To begin with, Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it. This year plastic pumpkins, ghouls and ghosts have suddenly appeared in Italian stores, aimed primarily at children. Still no signs of trick-or-treating, but that will surely come too. To be honest it doesn't feel like Halloween or winter yet -- Sicily was in the high 90s (38 C at Palermo) today, Oct. 28/99.

Moving more towards food, I recently met Paul Brodie, who kindly shared instructions for purchasing A Hundred Tuscan Tables (a fun guide to fine eating in Tuscany that I translated this winter) on the Net. He writes, "Well, I have one more restaurant to recommend to you. It's in the little village of Lornano, which is reached by exiting the SI-FI highway at 'Badesse', then following the signs to Lornano - about 2 km. There's a very nice restaurant in the village (only one), which is full every night with the local folks. The food was well prepared and reasonably priced, and the house wine (from the local Chianti Classico grapes) is quite good!"

Mary Jo instead asked me for the secret ingredient in the mashed potatoes served in Italy. It's nutmeg, just a quick grating (freshly grated nutmeg is much more flavorful than the pre-powdered variety) as you're whipping up the potatoes with unsalted butter and whole milk, after you've put them through the potato ricer. A little goes a long way, so figure less than an eighth of a teaspoon if you're mashing potatoes for four.

I've also gotten a number of replies regarding borlotti, and am much indebted to Kaye Noble for searching the Net on the subject. She has found that they're quite similar to cranberry beans, and indeed that American cranberry beans are sold as dried borlotti in Italy. Kaye also notes, "Both borlotti and cranberry beans are available fresh, in season, at the Union Square Green Market, the largest farmers market in NYC. I think they are labeled according to whether the seller thinks he is selling to a European (Italian) market or an American market!" And she has found a source for French horticultural beans, Indian Harvest (http://www.indianharvest.com), whose catalog says they're "An heirloom variety in the Cranberry family, this tasty bean is also known as the October bean. It is delicious cooked in soups, stews, and salads. A firm texture and sweet, nut-like flavor makes this bean a favorite."

Ginny, instead writes, "Borlotti beans and pinto beans are NOT the same. Borlotti beans are more like what we called "corn beans" in Ohio farm country. We planted them with the corn and the corn stalks formed natural "poles" for the beans to vine on. They were rather round, speckled, and very rich in flavor (light brown when cooked). We harvested them as dry beans to use during the winter.

So, if you live in the US you may find borlotti/cranberry beans under a different name, depending upon where you live. It's heartening, after dealing with the variability of ingredient names in Italy, to discover that vegetable names vary from place to place elsewhere too.

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Gene Theft and the Spread of Genetic Pollution

And there have been a number of responses regarding my comments on the registration of plants native to third-world companies on the part of Western biotech firms. The American company that was trying to register Basmati rice is a Texan concern called Rice Tech .

And again, Kaye Noble found all sorts of interesting things about the growing penetration of genetically modified (GM) plants in US agriculture. One vexing problem faced by farmers whose lands adjoin those of people using GM plants is natural pollination; the American courts don't seem to care that the non-GM farmer's crops can acquire GM genes through wind or the activities of bees, and try the farmers for theft. One would expect that the cases will to be thrown out at some level, but the problem is much more than just a legal hassle. Terra Prima, a certified organic producer based in Wisconsin, had its corn chips declared industrial and banned in Norway because its corn supplier (who is also organic) is down wind of someone who is not, and his plants were fertilized by wind-driven GM pollens. In this case, the modification was (we are told) benign to humans -- the plants manufacture a toxin that kills their insect parasites. But the GM is not benign to the environment -- insects who eat the pollens that settle downwind of the GM fields also die, and in many cases they are not insects one would want dead. The effects on the ecosystem could be profound. Equally worrisome, the USDA and Delta & Pine Land Co (a cotton grower being bought by Monsanto) have jointly designed and patented a terminator sequence that causes the seeds of GM plants to become infertile. What would happen if this gene sequence were transferred, especially in a developing country? Monsanto has recently stated it has no intention of using the terminator technology, but people and companies can change their minds.

This may all come to a head soon, because the EEU appears determined to require labeling laws that say if foods contain genetically modified plant or animal (genetic modification is becoming pervasive in many areas, including milk production and soybeans, so this is not as moot a point as you might think). Agribusiness is trying to block the provisions on the grounds that they're a form of protectionism, but I expect American consumers will be just as interested in finding out about GM products. Turns out they're common in baby foods, among other things, and I can say from personal experience that this is not reassuring to a parent.

Onion Pie

Returning again towards food, Mary Jo notes that in addition to using bread to soften her meatballs, she uses grated zucchini, which contribute moisture but no overpowering flavors. She also occasionally uses grated onions but has to be careful lest they overshadow everything else. Perhaps Vidalias?

Speaking of Vidalias, a long while back B. Davis wrote, "need to find my Italian mother-in-law's recipe for onion pie." Here's a recipe drawn from the Italian edition of Ada Boni's Talismano della Felicità: Cipolle Lessate in Torta. This translates as Boiled Onion Pie, and is quite similar to a quiche. To serve 6:

• 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) sweet Neapolitan onions (use Vidalia or similar)
• 3/4 cup (150 g) unsalted butter
• Salt & pepper to taste
• A grating of fresh nutmeg (go easy)
• 1 3/4 cups (170 g) flour
• An egg
• 3 ounces (75 g) Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1/2 a glass (about 1/3 cup) milk or cream

Clean the onions, trimming the roots and removing their skins. Slice them thinly and boil them in abundant, lightly salted water until they are tender. Drain them well and sauté them in 1/4 cup butter over a very low flame until they fall apart (don't let them brown), seasoning them with salt, pepper and nutmeg. When they are done let them cool.

Use 1 1/2 cups of flour and the remaining butter to make a piecrust and use it to line an 8-inch pie pan; trim away the excess and lightly prick the bottom of the pan with a fork.

Lightly beat the egg, cream, and the remaining flour in a bowl, and work in the cheese. Add the onions when they are cold, and use the mixture to fill the piecrust, making sure the filling is distributed evenly. Bake in a moderate oven (190 C, 380 F) for about an hour, at which point the surface will be nicely browned and the crust crunchy. Remove the pie from the oven, slip it from the pan, and serve it hot.

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Rum Soufflé

Also got a request for an Italian rum cake. Haven't found it yet, but Ada Boni does give a recipe for Rum soufflé that looks nice. To serve 6:

• 1 cup (100 g) powdered sugar (NOTE: 1/2 cup granulated sugar is 100 g)
• Flour
• Butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 4/5 cup (200 ml) milk
• 6 Savoiardi (cookies twice the thickness of ladyfingers)
• A little glass of rum
• Confectioner's sugar

Heat 3/4 of the milk with 1/2 cup (50 g) of the powdered sugar. In the meantime combine a heaping tablespoon of flour with the remaining milk in a bowl, to make a runny paste.

When the milk comes to a boil slowly work in the flour paste, whisking well to avoid the formation of lumps. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens (a couple of minutes will do it), then remove the mixture from the fire and work in about a tablespoon of butter. Once it has cooled a little further work in the yolks, one at a time. Next, whip the whites to very stiff peaks. By this time the batter should be cool; work in a tablespoon of the whites, and then gently fold in the rest.

Butter a 1/5 quart soufflé pan and add two tablespoons confectioner's sugar, shaking the pan about to coat all the butter. Upend the pan to discard whatever remains.

Dice the savoiardi and sprinkle them well with rum. Lay down a first layer of the batter, then some of the rum-soaked savoiardi, then more batter, alternating until all is used up; the batter should only reach half way up the mold by the time you're done. Bake the soufflé in an oven for about a half hour; the soufflé will rise to fill the pan. You should, towards the end, reduce the heat slightly. Five minutes prior to removing the cake from the oven dust its surface with confectioner's sugar, which will caramelize. As soon as the soufflé is done, put the mold on a platter and serve it forth..

Mrs. Boni simply says to bake it at the correct temperature, which isn't much help. You should use a moderate oven, between 160 and 180 C (320-360 F).

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Torta Claudia, a Creamy Layer Cake

And here is a recipe for Torta Claudia, a cream-filled layer cake that many people have asked for (and which I hadn't found sooner because I didn't know what it was called). The recipe is drawn from De Agostini's La Mia Cucina; they say it will take an hour to prepare and 4 to chill, and note that it helps to be good at working with whipped cream. To make enough for 4 you'll need:

• 1 commercially prepared round genoise, 8 inches in diameter (you can make your own if need be, or substitute a similar commercially prepared cake).
• 1 ounce (25 g) powdered cocoa
• 1 pound (450 g) whipped cream
• 2 yolks
• 20 blanched peeled almonds, shredded
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons sweet Marsala (a white dessert wine from Sicily)
• 1 cup (100 g) confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 of a small glass of brandy, Gran Marnier, or the liqueur of choice

Begin by cutting your genoise horizontally twice, so as to obtain three disks. Next, put 3/4 of the whipped cream in a bowl and beat the confectioner's sugar into it. Divide the mixture into two parts, and work the cocoa powder into one.

Put the first disk of cake on your work surface, lightly sprinkle it with the brandy, and spread the chocolate whipped cream over it.

Sprinkle the second disk with brandy too and lay it over the chocolate cream. Then spread the sweet cream over it. Cover everything with the third disk, pressing gently so it sticks, and sprinkle it with the remaining brandy. Chill the cake in the refrigerator (not the freezer) for 4 hours.

In the mean time, make some zabaione by beating the yolks with the powdered sugar in a small pot until the mixture becomes white. Beat in the Marsala and cook the mixture over a double boiler, over low heat. Stir gently, without letting it come to a boil, until it has become thick and creamy. Remove the zabaione from the fire and let it cool, still stirring gently.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and use a pastry bag to lay down a ring of whipped cream around the cake's outer edge. Sprinkle the ring and the top of the cake with the slivered almonds, pour the zabaione over the top of the cake (the ring of whipped cream will keep it from flowing down the sides of the cake) and serve at once.

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A presto!

A presto!
Kyle Phillips

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