It’s a been a while!  Hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the Spring. I’ve been out and about and all over the place in the last several months… keeping busy and not having much time to devote to Italyville but I hope that changes.  I did want to share a few of the best things I’ve eaten recently.

I’ve been in the woods looking for free food – The winter cress were delicious as usual! Some fresh bread and glass of wine and you’ve got a delicious light dinner or side… don’t forget to top it off with some extra virgin olive oil.

This dish blew my mind at one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco a few weeks ago: Pork skin spaghetti with morel mushrooms, fava beans and truffles.  If you haven’t been to Incato yet… GO!

I couldn’t stop eating my aunt’s sun dried black olives that were still sitting in the Calabrian sun… simply amazing.

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten recently?

The weather is steadily getting colder here in New England and with Thanksgiving around the corner there are different foods showing up at the grocery store.  The summer fruits and veggies are gone and have made room for autumn foods and for me that means castagne (chestnuts.)  In Calabria they still have plenty of chestnut orchards and when we were there this past summer the chestnuts from last year still littered the ground as we foraged for wild mushrooms.

Chestnut trees here in the US used to be plentiful once but many were decimated by a chestnut blight over the last 100 years… I always wondered why there wasn’t a single chestnut tree on  “Chestnut Street” here in town.

I have fond memories of the castagne vendors this time of year in Italy.  They roast the chestnuts right on the street and the wonderful smell combined with the shop-lined cobblestone streets is a page out of a Charles Dickens book.  For 3000 lire (which I’m sure has become 3 Euro) you could get a mini paper bag with 10 warm chestnuts and eat them as you walk.

Most of the chestnuts in our local grocery stores come from Italy and E and I usually make them a few times a week… did I mention they go GREAT with wine?  Many of my non-Italian friends have never had chestnuts… which makes me wonder who’s eating all the “chestnuts roasting by an open fire” during the holidays??? Italians? (Bingo Crosbino?)

If your looking to impress your holiday guests this year… pick-up some chestnuts.  They are easy to make and delicious! This is what you need to do:

• pre-heat your oven at 350-375 degrees
• put a slit in each chestnut with a knife (otherwise they will explode in the oven)
• place the chestnuts on a baking sheet or pan and cook them for 40-50 minutes
• Serve with wine by a fire

In Calabrese we also call roasted chestnuts – ruselle

The east coast has been been getting hit pretty hard with winter weather recently and with another major storm heading this way, it looks like winter is far from done.  (Damn that groundhog!)  If you’re looking for a hearty dinner for a cold winter’s night,  look no further than this Italian Lentil Soup.  It’s quick, easy and delicious… and will warm your bones!

Here’s what you need: (hopefully you won’t have to venture out into 25 inches of snow to get it!)

• lentils
• extra virgin olive oil
• 3 stalks of celery – chopped
• 2 carrots – diced
• 1 onion – diced
• 1-2 tomato or a small can of diced or crushed tomatoes
• box of spaghetti
• salt and pepper

What you need to do:

Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil and add your lentils (we use about 1/2 a bag for the 2 of use and we have plenty of left-overs) Let the lentils boil for about 2-3 minutes, then remove and rinse them.  In a large pot, add your olive oil, celery, onion, carrots, tomatoes, lentils and enough water to cover all your ingredients.  Then add your salt and pepper, bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until your lentils are tender.   You can serve as-is for a more traditional soup or make it Italian by adding some pasta…  (Come on, make it Italian… you know you want to!!)

In a separate pot, cook your pasta.  I like to use spaghetti and break it in quarters for this dish because that’s the way mom used to do it for our family growing up (and mom is always right… right?) Once your spaghetti is cooked to your liking, add it to your lentils, give it a stir and your done!  Serve with grated parmigiano or romano cheese.  Enjoy and  buon appetito!

I was in New York City most of this week and Wednesday I got a chance to do some exploring, so I decided to do a little foodie tour of the city.  After my morning coffee and chocolate briosce at a small cafe’ in Soho, I headed off to find some “Italian” in the city that never sleeps.  Many would point you towards Mulberry Street and New York’s little Italy but for me… the glory days of that area are loooong gone.  Although there are still a few (a very few) gems to be found in that area, most of it has become a tourist trap of prix fixe menus and cheesy t-shirts as China Town is creep, creep, creeping in on what was once Italy away from Italy.  I once walked out of an Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street after the waiter brought us some 3-day old bread.  (If you get served bad bread at an Italian restaurant you know it’s time to leave.)

In my opinion, the west village is much more authentic and appealing… head to the corner of Bleeker and Carmine and you’ll see what I mean.  My first stop was Murray’s Cheese.  I know what you’re thinking: Murray?  that’s not Italian… but it’s what Murray has inside that will put a smile on your face.  Cheese, cheese, cheese from around the world, pasta, bread, meats and much more…. mmmmmm.  I got myself some prosciutto cotto, provolone and a fresh loaf of bread and headed next door to Faicco’s to take a look around.

After checking out Faicco’s selection of Italian sausage and specialties (including a sausage with broccoli rabe inside), I bought myself a bottle of “Manhattan Special” coffee soda (it’s no Brasilena but it was pretty good.) and some strozzapreti and was off to find a park for my colazione.

Later in the afternoon, I stopped by l’Asso on Mott Street (one of the few gems I mentioned) for a pizza margherita…. one of the best pizza’s I’ve had in a long time!  They do a fabulous job at l’Asso and the staff is very friendly.  Word has it, they’ll be in LA soon… so keep an eye out.

After all this deliciousness what’s left!?  GELATO of course.  I heard a lot of talk about a certain Gelateria in Manhattan that has been generating a lot of buzz and I accidentally bumped into it in the morning as it’s located across the street from Murray’s and Faicco’s on Bleeker Street…. so after lunch, I decided to head over to see what all the fuss is about.  There haven’t been many gelaterie that have impressed me here in the U.S. but GROM is an exception.  This was my first GROM experience. It’s their only US gelateria but they have several throughout Italy (founded in Torino in 2003.)  I ordered my go-to favorites: Stracciatella and nocciola and it was top notch!  CHE BUONO! You can be sure I’ll be back next time I’m in New York.

GROM – Il Gelato come una volta

Make sure to visit these great shops next time you’re in New York City. I think it’s time to hit the gym….

Gramigna, is often found on menus in Emilia Romagna but very difficult to find here in the US… let me restate that:  Gramigna is difficult to find outside of northern Italy and near impossible to find in the US.  So, when I came across it at Ocean State Job Lot (a closeout chain of stores here in New England) I was a bit surprised but very excited! and to top it all off, it was De Cecco!

Pasta for me is about texture… I can’t stand linguini but love spaghetti.  Odd? maybe.  Anyway, back to my love of Gramigna… it’s even fun to say: Gramigna!!  Ever since I left Bologna, I’ve been wanting to make Gramigna con Salsiccia (Gramigna with Sausage) one of my favorite primi but without Gramigna, all you have is salsiccia (and no one likes a sausage party.)

I didn’t follow a recipe but it came out really good if I do say so myself.  Here’s an easy recipe if you’re lucky enough to find some Gramigna.

What you’ll need:

• Gramigna
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion
• a few cloves of garlic
• about 2 tbls of butter
• ground sausage or ground pork
• heavy cream
• salt, pepper and other seasonings of your choice

Fry your chopped onion and garlic in some olive oil in a large sauce pan for a few minutes and then add your ground sausage.  Let the sausage cook for about 10 minutes until it’s almost thouroughly cooked, then add the butter and seasonings… We use Goya “Adobo” seasoning a lot along with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Add some heavy cream and let it cook for a few more minutes.  Once your Gramigna is cooked to your preference… al dente for me, add it to the sauce pan and mix it up.  There you have it!  Simple, easy and delicious. Enjoy and buon appetito!

Last summer I made a recipe that Lorraine at Italian Foodies posted and it was a huge hit with everyone who tried it.  Since then I have passed the recipe along to several friends who love it just as much as we do.  When I found these wonderful porcinis the other day, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make it again.

Here’s what you need: (I usually don’t measure ingredients but follow the link above to Lorraine’s website if you need to)

• Your favorite mushrooms
• Flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Juice of a half lemon
• Cream
• Garlic, chopped
• Half a white onion, chopped
• Sea salt & fresh black pepper
• Unsalted butter
• Bread

What you need to do:

Melt your butter (about 2 tbsp) in a large pan, then add your garlic and onion. Let them cook for a few minutes, while you enjoy a few sips of wine and listen to your favorite tunes.  Add your mushrooms and cook them for about 10 minutes, then add a few splashes of cream (live a little.) Add the lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes.  Place on top of your favorite bruschetta bread and enjoy the delicious smell and taste of this wonderful recipe.  I’ve made this with several different types of mushrooms and it has always impressed. Thanks Lorraine! Enjoy and buon appetito!

The question is, what is Italian food?  I continuously see commercials for large chain restaurants that promote their pizza or pasta or panini or whatever “they think” Italian food is and how they have conquered it… finally!! The ones that irk me the most recently are from Pizza Hut.   One commercial shows how they go to Italy and serve unsuspecting Italians Lasagna and how they all rant and rave about how good it is and how similar it is to their mother’s recipe.  Really? Then the chef comes out and announces to everyone that he didn’t really cook the lasagna but it was actually from Pizza Hut and they give the delivery guys a standing ovation.  {If you know Italians at all, you know that NOTHING is as good as their mother’s food (unless it’s their grandmother’s.)}

A recent commercial shows a family that is blindfolded as they drive off to dinner but are actually brought back to their own house… walk up the same 10 steps to their front door but after tasting the pasta they think they’re at an Italian restaurant (if that’s true, they could be the dumbest family in America.)  Pizza Hut’s claim is “Restaurant Quality Pasta”… which goes to show that they don’t even consider themselves a restaurant (neither do I by the way.) In my opinion, restaurants should be shooting for “Home Quality Pasta.”

Let’s look at this from a marketing standpoint for a second…  In my opinion, Pizza Hut’s campaign revolves around the company’s ability to fool people.  So you go to Italy and fool Italians into eating your lasagna and go to New York to fool people into eating your pasta… you even go to someones house and fool them into thinking they’re somewhere else!  Why would you do that?  The obvious answer is to get people to try something that they would otherwise not try then create conclusions for your real target consumer.  I don’t believe Italians are a target consumer for Pizza Hut… but if their Pasta and Pizza is good enough for Italians then their target consumer will feel better about how authentic it is and buy it.  The contradictions are endless though.. authentically fooling people?  So this leads me to one of two conclusions:

1. Either they are incredibly naive (drinking from the company Kool-Aid) and think their Tuscani Pasta (which is what it’s called) is truly authentic Italian food or…
2. They have no intention of being authentic because that’s not what their target consumer wants.  If their target consumer wanted authentic Italian pasta then they wouldn’t be offering “Creamy Chicken Alfredo” or the ever popular and authentic Italian dish, “Premium Bacon Mac N’ Cheese” neither of which would be found a mile from an authentic Italian restaurant.

So why does this irk me?  To me as an Italian American, it’s insulting.  Food is a big part of our culture and not only do we as Italians and Italian Americans know this but the rest of the world knows it as well.  So if your plan is to capitalize on this fact (and many companies have) then try harder! otherwise don’t brand it as Italian.  There’s nothing wrong with creating a Pizza Hut line of pastas… great, maybe it even tastes good but once you call it “Tuscani Pasta” (which isn’t an Italian word that I know of but is meant to be in my opinion)  and then create a campaign on how Italians in Italy love it and people who eat it think they’re in an Italian restaurant, then it’s a different story.  If Pizza Hut really thinks they’re Tuscani line is authentic then maybe we should have a taste test… How about any of their Tuscani Pasta vs. my mother’s pasta.  We can get a whole restaurant full of Italians and see what they think.  I’ll even substitute my mother’s pasta for any Italian mother’s in the country.  Surely their “Restaurant Quality Pasta” is superior to Mom’s Pasta.  Or maybe they can open a Pizza Hut in Italy (surprisingly there are currently no Pizza Huts in Italy) and serve their pasta and Lasagna!  Their taste test obviously proved that Italians love it! What do you think Pizza Hut?  email me and we can make it happen.

So back to the question: What is Italian Food? Italian food to me is more than just ingredients… it’s an experience, it’s creativity, it’s simple and not overdone, it’s making the best out of what you have locally.  It’s creativity that created pizza when southern Italians had little and wanted to make something delicious with the little they had.  It’s not stuffed crust or extra cheese.

5 clues that your food is not authentic Italian

1. Your tractor trailer pulls up once a week and delivers pizza dough and other food made somewhere else that only needs to be cooked or warmed up at your restaurant.
2. Your menu is a never ending list of over-doing-it.  Super sized, stuffed crust, meat lovers supreme, butt buster specials that come in portions that could feed a large family… twice.
3. You need to try way too hard to get approval from Italians because they would never eat in your restaurant and/or have never heard of the dishes you’re claiming are Italian.
4. You use ingredients that can’t be pronounced in an effort to enhance taste and preserve “shelf-life”
5. Your recipes were developed in a laboratory by chefs with chemistry degrees.

So what is authentic Italian food to you?

I’ve made lots of friends through sopressata… I really have.  My father has been offered money, a friend wants to feature it in a future restaurant he is opening and one of my Irish buddies has somehow gotten “in” and now chips in financially and helps make them in order to get a share… in turn, he has friends that work on his motorcycle in exchange for a sopressata!  It’s comedy but it’s also delicious and one of southern Italy’s culinary delights. (Click here for more details on the process)

My father is a sopressata connoisseur of sorts.  In his own way, he studies the art of making it.  He tries different techniques, tinkers with the process, adds new ingredients/levels of ingredients and over the years it seems to have worked out well as we have managed to take home First Place at the “World Sopressata Championship” for the last 5 years running! (I’m kidding.. there’s no such thing.)

My brother and I have our own opinions on how and how much of course, so they have also been getting more and more “piccante” (spicy hot!) over the years.  This year we have a very controversial NEW process that the professore introduced : dry packing them instead of sotto olio (submerged/preserved in oil) Go figure?!  So far so good… they are ready to eat and the verdict is in: FIRST PRIZE once again!!