It may surprise some to discover that throughout the 70s and 80s one of Italy's most heavily voted parties (sometimes the most heavily voted) was the PCI -- Partito Comunista Italiano. That's right, the Communists. They never formed a national government because the Christian Democrats, who were almost as strong as they were, formed coalitions to keep them out, but they dominated and ran (effectively for the most part) much of Northern Italy, including Milano, Bologna, which had a model city Government, Torino, and Florence for decades. With the collapse of the Berlin Wall, however, their leadership felt the currents of change and decided it was time for a facelift; some resigned, others were ousted, and those who took over renamed their organization. Initially "La Cosa," which literally translates as "the thing." And people voted for it, too. And then for "La Cosa II" while debate on the new name of the organization continued. They eventually settled on "Partito Democratico della Sinistra," a long mouthful that means "Democratic Party of the Left," and guided a coalition called "La Quercia" (the Oak) to power about 5 years ago. Italy's first leftist government collapsed when a radical left wing party withdrew its support, and now the Democratici della Sinistra (DS; they shortened their name) are leading things directly. So when new proposals are made at their annual party congress, they often make waves. Especially when they're controversial: This time they've proposed to decriminalize all drugs and administer heroin in government controlled clinics that would also work to recover addicts.

As one might expect, there were howls from the opposition and the more conservative parties in the governing coalition. And it came as no surprise that today the Ministers said that the Government has no intention of adopting the party's suggestion any time soon.

But was the suggestion so far off base? Though most of the directors of drug rehabilitation facilities throughout the country cried Nay, one said he supported the idea, provided the addicts really do get help. Better to have them in the clinic than on the street or in jail, he said. And he has a very good point. Italy, like most countries in Western Europe, has a significant heroin problem. There are 15,000 addicts in Italian jails and another 150,000 known addicts on the streets (those who have been caught with small amounts or have overdosed and been identified during treatment). There are certainly many more who haven't been identified; this all adds up to a lot of heartbreak and broken families, and would lead someone who looks at the situation objectively to conclude that prohibition doesn't work.

Why? William Burroughs once said, "Junk is the ideal product . . . the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." He was speaking from experience. And to get the money to pay for their habits, most Italian addicts either steal or sell their bodies. Legalization would put a drastic crimp in organized crime's cash flow, reduce the crime rate, and get lots of people off the streets, preventing them from either getting or spreading the most horrid diseases. This is obviously not the high moral ground, but it's just as obvious that that's not working. Perhaps it's time to abandon it and be practical.

This won't happen any time soon, however. Today Marco Pannella, the 70-year-old leader of the Radical Party, received a 2 month suspended sentence for giving someone 3 grams of hashish during a pro-legalization rally a while back.

Returning more towards food, last night the TV news also announced that the United States and Italy have finally reached an agreement to end the ban on exporting mortadella to the US; expect the first to arrive on February 9. For those who have never had it, mortadella di Bologna, the ancestor of the bologna made in the US, is a cooked pork sausage made from pork ground fine in a mortar (hence the Italian name) with spices and cubes of fat. Mortadellas range tremendously in size, from little ones for home use to monsters a foot in diameter and ten long for delicatessens. There are also variations, for example mortadella with cubes of ham or mortadella with pistachio nuts. It's hard to find something that tastes better in a sandwich, especially one made by splitting and filling a focaccia or schiacciata. It also plays an important role in stuffings for pasta or cuts of meat, and is central to these recipes, drawn from Alessandro Molinari Pradelli's La Cucina dell'Emilia Romagna:

Mousse di Mortadella

A delicate antipasto. To serve 6 you'll need

• 1 pound (400 g) mortadella di Bologna
• 1 teaspoon grated Parmigiano
• 2/3 cup fresh cream for whipping

Grind the mortadella and the cheese in a mortar or blender until it is reduced to a creamy consistency. Whip your cream and gently fold it into the mortadella; serve in cups with squares of toasted bread and a good Lambrusco (Ermete Medici's Concerto comes to mind).

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Tagliatelle alla Mortadella

This is quick, tasty, and easy. To serve 6:

• 1 1/3 pounds (600 g) freshly made tagliatelle or fettuccine
• An 8-ounce (200 g) slice of Mortadella di Bologna
• 1 pound (400 g) blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped plum tomatoes (you can if need be use plain canned tomatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (if the tomatoes are tart)
• 2/3 cup milk
• Unsalted butter
• Freshly grated Parmigiano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Dice the mortadella and brown it in a pot with a tablespoon or two of butter, stirring gently to expose all sides of the cubes to the pan. Add the tomatoes and the sugar if necessary, and cook for about 20 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened gently stir in the milk, season to taste with salt and pepper, and continue simmering over a low flame. In the meantime bring pasta water to a boil, lightly salt it, and cook the tagliatelle. If they're fresh they should only require about three minutes. Drain them, season them with another pat of butter, the sauce, and serve, with grated cheese.

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Winding down, a couple of recipes and tips, some taken from the Forum (see below for the link). First, Marie's Monkfish "a la Lobster:"

• 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) monkfish skinned (head apart)
• Half pint olive oil
• 2 egg yolks
• Half teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup or tomato sauce
• Half cup cognac
• Few drops of Tabasco sauce
• Few drops of red cochineal (red food dye)
• Pink Sauce: Mayonnaise, with enough tomato sauce to make it pink, and dash of Tabasco.

Put to the boil about four litres of water with the red food dye. When boiling, and not before, drop in Monkfish and all other ingredients. Cook fish for about 15 to 20 minutes, to keep it whole. Wait till water cools. The gently remove fish from the water /stock. Remove the centre bone and any of the large spines from the top of the fish.(easy)

Lay the fish carefully on a bed of lettuce.

Cover the fish up entirely with the pink sauce and decorate with a few lemon slices or if you want to be more artistic, cut first slices off tomatoes, cut a v shape out and use as Lobster claws. Caviar or similar for eyes and thin slices of cooked red peppers to simulate separations in lobster armour.

Bon apetite.

It may sound expensive but then you can use the stock to make a lovely shellfish soup, or for other fish dishes. The water is really just enough to cover the fish.

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On the subject of Porcini, which are ruinously expensive even in their dried form, especially outside of Italy, Sperozzo writes on the forum: (forums.about.com/ab-italianfood/messages/?msg=128.2&ctx=1),

I learned a way to save a little money and get the same result. As porcini mushrooms are a bit expensive, I use dry porcini: When I need to cook mushrooms or make a sauce, I use regular fresh mushrooms, sauté them in butter, and add about one ounce (25 g) of dried porcini, but first I run them trough a coffee grinder and pulverize them. Then just before the mushrooms are done I mix the powder into the sautéed mushrooms. I made it for my (EXPERT) Italian cousin while he was here visiting, and I really fooled him.

PS -- You can bring dried mushroom from Italy without penalty or duty. I usually bring 2 or 3 lbs. and keep them in the freezer.

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And finally, it's artichoke season. You'll find instructions on buying them and a number of recipes on site. And Ann just sent me her recipe for artichoke pesto:

"I processed 5 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup pistachios, 2 cans of drained artichoke hearts, 1/3 cup capers, 2 green onions, zest and juice of one lemon. After scraping down the sides and processing again, I added 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Then, with the motor running, I added enough extra virgin olive oil to make a pesto consistency. It made about 4 cups, which were sufficient for 4 one-pound (450 g) batches of cooked pasta. I used pistachios because they were the only nut I had available! Garnish the cooked dish with some minced parsley and quartered cherry tomatoes."

Sounds nice.

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A presto!
Kyle Phillips

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