This is going to be a bit disjointed and I apologize. A couple of issues ago I wrote that Italy will be banning leaded gasoline and how this would mean the junking of all cars built prior to a certain date because their engines can't be adapted to green gas. Now they've just announced that they're coming out with a new green gas that will work with virtually any engine made; to prevent knocking and such one has one's mechanic adjust the timing. So the glorious Fiat 500 is not on its way out! The new green gas doesn't mean an old car won't continue to pollute, unfortunately. Quite the contrary, even with green gas they're much worse than more recent cars. For that matter, tests done on old cars show that some come close to polluting more while parked than some of the latest models pollute while on the move, because the seals on their various tanks aren't that good -- oils and other fluids simply evaporate while the older cars sit.

More Panissa

Still with regards to past issues of Cosa Bolle in Pentola, Mary very kindly shared a recipe for Calentita, a Gibraltarian variation on Panissa, the chickpea polenta made in Liguria. Suzie writes"I thought I'd contribute another way to eat panissa. I live here in Liguria and my family's favorite way to eat it is just cut it up in pieces and toss it with our olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt--ecco fatto!!"

She doesn't say what part of Liguria she's from, but Ligurian oils are renowned, so this will be quite good. In the Riviera di Levante, towards Tuscany, they're more robust. In the Riviera di Ponente (where the sun sets over the mountains, towards France), on the other hand, the best oils are made with Taggiasca olives and are astonishingly delicate.

A printer friendly version of this (and the instructions for making panissa).

Getting out the Garbage

Moving in another direction, Italy is beginning to think about "raccolta differenziata dei rifiuti"-- in other words, sorting the various kinds of solid waste so they can be recycled more easily. The central government has decreed that it must be done, but the mechanics are left up to the municipal governments. Some are terrifically organized, and have set up systems in which residents sort their waste, weigh it with a computer-assisted scale that shoots stuff into the appropriate bins, calculates the value of the recyclable material, and detracts said value from their garbage tax. In other words, the better they sort the less they pay. Florence is less organized, and has simply put out dumpsters of different colors for different wastes -- no chance to save by being diligent, and fewer parking places where parking is already tight to begin with. One interesting thing is that they collect cans and bottles in the same container. One would gather, from reading this page (http://www.enviroweb.org/wastebusters/factoids/factoids_glassproc.html) about the mechanics of recycling glass, that starting out with a mix of glass and various metals is not the way to go. On the other hand, it means the public sector can hire people to sort the waste and thus provide some jobs.

Carpaccio

On the boards (forums.about.com/ab-italianfood) there was a recent request for Carpaccio; Don posted this reply and kindly allowed me to pass it on:

Carpaccio, named after a painter in 15th century, is a celebrated dish at Harry's Bar at Venice. The dish is created in favour of customer whose the doctor advise him only to eat raw meat. There are many variations of the dish, including the one in which beef fillet is coated with peppercorns and sliced paper thin, but here is my favourite.

The Meat:

250 g (10 ounces) very fresh, well-chilled and trimmed meat (rump or fillet)

The best extra virgin olive oil

Lemon juice

Garnish:

Anchovies

Chopped chives

Capers

Rocket (arugola) leaves

To serve:

Sea salt

Freshly cracked peppercorns

Cut the beef across the grain of the meat, divide steak about 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick.

Pound the meat, with a wooden mallet and between lightly oiled plastic wrap, until almost translucent. It will be difficult to spread at first, but will spread once it softens. Arrange on a plate; decorate with garnishes as you see it right. Right before serving, sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil. Pass salt and pepper separately on the table.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Bistecca in Florence

Also got a recent request for the best place in Florence to enjoy a bistecca alla Fiorentina, the classic porterhouse cut taken from Chianina beef and done over the coals. Since I usually do mine at home, I asked Leonardo Romanelli, author of a delightful little guide called "A Hundred Tuscan Tables"published by Aida.

He replies:

"Tough question, in part because not many places have wood-fired grills. Despite what one might think to look at it, PERSEUS in Viale Don Minzoni is good, and I've heard good things about the BUCA LAPI in Via del Trebbio (off from Piazza Antinori) but haven't ever been. Outside Florence, CENTANNI in Bagno a Ripoli does a good job, as do ZÀ ZA and CUPOLI in Lastra a Signa. The search goes on…"

Pickled Eggplant

And Anne has very kindly replied to another person's request with her Grandmother's pickled eggplant:

Dear Kyle, Here is my grandmother's recipe for pickled eggplant. If I remember right, Nonni would put up dozens of jars at a time -- it takes me a good two hours just to pickle 6 eggplants! I admire her stamina. I'm sure she must have canned them, because the jars sat on shelves in her basement. Being a modern women, this art is lost to me, so I just make two jars at a time and keep them in the refrigerator. Sometimes these last for a year, and as long as I pour some olive oil on top of the eggplant each time we use it, they are fine.

Josephine Caravetta's Pickled Eggplant

• 6 Eggplants
• Kosher Salt
• White or Cider Vinegar
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• One bunch parsley, minced
• Some mint, minced (Optional, but nice)
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 green bell pepper, minced

1. Slice the eggplant thinly, and cut the slices into thin strips
2. Layer the strips in a colander and mix with some Kosher Salt. Place the colander in the sink, put a dish on top of it, and put something heavy on top of the dish to weigh it down. This helps take the bitterness out of the eggplant.
3. After one hour, squeeze the eggplant (Nonni's instructions -- gets the bitter juices out).
4. Take a large pot and put in the eggplant. Cover with a ratio of 2 cups of water to 1 cup of the vinegar. Bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, shut the heat off and allow the eggplant to cool in the water.
5. In a large bowl place the sliced garlic, chopped herbs, red pepper, green pepper. Squeeze as much water out of the eggplant as you can, and place it in the bowl. Pour in some extra virgin olive oil (at least a cup) and a 1/4 cup of vinegar. Stir well. Place the eggplant in a jar (I use Mason jars, as did Nonni), pressing down to remove any air. Leave about an inch at the top, and pour in some olive oil so that all the eggplant is submerged. Cover with a lid, and let marinate for one month in the refrigerator. Mangia!

I think that the green pepper really gives these eggplant a wonderful, subtle taste. I hope this recipe is similar to what your reader is asking for.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

The Origins of Tiramisu, And Bigoli for Good Friday

Finally, Debbie wrote, asking"My son and I are having a debate as to the legend of the origin of tiramisu. We were told that female Venetian lace makers would take a break from their work and have some tiramisu as a "pick me up". Some of the research we have done seems to indicate that it was the Venetian courtesans, not the lace makers, that ate the tiramisu as a "pick me up"Can you shed any light on this matter, or tell us where we could go to find the information on the origin of tiramisu?"

I've seen the Venetian courtesans story on several pages on the net, all of which are in English. To be frank, the dish strikes me as too recent to have been made when the courtesans were plying their trade -- it has a distinctly 20th century feel to it. Antonio Piccinardi also says it's recent in his Dizionario di Gastronomia (BUR Dizionari Rizzoli), adding that it originated in either Venice or Treviso. Indirect confirmation of the recentness of Tiramisu comes from Dino Coltro's La Cucina Tradizionale Veneta (Newton Compton Editori). Though he discusses all sorts of traditional Venetian specialties, he doesn't mention anything that even resembles tiramisu.

One thing he does mention, which is fitting given the season, is Bigoli in salsa. Bigoli are thick-stranded pasta that are quite similar to spaghettioni

"Sauce for spaghetti,"he writes"can be made in many ways. Spaghetti can even be cooked in duck broth and seasoned with a sauce obtained by sautéing the duck's giblets in butter with sage and minced onion.

"In any case, the recipe proposed here is a classic for Good Friday. In a skillet, sauté a large sliced onion, two anchovies (rinsed, boned and minced), 4 ounces (100 g) crumbled tuna, and 2 tablespoons of water. Finish with a minced bunch of parsley. Sauté until done over a low flame, and use the sauce to season a pound (400 g) of spaghetti, drained when they're al dente."

There's no need to wait until Good Friday to enjoy this.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

A presto!
Kyle Phillips

PS -- Send a card from the Italian Cuisine Post Office!

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Name	Email