I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Ours was nice, though we had a pipe burst under the kitchen sink at 4 in the afternoon on the 31st. Gallons of water all over the place, and things would have been grim indeed if our 5 year-old son hadn't taken it as a personal insult and berated the pipe soundly. So soundly that all we could do was laugh as we mopped and dried.

He's back in school -- vacation traditionally ends with Epiphany, the day the Magi arrived at the manger. Though most Italians now exchange gifts on Christmas day, in the past the exchange took place on Epiphany, which makes sense if you think about it. However, they weren't brought by the Magi, but rather by the Befana, an old witch who flies through the night on a broom. According to popular tradition she refused the Magi hospitality but then changed her mind and tried to follow them to the Christ Child. But she got lost, and renews her search every year, leaving the children she visits stockings full of candies and carbone dolce, a rock candy that looks remarkably like coal. This year she was busier than usual, distributing gifts to the children in the camps opened in Southern Italy to host refugees from Kossovo and Kurdistan.

Returning more on topic, Kathleen recently wrote, "You make take this for granted, but what a joyful surprise to read recipes without garlic in them! Thank you, thank you, thank you! -- A San Francisco Resident So Overwhelmed By the Pervasiveness of Garlic in EVERYTHING She Has Stopped Eating at Restaurants and Nearly Lost All Pleasure in Reading New Recipes"

Italian cooking does have a reputation of being garlicky, one that's not completely undeserved -- Piemonte's Bagna Caoda comes to mind, as does the Neapolitan Pizza alla Marinara, which is made with just tomato and sliced garlic (no cheese). However, there are large parts of the Peninsula where garlic doesn't play much of a role, appearing only in moderation and well cooked (cooking considerably curtails its power). Artusi touches on the subject with his characteristic style, saying, "The ancient Romans left garlic to the down and out, while King Alfonse of Castil abhorred it to the point that he would punish anybody who dared appear at court with its odor on his breath. Wiser were the ancient Egyptians, who venerated it as a god, perhaps because they had discovered its medicinal qualities. Indeed, it’s said that it provides relief to those suffering from hysteria, promotes the secretion of urine, bolsters the stomach, aids in digestion, and, since it cures worms, is a preventive against endemic and epidemic diseases. When sautéing it, take care lest it overcook, because at that point its flavor becomes quite unpleasant. Many people who are inexperienced in the preparation of foods loathe garlic just because they’ve smelled it on the breath of those who have eaten it raw or badly prepared. They therefore label it a plebeian seasoning and banish it from their kitchens; this fixation deprives them of tasty, wholesome foods like the following dish, which frequently sets my stomach right when it’s upset. (My translation, from The Art of Eating Well, Random House; what Artusi then suggests is a simple marinara sauce for pasta with several cloves of garlic added.)" So, bottom line: Make sure what garlic you use is thoroughly cooked, and, in media res stat virtus. If a recipe looks interesting but you think it's overly garlicky, tone it down. The finished dish, after all, has to appeal to you, not to the person who wrote the recipe.

A while back Avril wrote asking for advice on how to avoid wheat; I passed the question on and forwarded the replies people kindly sent to her, but forgot to post them here. Since the problem is relatively common here we go:

"Your reader should be able to find wheat-free pasta at any decent health food store or food co-op. Bulk food-type stores also may carry it. I know there are mail-order sources, but I can't tell you exactly what they are. There is a company called Bolles (I think) that makes a Jerusalem artichoke flour pasta, but I don't know if it's 100% wheat-free. I've also had a very serviceable corn pasta which I get from my co-op. I think a soy pasta may be available as well..... I believe that clear flour (available at co-ops, bulk food stores, and through King Arthur) is gluten-free, but it still is wheat flour.

Richard Alexander"

"I saw the note about the lady looking for gluten-free recipes and info. I found one site, http://www.glutenfree.com/, which is devoted to that and there appear to be quite a few. If she does a web search using "gluten-free" she should get dozens, if not hundreds, of hits. I found another neat site with cookie recipes and some of those at the top noted they were gluten free. It's a common problem apparently.

Good luck!

Laurie"

"In regards to wheat-free, yeast-free, gluten-free etc. foods....a good book by Bette Hagman entitled, The Gluten-free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy, has a chapter at the back of the book that lists where to find products in Canada and the USA.

Thought you'd find that helpful.

Ciao...

Bruna Ori"

And with regards to car rentals in Italy (a great help if you want to explore the countryside), Kristen notes that her site, In Italy On Line (http://www.initaly.com, well worth visiting in any case) offers some of the best rates going.

Winding down, a couple of requests that have been sitting on the back burner entirely too long. Evelyn requested a veal peperonata she had in a restaurant, "that was rolled with hot peppers and served with a red sauce."

I haven't found anything that precisely matches, but I have found these:

Nodini di Vitello ai Peperoni

Veal chops with bell peppers, from Fabbri Editori's Il Manuale delle Carni.

• 4 veal chops (the equivalent cut of T-bone steak), weighing about a half pound each
• 3/4 pound bell peppers, of the color you prefer
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Vegetable oil
• Flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, in which 1 teaspoon tomato paste is dissolved
• 1/4 of a bullion cube, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon minced parsley as garnish
• Salt

Preheat your oven to 390 F (190 C)

Cut the peppers in two, removing the stems, ribs and seeds, wash them and dry them, rub them inside and out with a little vegetable oil, and roast them for about 20 minutes, or until tender. While they're still hot, peel off the skins and cut them into short strips.

Trim the gristle and fat from the meat, pound the slices lightly and flour them, shaking them well to shake the excess flour free. Place a skillet large enough for the chops to lie flat side by side over a medium flame with the butter and the olive oil. As soon as the fat is hot lightly brown the meat, turning it once and salting it lightly. Sprinkle the pepper strips over the meat, salt lightly again, and add the wine-and-tomato mixture. As the liquid comes to a boil sprinkle the crumbled bullion over the pan to season the contents. Simmer the contents for a few minutes, until the sauce is somewhat thickened, dust it with the minced parsley, and serve it at once.

Serves 4 and will take 45 minutes to prepare.

The editors note that you can also remove the meat to a platter and blend the peppers to make a creamy sauce to pour over it, and that the recipe also works well with pork chops or turkey breast.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Costolette Guarnite

A variation on the above from Ada Boni's Il Talismano della Felicitá.

To serve 6:

• 6 veal chops
• 2 1/4 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• Salt & pepper
• 3 bell peppers of the color you prefer
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup white wine

Blanch, peel and seed the tomatoes, cut them into strips, and sauté them in a pot with 1/4 cup butter, seasoning them to taste with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice the onion and sauté it in a tablespoon of butter over a low flame, until it is lightly browned and completely cooked.

Blister the skins of the peppers (this is easier to do if you cut them into strips, discarding stems, seeds and ribs), and broil the strips for a few minutes skin-side up). Once you have removed the skins cut the strips into fillets and sauté them until done in the oil, seasoning them lightly with salt. When the tomatoes, onion and peppers are done combine them in a bowl and keep them warm.

In the meantime melt the remaining butter in a skillet and brown the meat, turning it once and seasoning it with salt and pepper. Add the wine and cook until it has evaporated, then arrange the chops on a platter. Stir the vegetable mixture into the drippings in the skillet, let it simmer for a few minutes, and pour it over the meat. Serve.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Cannoli all'Etrusca

Also got a request for "Mushroom tortellini in Fontina Sauce like the stuff the Olive Garden used to serve. It's tortellini with mushrooms, diced ham, and peas in a white cheese sauce that we believe is called fontina cheese sauce. I first had this dish when I was stationed in Germany. The stuff the O. G. served was the closest I could ever find."

Unfortunately, I haven't succeeded in finding a mushroom-based filling for tortellini. I did, however, come across Cannelloni all'Etrusca in Il Talismano while looking for the veal. I've never had them, but they look interesting and do call for mushrooms. To serve 6:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg and 1 yolk
• Salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano
• 3/4 pound cultivated mushrooms
• 3 ounces gruyere, finely diced
• 2 ounces prosciutto, shredded

Begin by making the pasta, with 1 1/2 cups of flour and the eggs (see instructions if need be). Roll the sheet out dime-thin and cut it into two dozen 3-inch squares.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook the pasta, a few squares at a time, until it is al dente (about three minutes), placing the cooked squares on a damp kitchen towel.

Finely slice the mushrooms and sauté them in a tablespoon of water, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper and cooking them until they reabsorb the liquid they give off.

Make a dense béchamel sauce with the 2 cups of milk and the remaining butter and flour. Put about 2/3 of the béchamel sauce in a bowl, and when it is almost cool stir in half the grated Parmigiano and the finely sliced cooked mushrooms.

Put a tablespoon of the filling on each cannolo and roll them up, laying them in a single layer in a well-buttered oven-proof serving dish. Distribute the gruyere and the prosciutto evenly over the cannelloni.

Preheat the oven to 380 F (190 C).

While it's heating, dilute the remaining béchamel sauce with the rest of the milk and heat it through over the stove, stirring constantly. Pour the sauce over the cannoli, dust them with the remaining grated cheese, and bake the cannoli for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce is lightly browned.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

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

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