The Befana, Traffic Fines, a Travel Advisory and the Shakes

If you have children or grandchildren, don't forget that January 6 is Epiphany, and that the night of the 5th the Befana will mount her broomstick and fly through the night to visit children, bringing them stockings filled with candies and sweets if they've been good, and coal if they haven't. Tradition has it that the Magi stopped at her hut on their way to the manger, but she refused them hospitality so they pressed on. She then thought better of her decision and tried to follow, without success, and thus resumes her search for the Christ Child each year. As recently as 1969 (which I spent in Florence) most Italians exchanged gifts on Epiphany rather than Christmas Day, and on today's news they said that Epiphany still prevails over Christmas day for gift giving in the South.

Not all of the gifts will be welcome, however: The State has just announced a thorough revision of traffic fines that may at last bring Italy's more unruly and undisciplined drivers to heel: fines will jump several hundred percent for a wide variety of offences, from speeding to driving while talking into a cell phone (something my brother-in-law got zapped for last year) to blocking the emergency lane on the highway. The highest fines are for those without insurance, and there are a number of new ways one can lose one's license. So if you come to Italy and drive, do be careful.

The second thing you should be aware of, if you're coming to Europe, is that the EEU now requires (as of Jan 1) that non-EEU nationals entering the EEU have tickets to leave. If you're just coming for a brief stay and then heading home this won't affect you, but an American friend (married to Italian) who went to California for the holidays was told, when she began her trip home, that she had to have a return ticket to the US, as did her children, who were born in Italy but didn't have proof of their EEU citizenship with them. So if you are a non-EEU citizen living here, make sure to take proof of EEU residence with you if you leave Europe.

One thing Gail missed by being in California for the holidays was the minor earthquake that shook Central Tuscany at 11:23 PM on January 3 -- about 3.3 on the Richter Scale -- there was a rumble and my desk rattled, as did our bed, while a man I talked with who lives on the top floor of a building said his bedroom door swung open, a movement he had attributed to the cat. No damage done, however.

On Peasant Bread

Moving towards food, I was recently asked for a recipe for Peasant Bread. To be honest, there really isn't such a thing, at least not now. At least not a universal peasant bread; Italian bread, like all other things Italian, differs tremendously from one region to the next. Tuscany provides a good example of this. In much of the region the bread is made in round or oblong loaves that are baked directly on the floor of the oven (no baking tins, which makes for irregularly shaped loaves). The crumb is stiff, with marble-sized holes, and the bread has enough body to be able to withstand being moistened and squeezed dry (this is how one makes panzanella). Moreover, the dough the bread is made from is not salted, which means the bread is quite mild, and may explain the relative saltiness of Tuscan cold cuts, especially prosciutto. In the province of Massa, on the other hand, they salt their dough. As a result the bread is slightly salty, and its texture is different. If we look beyond Tuscany, in Piemonte's Langhe (and, I think, around Torino) they make grissini, bread sticks that are as thick as a finger and 2 feet long, and around Ferrara, in Romagna, there's pane all'olio, bread that has a little oil in the dough, and which is made into rolls that have crunchy crust and an extremely white, fine-grained crumb that's very dry. Large sections of Liguria are known primarily for their focaccia, a flat crusty bread that's also known as schiacciata. Roman bread is again different, as is the bread from Puglia, and I had a fascinating, very rich whole grain bread from Castelvetrano (Sicily) at Slowfood's Salone del Gusto.

The Sicilian bread was coarse textured and quite traditional, and this brings up another point. Up until relatively recently pure white flour of the kind we take for granted today was an expensive luxury, and therefore white bread was something that only the relatively well off could enjoy with any regularity. The masses made do with darker breads that contained varying amounts of roughage; this explains the scene in the film "Night of the falling Stars" (La Notte di San Lorenzo), set in 1944, in which the father of the bride gives out slices of white bread after the wedding. In the cities people either bought bread from the bakers, or made their dough at home, marked their loaves, and then took them to the local baker who saw to the baking -- fuel was just too expensive for most people to be able to afford to bake at home. It wasn't much cheaper out in the country, but people living in isolated hamlets or farm houses didn't have access to bakers, so they built bread ovens that they'd fire up once a week. Tuscan salt-free bread is perfect for this sort of a baking schedule, because it doesn't absorb as much humidity from the air, and consequently stays fresher than salty bread. And once the bread was baked, the farmers would make a focaccia as a treat for the children, sprinkling it liberally with salt and olive oil.

In terms of recipes for all these things, to be honest I don't bake much -- no real need to with 5 good bakeries within minutes of our house. The best source of information on Italian breads that I've come across is a site called The Artisan. Highly recommended. While we're on the subject of interesting websites, I'd also like to recommend Bob Pastorio's. Bob, who's one of the more knowledgeable contributors to the Foodwine Discussion List, has recently begun to sell foodstuffs after many years spent owning and running restaurants. In addition to offering all sorts of things, from lemon curd to hot pepper sauce, he has suggestions for using them, which are always helpful. Worth visiting even if you don’t plan to buy anything.

A call for Ricette Laziali, recipes from Lazio

Moving decisively towards food, Diana recently wrote:

I was born and raised in the United States. I recently found out that I have relatives (35 families of them) from the Lazio region of Italy. In addition to that, I found out because THEY contacted me. It's a really long story, so I won't go into it. BUT the awesome news is that about 12 of these families are coming to the states to meet me and get our family roots firmly in place.

We plan to visit and catch up on tons of lost years. I have always liked Italian cooking, now I know why! It is evidently in my genes. Anyhow, I would like to make some authentic Italian recipes for my newfound family. I already make all my own pasta noodles, which I have done for years. (Even before I knew how many relatives I had there). I would love some recipes for sauces, roasts, breads, desserts, all of which are native to the Lazio region. If some of the people on this ezine could help me out, I will be forever in debt to you! To start the ball rolling, I am going to submit a wonderful recipe that my father gave to me. From what I understand, this one has been in the family for years. It originated from Margherita Albani who married my great grandfather Cherubino Angeletti in the 1800's.

Pennette alle Melanzane

• 1-1/2 pounds Tomatoes. peeled
• 3 eggplants
• 1 pound penne
• Ricotta cheese, salted and grated
• 1 bunch basil, finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper

Wash and cut the eggplants into slices. Salt them and leave them for about 1 hour to drain their juice. Then, heat the olive oil, sauté the garlic until it starts to gently brown. Let it simmer GENTLY for 15 minutes. Boil the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, pat dry the eggplants and fry them in the hot olive oil. Drain the pasta and mix it with the tomatoes, eggplants and basil. Add the grated ricotta. Mix well and serve immediately with freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serves: 4

Buon appetito!

Thanks to Diana, and if anyone wants to share recipes from Lazio I'll be happy to pass them along.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Home-Made Ricotta

Though ricotta is often referred to as a cheese, if you want to split hairs it's actually a cheese byproduct, as it's made from the whey that is drained from the curds once the cheese is made. This doesn't mean one cannot make it from milk, however, and I occasionally get requests for a recipe. Gretl recently posted this to the FoodWine discussion list, and it does look good. The recipe is by Grace Pilato, and here are Gretl's transcription and notes:

Homemade Fresh Ricotta (from Grace Pilato)

I have worked on many variations of this recipe - trying it over and over again trying to get the right combination of taste, consistency, and ease of preparation. I have used readily available enzymes from the grocery store, vegetable enzymes from cheese distributors, fresh lemon juice, citric acid from the drug store, yogurt, and run-of-the mill, inexpensive white distilled vinegar.

This recipe is definitely a winner-a perfect ten. The vinegar in this preparation is what makes the milk form curds. If there is too little vinegar, the curds will not fully form and you will get a smaller yield. If there is too much vinegar, you will get an acidic tasting ricotta. Accordingly, the vinegar should not exceed 5 percent of the volume of moisture.

Ricotta is so easy to make and the taste so special that you will want to make it weekly to have on hand for eating and cooking. You will need to have a cooking thermometer for your first couple of attempts. The Taylor instant read pocket thermometer is my preference. It is reliable, inexpensive, and compact.

Yield: 4 cups

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon whole pasteurized milk
• 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (more if you want a saltier taste and if you are not going to use it for desserts)

Procedure:

1. Rinse the inside of the pot you intend to use with cold water (this helps prevent the milk from scorching). Place 1 gallon milk in large, heavy non-reactive pot on medium heat. Add salt and stir briefly. Allow milk to heat up slowly, stirring occasionally. Soon you will notice steam start to form above the surface and tiny bubbles appearing on the milk. You want it to reach 180-185 degrees, near scalding temperature, just before it comes to a boil. Check the temperature with your thermometer.
2. When it reaches the correct temperature, take the pot off the burner, add the vinegar and stir gently for only one minute. Add salt. You will notice curds forming immediately. Cover with a dry clean dish towel and allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for a couple of hours. You can also begin preparing your ricotta in the morning before going to work and let it sit until you come home.
3. When the ricotta has rested for 2 hours or more, take a piece of cheesecloth, dampen it and place it inside a colander. With a slotted spoon, ladle out the ricotta into the prepared colander. Place the colander with ricotta inside of a larger pan so it can drain freely. Let it drain for two hours or so depending on how creamy or dry you want your cheese to be.
4. Lift the cheesecloth up by the four corners and twist gently. If the liquid runs clear, squeeze a little more. If the liquid runs milky, there is no more need to squeeze. Place in a tight sealed container. Refrigerate. It will keep for up to 7 days. Ricotta does not freeze well.

Notes
I would advise against the use of low fat or part skim milk in making the ricotta. The flavor comes from the cream in the whole milk. For desserts, add 1 pint heavy whipping cream along with the milk. I use this variation when I am making ricotta for a dessert filling such as cannoli, cassata, or cream puffs. It is richer, creamier, and a bit more decadent.

Grace has a cookbook coming out; it's her first. Although it's listed as being available on the Amazon.com site, it won't be printed until January or early February. Take a look. It's called, appropriately enough, "Cooking With Grace."

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Cabbages & Figs: Christmas Recipes

Winding down, a couple of recipes from this year's Christmas dinner: stuffed Savoy cabbage leaves and spirited figs. The first is by Elisabetta's Aunt Adriana, and calls for:

• A head of Savoy Cabbage
• A mixture of ground pork, turkey breast, and chicken breast (300 g, 3/4 pounds in all)
• An egg
• Salt & pepper to taste
• A little nutmeg
• A splash of soy sauce
• A handful of bread crumb, moistened in milk and squeezed dry (you'll need Tuscan-style bread)
• Some béchamel sauce (about a cup, I'd say)
• Some freshly grated Parmigiano

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, blanch the cabbage leaves, and lay them out flat.

Preheat your oven to 180 C (360 F)

Combine all the remaining ingredients, including one tablespoon of the béchamel sauce, to make the filling, and season it to taste. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of the filling over the first leaf, roll it up, and put it in a baking dish. Continue with the next, and so on until you have used up all the leaves and all the filling. Sprinkle the remaining béchamel sauce and the Parmigiano over the cabbage involtini, bake them for 20 minutes or so, and they're ready. They'll go especially well with roasts that tend to come out dry, for example some kinds of poultry, and Uncle Guerrando says that a little tomato sauce added to the filling is a nice touch.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

He also made the spirited stuffed figs that brought everything to a close:

Take fresh figs, he says, wash them well, and pat them dry. Next, puncture the bottom of each with a paring knife and slip a quarter of a walnut into the hole, together with an anise seed or two, if you like them. You can also use bits of hazelnut, or pecans, if you live where fresh ones are available (you can now get them in Florence!). Put the figs in a jar, sprinkle more walnut or hazelnut slivers over them together with a couple more anise seeds, and fill the jar with a mixture of rum and grain alcohol -- favoring the rum if you prefer sweeter figs, and the alcohol if you'd rather they be stronger. Seal the jar, let the figs sit for a couple of weeks, and they're ready.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Finally, the panettone recipe I included last time brought a number of replies. Andrea writes, "I had been searching for a panettone that tasted like [my grandfather's] but never found one until I got a bread machine and a little book called "The Bread Machine Cookbook" by Donna German, put out by Nitty Gritty Books. The recipe for panettone tastes exactly like what my grandparents made. In addition to the traditional candied fruit and nuts and raisins it includes lemon rind. That must have been their secret ingredient. And it comes out perfect every time I make it." A little lemon rind will be a nice touch.

This time's proverb is Ligurian: I gotti avvenae dûan ciù che i boìn -- Cracked glasses last longer than whole ones.

Again, happy Befana!
Kyle Phillips
Webweaver, About Italian Cuisine

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