Thursday, February 27, 2014

Italian salsa verde


While we say that we are green with envy in English, the Italians associate positive feelings with this color, verde speranza literally meaning that green is the color of hope.
It makes perfect sense when you think of it: green is so vibrant, the color of all things fresh and new. Just looking out onto a green meadow or up at a canopy of leaves instantly relaxes our mind and brings peace to our soul.
Green in food is often associated to good health: green vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins and fiber (think leafy greens), not to mention healthy fats (avocado, olives). Green is the color of medicinal plants and herbs used for centuries to cure all kinds of ailments.

There is a very popular green sauce in Italy that derives from an ancient recipe, presumably first brought to the country from the Middle East by the Romans, who then in turn proceeded to spread it to the present day France, Spain and Germany.
Each country (and in Italy specifically every region, town and household) has its own version. I spoke to friends from different areas in Piedmont, famous for its "bagnet vert" (which literally means little green dip) served with tongue or mixed boiled meats, and their families all use different ingredients and preparation methods. Some add hard-boiled egg yolks, some use both lemon and vinegar, others like to mix in some gherkins. Some prepare it a few days in advance for extra flavor, others make it fresh and chop the ingredients by hand. I even came across some recipes that require the base to be heated in a pan with olive oil.
Traditionally this sauce is used to accompany boiled meats, but it works great on grilled vegetables, toasted crusty farmer's bread or fish (we had it with swordfish the other night).
It takes five minutes to make and can be stored in the fridge for days.

Does a form of salsa verde exist where you come from? If so, how do you make it?
3 anchovies
50gr red or white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp capers in vinegar
100gr extra virgin olive oil
80gr stale white bread, without crust
120gr flat leaf parsley

Cut the stale bread into cubes, after ridding it of the crust, and soak it in vinegar. Clean and chop the parsley using a knife, mezzaluna or food processor (although the traditionalists will be gasping just about now!) together with the garlic (it is a traditional ingredient, but I don't always use it), capers, anchovies, bread and olive oil.
Ok, I used whole baguette... it worked fine

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

How to clean an Italian artichoke step-by-step

I have loved artichokes since I can remember, long before moving to the largest artichoke producer in the world.
As a young child, I remember ordering the large, green globes in French restaurants, pulling the steamed leaves off one at a time and dipping them into melted butter.
In Italy, however, the most commonly found artichokes are not as large and round. Sure, a larger variety exists here too, the Romanesco artichoke, but smaller varieties, some of which are extremely thorny, are more readily available. They taste every bit as delicious as the globe shaped ones, but their leaves are not quite as fleshy and getting to the deliciousness hidden in their core is a little more arduous.
Prettier than a bouquet of flowers
For years I was intimidated at the thought of cleaning them but it didn't matter because in most Italian markets they clean them before/while selling them.
That is not always the case, however. And if you buy them at the supermarket, the uncleaned ones are much cheaper than the cleaned ones, not to mention they stay fresher longer than the latter. So learning this very simple skill can be useful, especially because spring is - supposedly - right around the corner and artichokes have started appearing a-plenty around here.
The first thing you will need to prepare when cleaning an artichoke is a large bowl of water with some lemon juice or vinegar in it, to keep oxidation at bay. Artichokes (and your finger nails) will tend to turn brown as soon as you start cutting them.
The next step is to get rid of the outer, tougher leaves. A suggestion: always throw out more than you think you need to, even the slightest resistance is off-putting when you are chewing. Trust me.

Then you cut off the tip. Here the same rule applies: cut off more than you think necessary. You want only the tenderest part of the vegetable.
The last (or first if you prefer) step is to shorten the stem. Here is another tip: do not throw them out!!! If you peel off the stringy outer layer, the inside is perfectly edible and delicious, which makes sense when you think it is just a extention of the heart (that we all know is the best part, right?).
Whenever you have a cleaned artichoke and stem, drop it into the bowl of acidulated water.
At this point you can go many ways. You can cook the artichokes whole or in several other ways. This variety of artichoke is small enough that you can eat the whole choke without a problem. But if you are stuffing them or cutting them into pieces for a recipe, you will now proceed to cleaning the choke out.
If you are dealing with a whole artichoke, spread open the leaves and scoop out the inner choke with a sturdy spoon. If you will be using them in pieces anyway, cut them in halves or quarters and proceed to clean with a spoon or paring knife.
Now that they are clean, go crazy!
You can make frittata, you can braise them with potaoes, parsley and garlic like I did (the trick is that the potatoes soak up all the flavor and taste like artichoke hearts too), you can use them in a risotto or a pasta sauce. Another typical preparation is to slice them very thinly and eat them raw with Parmesan flakes and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. It may sound bizzarre but it is delicious. Or you could steam them and preserve them in olive oil for when they will no longer be in season.
If, on the other hand, you are lazy and don't want all the fuss or you have some lovely Romanesco artichokes, skip this post (too late!) eat them like this.




Monday, February 17, 2014

Trattoria dei Bracconieri - a different way to spend a day on Lake Como

The great thing about living in a city like Milan is its proximity to so many beautiful and interesting places. And although Milan may not be considered as beautiful as other Italian towns and cities, it makes up for its looks with lots of glamour and its strategic positioning: whether you are into nature, history, architecture, art or just plain good food, when visiting Milan all you have to do is pick.

The Alps (some of the most beautiful mountains in the world), Italy's three most impressive lakes (Como, Maggiore, Garda), lovely cities (Brescia, Como, Bergamo, Turin, Mantova, Venice, Bologna) and stunning coasts (Portofino, Cinque Terre)  are just a short drive away. Not to mention the proximity of Tuscany and Rome and several European countries (France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia) if you have a couple of days to spare.
When it comes to food, Milan has a lot to boast too: Michelin-starred restaurants, historical eateries, places you go to see and be seen; but I figure that if you are reading a food blog and you are planning a trip over, you probably have already researched and easily found all the information you need.
This is the main reason I don't blog about restaurants very often. This and the fact that I have two little ones, which have somewhat diminished my fancy dining experiences of late. So when I do write about a place they are usually places in the area that I discover with my family: good food, reasonable prices, child-friendly (which doesn't per se mean they are full of loud, screaming children - just that they are casual enough to bring children), the kind of place you will not find in a guide or that your hotel will most likely not recommend because they simply aren't on the radar. I tell you about the kind of off-the-beaten-track places I would like to know about when I travel.
Last week we took an American friend who was staying with us to Como. It had been raining for days when he arrived and because it is the middle of winter, it did not seem like the best time to take a boat ride to see the famous and impressive villas that surround the lake. Our plan was to take him to the city that has become the lake's namesake, Como, a town whose historical wealth (thanks to silk manufacturing and because it is a border town) is reflected in its opulent architecture, definitely worth seeing.

We however wanted our friend to be able to admire the beauty of the lake so we decided to take the funicular up to the town of Brunate, a place none of us had ever been. After a little research we found a place that perfectly suited our  needs: a simple, rustic trattoria. A place that offered a view and, according to comments on Tripadvisor, not bad, overpriced food for tourists.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Dried fruit truffles (a healthy, vegan, sugar free, slow carb snack that is much more delicious than it sounds!)


Girls are girls from the minute they enter this world, I don't care what they say about nature vs. nurture.

I never brought up my daughter as a girly girl and went as far as putting a ban on pink during my pregnancy and the first half year of her life. Admittedly, a phase that did not last very long, thanks to overeager relatives (she was and still is the only female in a pretty large group of cousins) and that unstoppable process that makes parents do a string of things they swore smugly they would never do before actually becoming one.

Nevertheless, my daughter has grown up wearing pants more than dresses and "sensible" colors so that certain clothing items can be passed down to her little brother when she grows out of them. When it comes to toys, we have never denied her Barbie dolls or princess accessories, but we try to keep a pretty gender neutral approach in general.
This has not mitigated the traits in her that are so often ascribed to the female population in the least. She is a real chatterbox, extremely curious, very observant (as in nothing goes unnoticed) and loves clothes, hair, make up and jewelry.  She has been known to make earrings out of stickers, paperclips, fruit and flowers and is always excited to receive the sparkly Disney merchandising I so abhor as presents. She is undeniably a girl. A jeans-clad, sneaker-wearing girl with a glittery soul.

If I wear an old sweater I haven't worn for a while I immediately get asked "Did you go shopping?". If she is in the kitchen doing her homework and I tell her brother off in the bedroom, you can bet your bottom dollar that her head will be sticking through the doorway, neck craning, to see what is happening. She can hear you say something from the other end of the apartment even if you think she is busy dancing and singing, and will come up and enquire about it with insistence. Discreet she is not.

She ooohs and aaaahs on the rare occasions I wear heels.

The other day, the minute I walked into the kitchen after getting ready, she looked up at the very thin stripe of eyeliner I had applied and exclaimed: "Mommy, that black line on your eyes is sooo pretty!". My son is still trying to find it.