes from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison (Beans with Aromatics). Rinse beans well, then soak in 4 cups of water for 24 hours. Drain, place in a saucepan and add enought water to cover them by about one inch. Add a quarter of a large onion, halved, a bay leaf, a clove of garlic, quartered, and 3-4 sprigs of fresh parsley. Bring the water to a lively boil quickly, and keep it there for five minutes, then turn down the heat and let the beans simmer, covered, until they are ready. Note that these beans take quite a bit longer than smaller beans to cook. Taste them to assess when it is time to remove them from the heat. Let them cool in their broth, then remove the aromatics and discard them.

Oil a skillet and add onion and thyme leaves, and cook gently until onion is nice and soft. Add some broth, as needed, to keep the onion moist. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain beans and place in a bowl, add cooked onion, season appropriately, stir well and serve warm or at room temperature, with olive oil (olio d'oliva) drizzled on top.

As mentioned in a previous post, I get the "cipollini" onions in the photo from my mostly-fruit CSA, Neukom Family Farm. These onions are excellent in flavor and keep very well, so I am partial to them.

Going back to the passage that inspired me, I was particularly struck by the fact that in the relationship between Patricia and Gregori, food became a way of expressing growing unhappiness. We usually use food in the opposite way. Now, of course, I wonder if Volonakis Davis still hates beans. Update (December 14): in this post, you can read the answer to my question. Thanks, Patricia!

This is my contribution to the current edition of Cook the Books, hosted by Johanna of Food Junkie not Junk Food. You can find the guidelines for participating in the event here, and here is the announcement.

This post contains the roundup of the event. Update (December 14): the recipes contributed by Cook the Book Club's members are now featured on a page of the author's website.

The bold colored and flavored chestnut beans make this post suitable for My Legume Love Affair 41, the current edition of the popular, legume-centered event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, and hosted this month by Simona of briciole (that is, me).

This post contains the first part of the roundup and a link to the second part.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

fagioli monete del papa

or launch the fagioli monete del papa audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

bean, onion

insalata con radicchio, avocado e pera arrosto

salad with radicchio, avocado and roasted pear

 [cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

A head (cespo) of radicchio is a thing of beauty and so is every single leaf. As I was preparing this salad, I thought that I had never photographed a single leaf of any type of salad vegetable, so here it is: the striking features are the two contrasting colors.

Here I let the eye focus on the shape of the leaf, the folds, the crisp edge. Just beautiful... and good too.

There are several types of this pretty vegetable (the links go to pages in Italian, but each page has a photo from which you can get a sense of the different look of each variety):

• radicchio di Treviso
• radicchio di Chioggia
• radicchio di Verona
• radicchio di Castelfranco

I have always loved radicchio, so I am very pleased that I can find it locally grown. I believe that what I bought at the farmers' market is radicchio di Verona and I like that a lot, because Verona is the beautiful city where my friend Marta of Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare lives.

On to my salad. To accompany the lovely radicchio, I chose some mixed baby greens I had in my vegetable drawer, some orach (mountain spinach) from my garden, then some fruit (avocado and Asian pear) and finally some pecans. I didn't weigh anything. I usually make salads by combining ingredients and use my judgement to give to each one the weight I want in the overall balance of flavors. In this case, radicchio takes center stage: its pleasant bitterness if offset by the sweetness of the pear, made a bit sweeter by a brief roasting.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for insalata con radicchio, avocado e pera arrosto

Ingredients:

• a small head of radicchio
• mixed baby greens (approx. 2.5 oz.)
  
• a small bunch of orach leaves (or of baby spinach, in which case, you don't need to wilt them)
• half of a medium Asian pear (or Bosc pear)
  
• a small ripe avocado (or half of a large one)
  
• 3 tablespoons of chopped toasted pecans
  

— For the vinaigrette:

• sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to taste
• balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico), to taste
• half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard (senape di Digione)
  

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Wash Asian pear and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices lengthwise. Take the slices that include some of the core, cut each in half lengthwise and carve out the core. Distribute on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat and bake for 10-12 minutes, until softened. When slightly cooled, dice the pear slices.

Briefly wilt orach leaves in an oiled skillet warmed up. (I did this because the leaves I harvested were a bit large and wanted to make sure they would be tender.)

Separate leaves of radicchio by peeling them from the head, wash, cut them and place in a salad bowl. [Side note: I didn't realize some people chop radicchio as if it were cabbage until I read this short article by David Tanis. See the last paragraph: I agree with his rant.] Add the mixed baby greens, orach (or baby spinach), pear and avocado, diced.

Place vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar. Because of the presence of avocado, I use less oil than I would without it. Screw on the lid and shake well. Distribute on the salad and toss gently. Sprinkle pecans and toss again, then serve.

Sorry, no photo of the final salad. I tried and failed, then decided that the lack of a good photo should not prevent me from posting a very good recipe.

This is my contribution to edition #311 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Brii of briggishome host of the Italian edition of the event, which turns one this week!

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata con radicchio, avocado e pera arrosto

or launch the insalata con radicchio, avocado e pera arrosto audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

[jump to Comments]

radicchio, salad, pear, avocado

Per i lettori italiani

Il radicchio è bellissimo. Mentre stavo preparando questa insalata ho pensato che non avevo mai fotografato una sua foglia: detto fatto.

In questa foto chiedo agli occhi di osservare la forma della foglia, le pieghe, i bordi netti. Non solo bella, ma anche gustosa.

Come forse sapete, di radicchio ce ne sono diversi tipi:

• radicchio di Treviso
• radicchio di Chioggia
• radicchio di Verona
• radicchio di Castelfranco (che purtroppo non ho mai visto da vicino)

Il radicchio mi è sempre piaciuto e quindi mi fa piacere trovarlo di produzione locale. Il radicchio che ho comprato al farmers' market ha tutta l'aria di essere quello di Verona e la cosa mi fa piacere perché Verona oltre ad essere una gran bella città è dove vive la mia amica Marta di Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

DA mettere insieme al radicchio ho scelto un po' di insalatina mista che avevo nel cassetto del frigo, degli spinaci di montagna (orach) dal mio orticello, un po' di frutta (avocado e pera asiatica) e infine delle noci pecan. Non ho pesato nulla. Di solito preparo un'insalata mischiando vari ingredienti e uso un po' di intuito per decidere quanto metterne di ciascuno in modo da ottenere l'equilibrio di sapori che ho in mente. In questo caso, il radicchio è protagonista: il suo gusto piacevolmente amarognolo è controbilanciato dalla dolcezza della pera, resa ancora piu' dolce da un breve soggiorno nel forno.

Ingredienti:

• un piccolo cespo di radicchio
• 70 g circa di insalatina mista
• un mazzetto di foglie di orach (spinaci di montagna ) oppure di spinaci novelli (nel qual caso, se molto teneri non c'è bisogno di passarli in padella)
• mezza pera asiatica o di varietà Bosc
• un piccolo avocado maturo (o mezzo, se è grosso)
• 3 cucchiai (45 ml) di noci pecan tostate a secco
  

— Per la vinaigrette (tutti gli ingredienti tranne la senape sono in quantità a seconda del gusto):

• sale fino e pepe nero appena macinato
• olio d'oliva
• aceto balsamico
• mezzo cucchiaino di senape di Digione

Scaldare il forno a 175-180 C. Lavare la pera e tagliarla per lungo a fette spesse mezzo centimetro. Tagliare le fette che includono il torsolo a metà e rimuovere il torsolo. Distribuire su una lastra da forno foderata con tappetino di silicone e infornare per 10-12 minuti. Quando si sono un po' raffreddate, tagliare le fettine di pera a pezzi.

Passare in padella brevemente gli spinaci di montagna. (L'ho fatto perché le foglie che ho raccolto erano un po' grosse e volevo essere sicura che fossero tenere.)

Separare le foglie di radicchio, lavarle e tagliarle, poi metterle in un'insalatiera. Aggiungere l'insalatina mista, gli spinaci di montagna (o spinaci novelli), i pezzi di pera e l'avocado tagliato a dadi.

Mettere gli ingredienti per la vinaigrette in un barattolino di vetro. Dal momento che uno degli ingredienti dell'insalata è l'avocado, uso meno olio del solito. Avvitare il tappo del barattolino e agitare bene. Distribuire la vinaigrette sull'insalata e mescolare. Spargere le noci pecan e mescolare di nuovo, poi servire.

Purtroppo non ho una foto dell'insalata in tavola. Ho provato a farla e ho fallito miseramente, ma ho deciso che la mancanza di una foto carina non mi avrebbe impedito di condividere la ricetta di un'ottima insalata.

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 311 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Brii stessa in occasione del primo compleanno dell'evento: tanti auguri supercalifragilistichespiralidosisissima Brii!

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

una pasta veloce per cena numero 241: il riepilogo

Presto Pasta Nights #241: the roundup

It's Friday and therefore it's time to share the pasta dishes that I have received in my inbox throughout the week. In the US, this is also a "special" Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, a celebration rich in food traditions. Those traditions don't include pasta, but I am sure leftovers from the Thanksgiving table will provide inspiration for creative pasta dishes. That, of course, is for the next few days. Today, we are looking at dishes cooked up last week.

Without further ado, here is the roundup of edition #241 of Presto Pasta Nights, the popular event created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. For each contribution, I will give you the official information (author, blog name and post title) and a short quote or brief description or quote — a teaser that invites you to follow the link to read the relevant post.

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Gilli of So So Simple Food shares with us Citrusy Couscous
A healthy dish, "fresh fragrant and fast," put together using available goodies: blanched almonds, an orange and celery, sultanas, onions and couscous... Plus fresh herbs from the garden.

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Elizabeth of The Law Student's Cookbook shows us her Pastitsio
The combination of noodles, a red sauce, and a bechamel sauce makes this traditional Greek dish. "Cinnamon... gives it a sweeter flavor than other meat-pasta dishes."

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Juli of Pictures of all my princesses shares with us Bacon Spaetzle
"I saw someone mention not too long ago that they had bacon spaetzle. Enough said, it had to be done." Kielbasa and chicken also joined the party.

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Michelle of Ms. enPlace prepared "Risotto" with roasted vegetables.
A dish "pretty loaded down with veggies. The kind I like best. The roasted kind. It's a "use it up" sort of recipe — you know the type. Grab what's in the produce drawer and toss it in."

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Alisha of Cook. Craft. Enjoy. presents Sesame Noodles
"These are more peanut sesame noodles than really sesame noodles... Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds — almost like it's too much."

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Ching of Little Corner of Mine prepared Stir Fried Lo Mein with Pumpkin
"I stir-fried the pumpkin with yellow noodle or lo mein.  Can you spot the pieces of pumpkin on my noodle?  It went so well together too."

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Ruth of Once Upon a Feast prepared Roasted Chicken & Butternut Squash Fusilli
"Sometimes the chicken is ready first, sometimes the squash, but all in all a quick and easy combination to prepare while you're chilling out or rushing about doing other things..."

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Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch shares Cabbage Noodles
"Cabbage and noodles sounded good to me so I went ahead and threw this together... They probably don't put carrots in the dish, but I felt I needed some color!"

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Simona of briciole (your host for this week) presents gnocchi di ricotta
"The routine goes like this: I make cheese using two gallons of milk, then I make ricotta with the leftover whey and finally I make gnocchi with the ricotta."

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And that concludes my roundup, which will be added to all the previous Presto Pasta Nights roundups and continue the lovely tradition started by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

As you read this, edition #242 is already under way, hosted by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. To participate, send your entries to ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com by Thursday, December 1.

Many thanks to all who contributed to produce an interesting collection of pasta dishes for this edition of Presto Pasta Nights. I do hope I have not left anybody out of the roundup. If you find that, notwithstanding my best intentions, I actually have omitted a post, please send me a note.

Arrivederci a presto

cavolo broccolo romanesco, verdura frattale

romanesco broccoli, fractal vegetable

NOT a computer-generated image

NOT created by Pixar

A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity. [source: wikipedia]

This is my submission to week #20 edition of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. Savoring the weekly gallery is highly recommended: it's a very special mid-week treat.

The photos were shot in color and then converted to light sepia.

This post contains the gallery of photos submitted to the event.

gnocchi di ricotta

ricotta gnocchi

Over two years ago, Daring Cooks started and the first recipe chosen by founders Ivonne and Lisa was ricotta gnocchi from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. I loved the recipe and said so in the post I wrote about it, which ends with these words:

I will definitely make gnocchi di ricotta again soon.

Not only did I make then soon afterwards, but I have made them over and over again, much to my husband's delight. The routine goes like this: I make cheese¹ using two gallons of milk, then I make ricotta with the leftover whey (siero di latte) and finally I make gnocchi with the ricotta. I decided to write another post on gnocchi di ricotta because I have a couple of better photos and additional notes.

As explained in previous posts, like this one, ricotta is a topic dear to me, so instead of repeating myself, I'll add a link to a comment I wrote recently to an article on ricotta by David Tanis.

I used to add a bit of milk to the whey to increase the yield, but I have not done so for quite a while. The yield is slightly different depending on the cheese (formaggio) made and the milk used to make the cheese. I drain ricotta in the traditional basket (sorry, lumps of curds are not my idea of ricotta) for a couple of hours, then unmold it in a bowl. At this point, I weigh it. Regardless of the yield, I devote about 10 oz. of ricotta to the making of gnocchi (+/- half an ounce).

The original recipe for ricotta gnocchi is available on this page, which includes Rodgers' introduction. I halve the quantities and increase that of ricotta (as explained above). If I know I will make gnocchi, I line the bowl where I store the ricotta with a cotton napkin doubled up, place the ricotta on it, and then cover with the napkin. I let the napkin absorb moisture overnight and I usually flip it half-way through.

The first thing you need to be patient about is the draining step, which prevents you from making this recipe on the spur of the moment. The other thing is the mashing of ricotta into a smooth, fluffy cream (see original recipe) as the first step of preparation.

In summary, here is the list of ingredients I use:

• 10 oz of my homemade ricotta
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of dried lemon zest
• 1/4 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about 2 tablespoons very lightly packed)
• about 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• all-purpose flour, for forming the gnocchi

The original recipe is rich in details pertaining all the steps. I must admit that I have never tested the gnocchi. However, I have never had any cooking failure. On this video, which I recommend watching, because it gives details on the preparation, you can see the gnocchi formed with a spoon. I use an oblong half-tablespoon measuring spoon to pick up and somewhat shape the ricotta. I place a heaping measure on my left palm and with a few light touches of my fingers I give the small lump a nice elongated shape, then deposit it in a baking pan with the bottom covered with some flour. I lightly shimmy the pan to flour four gnocchi at a time and then place them on a baking sheet or plate lined with wax paper dusted with flour, then refrigerate until ready to cook them. I get 18-20 gnocchi.

When it's time to think about how to dress your gnocchi di ricotta, remember two things: as Rodgers says, they are delicate in flavor, so choose something that leaves room to the ricotta flavor, and they are also delicate in texture, so toss them lightly. During the summer, I usually dress my gnocchi di ricotta with roasted cherry tomatoes from my CSA box or the farmers' market (photo above).

During the winter, I may use a bit of sage-infused butter (burro e salvia). My most recent batch (photo above) was dressed with a bit of roasted (sugarless) applesauce, another dish inspired by Judy Rodgers (of which I suspect you will read more on this blog soon).

Parting note: As usual, I suggest that you first try making this recipe in the reduced format I outlined to become familiar with it. Then, you can make a bigger batch, maybe as big as what you need for your Holiday guests.

¹ Not all whey can be used to make ricotta. It depends on what kind of cheese was made to obtain it. Cheese-making recipes often tell you whether the whey can be used that way. For example, Jim Wallace's recipe for robiola states: "This whey will be too acid to use for ricotta but can be used for baking or cooking."

This is my contribution to edition #241 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Simona of briciole (that would be me).

This post contains the roundup of the event.

I believe this recipe, bookmarked on the Epicurious website, also satisfies the requirements of Bookmarked Recipes, an event originally started by Ruth of Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments and now hosted by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

gnocchi di ricotta

or launch the gnocchi di ricotta audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

gnocchi, ricotta

Annuncio: una pasta veloce per cena (numero 241)

Announcement: Presto Pasta Nights #241

I have the honor of hosting edition #241 of Presto Pasta Nights, the popular event created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Pasta comes in a myriad shapes and it is so versatile that you can make something as simple as pasta al burro e parmigiano and as complex as a pan of lasagne, every component of it homemade.

Week after week, Presto Pasta Nights captures snapshots of the countless realizations of pasta dishes by food bloggers around the world.

I will be delighted to receive your contribution to this week's edition of Presto Pasta Nights. The rules to participate are detailed on this page. Feel free to let me or Ruth know if you have any questions.

Entries for this week's edition of PPN must be posted during the days covered by it, meaning, from Friday November 18 through Thursday November 24. In your post, include a link to Presto Pasta Nights and also to briciole. You can download the PPN logo to add to your post.

Send your entry to me at simosite AT mac DOT com and cc Ruth at ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com, specifying PPN #241 in the title of the message.

In your email please include the following information:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Attach a photo (maximum width 400px)

Sometimes messages get lost in cyberspace, so if you don't receive an acknowledgment of your email or see a comment on your post, please contact me again by leaving a comment on this announcement.

The deadline for submitting your contribution is Thursday night November 24, 2011. I will post the roundup on Friday.

¹ A note about the title of this post: una pasta veloce per cena is not the literal translation, but my rendition of the original Presto Pasta Nights.

Novel Food #14: the finale

First came the announcement, then the various contributions arrived in my mailbox, and finally, today it is time for the roundup of the 14th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I created in 2007. Novel Food is about literary works (prose or poetry) that inspire the preparation of dishes.

Like all its predecessors, the current edition of the event includes an lovely set of readables and edibles. Please, follow me on a short literary/culinary tour. For each contribution, I will offer a small bite to whet your appetite for more: follow the link to read the details of the inspiring work of literature and of the inspired recipe. I hope that by the time you reach the end of this post, you will have a nice reading and cooking list to be used in the near future. With the Holidays coming up, it's nice to have some books in your wish list.

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Rachel of The Crispy Cook read the China Bayles herbal mystery series by Susan Wittig Albert and prepared Gluten-free Cinnamon Basil Cupcakes (from book 2: Witches' Bane)

"China is a former high-powered defense attorney who shifts gears mid-career to open up an herb shop surrounded by gardens in a small town." Each book has a different herbal theme "and one can learn a lot about gardening, folklore, the medicinal use of herbs and even try out some delicious recipes from the back of many of the books."

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Ruhama of rumahama went "old school" with Homer Price by Robert McCloskey, a collection of short stories, one of which inspired her to prepare Doughnuts

"In this particular story, Homer is at his uncle's diner. At this diner is a doughnut maker. And this doughnut maker has decided to operate with its own mind and goes crazy. Silliness ensues and all must figure out how to fix the problem."

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Phil of As Strong As Soup was inspired by Jacques Prévert's poem 'Lanterne Magique de Picasso' from the book ‘Paroles’ to prepare Gâteau de Riz and Grape Syrup Verrine

A line of the poem and the British habit of adding jam to a rice pudding merged to direct the creation of this dessert served in glass. The topping follows the same process as making a grape jelly... but stops short of allowing the jelly to set... The gâteau de riz layer is perhaps a little less firm than many French versions and is flavoured with lemon rather than vanilla."

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Paz of The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz read August Heat by Andrea Camilleri (one of the Montalbano novels) and made Pappanozza

"Pappanozza... I like the way it sounds – fun. I like the way it rolls off my tongue – Pap-PA-noz-za. Pap-Pa-noz-za!... I love the simplicity with which the food is described and the plainness of the ingredients involved, and the way it’s prepared... This was nothing fancy, yet it tasted delicious. Like Inspector Montalbano, that is all I ate. I, too, wanted to keep to light food. It was perfect."

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Jo of Not An Everyday Circumstance read The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller and was inspired to prepare vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

"One of the points driven home by the book is the ability to be yourself. One of the ways that this is demonstrated is through the food. Robert is a vegetarian, and Francesca has never really liked meat... with Robert, she can experiment. She can do what she wants and cook food that makes her happy. One of those foods is stuffed peppers... I created a vegetarian option that made use out of what I had in the pantry."

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Sandi of Whistlestop Cafe Cooking found inspiration in Beyond the Pasta by Mark Leslie handy and prepared Frittata con Zucchine e Cipolla (Zucchini and Onion Frittata)

"This book is a fun read... especially if you are at all interested in travel, food, or Italy... My copy of Beyond the Pasta was sitting right next to my knitting basket, where I can thumb through my favorite parts of the book. Page 17. Day One of Mark's trip to Italy. He is talking about his arrival to Italy and welcome into the family," and frittata con zucchine e cipolla comes out of Nonna's kitchen.

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Adele of tales of the basil queen found inspiration in The Magicians by Lev Grossman and prepared Swiss Chard Ravioli

Inspired by "a story about college and growing up that shows how even being able to do magic does not make coming of age any less awkward," comes "a dish that reminded me... of wandering into the kitchen late on a Saturday afternoon and watching a meal evolve, unplanned and unrehearsed, as more people trickled in with thoughts of food on their minds... The ravioli dish below uses a little trick I figured out just this year."

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Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, was inspired by The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences by Dr. Frederick Treves to prepare No-Hassle Hasselback Blue Potatoes

"Dr. Treves' careful and kind recollections of his discovery of and subsequent enriching friendship with Mr. Merrick... shows the rewards of suspending such judgment until a measured and patient evaluation can be made... It is probable that Mr. Merrick and Dr. Treves had never encountered the anomaly of blue potatoes arranged on their dinner plates. But I know that given each man's remarkable character, and joy in living and giving, that neither would have refrained from a single mouthful."

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Inspired by The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl, Simona of briciole prepared funghi, fagioli e castagne (Mushrooms, Beans and Chestnuts)

The novel revolves around a series of gruesome murders that occur in Boston and Cambridge (MA) while Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is working on a translation of Dante's Inferno. The thought of Dante's exile from his beloved Florence inspired the preparation of a dish that includes popular ingredients, including two, mushrooms, and chestnuts, usually gathered in the woods.

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Simona of briciole was also inspired by Georges Simenon's short novel The Blue Room to prepare frittata con pere asiatiche arrosto & crostatine (Roasted Asian Pear Frittata & Tartlets)

The "story brings the reader into a quiet corner of France, where life goes on fairly steadily, but where nothing goes on unremarked... When I saw the two half crostatine on the plate, I thought they were an apt metaphor for the lonely halves in the story, whose leitmotif is the inability to communicate. This inability, which we see in every character, not just the main ones, has tragic consequences."

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My special "thank you!" goes to the event's participants. The next edition of Novel Food will be in the spring: I will announce it here and on The Food Blog Diary, so stay tuned. The Food Blog Diary is the lovely event announcement site created and maintained by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes. Visit the site to read about current events and let her know about your event and she will post it on her well-organized site. Thank you, Jacqueline!

In the meantime, read good books (maybe with the next Novel Food in mind), cook good foods, and otherwise savor life's local and seasonal offerings. Arrivederci!

zucche al mercato

winter squashes at the farmers' market

they come in many shapes and sizes

I don't think I'll ever cease to be fascinated by pumpkins, winter squashes and gourds: they are a pleasure to all the senses.

This is my submission to week #19 edition of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. Savoring the weekly gallery is highly recommended: it's a very special mid-week treat.

The photo was shot in color and then converted to light sepia.

This post contains the gallery of images submitted to the event.

Novel Food #14: frittata con pere asiatiche arrosto & crostatine

roasted Asian pear frittata & tartlets

Recently, my husband and I watched on DVD the Maigret movies from the early '90s starring Michael Gambon and enjoyed them a lot. Chief Inspector Maigret is the protagonist of many novels and stories by Belgian-French writer Georges Simenon. When I was a kid, il commissario Maigret was popular in Italy thanks to the TV movies starring Gino Cervi.

I had read only one of the Maigret novels, so during a recent visit to a bookstore, I decided to correct that, but got attracted by one of Simenon's novels without Maigret: La chambre bleue, from 1964 (in Italian La camera azzurra and in English The Blue Room).

Tony and Andrée have had a relation for 11 months, during which they have met eight times in the blue room of the hotel owned by Tony's brother. Tony is married to Gisèle and they have a daughter, Marianne. Andrée is married to Nicolas. The novel opens in the blue room, at the end of what will turn out to be the last meeting of the two lovers. The novel then moves to some time after that event and we understand that Tony is in jail. However, it is not immediately clear of what crime he is accused. As Tony answers questions and remembers past events, the story of the intervening months is revealed.

Tony's story brings the reader into a quiet corner of France, where life goes on fairly steadily, but where nothing goes on unremarked (as Tony will find out). It's difficult for me to say more without spoiling the pleasure of reading the novel. I found every element of it interesting: the story itself, the way it is told, the characters and how they are portrayed, the ending.

One important element of the story is the contrast between Gisèle and Andrée. Tony's life with his wife is quiet and follows a certain routine, partly dictated by their daughter's needs and partly by his work schedule. Here's the sentence that inspired the first dish:

They had sat down to dinner as usual: soup, a ham omelette, salad, a camembert, and, for dessert, apricots.

I wish I could tell you about making camembert at home. I have actually done it earlier this year, and the result was positive, but I have no photographic proof, and for various reasons I have not repeated the experience. Aging requirements would not allow me to have a homemade camembert ready in time, so I focused on the ham omelette: in the Italian version of the book, which is the one I read, it is frittata col prosciutto. This is a dish that would be quite easy to make in Italy, but where I am, it is a different story. Still, I was set on making a frittata, and if this were apricot season I would have tried to make a roasted apricot frttata on the same line of my roasted peach frittata. Alas, summer is over, so there are no fresh apricots (albicocche) around, but there are beautiful local Asian pears and so my inspiration produced a roasted Asian pear frittata.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for frittata con pere asiatiche arrosto ¹

Another passage of the book inspired me to prepare something else. In the story, fruit preserves play an important role. The first mention is not particularly remarkable:

Marianne only liked strawberry jam, whereas her mother, who was allergic to strawberries — even in jam they gave her a rash — preferred plum jelly. In the early days of their marriage, he had teased Gisele about her taste in food, which often made him smile.

But later, Gisèle's preference becomes a pivotal element of the story.

A few days ago, I made a crostata (tart) with a layer of strawberry and rhubarb preserves and over it a layer of fresh apples. Gisèle could not have eaten it, due to her allergy. I did not make any plum preserves last summer, but I still could not let go of the idea of making something related to that sentence, something with fruit preserves.

I had never made tartlets before, so I decided to do that: the filling for the one on the left is my apple and mango preserves and for the one on the right is my Asian pear butter (burro di pere asiatiche) flavored with some fresh ginger (zenzero). After making a somewhat traditional lattice for one crostatina, I decided to hint more directly at the story that had inspired me and reached for the small heart-shaped cookie cutter. I did not glaze the pasta frolla, so the two hearts (cuori) are a bit pale.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for crostatine ¹

Gisèle is the character that interested me the most. Did she know or suspect what was going on between Tony and Andrée? Was she ever worried or afraid? 

Because of her golden hair, her pale skin and oval face, people frequently remarked that she had an angelic look. But she only liked pungent foods: pickled herrings, salads flavored with garlic and liberally dressed with vinegar, and strong cheeses. Often she would be chewing at a large raw onion as she worked in the vegetable garden. On the other hand, she never touched sweets or pastries. He was the one with the sweet tooth. This was not the only anomaly in their domestic life...

Given her preferences, it's unlikely that Gisèle would have tasted my tartlets, though maybe the ginger-flavored pear butter would have convinced her to try. On the other hand, I think that Tony and Andrée would have liked them.

Between the photo at the bottom and the one at the top, my husband's tasting occurred. He liked the crostatina with Asian pear butter better. When I saw the two half crostatine on the plate, I thought they were an apt metaphor for the lonely halves in the story, whose leitmotif is the inability to communicate. This inability, which we see in every character, not just the main ones, has tragic consequences.

¹ To keep the post within a reasonable length, I am making an exception to my usual blog format and give the recipes on a separate page.

This is my second contribution to the 14th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I have started some time ago (this time I am hosting solo as Lisa is taking a break from blogging).

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

frittata con pere asiatiche arrosto & crostatine

 

or launch the frittata con pere asiatiche arrosto & crostatine audio file [mp3].

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frittata, pear, dessert