The last of the fresh black olives from California were still available this week, so we bought a few cases to cure for the holidays.  These are colossal  Sevillano Olives from Penna (some are almost prune size) and a little banged up, so I’m making them 2 ways.  I’ll put the better olives under a simple brine (sott’acqua) and the olives that are more bruised we’ll dry out (al forno.)

We cured some green olives earlier this year that are ready and they came out great!

What you’ll need:

• a five gallon bucket
• knife
• salt
• crushed red pepper
• fennel seed
• 5-10 whole cloves of garlic
• water

Rinse your olives and then make 3-4 vertical cuts in each olive to quicken the cure process.  Place all the cut olives in a 5 gallon bucket and fill your bucket a little over half way with water. Add almost a full 26oz container of salt, handful of fennel seed (optional as I know fennel is one of those hate it or love it spices) a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and your garlic cloves.  Now you need to weigh the olives down so that they stay submerged in the brine.  We cut another 5 gallon bucket in half and drill holes in the bottom then insert in into the olive bucket and it works well.  You can also use a plate or something of similar size to weight the olives down.  Let them sit for 2-3 weeks and give them a try to see how they’re coming along.  They are usually perfect after about 3-4 weeks but keep them submerged until serving.

I’ll post again on the dried black olives. Enjoy and buon appetito!

I’ve been saving this fantastic photo for the holidays…. the photo was submitted by Julie at Julie Richey Mosaics. Julie took this photo in Florence while living and studying there.  Fantastic Photo Julie and thanks for sharing!

Thirty nine years ago in Feroleto Antico (provincia di Catanzaro) two young Italians got married… my parents.

Sept 26, 1970

thirty nine years later… to the day:

Sept 26, 2009

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!

If you’ve read some of my past “Brand Italy” posts you know I like to rant about companies that try to be Italian without actually trying to be Italian.  There are a whole list of companies that introduce products using Italian food appeal and then label them Italian… the problem is, it’s not remotely Italian.  Dunkin Donuts recently introduced the “Chicken Parmesan Flatbread Sandwich.”  The description of the sandwich from their website is as follows:

“Get a taste of Italy with premium breaded chicken, melted provolone cheese and tangy marinara sauce.”

Really?  I’ve never had one (and it’s safe to say, I never will) but I highly doubt that anyone will “Get a taste of Italy” when they try one. {for the record, I’m not saying the product doesn’t taste good… it might and it’s probably a great product for DD}  What do you think?

Here’s a more realistic photo of a Chicken Parmesan Flatbread Sandwich compliments of the guys over at We Rate Stuff. (Click on the link for their unbiased review on the sandwich)

**To make matters worse (much worse) I heard a commercial for the Chicken Parm Flatbread Sandwich a few weeks ago.  The commercial revolved around an Italian American “tough guy” with an accent making threats to someone to try the sandwich.  I tried to find it online but couldn’t.  I haven’t heard it since but I’m hoping that the Ad Agency or Brand Manager at DD smartened up and pulled it.

When my mother was growing up in Calabria most families made their own bread because they simply couldn’t afford to buy it.  What they also did was share yeast in a very creative way.  After making the dough, they would put a small piece aside (that already included yeast) and they would use it to make the next batch of bread.

They would also share this “yeast dough”  with neighbors and friends that were making bread and retrieve it from whoever last made bread to continue the process.  The small piece of dough was placed in a bowl and covered until someone asked for it.  It often formed a hard outer shell but the inside was soft and could be added to a new batch of dough.

A great way to save money during tough times.