following up on the project that was left unfinished 9 months ago. cantuccini biscuits. cut half as thick as usual and filled with raisins rehydrated with vin santo. this idea was stumbled upon a while back on studiokitchen. the raisins are pressure cooked with vin santo for 40 minutes. the lid is removed and rest of the vin santo is left to reduce. if you have chosen a good vin santo that is not too sweet you may want to add a handful of sugar to the reducing liquid.
traditional biscotti from the city of prato just north of florence. famous the world over flavoured with vanilla and almonds. some recipes with butter others without. often served with vin santo as they are often not only dry but very hard. to minimize hardness don't overwork, and add a little baking powder if it is not included in the recipe.
these biscotti are the classic example for explaining the twice cooked aspect of traditional biscotti.
unbaked biscotti.
halfbaked biscotti. cooked enough to be cut. and sufficiently coloured.
they are then cut...
and finally baked again. until completely hardened. but not coloured further.
chocolate sponge cake, apricot jam, chocolate hazelnut glaze
so italians like sacher torte. but without really knowing it they like it different than it is actually made originally. strangely while they like their biscotti dry, they like their cakes moist. austrian sacher is far too dry. and austrians traditionally of course, get around this with a huge dollop of freshly whipped cream. the filling is still apricot jam, but they also often, though not always, make changes to the glaze. traditional sacher is generally has a type of chocolate frosting. italians prefer a moister glaze most often as this one, part hazelnut paste.
baccelli e pecorino - raw fava beans and pecorino cheese
there are few things that herald spring in florence like this simple dish. especially because eating fava beans raw requires that they are young. in a few months the beans become too large and are covered in a thick skin that is unpleasant to eat. at this point they can of course be peeled. (a thankless task performed in restaurants when the head chef hasn't had the time to change the menu yet...) i've seen florentines almost in tears in anticipation of this dish... and the the accompanying spring.
bulb fennel, orange filets, pine nuts, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil
a fresh salad that almost changes its character with the seasons. in many ways, just as appropriate in the summer as in the winter. at pane e vino here in florence we served this with mashed anchovies in the vinaigrette. another addition are often raisins. pairs wonderfully with fish.
burrata is a fresh cheese specialty of the puglia region similar but different to mozzarella. it is similar in the sense that they are both made from water buffalo milk (though of course a large part of the production is now cow's milk, in both cases) and that they are made from a similar process. they are both pulled cheeses. but burrata is filled with single curds and the freshest cream. to see it in action. check it out here.
these are cherry tomatoes specifically called ciliegini in italian. (ciliegia being a cherry). the best of these come from the southeastern tip of sicily an area called pachino. and the cherry tomatoes from there are an IGP product. but there are other types of small tomatoes here in italy. much loved are also datterini or little 'dates' as pictured below. which are basically small plum tomatoes.
bocconcini di pomodorini, burrata e basilico - burrata filled cherry tomato bites
springtime has arrived in florence and it seemed like it was time to freshen things up.
a simple spin on the traditional mozzarella and tomato caprese. it's not necessary to use burrata, a creamier version of mozzarella, but burrata is beautiful...
product posts coming.
trenette di farro in cacio e pepe - cacio e pepe with long farro pasta
the classic roman pasta sauce on a modern whole grain pasta. whole wheat pasta and pasta from different types of grains are becoming popular in italy. this is a long pasta made from farro (a type of spelt). but popular are also pasta made from kamut an ancient grain originating from ancient egypt. and barilla has brought out a line of pasta based on various beans etc.
what i find discouraging is that most of theses pasta are simply substituted one for one, as simply a healthier version, without any thought given to whether the pasta makes sense with given sauce. for instance, wholegrain pasta with tomatoe sauce. tastes very 'healthy', and is maybe good in that sense, but it's not really a great match. personally i find whole grain pasta go well with rich cheese sauces. an earthy balance to the rich creaminess. hence the roman classic cacio e pepe. meaning literally cheese and pepper. already in southern tuscany the locals prefer to call cheese cacio instead of the more common italian formaggio. the cheese sauce emulsion is based solely on a little olive oil and pasta cooking water (the starch in the water helps hold the emulsion). the cheese of traditional choice is pecorino romano, though this is very salty and is often mixed with parmesan. traditional everything is meant to be mixed in the pan. but more often than not its too hot and the cheese coagulates before it has a chance to emulsify in the liquids. my solution. immersion blender. a little hot pasta water. a little olive oil. wait a moment for the hot water to cool a little then add a little cheese. blend. too thin add more cheese. too thick add more water. mix with the pasta and be generous with the pepper.
and with farro pasta, its like deciding to grab the dark bread with the cheese plate.
Project Food Lab hopes to explore modern Italian food possibilities, creative, but also traditional, backed by thorough research into traditions, product knowledge, and techniques.
Recent Comments