Citron – Persian Apple

April 18th, 2012 / Comments 0

A fragrant fruit, citron was the first citrus to reach the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

bl citron 013 Citron   Persian Apple

Unlike lemons, limes or oranges its not the juicy segments in the center that are most valued, its the thick white rind under the bright yellow peel.

bl citron 021 Citron   Persian Apple

Citron rind is candied and used to flavor sweet cakes and cookies or eaten as a sweet treat with a cup of espresso.

bl citron 031 Citron   Persian Apple

Citron rind can also be served on its own flavored with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt or added to a salad of oranges and  fennel.

The lemon scented rind is said to keep moths away from woolens.

 

Fennel – Finocchio

April 15th, 2012 / comments 2

Wild fennel, more than six feet tall, grows in the Sicilian countryside. In Greek mythology, Prometheus used a stock of fennel to steal fire from the gods.  The fennel in the market is a refined cousin of the wild fennel.

fennel bl 02 Fennel   Finocchio

The inflated  base of the fennel stalks is sweet, crisp and has a mild anise flavor.

fennel bl 035 Fennel   Finocchio

Fennel is served both cooked and raw. The feathery fronds add flavor to poached fish.

fennel bl 01 Fennel   Finocchio

Sliced fennel combined with blood oranges, extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt is my favorite way to serve it.

fennel bl 04 Fennel   Finocchio

These pieces of fennel look like the  extinct, fennel antelope.

(The Greeks have mythological beasts, why can’t I?)

Radicchio di Treviso

April 12th, 2012 / Comments 0

Radicchio is an ancient vegetable. Pliny the Elder, (23 AD – 79 AD), suggested that radicchio purified the blood and aided insomniacs in their quest for a good night’s sleep.

radicchio 01 Radicchio di Treviso

When radicchio is dug up, the leaves are green, then, they are put in dark sheds and the leaves turn maroon as the  plant stops producing chlorophyll.

(Just like maple leaves in Vermont!)

radicchio 02 Radicchio di Treviso

Radicchio can  grilled and served with a splash of olive oil, shredded and stirred into risotto or added to a mixed salad.

radicchio 03 Radicchio di Treviso

Cooked radicchio is less bitter than raw radicchio.

This section through the stem reminds me of Renni Mackintosh’s rose.

radicchio 04 Radicchio di Treviso

Easter Monday

April 9th, 2012 / Comments 0

Everything, except cafe’s and the sea seems to be closed today because it’s Easter Monday. We moved from one flat to another yesterday, and emptied the fridge as well. An empty fridge and shuttered markets presented a bit of a challenge at lunch time. fortunately we were able to get a loaf of bread from our favorite cafe on Via Roma.

lunch sm Easter Monday

Charles sliced the bread, I toasted it in a bit of butter in a frying pan, (we are ‘roughing it’, making do without a toaster or an oven), and then we had to decide between wild berry jam or  honey blended with hazelnuts. I chose some of each.

palm sunday 02sm Easter Monday

Although Palm Sunday has come and gone I thought you might like to see the handmade palm decorations that are sold in the piazza on the Sunday before Easter.

palm sunday 01 sm Easter Monday

Check back, I’ll be posting more interesting bits soon.

 

A Letter from Rome – Pasta, Gorgonzola & Guanciale

April 4th, 2012 / Comments 0

Dear Friends,

I can’t believe it’s been more than a week since Charles and I left Vermont. We started our Italian holiday staying with our friend Fleur who lives, works and eats in Rome.

We are now in Ortigia in Sicily, where we are continuing to live, work and eat. I’m not writing about a meal I cooked because I haven’t! Rather, I want tell you about some of the lovely sweet and savory dishes I’ve had in Rome.

Rome Street flower sm c egbert2 A Letter from Rome   Pasta, Gorgonzola & Guanciale

Paving in Rome

On our first day, after walking to the Pantheon, we had a nap while Fleur made dinner. She sauteed thin veal cutlets, each topped with a slice of prosciutto and a sage leaf, and made a sauce by reducing a bit of white wine in the sauté pan. She explained that what we were eating was called saltimbocca, which translates as “jump in mouth”. (It did.) Chicken or turkey cutlets, a thin slice of ham and fresh sage leaves would make a successful New England version.

Rome breakfast sm A Letter from Rome   Pasta, Gorgonzola & Guanciale

Bakery Breakfast

Colazione is breakfast in Italy. It is a modest but sweet meal. Eggs and bacon are saved for pasta carbonara, (spell check suggested that I spell it coronary), cornflakes are for American exchange students and oatmeal is for the horses. At the corner bakery, we chose pastries layered with apple, oozing ricotta, and others filled with chocolate and hazelnut and shared them as we walked to the cafe for cappuccino. A New England version might be a slice of apple pie, a cheese Danish or toast slathered with Nutella. I suggest serving a pot of tea because no one makes cappuccino like the Italians.

spag sm A Letter from Rome   Pasta, Gorgonzola & Guanciale

Spaghetti Sculpture

We found a small restaurant near the Forum for lunch. There were four of us so we ordered two pastas – penne with a tomato sauce flavored with pancetta, (Italian bacon), and gnocchi in a simple tomato sauce – and two salads – one, a bowl of fresh mixed greens flavored at the table, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and the other, thin slices of aged, dried beef, called bresaola, with radicchio and wedges of lemon. To recreate this meal, pick up some fresh pasta, tomato sauce and mixed greens at the market, tune your radio to the broadcast of the Metropolitan opera and forget about the bresaola.

After more walking, we found the mother of all gelaterias, Italian for ‘heavenly ice cream store’. There were at least fifty customers, some friends, some Romans and many countrymen (tourists). The cases were filled with an overwhelming variety of creamy, frozen goodness. It was easy to resist ‘The Standards’ – strawberry, chocolate, coffee, and pistachio, and even the less familiar melon, pineapple, mango, and raspberry. We met our match in the exotic section. I got four flavors in two scoops – dark chocolate with hazelnuts and walnut with figs. Alison outdid us all with one scoop of strawberry dark chocolate on top of a scoop of pear and cheese gelato. Did I mention that she’s pregnant?

Rome Street Tiber c egbert A Letter from Rome   Pasta, Gorgonzola & Guanciale

After another nap, we put on our walking shoes and crossed the Tiber. Fleur took us to her favorite restaurant in Trastevere for a six-course dinner after she had extracted my promise not to reveal its name, (jet lag made that an easy promise to keep.)

We began with sea bass carpaccio topped with white truffles, and a pasta with fava beans and more shaved white truffles. Then, we were served a steaming platter of Matthew’s favorite – pasta all’amatriciana. That’s pasta topped with a tomato sauce flavored with guanciale – un-smoked Italian bacon made with cured pig’s cheeks. Then came the steak, a thick cut of chianina beef served rare and topped with a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of olive oil and accompanied with grilled red endive.

Rome Street sm 03 A Letter from Rome   Pasta, Gorgonzola & Guanciale

Ancient Corner

After devouring a bowl of Romanesco broccoli that had been steamed and then sauteed in olive oil with garlic we were ready for dessert. Fleur insisted that we try her favorite – gorgonzola semifreddo. Gorgonzola is soft blue cheese and semi-freddo is similar to soft serve ice cream. Blue cheese ice cream sounded pretty strange to me, until I tasted it. It was scrumptious!A small mountain of almond and lemon flavored Italian cookies accompanied the bill for dinner. We staggered home to bed. The only way I can imagine re-creating this meal is to fly to Rome, phone Fleur and offer to treat her to dinner at her favorite restaurant.

I’ll write more when I can. Sipping cappuccino in the morning, finding sandwiches in the market mid-day, watching the sun set over the sea and enjoying dinners prepared by others is taking most of my time.

Love to you,

Carol

Frangipane Plum Tart

March 7th, 2012 / Comments 0

In less than two weeks, Charles and I will be on our way to Sicily. We will be there for nearly seven weeks, missing the end of winter ice and snow and the muck of mud season. Because of an unexpected bit of good luck, our house will be rented while we are away. With renters needs in mind, I have been making empty space in cupboards, cabinets and closets. As I sorted through the pantry, I discovered a rock hard block of almond paste from last years trip to Sicily.  (That’s it on the right next to chocolate from Modica.)

allmond paste Frangipane Plum Tart

Rather than throw it away, I decided to use it to make a frangipane tart. Although, I had eaten frangipane tarts I had never made one. I adapted a recipe for frangipane filling that I found on the Internet, and made a tart to share with friends at a cozy dinner party on Friday night. It had a buttery lemon crust and a frangipane filling studded with tiny French plums I had found at the market. Here’s how I did it: … read more

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