briciole

fichi col formaggio

figs with (farmer's) cheese

In a recent post I narrated my adventures in making Farmer's Cheese (literally, formaggio del contadino). My second attempt resulted in a tasty and rather salty cheese that sparked my imagination in the direction of salty and sweet pairings:

"Having a salty cheese (formaggio salato) made me try different pairings, the most interesting ones being with sweet companions. First of all figs... [details to be given in an upcoming post.]" 

The "upcoming post" is the current one. Before I go any further, let me remind you that the singular of fichi is fico (the importance of the final O will become clear when you reach the end of the post). For this dish I used Mission figs, sweet mouthfuls that one can eat without removing the skin. I read that this variety of fig was brought to California "in the eighteenth century by Franciscan friars from Mexico where they had been given it by Spanish missionaries." Most figs I ate as a child in Italy required peeling, though I remember a variety of small, yellow, incredibly sweet ones that I ate whole. I often picked them myself.

I decided to try and warm up both figs and cheese in the oven and see what happened: my husband and I liked the result and so I have made this dish several times in recent days. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Wash carefully, and pat dry however many figs you think you will eat (warning: more than you think). Remove the stem from each fig and cut in half lengthwise. Arrange fig halves in a baking dish, then place over each a small piece of Farmer's Cheese. Put in the oven about 10 minutes before the estimated serving time. After 10 minutes, the figs will be nice and warm, their flesh a bit softened. The cheese will be warm: it does not melt, so the pieces retain their shape and efficiently deliver to the palate their saltiness, which contrasts nicely with the fig's sweetness.

The photo above shows the plate before it went into the oven the last time I prepared the dish. By the time we ate the figs, it was rather dark and I decided not to try and take a photo with the flash.

Fichi col formaggiO del contadino fatto in casa is my small contribution to the 2nd Annual O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month organized by Michelle of Bleeding Espresso and Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy. Many thanks to Michelle and Sara for doing this.

The two halves of the roundup are here and here.

Hear me pronounce the words on the fichi col formaggio audio file [mp3] or go to the fichi col formaggio audio page for more listening option.

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CONTEST RULES

O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and for the second year in a row, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are hosting the O Foods Contest to raise awareness of this important health issue.

There are TWO WAYS to take part in the O Foods Contest:

ONE: Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato); include this entire text box in the post; and send your post url along with a photo (100 x 100) to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.

PRIZES for recipe posts:

• 1st: Signed copy of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who is currently battling ovarian cancer, inspired this event, and will be choosing her favorite recipe for this prize;

• 2nd: Signed copy of Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali (winner chosen by Sara);

• 3rd: Signed copy of Vino Italiano: The Regional Italian Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich (winner chosen by Michelle).

OR

TWO: If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word and send your post url to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.

Awareness posts PRIZE:

• One winner chosen at random will receive a Teal Toes tote bag filled with ovarian cancer awareness goodies that you can spread around amongst your friends and family.

———

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

• Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
• The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose, but include bloating, pelvic and/or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency).
• There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
• In spite of this, patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
• When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.

And remember, you can also always donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at our page through FirstGiving!

Please help spread the word about ovarian cancer.
Together we can make enough noise to kill this silent killer.

conserva di frutta

fruit preserves
[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

Last year I wrote a post on marmellata, where I described how I was making jam, or, to be more precise, fruit spread. This past June, I purchased a book called Preserving the Taste by Edon Waycott. I also took a conserve making class from June Taylor. As a result, recently I have been following a different process to preserve fruit. I am still exploring different options and nothing is settled, but I can tell you a few things I have been experimenting with.

First of all, I am still not using pectin. Waycott's book lists fruits by pectin contents. Since I like to mix different kinds of fruit to make a jar of preserve, I choose a combination that sounds interesting and gives me a good quantity of natural pectin. I now macerate the fruit for several hours before cooking it, after adding an amount of sugar equivalent to 20% of the weight of the fruit (weighed after being prepared). I cook the fruit for a shorter time than I used to. Finally, I jar the hot preserve according to the method described in this post (see step 4).

This being blackberry season (stagione delle more) and blackberries being plentiful around me, I have been using this fruit, usually in combination with apples (mele). I purée the blackberries and run through a mesh strainer to remove the pips. It is a bit of work, but I think it is worth the effort. Plus, I love the color of the resulting preserve. The photo shows apples and blackberry purée in the saucepan.

My most recent experiment was rather accidental. I made macedonia di frutta (fruit salad) with a mix of ripe fruit (no sugar or lemon juice, just a fruit medley), and added to it palline di melone (small melon balls). I ended up making a bit too much and decided to turn the leftovers (avanzi) into the beginning of a batch of fruit preserve. I added more fruit, mostly apples, sugar, some fresh orange juice and macerated for a few hours. By then, there was a lot of juice in the bowl, quite a bit of it due to the melon. I filtered some of it (about a cup) into a small saucepan and boiled it gently until reduced by half to obtain sciroppo di frutta (fruit syrup). I put it in a small sterilized jar, let it cool and stored it in the fridge. I will figure out a nice way to use it. I poured the fruit and the rest of the juice in a saucepan to make preserve.

I don't peel the apples and mash them with a potato masher after 10 minutes of cooking. I then cook a bit longer, the exact amount of time depending on the state of the fruit mixture: keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools. After I turn off the heat, I jar the preserve right away, as described in the post mentioned above. Once cooled, I label the jars so I know what fruit is in it, the quantity of sugar and the date of preparation. I store my vasetti (jars) in the fridge. I am also testing a different set up for longer term conservation, but I prefer not to describe it until I have the results of my experiment.

A suggestion for using preserves: offelle di marmellata.

Thanks to Ruhama of rumahama, I learned about the Virtual Jam Swap organized by Aimée of Under the High Chair, so to this interesting event I am sending this post as my little contribution.

Hear me pronounce the words on the conserva di frutta audio file [mp3] or go to the conserva di frutta audio page for more listening options.

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Per i lettori italiani. L'anno scorso ho descritto in un post come facevo la marmellata. Lo scorso giugno ho comprato il libro Preserving the Taste di Edon Waycott e ho anche fatto un corso breve sulle conserve con June Taylor. Il risultato è che ultimamente seguo un procedimento diverso per fare le conserve di frutta. Sono ancora in fase di esplorazione, ma posso dirvi che esperimenti sto facendo.

Prima di tutto, continuo a non usare la pectina. Il libro di Waycott ha una lista dei vari tipi di frutta organizzata secondo quanta pectina contengono. Dal momento che mi piace mescolare diversi tipi di frutta per fare un vasetto di conserva, scelgo una combinazione che mi attira da un punto di vista del gusto e che contiene una buona quantità di pectina naturale. Macero la frutta per diverse ore prima di cuocerla, dopo aver aggiungo una quantità di zucchero equivalente al 20% del peso della frutta preparata. Cuocio la frutta per un periodo più breve di quanto facevo prima. Infine, invaso la conserva bollente secondo il metodo descritto in questo post (paragrafo 4).

Essendo questa la stagione delle more, ho usato spesso questo frutto, di solito insieme alle mele. Frullo le more e le passo al setaccio per rimuovere i semini. È un po' un lavoraccio, ma ne vale la pena. E poi mi piace il colore che le more danno alla marmellata. La foto mostra il passato di more e le mele a fettine nella pentola.

Il mio esperimento più recente è stato piuttosto accidentale. Ho fatto della macedonia di frutta con un misto di frutta matura (senza zucchero ne' succo di limore) e ci ho aggiunto delle palline di melone. Ne ho fatta tanta e con quella avanzata ho cominciato a farci della marmellata. Ci ho aggiunto più frutta, soprattutto mele, zucchero e un po' di succo d'arancia e ho fatto macerare per alcune ore. A quel punto, nel contenitore con la frutta c'era molto succo, soprattutto dovuto al melone. Ne ho filtrato un po' (circa 240 ml) e l'ho fatto bollire piano in un pentolino fino a quando si è ridotto della metà. Ho messo questo sciroppo di frutta in un vasetto sterlizzato, l'ho fatto freddare e poi l'ho messo in firgorifero.  Poi penserò a come utilizzarlo. Ho versato la frutta e il resto del succo in una pentola per fare la conserva.

Non sbuccio le mele e le schiaccio con lo schiacciapatate (il link fa vedere la foto del tipo che ho io) dopo 10 minuti di cottura. Poi continuo la cottura, il numero di minuti dipendente dallo stato della frutta, tenendo conto che si rassoda quando si raffredda. Appena spengo il fornello invaso la conserva, come descritto nel post citato in precedenza. Quando i vasetti sono freddi, scrivo sul tappo che tipo di frutta contengono, la quantità di zucchero e la data di preparazione. Conservo i vasetti nel frigorifero. Sto anche provando un modo diverso per la conservazione più a lungo termine, ma preferisco non parlarne fino a quando non ho i risultati del mio esperimento.

Una cosa che mi piace preparare con le mie conserve: offelle di marmellata.

Questo è il mio piccolo contributo all'evento Raccolta delle conserve organizzato da Lacerba di Succulento e light. La mia conserva di frutta è certamente "light" per quanto riguarda la quantità di zucchero.

I contributi all'evento li trovate qui: Raccolta delle ricette per fare le conserve

composta di pesche a modo mio

peach compote my way
[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

La stagione delle pesche (peach season) is here and my CSA box had some white ones last week and some yellow ones this week, together with other fruit. I am, in fact, a shareholder of a mostly fruit CSA. Neukom Family Farm has a varied production and is particularly known for its organic peaches. Until last year, I had been buying them at the farmers' market, after standing in line and sometimes going away empty handed, because they were sold out. This year, I will get them in my weekly box.

My first creative use of the weekly share of peaches (pesche in Italian, singular pesca) has been in a compote (composta), a dish I had been wanting to try for a while, variously defined as a dish of fruit cooked in syrup. I looked at a couple of recipes (for example, this one) and decided to follow the procedure, but use less sugar. The first time I tried my own version, I used a tablespoon of honey for a pound of peaches (weighed before cutting) and the response from my quality assurance department (a.k.a. my husband) was: too sweet. The second time, I used a teaspoon of honey and followed a different procedure, adapting to my purpose some steps of a recipe for Peach Preserves in the book Preserving the Taste by Edon Waycott.

I sliced a pound of ripe peaches and marinated them for a couple of hours with a teaspoon of lavender honey (miele), then poured them in a colander placed over a bowl to catch the juice. After 15 minutes or so, I poured the juice (a quarter cup) in a saucepan, and added two teaspoons of freshly squeezed orange juice. I happened to have oranges and liked the idea of orange juice (otherwise, I would have used lemon juice). I brought the juice to the boil and let it thicken for a couple of minutes, then poured the peach slices and the additional few drops of juice in the pan. I brought them to the boil and let them cook for 10 minutes, at a lively simmer (to reduce the juice).

I turned off the heat and let the peaches cool before serving them for breakfast (colazione), with yogurt. The quality assurance department was very pleased. I have already made this composta a modo mio twice and will make it again during this peach season. I realized that I changed the definition of compote to read "fruit cooked in its own juice," so maybe I should abandon the name compote and adopt a new one for my dish: do you have any suggestions?

Hear me pronounce the words on the composta di pesche a modo mio audio file [mp3] or go to the composta di pesche a modo mio audio page for more listening options.

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Per i lettori italiani. È arrrivata la stagione delle pesche e ho cominciato a riceverle nella mia cassetta settimanale della CSA della quale sono membra (community-supported agriculture: vedi il post che ho scritto per francescav. Sono membra anche di un'altra CSA, che fornisce farine e cereali). L'azienda agricola è famosa, per le sue pesche a coltivazione biologica (hanno anche altri prodotti). Fino alla scorsa stagione le ho comprate al mercatino dei produttori dopo aver fatto la fila ed è capitato che arrivassi troppo tardi.

Il primo uso creativo delle pesche è stato in una composta, ricetta che avevo in mente di provare da tempo. La definizione di composta nel vocabolario è: frutta mista cotta in sciroppo di zucchero. Ho consultato un paio di ricette e poi ho deciso di seguire la procedura, usando meno zucchero. Per il primo tentativo della mia versione della composta ho usato un cucchiaio (15 ml) di miele per 450 g di pesche (pesate prima di mondarle). Il responso del mio reparto di controllo della qualità (cioè mio marito) è stato: troppo dolce. La seconda volta ho usato un cucchiaino (5 ml) di miele e ho seguito una procedura diversa, adattando al mio proposito alcuni passaggi della ricetta per Conserva di pesche dal libro Preserving the Taste di Edon Waycott.

Ho tagliato a fette 450 g di pesche e le ho fatte marinare per un paio d'ore con un cucchiaino (5 ml) di miele di lavanda. Poi le ho versate su un colino sopra una ciotola per raccogliere il succo. Dopo un quarto d'ora ho versato il succo (circa 60 ml) in una pentola bassa e ho aggiunto due cucchiaini (10 ml) di succo d'arancia fresco (avevo in casa delle buone arance e l'idea mi piaceva di più del succo di limone, ma avrei usato quest'ultimo se non avessi avuto le arance).

Ho portato ad ebollizione il succo e l'ho fatto addensare per un paio di minuti, poi ho versato nella pentola le pesche insieme al succo scolato nel frattempo e le ho portate ad ebollizione. Le ho cotte per 10 minuti a fuoco vivace per ridurre il succo. Ho spento il fuoco e ho fatto intiepidire le pesche prima di servirle per colazione insieme a dello yogurt.

La mia composta di pesche è piaciuta molto al mio reparto di controllo della qualità. L'ho rifatta già due volte e credo che la rifarò ancora finché dura la stagione delle pesche. Mi rendo conto di aver cambiato la definizione di composta in "frutta cotta nel suo succo," quindi forse dovrei adottare un nuovo nome per le mie pesche: avete qualche suggerimento?

la stagione dei lamponi

raspberry season
I love raspberries, so I was looking forward to the arrival of raspberry season. This week I had two baskets that I had to consume immediately, so I made risotto ai lamponi (raspberry risotto) and gelato alla vaniglia variegato al lampone (raspberry-marbled vanilla ice cream), both colorful dishes.

The risotto is quite pretty, besides being tasty. You will find my recipe in this post from last year. When I prepared the risotto last week, I had just made a batch of mascarpone and used two tablespoons of it to finish the risotto, instead of the fresh chèvre. This week, I used my  favorite, Cypress Grove's Purple Haze.

In the wake of the success of my recent gelato alla vaniglia variegato al rabarbaro (rhubarb-marbled vanilla ice cream), I decided to make the same vanilla ice cream (recipe in this post) and to marble it with raspberry purée. A couple of hours before churning the ice cream, marinate the raspberries with a teaspoon of agave nectar and half a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar (as described in this post), then shortly before needing it, purée the raspberries and press through a strainer. It is important to spend a bit of time pressing all the pulp off the pips, so the purée is nice and thick. I refrigerated the purée until ready to add it to the ice cream.

Once the gelato alla vaniglia was ready, I scooped it into a bowl and added the raspberry purée by spoonfuls, swirling it in with a spatula to create a marbling pattern ¹. As usual, I served the result to the head of my quality assurance department (a.k.a., my husband) and then we discussed the findings. The flavor of raspberries was probably a bit too prominent for a variegato, so next time I will try using less raspberry purée. I also want to try to fold the same amount of raspberry purée I used this time into the custard before churning it. I will run these tests soon and then report on the results.

The language corner. The four seasons (quattro stagioni) in Italian are: primavera (spring), estate (summer), autunno (fall), inverno (winter).

¹ I used a lidded plastic bowl, which then went into the freezer with the leftover ice cream, after I covered the surface of the ice cream with a square of wax paper. If, after the marbling, the ice cream had been too soft, I would have covered it with wax paper, put the lid on the container and allow it to spend a short time in the freezer until firmer, but still soft.

Hear me pronounce the words on the la stagione dei lamponi audio file [mp3] or go to the la stagione dei lamponi audio page for more listening options.

marmellata

jam
The Italian word marmellata and the English marmalade derive from the Portuguese marmelada, quince jam (from marmelo, quince, which in Italian is mela cotogna). Marmellata is generic, i.e., it is used for preserves made with all types of fruit.

My mother used to make marmellata di ciliegie (cherry jam) and marmellata di pesche (peach jam) for which I provided labor: cherry pitting in the first case, peach peeling in the second. Both tasks were preferable to bean shelling (recently mentioned), because I could occasionally divert pieces of fruit to my mouth. One day, I asked my mother to make a batch of peach jam with only 1 part of sugar to 10 parts of fruit. I loved the result, which here would be more appropriately called peach spread. 

This past summer, purple plums (prugne) inspired me to make my own version of fruit spread. And to add a local twist to it, I used lavender honey (miele) I bought at the farmers' market. As mentioned in another recent post, I am not a fan of pectin, so I let the marmellata di prugne simmer for a fair amount of time. For each kilogram (a bit more than 2 lbs) of fruit, I weighed 100 g (3.5 oz.) of honey (I also made one batch using 3 oz. of agave nectar for the most recent Daring Bakers' challenge).

In a saucepan, I created a well with the fruit and placed the honey in the central empty space. I brought the fruit to boiling point, then let it simmer, without stirring, until it was quite soft. I used a potato masher to reduce the fruit to pulp, added 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, then put the pan back on the burner for another, shorter, period of simmering. Once jarred, I stored it in the fridge. I have used my spread to make, among other things, delicious crostata di marmellata (jam tart).

2009 update: As a result of taking a conserve making class from conserve-maker extraordinaire June Taylor, I have substantially changed the process I follow to preserve fruit. I am still refining the method. The method I currently use is described in this post. To be continued.

Hear me pronounce the words on the marmellata audio file [mp3] or go to the marmellata audio page for more listening options.

insalata di fragole

I have recently written about strawberries, since I used them in a cobbler, and in a Danish braid. I also wrote about fragola a while ago. Today, I will describe a way of using the beloved berry in a savory setting. A typical savory use for strawberries is as an ingredient of risotto. However, since I have developed a recipe for risotto with another berry, I am putting off elaboration of this topic until a later date.

A few nights ago, I concocted an alliterative salad. However, the alliteration works only in Italian: insalata di fragole, fave e finocchi (strawberry, fava bean and fennel salad). This fusion was the result of random acts of purchase. I got the three ingredients with different ideas in mind, then decided to hijack them into a salad. The result worked well and I realized that the color combination, which was not at all part of my concerns, matches that of the Italian flag: bianco, rosso e verde (white, red and green), contributed by fennel, strawberries and fava beans, respectively. The Italian flag is a tricolore (tricolor) and sometimes referred to by that name. The green of fava beans is not the same green as that of the Italian flag, so I added basilico (basil) to strengthen the green component of the salad.

I prepared each element separately, then combined them:

• fragole: wash, hull and slice 1/2 lb of strawberries, then season them with a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Toss and set aside to marinate for a little while.
• fave: get the beans out of 1 lb of pods and blanch them briefly. Let cool, then remove the tough outer layer. Set aside.
• finocchi: wash carefully a fennel bulb and slice thinly, possibly using a mandoline.

Bring the ingredients together in a serving bowl and mix. Season as desired. I tend to stay very close to the tradition I grew up with, i.e., olive oil and vinegar. Make the first good quality and the second balsamic and you cannot go wrong. Add salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste and toss. Add a few leaves of fresh basil, finely shredded, toss again and serve. The combination of textures is another interesting characteristic of this simple summer salad.

This is my contribution to Fresh Produce of the Month, a fun event organized by Marta of An Italian in the US. There is time until July 21 to contribute to il mese delle fragole (strawberry month). Here is the roundup.

Hear me pronounce the words on the fragola audio file [mp3] or go to the fragola audio page for more listening options.

cartolina da Orvieto: formaggio con le pere

postcard from Orvieto: cheese and pears
Orvieto is a lovely town in my home region of Umbria. It is most famous for several reasons, including its gorgeous duomo (cathedral), its prized white wine (appropriately called Orvieto) and il Pozzo di San Patrizio (Saint Patrick's Well).

My husband and I visited Orvieto during our recent trip to Italy and we had lunch there in a place just off the square dominated by the cathedral (along the road to the left of the clock tower in the photo), whose name I cannot remember and have not been able to find out (if that changes, I will update the post accordingly). I ordered a simple plate of cheese and pears and enjoyed it a lot.

There is a strange Italian saying that goes like this: al contadino non far sapere quanto è buono il formaggio con le pere (literally: don't let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears). The explanation I knew for this discriminatory information-withholding recommendation was that if the peasant finds out the delight of pairing cheese and pears, s/he would stop selling those products and keep them for personal consumption. Prompted by a comment by Anna Maria of Pia & Co., I did some research and found an interview with food historian Massimo Montanari, who reads the saying in terms of social divisions. Cheese, historically a peasant's and shepherd's food, in the Middle Ages gets socially promoted and is appreciated by the upper class. At the same time, the perishable pear becomes a luxury food, associated with the upper class and therefore the lower class should not be allowed to partake of it. So the saying exemplifies class divisions that, in time, social evolution has fortunately changed. In any case, the saying is widely known, also in the variant that uses cacio instead of formaggio: al contadino non far sapere quanto è buono il cacio con le pere.

I am convinced that peasants have known for a long time that cheese and pears are a marriage made in heaven, so this is un segreto di Pulcinella (an open secret). It is interesting to look at the words. Cacio comes from the Latin word caseus, meaning cheese, while formaggio is rooted in the word forma, meaning shape, a reference to the cheese that is shaped into a wheel (we say una forma di formaggio).

Il Pozzo di San Patrizio was my husband's favorite destination of the day. During lunch it started to rain and by the time we approached the entrance to the well, it was pouring. The end result was that it was quite dark inside (even though it was only 3 pm) and there were only a couple of tourists, so we had the place almost to ourselves. As we started the long descent (the well is 62 meters deep), a lightning stuck nearby and the thunder echoed in the well and made it shake. That scared a young woman ahead of us and thrilled my husband. Looking up from the arched openings (there are 70 of them) towards the sky, we could see rain pouring down. Once we reached the bottom, we crossed (the well has a diameter of 13 meters) and started on our ascent without retracing our steps, because the downward and upward stairwells are parallel and completely independent, so that people and mules going in opposite direction would not hinder each other. Built between 1527 and 1537, the well was a feat of engineering and it was meant to ensure a supply of water in case of siege.

To admire the golden-facaded cathedral and the elegant well, you really need to travel to Orvieto. To taste the wine you may be able to simply go to your favorite wine store. Easiest of all should be to taste some formaggio con le pere. Just make sure you get some freshly-cut, good quality cheese (pecorino or aged goat cheese are just two possible options) and some fresh pears at the right level of ripeness. Place the twain on a plate and enjoy placing a morsel of each in your mouth, possibly accompanied by some chilled Orvieto (but don't quote me on this, since I am the ultimate wine illiterate)¹. And don't worry about spreading this well-known secret far and wide, to both farming and non-farming listeners.

¹ As Carolina of Gastrolinguistica suggests in her comment, a touch of miele (honey) is a possible, delightful complement to formaggio con le pere.

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, the world-famous food blogging event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, hosted this week by the founder herself. Here's the roundup of WHB #111. And, please, note that next week I will have the high honor of hosting the event.

Hear me pronounce the words and expression on the formaggio con le pere audio file [mp3] or go to the formaggio con le pere audio page for more listening options.

pera

pear
The fruit of the pero (pear tree) has always been one of my favorite foods. Una pera succosa (a juicy pear) is a joy to eat. I also like pere cotte (cooked pears) with baking being my favorite cooking method. My mother sometimes baked a whole pan of pears, unpeeled and placed upright in a few tablespoons of water and seasoned with just a sprinkling of sugar (zucchero).

While a dish of pere cotte is a delicious offering, essere una pera cotta (to be like a cooked pear) is not really a good thing: it means to be weak, flabby, un rammollito. Cascare come una pera cotta (to fall like a cooked pear) has three different meanings, depending on the context:

• to fall into a deep sleep
• to fall head over heels in love
• to fall for, be deceived by something

I am head over heels in love with pears paired with radicchio and pecans (which in Italian are called noci pecan). There is no falling asleep nor deception in this case, since I am using pere crude (raw). There is also no caramelizing of the pecans, but a simple toasting on a dry pan for a few minutes. I should probably write the recipe properly, starting from the ingredients:

• 2 pears of your choice, ripe but not soft, peeled (if necessary), cored and sliced
• 1 small head of radicchio, cut into bite-size pieces
• 5-6 oz baby spinach
• 1/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted as described above and chopped
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Gather the first four ingredients in a salad bowl. In a small saucepan, heat vinegar and oil over low heat until they are hot, then pour over the salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper and serve at once. Multiply or divide or otherwise adjust the quantities given to accommodate your taste and the number of people around the table. The photo shows the salad the day after I prepared it, because the photos I took the same day were not nice. I like one-day-old salad and this one was no exception, though as a photo subject it is not as appealing as a freshly-made one.

This is my entry for the September edition of Heart of the Matter, a heart-healthy event hosted collaboratively by Ilva of Lucullian Delights' fame and Joanna of Joanna's Food's fame on the Heart of the Matter blog. The topic for this month is fruit and berries. Here's the round-up of HotM #7, compliments of Ilva.

Hear me pronounce the words and expressions on the pera audio file [mp3] or go to the pera audio page for more listening options.

macedonia

fruit salad, macédoine
Macedonia is the name of a European country located in the Balkans. The word macedonia¹ derived from it probably² as a reference to the mixture of peoples in the Empire of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great.

Macedonia is also used figuratively to describe a medley of different items. In particular, a parola macedonia (portmanteau word) is a word that results from blending the sounds and meanings of two others. An example is brunch, which comes from blending breakfast and lunch.

My mother used to make macedonia fairly often in the summer. She would use a bit of sugar and some freshly-squeezed lemon juice to season the fruit, never any alcohol, though the latter is certainly an option. Both my father and my brother have problems handling the fuzzy skin of peaches, so making macedonia is a way of providing them with the fruit they like minus the pesky part. In fact, the most common version of macedonia my mother makes has only peaches, apricots and bananas.

Macedonia can be turned into a sumptuous dessert with the addition of whipped cream (macedonia con la panna) or ice cream (macedonia col gelato).

¹ The coinage is French: the Italian word derived from the French word macédoine.
² The qualifier is in the dictionary I consulted and I accidentally omitted it in the original version of the post: apologies to the early readers.

Hear me pronounce the words on the macedonia audio file [mp3] or go to the macedonia audio page for more listening options.