On Seasonality

A while back I wrote about the profound impact supermarkets are having upon food purchasing in Italy. One aspect of purchasing where their influence is less than one might expect is the seasonality of Italian fruits and vegetables -- though economies of scale make it possible for the supermarket chains to import out-of-season produce and fruit, for example South American peaches in January, most Italians still buy produce that's in season locally.

Why? A number of reasons, though the primary one, I think, is that what has ripened naturally tastes better, and Italians will go to great lengths to seek it out. The managers of the supermarkets know this; they also know that there are still traditional greengrocers, and that truck gardeners drive to town daily to set up stands in the various outdoor markets of Italian cities -- a consumer who isn't satisfied by the flavor of the produce in the supermarket will have no qualms about going to one of these other outlets. The upshot of this situation is that the supermarkets also buy locally, and try to have things that are at least as fresh, ripe and tasty as those of their competitors. They do have some exotic out-of-season produce, because there's always some demand, but the vast majority is locally grown. And therefore seasonal.

Speaking of seasonality, Jan recently wrote: I planted a little sweet basil in my garden at the beginning of summer, but the weather was wet and cold and the plants died. A couple of weeks ago I bought lots of floundering basil plants thinking I'd be lucky if I got any fresh basil at all this summer! Well, now, I have about 10 healthy bushy sweet basil plants and I am wondering what else to use the basil in besides pesto sauce! I just wondered if you had any tips on ways to use and enjoy fresh basil.

Thanks in advance.

Pesto is the most obvious choice; while it works well with pasta it is also an excellent condiment for steamed or boiled green vegetables (or for that matter eggplant). Looking beyond pesto, fresh basil, washed and coarsely shredded (or finely minced) is wonderful in all sorts of things, from spaghetti with a light tomato sauce to insalata di riso (rice salad, which is excellent picnic food). During the summer I put basil wherever I might put parsley in the winter. Do keep in mind is that it looses its flavor with cooking, so it should be added just before the dish is removed from the fire, or even afterward.

One of the nicest things about basil is that it can make a cool dish seem even cooler. Florence is now in the grips of a tremendous heat wave, and those of us unlucky enough to be here move as little as possible. A few nights ago I stopped by Elisabetta's Aunt Liliana, who asked me to stay for dinner and whipped this up as we talked; she says she often prepares the tomato part early in the morning, chills it well, and adds the rice later when she's ready to have lunch:

Riso con Basilico e Pomodori

• 4 ripe plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped
• A 4-inch stalk of celery, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup finely diced Swiss cheese (fontina or asiago will also work).
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 20 (or more, to taste) fresh basil leaves, shredded
• 1 cup rice
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano, plus more at the table

Combine the chopped tomatoes, celery, Swiss cheese, shredded basil and olive oil in a serving dish; season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and chill well.

Boil the rice in lightly salted water until it's al dente. Drain it, give the colander a good shake to remove excess liquid, and stir the rice into the chilled tomato mixture (the heat of the rice will melt the cheese and scald the tomatoes). Stir in the grated Parmigiano, and serve. The combination of basil and celery is wonderfully refreshing. This will serve 2-4, depending upon the rest of the meal. You'll want a white wine with it.

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Minestrone alla Ligure

In a somewhat more traditional vein, here is a Ligurian minestrone with pesto sauce, drawn from from De Agostini's "La Mia Cucina:"

• 1/4 pound garden greens (dandelion, arugola, radicchio, etc.)
• 1/4 pound spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 pound chard, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 a head white cabbage, cut into fairly thin strips
• 2 large potatoes, peeled
• 1/4 pound freshly shelled pinto beans (or borlotti if you can find them)
• 2/3 pound fresh peas
• 3 ripe plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 medium-small onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 rib celery, minced
• A small bunch parsley, minced
• 1/3 pound short pasta (either hollow, or long flat pasta crumbled)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons pesto sauce
• 2 quarts water
• Salt
• Grated Parmigiano

Wash the vegetables well, especially the spinach, to remove all traces of sand and dirt, and prepare them as above.

Combine the minced celery, parsley, onion and garlic, and sauté them in the olive oil until the onion is a light golden color. Lightly salt 2 quarts of water and set them on the fire; when the pot comes to a boil add the greens, spinach, chard, cabbage, beans, peas, tomatoes, potatoes and zucchini. Stir the onion mixture into the pot and simmer everything for about an hour and a half.

Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon, mash them with a fork or a potato ricer, and return them to the minestrone, together with the pasta; continue summering until the pasta is al dente. Remove the pot from the fire, stir in the pesto sauce, and serve, with grated Parmigiano for those who want it.

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Tacchino al Basilico

And finally, Tacchino al basilico, turkey drumsticks in a basil sauce, from Leo Codacci's La Cucina delle Buone Erbe, an interesting collection of recipes featuring herbs.

• 2 turkey drumsticks
• Sage, Rosemary, bay leaf, and parsley, minced (you'll want 1/3 cup of the mixture)
• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 30 basil leaves
• 1 1/4 pounds fresh sweet butter
• The juice of a lemon
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Hot broth (it can be canned, if need be)
• Preheat the oven to 385 F (200 C).

Combine the minced herbs and bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Rub the mixture into the turkey drumsticks and put them in a lightly oiled oven pan. Roast them for 20 minutes, then sprinkle them with a ladle of broth and continue roasting for another 50.

In the meantime, wash and pat dry the basil leaves. Grind them in a mortar (you can use a food processor, but be careful not to liquefy them), and work them into the butter, together with the lemon juice, and salt & pepper to taste. Set the creamed butter to chill in the refrigerator.

Once the turkey is done carve the meat from the bones and arrange it on a platter, drizzling it with some of the drippings. Serve with the flavored butter, which the diners will add to taste.

A note: I'm not sure why Mr. Codacci, who is one of Tuscany's better known food writers, calls for turkey drumsticks, which often contain bony tendons. The recipe will also work well with chicken legs (the hip and drumstick), which do not. Figure roughly the same roasting time and temperature, and a chicken leg per person. I'd serve this with a zesty red wine, for example a Dolcetto or an unoaked Barbera. Chianti d'annata or Valpolicella Classico would also be nice.

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Eating Out in Venice

Moving on to other things, I just picked up to Gambero Rosso's restaurant guide, and was browsing the section dedicated to Venice, which comes with three maps to help diners find their way. One of the nice at-a-glance features of the guide is a "valuometer", a speedometer-like dial that points either to the right for good quality/price ratio, or to the left for bad. Almost all the valuometers, including those of restaurants that get high point scores, point left -- if you eat out in Venice you're paying for atmosphere, and that doesn't come cheap. On the other hand, unless you're eating there every day it's worth it, I think.

This said, here are some restaurants that caught my eye:

Cipriani (83, 4* from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina's guide)

Isola della Giudecca 10, tel. 041 520 7744. Expect to spend more than 100,000 lire/person + wines to enjoy a superb view of the lagoon and excellent food.

Altalenella (no score)

Giudecca Calle delle Erbe, tel. 041 522 7780. A family-run trattoria with traditional fare (lots of fish), and a pretty garden with a wonderful view. Pric about 50,000 lire/person + wines

Al Covo (78, 2* from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina)

Castello Campiello di Pescaria, 3968, tel. 041 522 3812. First-class ingredients and wonderful service. 85,000 lire/person + wines

Da Fiore (82, 4* from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina)

San Polo calle del Scalater 2202/a, tel. 041 721 308. Superb ingredients, excellent service; reserve ahead. Cost 80,000 lire/person + wines.

Da Ignazio (2* from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina)

San Polo, Calle dei Saoneri 2749, tel. 523 4852. Lots of fish, superbly done. Cost 35-50,000 lire/person, + wines

Da Valentino (2* from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina)

Lido di Venezia (you have to take the ferry, which offers enchanting views), Via San Gallo 81, tel. 041 526 0128. Extremely traditional Venetian cuisine, with lots of grilling as well.

Ai Frati John Martin writes, "Our favorite restaurant in a 10-day stay in Venice this summer was Ai Frati on the island of Murano. We were steered there by one of the glass shops, and so our expectations were not too high, but the food was fabulous, prices low for Venice, and the atmosphere was what you'd want of a neighborhood bistro."

Harry's Bar, you wonder?

They find it considerably overpriced at 125,000 lire/person + wines, and say the food is no longer what it once was.

Thanks for visiting, and have a wonderful day!
Kyle Phillips

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