Fried beef, pork, and veal meatballs with provola

When one thinks of meatballs there’s an immediate association with big, densely packed, mounds of beef swimming in a thick tomato sauce.  And while meatballs with tomato sauce have their place in both Italian American and Italian cuisine, the following recipe for delicately made and fried meatballs with provola will change your idea of the prototypical meatball.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of ground pork
• 1/2 pound of ground veal
• 1/2 pound of ground beef
• 1 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
• Provola – 1 inch x 1/2 inch “sticks” that can be placed at the center of the meatball
• Kosher salt, dried oregano, and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of unseasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 medium sized red onion finely diced
• 1-2 pieces of garlic finely diced
• 1/2 cup of Canola oil for pan frying

Fried Meatballs with Provola is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

Homemade, Scordo, Wine

What We’re Reading – The Sad State of School Lunches, Drink More Coffee, Outdoor Pizza, Lost Italian Cheese, Wine Spritzer

Grist  (Nine-year-old’s lunch blog shames school into making changes) - Maybe we all need to starting shaming schools throughout the world so they stop serving subsidized garbage to children or just create a blog showcasing what type of lunches are actually served, per 9 year old Martha Payne’s actions.  We recommend making from scratch lunches for your child but if h/she must eat a school lunch then urge your local school system to serve adequate school lunches.

New England Journal of Medicine (Association of Coffee Drinking with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality) – Is there an association between consuming coffee and death?  The short answer is no, so go ahead and enjoy your morning cup!

SeriousEats  (The Pizza Lab: We Test The New and Improved KettlePizza Grill Insert) - Have you ever wanted to make pizza on your grill but wished it could perform like an authentic pizza oven?  We actually haven’t wished that we could make pizza on our grill but the folks over at SeriousEats have tested the “KettlePizza” insert and they weren’t impressed.    The test results reinforce our long held belief: you shouldn’t own a kitchen gadget that doesn’t have more than one use (or under performs, of course).

Bon Appetit (300,000 Wheels of Cheese Destroyed in Italian Earthquake) - The recent earthquake in northern Italy unfortunately caused damage to beautiful old structures and claimed the lives of a few Italian citizens.   Less important, but still a sad occurrence, 300,000 wheels of Grana Padano and Parmigiano-Reggiano were lost in the region of Emilia-Romagna.

NY Times Magazine (It’s Time to Update the Wine Spritzer) - Growing up in a family that only drank homemade wine I often observed a few of my uncles dilute our homemade red with seltzer or lemon/lime based soda, ice cubes, and big wedges of fresh lemon.  In a sense, my Uncles were creating wine spritzers and both off-setting the heavy alcohol content in our homemade red and battling the intense summer heat in New Jersey.  The NY Times takes a more sophisticated approach to the wine spritzer but the spirit is the same (viz., using wine as a mixer in a great cocktail or drink).

What We’re Reading – The Sad State of School Lunches, Drink More Coffee, Outdoor Pizza, Lost Italian Cheese, Wine Spritzer is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

The finale dish: Rigatoni with Diced Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Anchovy

The following rigatoni with diced zucchini, mushrooms, and anchovy recipe is a variation of a dish we prepared in the late Winter.  This dish makes use of high quality cured (in olive oil and red pepper flake) anchovies and finely diced vegetables and garlic.  The flavor of the pasta dish will knock your socks off and leave you befuddled and asking how such simple ingredients can lead to such a great tasting dish; a common occurrence when cooking high quality, and simple, Italian food.

Ingredients:

• Handful of crimini or stock mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 large zucchini, finely diced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic finely diced and minced
• 3-4 cured anchovies, finely chopped
• 1 bunch of parsley, finely minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Grated Grana Padano
• 1/3 of a pound of Colavita large rigatoni pasta

The cooked down diced zucchini, mushrooms, parsley, garlic, and anchovy waiting for the pasta.

Process:

Begin by heating a large pan and adding 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  First, add the zucchini,garlic, and anchovy and saute over a medium flame (making sure to breakdown the anchovy).  Next, add the mushrooms and half of the minced parsley and cook further.  Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (being careful to taste for salt given the anchovy).  Cook and drain the rigatoni and save some of the starchy pasta water.  Bring the pasta to the pan with the sauce or condiment and mix well over a low flame.  Add a bit of pasta water and the remaining parsley and mix well.  Add a bit more extra virgin olive oil (if needed) and stir well.  Plate and grate fresh Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano over the pasta.

Rigatoni with Diced Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Anchovy is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

Some raw ingredients from a recent trip to a local market: tomatoes, chard, eggplant, lemons, escarole, red onions, apples, bread, grapes, sardines, turkey breast, etc.

Two news items caught our attention this week and we can’t help but offer our “two cents” on the following food related media events: Mario Batali’s food stamp challenge and HBO’s ‘Weight of the Nation’

Molto Forgets La Cucina Povera

First, Mario Batali issued himself (and his family of four) a pragmatic food challenge; namely, “getting by” or feeding his family for a week on the equivalent of a food stamp budget (about $31 per person or about $1.48 per meal each).   Batali’s move is motivated by potential cuts pending in Congress to the benefit program used by close to 50 million Americans.  Mario’s first reaction to the challenge was, as the Huffington Posts writes, a big “gulp!” and to forget about luxuries such as organic vegetables and fruits and hormone free meat.   Our reaction to Batali’s challenge is a bit more cynical and makes us rethink his knowledge and familiarity of la cucina povera and while $124 per week for food may not yield a shopping cart full of wild fish, locally raised, and grass feed, beef, organic fruits and vegetables, and a nice bottle of Barolo, common sense dictates most Americans could eat fairly well on $120.  Here’s what we would purchase for our family of three:

• Conventional broccoli, red onions, yams or potatoes, escarole, swiss chard, parsley, zucchini,
• 1-2 organic romaine lettuce hearts
• Conventional whole pineapple and cantaloupe.
• Organic or local grapes, pears, strawberries, and kiwi
• 2 packages of pasta
• 1 package of brown rice or farro
• 2-3 bags of dry beans (kidney, garbanzo, lentil)
• 1 pound each of: wild flounder and whole sardines
• 1 3-4 pound whole chicken
• 2 cans of tuna cured in olive oil
• Carton of eggs
• 1/4 pound of Grana Padano or similar cheese used for grating
• Cured olives
• 1 package of whole wheat sliced bread and one large local bread
• 2-3 large containers of Greek yogurt
• 1 jar of organic peanut butter
• 1 carton of bran flakes

Mario Batali Food Stamp Challenge and HBO’s ‘Weight of the Nation’ is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

Grilled squid or calamari that has been tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and lemon zest.

Grilled calamari or squid is a great alternative to fried calamari and is ideal for the summer months.  My favorite way to prepare fresh squid is to marinate a few pounds of the well cleaned fish in lemon juice, parsley, et. al. and then quickly cook on an outdoor grill (the smokey flavor derived from a wood burning fire compliments the neutral taste of squid).

Whole squid prior to cleaning

Ingredients:

• Fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 pounds cleaned squid (about 3 pounds whole) tentacles separated from the bodies, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper and Kosher salt to taste
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Bunch of parsley, finely chopped

Marinade and sauce for grilled calamari - including parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper

Process:

Clean the whole squid well, rinse, and pat try. If you’ve never cleaned whole squid before I recommend you watch this excellent how to clean squid video.  You can also purchase cleaned squid “tubes” from a reputable fish shop or market (but you won’t get the tasty tentacles, et. al.).    In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and zest, chopped parsley, garlic, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper (save about a 1/4 of the mixture for dressing later on). Add the squid tubes (and tentacles) and mix well.  Cover the bowl containing the fish and marinade and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Next, on a hot outdoor grill, place the squid on your oiled BBQ surface and cook for about 1.5 minutes on each side (for a total of 3-4 minutes depending on the strength of the fire; it’s imperative the squid is not overcooked given that it will quickly turn tough and chewy).  Move the cooked squid to a cutting board and cut into rings.   Toss the rings with the remaining marinade and serve with a tomato salad, olives, sauteed dandelion greens, and good bread.

If you’re interested in a pasta recipe featuring squid or calamari click here.

Grilled Calamari is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

A perfectly cooked rib steak (cut extra thin) with a tomato side salad

Steak, Italian Cooking, and Bistecca alla Fiorentina

It used to be the case that when you asked any southern Italian (especially from Calabria) the last time he or she consumed steak you’d get an awkward stare in return, as beef consumption was rare in il Mezzogiorno (the southern half of Italy) and cattle were used to produce cheese and milk.  However, times have changed and beef is now consumed in much of Italian cooking, especially in regions like Toscana (Tuscany), Perugia, and Umbria where the Val di Chiana or Chiana Valley produces some of the best beef on the planet by way of one of the oldest and largest breeds of cattle known to man, viz., the Chianina.  In Tuscany, for example, bistecca alla Fiorentina , or Steak Florentine, is a delicious, and nearly 3 inch thick, Porterhouse steak grilled (always rare) outdoors on a wood fed fire.

As you can imagine, our Southern Italian family did not consume bistecca alla Fiorentina but we did occasionally grill some wonderful, thinly cut, T-bone steaks.  The steaks were usually cooked well done (more on this later) and then dressed with extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped parsley, a dash of red wine vinegar, and finely minced garlic (again, more on this later).  After the family moved to the States in the early 1970′s, we replicated the dish (usually with club steak) in the New Jersey suburbs.

Cuts and Making Steak at Home

Making high quality steak at home doesn’t require much work nor the most expensive beef one can find.  We buy our beef from a few local markets/butchers and look for local suppliers who raise their cattle on grass.  When purchasing beef look for prime or choice beef with good marbleization (and/or how the fat is distributed on the cut) .  Proper Dry-Aged beef (versus inferior “wet’ aged, which quickens the aging process via liquid) is expensive, but there is a noticeable upgrade in flavor.   We like buying T-bone, bone in rib eye (sometimes called “cowboy steak”), Shell or Strip Steak, Porterhouse, Skirt, Flank, and Sirloin cuts.

A rib steak from grass fed cattle in New Jersey, cut about 1.5 inches in thickness.

Cooked rib steak.

Seasoning 

In terms of our cooking process, we let our steaks sit out of the fridge for 1.5-2 hours so that the meat doesn’t hit the heating source cold.  We also dry the meat very well and season with plenty of Kosher salt and Freshly ground, coarse, black pepper.  We’ve heard plenty of opinions on when to salt, including after or during the cooking process and hours prior to cooking; however, we’ve found no discernible taste difference and, in turn, season just before cooking. For lesser cuts of beef and/or supermarket variety beef like “select”, we recommend using a sauce, marinade, or dry rub to enhance the flavor and texture of the beef.

Cooking Process

We cook all of our steaks via two methods: an outdoor, wood fired, grill (gas is perfectly acceptable as well) or a heavy, well seasoned, cast iron pan.  Whatever our cooking apparatus, we always make sure the grill or pan is as hot as possible and cook our steaks rare to medium rare (rare, if we’ve having extraordinary beef).  Searing the meat via a scolding grill or pan ensures you’ll get a wonderful charred crust with deep flavor, but note you’ll need a few tablespoons of vegetable oil if you’re using a cast iron pan.

If you’re looking for a specific guide on how to cook steaks of varying sizes and thickness here’s a good article.   Letting the meat sit in order for the interior juices to re-distribute prior to cutting / eating is also another necessary step.  If you’re going to cook up a proper steak Florentine then follow the process by one of the most famous butchers on the planet Dario Cecchini.

Steak, Italian Cooking, and Bistecca alla Fiorentina is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

Recently shaved sheep on our Aunt/Uncle's farm in Calabria.

Eating Well Doesn’t Make You Fat, Greens, Sheep and Blossoms, Frittata Making, Parmesan

New York Times Food & Wine – In the category of “duh, did you really need to write a book about this concept” category we nominate Peter Kaminsky for his book Culinary Intelligence where he argues folks in the US would be better off eating foods that maximize flavor (in order to tame our gluttonous appetites and slim down a bit).  Oh, food expert how we laugh at you and your simple advice (telling people to eat like the Italians, Greeks, and French is a different concept than bringing about cultural change in how a given society consumes food; the former is easy, the latter needs a revolution).

Ciao Ciao Linda – If you follow Scordo regularly then you know about our long standing obsession with greens (not the color) but rather greens such as dandelloin, swiss chard, escarole, etc.  Linda’s article covers the lovely green winter cress or wild mustard greens, including a recipe entitled, beans and greens.

Cannelle er Vanille – We’re envious of food blogs and sites that seem to come out of some perfect world with beautiful food photos and earthy settings with animals and kids frolicking in the New England countryside.  Case in point, a nice article on sheep, blossoms, and the food of Spring.  Not to self: sell the house in New Jersey, buy a fancy camera, and settle in Vermont.

The Kitchn – A how-to on frittata making that is fairly good.   We love making frittata and always grate Parmigiano Reggiano into the egg mixture.  The Kitchn also suggests baking the frittata for 8-10 minutes, thought we simply set our oven to broil and place our pan in the oven for 1-3 minutes (to simply brown and cook the top portion of the frittata).

Parmesan.com – The folks behind promoting Parmigiano Reggiano in the United States recently launched a new web site and the resource has some great content on the undisputed king of cheeses, including a a great eggplant lasagna dish. One note on the word “Parmesan”:  it’s the informal use in the English language and how the French refer to what Italians refer to as “Parmigiano Reggiano” – our preference is for the later!

What We’re Reading – Eating Well Doesn’t Make You Fat, Greens, Sheep and Blossoms, Frittata Making, Parmesan is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

Rigatoni with Spinach, Garlic, and Parsley

At times, one can feel glutinous about consuming too much pasta especially if the portion size is large (even for a dyed-in-wool Italophile) .  So, when we crave pasta (in a slightly larger portion size) we turn to any number of leafy greens as a condiment.  The following rigatoni with spinach, garlic, and parsley recipe is hearty and packed full of good for you spinach.  The trick with any pasta not utilizing a traditional sauce (such as tomato) is to save some of the starchy pasta water and add as needed to create a slightly “loose” condiment.  We also add plenty of good extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Ingredients:

• Fresh spinach washed 3x and chopped into 1-1.5 inch strips
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
• 1 bunch of parsley chopped fine
• 1/4 cup of pasta water
• 1/2 pound of large rigatoni
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Process:

In a large pan, add a bit of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper  and cook over a medium flame for 5-10 minutes (stirring well).  Add the chopped spinach and a bit of Kosher salt and cook down until wilted.  Add the parsley and stir well.  Bring the cooked large rigatoni to the pan with the condiment (spinach/garlic/parsley) and toss well over low heat.  Add some fresh extra virgin olive oil and grated cheese and toss well.

Rigatoni with Spinach, Garlic, and Parsley is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

Sliced orange, red, and yellow bell peppers. The peppers are sauteed prior to placing on the pizza.

Lately we’ve been making pizzas at home every weekend and we’ve been using our trusty homemade pizza dough recipe along with our standard pizza sauce (though we’ve been known to cheat and purchase prepared pizza dough from Trader Joe’s on occasion; hey, at about a dollar a pop you can’t go wrong).  Next to good dough and the appropriate pizza sauce (yes, there’s a difference between tomato sauce and pizza sauce), good toppings can make or break a pizza.

The type of cheese used on pizza can also affect quality; that is to say, your best bet is to find fresh whole milk mozzarella and while buffalo mozzarella imported from Italy will make a devine pizza it’s unnecessary.  If you can avoid buying “supermarket” mozzarella it will be in your best interest. Finally, you can always add grated Parmiggiano Reggiano to any pizza either before or after it’s finished cooking.

OK, let’s get to our favorite pizza toppings which aren’t meant to encompass all possible combinations of pizza toppings rather what we’ve found to go well together and are often found in many good pizzerias throughout southern and northern Italy:

1. Sauteed mushrooms with parsley and garlic, fresh whole milk mozzarella, and sauce
2. Sauteed onions, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, whole milk mozzarella, and sauce
3. Crumbled sausage with sauteed mushrooms, fresh whole milk mozzarella, and sauce
4. Oil cured anchovies, fresh whole milk mozzarella, and (extra) sauce
5. Chopped green or black olives, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded San Marzano tomatoes, anchovies, dried oregano, and (extra) extra virgin olive oil
6. Thinly sliced potatoes, oil cured anchovies, artichoke hearts, grated Pecorino, (extra) extra virgin olive oil
7. Thinly sliced figs, artichoke hearts, fennel, Proscuitto di Parma, Gorgonzola and (extra) extra virgin olive oil
8. Sauteed eggplant, fresh whole milk mozzarella, sauce, and basil
9. Thinly sliced artichoke hearts, sauteed mushroom, roasted red peppers, roasted or sauteed eggplant, fresh whole milk mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, and basil
10. Quattro formaggi (four cheeses including fresh whole milk mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and two other favorite cheeses <we use shredded provola, and lots of grated Parmigiano Reggiano) and sauce
11. Margherita (including sauce, fresh whole milk or buffalo mozzarella, basil and/or dried oregano, and plenty of extra virgin olive oil)
12. Quattro stagioni  (usually artichoke hearts, fresh whole milk mozzarella, sauce, ham and black olives which are divided, not combined, on the pizza)

Red onion and mushrooms waiting their turn to be sauteed. In the background, bell peppers being sauteed.

A completed pizza with prosciutto di Parm, sauteed mushrooms, and fresh whole milk mozzarella

Whole mushrooms in the background and sliced orange, red, and yellow bell peppers

Pizza toppings in the United States vary from what you would typically find in Italy.  If you’re grabbing a quick pizza for lunch in Italy you’d most likely order a simple Margherita, though if you’re planning to head for a late dinner with friends you’d most likely order a pizza with various toppings such as a quattro formaggi or quattro stagioni  (usually artichoke hearts, fresh whole milk mozzarella, sauce, ham and black olives which are divided, not combined, on the pizza).

What’s your favorite pizza topping and why?

Favorite Pizza Toppings is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone

Left to right: Cusumano Nero d Avola, Librandi Critone Val di Neto IGT, Bisceglia Aglianico del Vulture ,Tormaresca Chardonnay

We’ve been aiming to begin reviewing southern Italian wines for some time now and have finally started the process!  Today we’ll look at four wine regions from southern Italy, including Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata, and Sicilia; specifically, Tormaresca Chardonnay, Bisceglia Aglianico del Vulture,  Librandi Critone Val di Neto IGT, and Cusumano Nero d Avola.  We promise not to be biased towards Calabria!

Puglia

The Tormaresca Chardonnay 2010 is, as you may have guessed, comprised of 100% Chardonnay and comes from the Minervino Murge (Ba) and San Pietro Vernotico (Br) estates (I.G.T. grapes).  The color is a beautiful light, olive green / yellow and the wine has minimal oak and vanilla flavors (a welcome change from American chardonnays and in our view how a chardonnay should taste) and good green apple flavor.  The wine is very food friendly, including grilled or roasted chicken, fried fish, pan seared tuna, swordfish and onions, etc.  Tormaresca Chardonnay is a great value at $10.89

Basilicata

The Bisceglia Aglianico del Vulture 2007, priced at $20.89 via Wine Chateau, comes from an extraordinary region of southern Italy (on the heel of Italy’s boot); specifically, from a volcanic site.  Like any classic Aglianico the nose has great sandy and smoky scents (after the bottle has a chance to develop; this is a good wine to decant) and the texture/mouth feel is lush and soft.  The wine has a ton of cherry fruit and good minerality and beautiful tannins.  The only negative is a mediocre finish (though it has great forwardness).  We like this wine with rich pasta sauces, roasted baby goat or rabbit, and eggplant.

Left to right: Cusumano Nero d Avola, Librandi Critone Val di Neto IGT, Bisceglia Aglianico del Vulture ,Tormaresca Chardonnay

Calabria

The Librandi Critone Val di Neto IGT 2010 hails from my parent’s province of Calabria and is made mostly from chardonnay (with about 10% Sauvignon Blanc) so it shares some similiarities in flavor with the Tormaresca Chardonnay.  The Librandi Critone is crisp and dry tasting and it has classic elements of green apple, grass, peach (and,again, no oak or vanilla).  I like the Librandi Critone, priced at $13.69, with tomato salads, lunch salads made with arugula and grilled vegetables, raw oyster and clams, and any grilled fish.

Sicilia

Nero d’Avola is the most planted red grape in Sicilia and is become increasingly popular in the United States.  Cusumano Nero d Avola Sicilia IGT 2010 is a readily available Nero d’Avola and is a more fruit forward example of Nero.  The Cusumano has overt strawberry and cherry flavors with some oak flavors.  The wine is very chewy in terms of mouth feel and slightly full bodied.     At $10.49 the Cusumano Nero d Avola Sicilia IGT 2010 is a decent, readily available, Sicilian wine though with a little digging one could find better examples of Nero d Avola for just a few dollars more.

Wines of Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata, and Sicilia is an article from Italian Food and Recipes - The Italian Life for Everyone