Chicca NYC

No doubt that people of Veneto are nicknamed Polentoni

2011-02-26T17:11:00.001-08:00

POLENTA

Polenta is a recipe typical of North of Italy and in particular of Veneto where polenta is very rich and deeply rooted. Always it has been defined as the "dish of the poor,” polenta is the basis of many recipe thanks to his goodness and simplicity: the polenta, in fact, is nothing but a mixture of water and cereal flour, cooked in a pot.
Contrary to popular belief, not only does the polenta with the flour corn, but can be prepared with a variety of cereals and even with chestnuts flour.
The origins of polenta have their roots in antiquity, the period when Christopher Columbus returned from America and he brought with him a plant that it has never been seen in Europe: the corn or maize.
Colombo said that the natives of the Americas used to prepare a kind of mixture with corn flour and water, which was then cooked and enriched with sauces, vegetables, meat or cheese.
Once the maize had been planted, it grew very prosperous above all in the northern part of Italy and for this great abundance and its low cost; it became the favorite food of the poor, especially the farmers who cultivated it. Since the polenta tastes very "neutral", it is very easily adaptable, then the farmers found many variations to combine this food, that is very nutritious and inexpensive, with other existing recipes typical of our country. Nowadays, the recipes for polenta that they have been passed down by our fellow mountaineers, and all recipes are very good such as: fried polenta, polenta and Osei, and the famous polenta and taragna.
Polenta
Ingredients
Water
1 liter
Corn meal (corn) 1 / 2 kg
Sale
1 tablespoon
Preparation
First put a pot over high heat with salt water and bring it to boil. Then add the cornmeal a little at a time, not very slowly cause the formation of those pesky curb called in technical jargon "Fraticelli", and started to mix it all with a beautiful wooden spoon. Keep stirring in the same direction, mixing the upper layer with the more shallow depths to mix the mixture well. If the polenta begins to become too hard and compact, then add a ladle of hot water to make it softer.
After about 40 minutes, during which you will have continued to turn
undeterred polenta, it starts to break away from the edges of the pot and
in theory it may already be served at the table but, the polenta is cooked more than is good then continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
Once cooked, pour the polenta on the traditional wooden cutting board and
it brings to the table hot, already sliced.

Polenta with radicchio sausage with red wine
Ingredients - radicchio - Refosco red wine - cold polenta.

Preparation Clean the radish, place in bowl and season. In a pan fry in hot oil with sausage and radicchio blend with the wine, to thicken and serve on soft polenta. Wine flanking Refosco

Polenta

Ingredienti Acqua 1 litro Farina gialla (di mais) 1/2 kg Sale 1 cucchiaio Preparazione

Per prima cosa mettete su fuoco vivo una pentola con l'acqua salata e portatela ad ebollizione. Aggiungete quindi la farina gialla un pò alla volta, molto lentamente per non provocare la formazione di quei fastidiosi grumetti chiamati in gergo tecnico "fraticelli", e iniziate a mescolare il tutto con un bel mestolo di legno. Continuate a mescolare sempre nello stesso verso, miscelando lo strato più profondo con quello più superficiale fino ad amalgamare il composto per bene. Se la polenta comincia a diventare troppo dura e compatta, allora aggiungete un mestolo d'acqua calda per renderla più morbida. Dopo circa 40 minuti, durante i quali voi avrete continuato a girare imperterriti la polenta, questa inizia a staccarsi dai bordi della pentola ed in teoria potrebbe già essere servita in tavola ma, la polenta più si cuoce più viene buona quindi continuate la cottura per altri 20 minuti. Terminata la cottura, la polenta si versa sul tradizionale tagliere in legno e si porta in tavola calda, già tagliata a fette.

Polenta e radicchio con salame al vino rosso

Ingredienti - radicchio rosso - vino rosso refosco - polenta fredda.

Risotto alla milanese con osso buco una tradizione milanese

2011-02-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

Cucina e gastronomia

Parlare di una gastronomia Lombarda è molto difficile ma se vogliamo trovare un minimo comun denominatore gastronomico, appare chiaro che quella Lombarda è cucina di lardo e di burro (come quasi ovunque sopra la linea dell'Appennino), in cui prevalgono le tecniche di lunga cottura, come la lessatura e la stufatura, in cui la pasta è arrivata solo recentemente ad avere diffusione di massa e a usurpare in qualche modo il ruolo storicamente acquisito dal riso e dalle polente.
E' dunque cucina di brodi, di pucie, cioè di sughi, e di zuppe: cucina di cucchiaio, più che di forchetta.
E' una cucina dove si possono gustare piatti della tradizione padana o alpina, (il risotto alla pitocca e quello alla certosina, il vitel toné, i tortelli di zucca, i casonsei bergamaschi ecc.) oppure i formaggi (le bresaole, il gorgonzola, il grana e la maggior parte dei formaggi tipici, la mostarda cremonese, le cipolline sott'aceto e il pan de mej).
Noi martedi proponiamo il classico risotto alla Milanese, la cosa che caratteizzza questo risotto e’ l’aggiunto di zaffereno alla base tipica di qualsiasi risotto. Il risotto allla Milanese segue d’obbligo la scelta dell’osso buco. Per essere un vero osso buco alla Milanese non puo che mancare la Gremolata, un composto di aglio, prezzemolo, buccia di limone, la salvia e il rosmarino. Che si fa cadere come neve sull’osso buco cucinato. Gremolata serve ad allegerire il sapore forte dell’osso buco. Passando al nostro dessert ci muoviamo nella citta di Cremona. Gia il nome ci ricorda una base della pasticceria italiana la crema. Dopo aver degustato un piatto forte come l’osobuco ci delizieremo con un dolce a base di crema e mascarpone. Il mascarpone costituisce la base di molte farcie per paste o carni e di una varietà infinita di creme da dessert. Di queste ultime già Pantaleone da Confienza forniva nel 1477 la ricetta base:"... al mascarpone si mischiano dell'acqua di rose e un bel po' di zucchero".
Al posto dell'acqua di rose si sono utilizzati negli ultimi due secoli, l'amaretto, il maraschino, il brandy, il rum e, nei nostri anni, persino l'onnipresente limoncello.
Il gusto del mascarpone, così tondo e cremoso è in grado di armonizzare anche questo. Ma Cremona è anche una delle città più famose per la produzione di torrone. Si narra che per il matrimonio di Francesco Sforza con Bianca Maria Visconti, che fu celebrato a Cremona nel 1441, i pasticcieri di corte, proposero ai commensali un dolce a base di uova, mandorle e miele che riproduceva il famoso Torrazzo, la torre campanaria della Cattedrale. Ai nostri giorni il torrone si mangia esclusivamente durante le feste natalizie.
Durante la preparazine di questi piatti tipici Lombardi degusteremo un antipasto di formaggi tipici accompagnato dalla nostra focaccia Bianca un best seller di chicca restautrant con un buon vino bianco.\Vi aspetto come sempre alla mia tavola

Antonia

OSSO BUCO

Ingredienti

Ossobuchi di vitello (n.6, da 250 g ciascuno), burro (60 g), vino bianco (1 bicchiere), buccia di limone (di 1/2 frutto), aglio (1/2 spicchio), salvia (2 foglie), rosmarino (1 rametto), prezzemolo (30 g), brodo (q.b.), farina 00 (q.b.), sale (q.b.), pepe (q.b.)

Osso Buco
Ingredients
Ossobuco calf (No. 6, 250 g each), butter (60 g), white wine (1 cup), lemon peel (for 1 / 2 fruit), garlic (1 / 2 clove), sage (2 leaves ), rosemary (1 sprig), parsley (30 g), soup (to taste), flour 00 (to taste), salt (to taste), pepper (to taste)

Preparazione

Infarinare gli ossibuchi. In un largo tegame farli rosolare in metà del burro. Bagnare con il vino e lasciare evaporare. Regolare di sale e pepe. Coprire il tegame e fare cuocere su fuoco basso rigirandoli di tanto in tanto e bagnandoli con il brodo secondo necessità. Nel frattempo preparare le gremolata tritando finemente l'aglio, il prezzemolo, la buccia di limone, la salvia e il rosmarino. Poco prima di servire unire la gremolata all'intingolo insieme al rimanente burro.

Preparation
Flour the shanks. In a large pan fry in half the butter. Add wine and let evaporate. Add salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook on low heat turning them from time to time, and spraying with the broth as needed. Meanwhile, prepare the gremolata, finely chopped garlic, parsley, lemon peel, sage and rosemary. Just before serving, add the gremolata all'intingolo with the remaining butter.

RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE

Ingredienti

200 g di riso, 1,2 litro di brodo, una manciata di prezzemolo, un poco di burro, parmigiano grattugiato.zafferano

Ingredients
200 g of rice, 1.2 liter of broth, a handful of parsley, a little butter, grated Parmesan cheese. Saffron
Preparation
In a large pot pour the broth, bring to a boil and add rice. Wash the parsley and chop finely.
When cooked, add to the soup a little butter and chopped parsley. When the rice is almost cooked, Strain saffron dissolved in the broth, pressing the pistils still whole with a spoon and add the resulting liquid to the rice and let it finish cooking.
Before serving, add the remaining butter, half the grated cheese and stir well to mix. Serve with plenty of grated cheese.

Preparazione

In una casseruola capiente versate del brodo, portate ad ebollizione ed aggiungete il riso. Lavate il prezzemolo e tritatelo finemente.
A cottura ultimata, unite alla minestra un pò di burro ed il prezzemolo tritato. Quando il riso è quasi cotto, passate al colino lo zafferano sciolto nel brodo, schiacciando i pistilli ancora interi con un cucchiaio e aggiungete il liquido così ottenuto al risotto e lasciate finire la cottura.
Prima di servire, unite il restante burro, metà del formaggio grattugiato e mescolate bene per amalgamare. Servite in tavola con abbondante formaggio grattugiato.

piemonte Mais in tutti i modi

2011-02-08T11:49:00.001-08:00

MAIS IN TUTTI I MODI

Per le popolazioni povere del nord d’Italia il granturco ha costruito a lungo un cibo di sussistenza sotto forma di pane o polenta mentre I contadini del sud , la coltivazione del mais era poco praticata per caranza di acqua. Quindi I contadini del sud usavano sopratutto farina bianca.

Studiando la regione del Piemonte e’ d’obbligo dare una spiegazione ai diversi tipi di Mais:

- il mais chiamato DENTATO si impiega solo come mangime per gli animali

- il mais chiamato VITREO si impiega per fare la farina.

- Il mais DOLCE si consuma direttamente in grani

Il mais dolce e’ poco usato in Italia. Ultimamente si usa solamente in aggiunte per condire le insalate

Mentre la farina di mais, bianca o gialla, si usa da tempo ed e' una tradizione tipica del nord d’Italia di prepararla durante le giornate invenali. come per esempio una polenta leggere da gustare solamente condita con del formaggio tipico locale. E' anche interessante l’uso della farina di mais per preparare la pasta all’uovo, crespelle, pane, biscotti e dolce. Il risultato migliore e' dato dalla mescolanza di farina di mais con farina di frumento o farro che forniscono una base che evidenzia il sapore del mais e contemporaneamente ne stempera le note estreme.

For the poor people in northern Italy corn has built a long subsistence food in form of bread or polenta. Instead for the peasants of the south, the cultivation of maize was impractical for the absence of water. So the farmers the South used especially white flour for their recipes.
Studying the region of Piedmont is a must to explain the different types of corn:

- TOOTHED corn is used only as feed for animals
- Corn called VITREOUS is used to make flour.
- SWEET corn is consumed directly in grain

The sweet corn is very little used in Italy. Lately, the only use is in addition to season the salad.
While the corn flour, white or yellow, is in used for some time and it is a tradition in northern Italy to make polenta during cold days of winter. Simple recipes such polenta topped with the cheese is an example. It is also interesting to use the corn flour to prepare: egg noodles, pancakes, bread, biscuits and sweet. The best result is given by the mixture of corn flour with wheat or barley flours. The mixture provide a foundation that highlights the flavor of corn and simultaneously dilutes the notes extreme of it.

TORTINO DI MAIS AL GUSTO DI SAMBUCA.

200 gr. burro

250 g. di farina di mais

200 gr. zucchero

3 cucchiai di latte

2 uova

1 bicchierino di sambuca

cacao in polvere

Mescolate accuratamente il burro con lo zucchero, incorporate poco alla volta le uova sbattute, poi la farina , iI latte e la sambuca. Imburrate e infarinate una tortiera e versate il composto , poi fate cuocere in forno a 180 gradi per 30 minuti.

Lasciate raffredare la torta, cospargerla con il cacao e spolverate la torta con zucchero a velo

Vino: Moscato naturale d’Asti

200 gr. Butter

250 g. corn flour
200 gr. sugar

3 tablespoons milk
2 eggs

1 shot of sambuca
cocoa powder

Mix thoroughly the butter and sugar, gradually incorporated the beaten eggs, then flour, milk and sambuca. Grease and flour a cake pan and pour the mixture. Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. Let the cake cool, sprinkle with cocoa and powdered sugar.

Wine: Moscato d'Asti natural

Zuppa alla Valpellinense

2011-01-29T06:47:00.000-08:00

While farmers were preparing their soup with rye bread and vegetables in season, the gentlemen loved to taste the soup broth enriched with meat, cheese and butter. Among those zuppe the most famous is the " la Zuppa alla Valpellinese " Even the bread was not the same for farmers and for the first signori. The wealthy ate fresh white bread. He poor people the black bread. The black bread was prepared once a year involving the entire family, while the women kneaded, the men took care of the wood stove in the country.
The cooking was careful and meticulous, and when the bread came out of the oven was a great feast.
Once dried, it became very hard and was used to cut the "Copapan", a kind of iron knife that can still be found in craft shops. Placing it for a few minutes to soak in the soup, milk, or, if on the other, water, and then softened this bread.

Ingredienti (per 4 persone)

1 litro e mezzo di brodo
1 verza
4 etti di fontina
mezzo kg di pane bianco (casereccio) tagliato a fette
cannella in polvere
150 grammi di burro.

Preparazione

In una pirofila, disponete a strati il pane e la fontina, terminando con lo strato di fontina.
Fate bollire la verza nel brood. Aggiungete il brodo sul pane e attendete che il tutto si ammorbidisca, aggiungendo poi il burro fuso (molto caldo) sull’ultimo strato. Spolverate con cannella; passate in forno già caldo (200-220°) e lasciate cuocere per circa 40 minuti, fino a quando la fontina non diverrà dorata, iniziando a formare una crosta. Servitela calda.

Ingredients (serves 4)
• 1 and a half liters of broth
• 1 cabbage
• 4 ounces fontina
• half a kilogram of white bread (homemade), sliced
• cinnamon powder
• 150 grams of butter

Preparation
In a baking dish, arrange layers of bread and fontina, the layer of fontina.
Boil the cabbage in the brood. Add the broth over the bread and wait until it all softens, then melted butter (very hot) the last layer. Sprinkle with cinnamon; past in a preheated oven (200-220 degrees) and cook for about 40 minutes, until golden fontina is starting to form a crust. Serve hot.

Regional italian cooking classes

2011-01-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

Buon giorno,

The new section of Learn the Italian through the love of food is ready to start. We open our class with Aosta Valley Cuisine. This cuisine is rustic and simple, which are mainly soup, game and cheeses. The soup has very ancient origins and is often made with rye bread slices, cheese and cabbage, as the soupe a la Valpellinenze. We start to prepare this recipe as our first course.

Being in the mountains, cannot miss the classic fonduta prepared with the traditional Val D’ Aosta cheese: Fontina, whose name originates dall’alpeggio Font. We prepare it with flan of cabbage. A typical dish of meat is the Soca, cooked beef with fontina cheese and cabbage. The idea is to learn different dishes using 3 or 4 regional ingridiens such as Fontina cheese, Verza and Mele. For dessert we are going to prepare the Hockiene better known as Fritelle di mela

2011-01-08T05:29:00.001-08:00

I just got back from Italy and with the help of the time zone I have a few more minutes in the morning to think. Wake up with the colors of dawn when even the kids are asleep, relaxes my mind. I go to sleep and I get up with the same delemma my cooking classes? Enthusiasm sometimes falls but the will remains. My little space in the Big Apple. Sometimes I wish I had the recipe in my hands. A little salt, extra-verigne oil and so on and if you use the right ingredients with the right dose is the result guaranteed. In life instead becomes more complicated. You must find the hidden ingredient that changes an idea into a business.
In December, having completed the first course to learn Italian attravero food. With my 5 or 6 more or less devoted students the basic course is taken off. The second step, the course should be moving through the Italian regions following a path from North to South . To use seasonal ingredients I thought I would start from the regions of Northern Italy. Then move on to spring with the regional recipes of the center and finally conclude with the recipes of southern Italy in the summer..

The appointment is 'planned for mid-January and I would like to visit the Val D'Aosta. I hope and I wish that my class gets bigger.

verdure in pastella

2010-12-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

Ingredienti per 10 persone:

Verdure in pastella

Farina 300g,/ flour

Sale fino un pizzico,/ solt

4 uova,/eggs

Birra 1/4 di litro,/ beer

olio si semi / vegable oil

1 kg di zucchine/ zucchini

1kg di melanzane/ eggplants

3 carciofi/ artichokes

200ml latte/mlk

400 gr. Caciocavallo cheese

It is Italian tradition, I would say more' in the Lazio, that for Christmas Eve is used to prepare the vegetables in batter. Since Christmas Eve it is vigilia where we can not eat meat so it is typical to serve vegetables in batter as a starter, followed by a dish of fish.

Merry Christmas and a happy appetite at all

Preparazione:
Cominciamo con l’approntare la pastella,unendo in una terrina la farina con il sale, le 4 uova intere e il latte.Far riposare per circa 1/2ora.Nel frattempo lavare e spuntare le zucchine e le altre verdure tagliandole poi longitudinalmente o come richiedete dalla vostra verdura, spargere del sale fino;Prendete una padella e versate l’olio di semi e mettetela su un fuoco alto;

Nel mentre mettere nella pastella in sequenza le zucchine ed le altre verdure e infine le melanzane, friggendoli via via nell’olio profondo.Prelevate quando siano ben dorati e deponetele su carta assorbente da cucina;Trasferire gli ortaggi fritti nel piatto di portata e solo allora salare;

Spargere sul fritto le scaglie di caciocavallo piccante e mandare in tavola.La frittura e’ ottima calda, ma resta buona e gustosa anche da fredda.

Preparation

Let's start with the preparation of pastella, mixing the flour into a bowl with salt, 4 whole eggs and milk. Let stand for about 1/2ora.Meanwhile, wash and trim the zucchini and other vegetables, then cutting them lengthwise and sprink with salt;Take a pan and pour the vegetable oil and place it on a high heat, keep the tempature high.Meanwhile make inside the pastelle in sequence: zucchini and other vegetables and then at the end eggplants, deep frying it in oil gradually;Taken when they are golden brown and dispose them on paper towels;Transfer the fried vegetables in a dish and only then add salt;Pour over slices of spicy cheese called caciocavallo and serve them.Le Verdure in pastella are good warm, but still they are good and tasty even cold

Note: Note

Alcuni fanno la pastella eliminando le uova (intere e chiare) ed in luogo del ¼ di birra, usano un piccolo panetto di lievito di birra sciolto in ½ bicchiere d’acqua tiepido ed amalgamato alla farina ed agli altri ingredienti

Some make the pastella by removing the eggs (whole and clear) and place ¼ of beer, use a small packet of yeast dissolved in ½ cup of warm water and mixed with flour and other ingredients

Se ne ottiene ugualmente una buona pastella , ma è certamente meno ricca e perciò meno gustosa; del resto in cucina, come nella vita, le mezze misure non pagano o pagano poco: essere o non essere; tertium non datur!
It also gets a good pastella, but it is certainly less rich and therefore less tasty, the rest in the kitchen as in life, half-measures do not pay or pay little. To be or not to be: tertium non datur!

Vini: ovviamente Corposi vini rossi campani (Solopaca, Aglianico, Piedirosso, Taurasi) serviti a temperatura ambiente, se la preparazione è di contorno a pietanze di carni;

Wines: Red wines from Campania ,bodied such as Solopaca, Aglianico, Piedirosso, Taurasi

The red wine must serve at room temperature, if the preparation of frittura in pastella comes as side dish to the red meat.

Invece Vini secchi e profunati bianchi campani (Solopaca, Capri, Ischia, Falanghina, Fiano)

Instead dry white wine profunati from Campania such as Solopaca, Capri, Ischia, Falanghina, Fiano)

freddi di frigo, qualora la preparazione accompagni formaggi freschi o sia usata come antipasto.

White wine as usually must serve cold if the preparation of frittura in pastella comes as side dish to cheese or as appetizer .

punarelle con acciughe

2010-11-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

La Puntarella in salsa di acciughe.

The "puntarella", is a chicory of Orto. Apparently these are a kind of sprout that only grows near Roma at this time and that region's typical seasonal dishes. It has a pleasant taste to uses particularly to make it a salad very appetizing. Clean the puntarelle long (vertical) to achieve two, three or four parties, according to the size of the shaft. If it is too long, you should shorten, it but not below 12-15 centimeters. Wash and put them in fresh water and hold them for about a couple of hours and then well. In the meantime prepare a composed of garlic, diced anchovies, vinegar and oil extra-virgine olive oil. Make it in a food processor to obtain a sauce homogeneous. Seasoned the Puntarelle with the sauce.

La "puntarella"; è una cicoria di orto (catalogna) dal sapore gradevole di cui si utilizza particolarmente il fusto ancora tenero, fino alla cima, prima della fioritura, per farne un'insalata molto appetitosa. Capare le "puntarelle" togliendo sempre dal basso la corteccia, piuttosto dura, infine tagliarle per lungo (in senso verticale) ricavandone due, tre o quattro parti, secondo la grossezza del fusto. se sono molte lunghe, vanno accorciate, ma non al di sotto di dodici-quindici centimetri. lavarle e metterle in acqua fresca e tenerle a bagno, per farle arricciare, circa un paio di ore e poi sgocciolarle bene. nel frattempo preparare in un mortaio, preferibilmente di legno, un pesto composto di aglio, pezzettini di alici spinate, aceto e olio extravergine d'oliva. farne tutta una poltiglia per ottenere una salsa omogenea piuttosto liquida con cui condire le puntarelle e tenere a macerare in un recipiente coperto per almeno un'ora. servire in una zuppiera, versarvi sopra ancora un poco di salsina e mescolare bene.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana un sogno vegetariano

2010-11-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

An Italian friend tells me that eggplant parmigiana originates in Naples (where it's known as parmigiana di melanzane), and that it's impossible to find the genuine article outside that city. That may be true, but according to my aunts from Sicily that they used to make the best melanzane alla parmigiana ever, they swore that the Parmigiana originates in Sicily.The more important now is that It's not at all difficult to make an excellent parmigiana at home, and while the result might lack the authentic flavor of Italy, it should certainly please your family and dinner guests. The secret is as usually on the quality of ingredients.

Ingredients/ Ingredienti

2 large or 8 small eggplants /2 grandi o 8 piccole melanzane
Salt/ Sale
A little flour/ Un po di farina
Olive oil for frying/ Olio per friggerle
3 cups (12 fl oz, 360 ml) tomato sauce; or (500 g) can of tomatoes
3 tazze di sugo di pomodoro o 500 grammi di salsa
7 oz (200 g) mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
7 once o 200 grammi di mozzarella tagliata a fettine
1 cup (4oz, 100 g) parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 tazza 0 4 once, 100 grammi di parmigiano finemente grattato
A few leaves of fresh basil (optional)
Alcune foglie di basilico
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Sale e pepe

Method/ Metodo

Oven: Pre-heat to 375F, 190C./ orno a 375F, o 190C

Start by salting and pressing the eggplant. You need to do this several hours before you start the main part of the preparation. Cut the eggplant into ¼-inch (½ cm) slices, and arrange these on a large plate. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Place another plate on top, and then place something heavy on top of that (I use three or four heavy books).

When you are ready to start cooking, wash the eggplant thoroughly and dry with a paper towel. Coat each slice with a little flour, and fry it for a few minutes in the heated olive oil.

Next, arrange half the slices of eggplant at the bottom of an oven-proof dish. Pour on half the tomato sauce along with the basil, then add a layer of half of each of the cheeses. Repeat the process with another layer of eggplant, tomato and cheese, ending with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes, removing the lid about ten minutes before serving.

Alcuni consigliano di mettere le melanzane sotto sale per qualche ora, poi di risciacquarle, ma ora con le nuove melanzane coltivate queste operazioni sono inutili. E’ importante scegliere bene le melanzane. Lavate e asciugate le melanzane, privatele del gambo. Sbucciatele e tagliatele in fette sottili nel verso della lunghezza e friggetele subito nell’olio inarinandole. Ungete di burro una teglia, e quando tutte le melanzane saranno fritte, incominciate col disporle uno strato nella teglia. Condite questo strato con sugo d’umido o anche con una buona salsa di pomodoro, parmigiano grattato, nel quale avrete mescolato qualche foglia di basilico fresco tagliuzzata, e qualche fettina di mozzarella. Continuate cosi a disporre le melanzane a strati. Finche ne avrete, e ultimatelo col sugo.

Mettere al forno per circa 45 minuti.

SAPER SCEGLIERE

When buying eggplant, look for vegetables that are uniformly smooth and colored, without bruises. Squeeze the eggplant gently with a finger and then let go: The eggplant will reform smoothly again if it is fresh. The eggplant should feel heavy. Store eggplant in the refrigerator on a middle shelf, not in the crisper drawer. Our receipt call for salting the slices of eggplant before cooking to leech it of bitter juices. Modern eggplant cultivation has removed its bitterness so it's not absolutely necessary to do this. On the other hand, I salt eggplant out of habit.

2010-11-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

Pinzimonio

2010-10-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

In the last Italian cooking class at Chicca we tasted three different kinds of extra-virgin olive oil. One from Tuscany, one from Umbria and one from Sicily. We used the Pinzimonio. The name Pinzimonio is a combination of the word pinze, or tweezer and matrimonio, or mariage, refering to how to pinch the vegetable two fingers and merry it to the seasoned oil. ( molto romantico )

We cut the carrots, celery, fannel and radish in the shape of matchsticks and we dip it in extra-vergin oil seassoned with salt and pepper. Everybody agreed that the best combination was with the Sicilian extra-virgin oil. After some reasech I found out that the extra-virgin oil from Sicily is used the most with salad dressing, fresh vegetables and filled vegetables.

Brave mi complimento con voi senza saperlo avete scelto l'olio giusto per il giusto condimento.

The quality of oil depends on the type of pressing and the quality of extra-virgin olive oil is the finest grade. It is the resolt of the first pressing. In Italy they use the cold pressing above 60 degrees (F) because the heat destroy the antioxidants. A good extra-virgin olive oil has to have acid below 4%. The color goes from bright green to gloden - green.

San Marzano

2010-10-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Fumata bianca, White smoke emerged for the cooking class. Every Tuesday at 7:00 PM in a little village called New York a NYU professor and his wife a speech therapist, an advertising agent a professional fashion photographer and such and such meet at Chicca restaurant to share the one thing they have in common. Their passions of food, Italian language , and cooking. If you like to be part of these group join our Tuesday night class.

Last week we discussed why we should use San Marzano tomatoes for make a special tomato sauce.

San Marzano come from a small town of the same name near Naples, and were first grown in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Compared to the Roma Tomatoes with which most people are familiar, Marzano tomatoes are thinner and pointier in shape. The flesh is much thicker with fewer seeds, and the taste is much stronger, more sweet and less acidic.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil / ¼ di tazza di olio
1 can of pomodori San Marzano / 1 scatola di pomodori San Marzano
1 onions, minced / 1 cippola tagliata
1 cloves garlic, minced/ 1 spicchio d’aglio schiacciato
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add tomatoes, onions, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

2. Mix ingredients well; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve.

Procedimento

1. mettere una padella a fuoco medio e aggiungere la cipolla e l’aglio. Fare rosolore il tutto e aggiungere la scatola di pomodori San Marzano. Lasciare cuocere a fuoco lento per circa 30 minuti.

tips:

Never cut the garlic in little pieces but smack it

l'aglio non si taglia ma si schiaccia

After you have saute it put it away and use the oil to saute the onions

Dopo averlo fritto si toglie e si usa l'olio per friggere la cipolla

METTERE LE MANI IN PASTA

2010-09-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

METTERE LE MANI IN PASTA

In Italian “Mettere le mani in pasta “ is an expression that means to get involve in something, but in reality it means that you put your hands in the dough. Oh, how much my sisters and I loved spends Sunday mornings at my grandma’s house and gets dirty making the dough. We made our famous tagliatelle al ragu di carne with homemade pasta and then spent the rest of the morning preparing it all into a Sunday supper. My goal on Tuesday night at my Italian cooking class is to re-create the same ambience and learn how to make dough without recipe book. We don’t have to be intimated by rolling dough and stirring a ragu’. La chiave, e’ smplice, the key is simplicity: the impeccable ingredients: flour, water and, eggs. Then mettiamo le mani in pasta.

Ingredients

1 lb “O” flour, home made pasta is traditionally made with fine Type “O” pasta flour in Italy. This light white flour is high in protein and can also be used for pizza and bread making.

Pinch of salt, 1 cup of cold water 1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil 1 egg

1 Libra di farina tipo “0”, un pizzico di sale, 1 tazza di acqua fredda , 1 cucchiaio di olio extra-vergine di oliva , 1 uovo.

Recipe

Sit the flour and salt onto a wood cutting board. Shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Carefully pour the egg, water and oil into the well. Stir with the fork to incorporate the flour, a little at a time, into the water and oil until you have dough. Knead the dough pressing down on it with your palms until it is very firm. Cut the rolled-out pasta pasta sfoglia into narrow strips.

Mettere la farina e in sale nel centro su una tavoletta di legno. Ammucchiatela per poi aggiungere l’uovo nel centro. Iniziare ad aggiungere l’acuqua fino a creare la pasta per poi massaggiarla con le palme delle mani fino a che diventa una palla manleabile. Stenderla sulla tavoletta di legno con il mattarello per poi tagliare la sfoglia di pasta a striscioline possibilmente uguali

Modi di dire

L’acqua quardata non bolle mai

Don’t look at the simmer water, it will never boil.

Atlas pasta machine by Marcato $75 www.surlatable.com

Do follow up a dream (Seguire un desiderio )

2010-09-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

In Italy we have an expression: Segui il tuo sogno nel cassetto (follow your dream inside the drawer). It means follow your dream. Il mio sogno nel cassetto it was created as a space to share my passion for cooking, eating, and speaking the language of love.
My outrageous goal is to be able to pass on to you the kind of conversation that would come up over a dinner party in Italy and love the way it makes you feel.
Feeel comfort to say simple expression such "Un amaro per favore" or referring our next appointment as "Alla prossima ragazzi" .
Mirco can't wait to show you not only how to make fresh Tagliatelle all uovo but also how to color them red, green or black and of course much more....
I would like to start Italian cooking class with fun e divertimento as my intention. The time we will spend together, you will feel like you have ran off to Italy. See you all in my class.

Il bel far Niente (The beauty of doing nothing)

2010-09-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

August is over and with it " Il bel far niente " The beauty of doing nothing goes away with it, at least for Italians. August is the month of vacation. During my bel far niente I got the time to go to see Eat Pray Love. Even though I enjoyed the book more than the movie I was still very happy to se my hometown, Rome. The great fountains, the beautiful people, and the amazing food. Elizabeth Gilbert wants to learn not the language but how the Italians speak, how they enjoy life and food.
" The first meal I ate in Rome was Spaghetti alla Carbonara.. after I tried the veal." She did not mention which veal but I am pretty sure that it was Saltimbocca alla Romana. She ended with Tiramisu for desset. It sounded so delicious and I am very proud that everything she ate while she was in Rome is in our menu. As an Italian I can easily relate to Elizabeth Gilbert in her food/cultural journey, and as a restaurateur I have been dreaming about creating a class where the combination of fabulous elements of Italian cuisine is connected with Italian language. www.chiccanyc.com is the website for the Italian cooking classes.
From the menu of Chicca I introduce to you the Spaghetti alla carbonara:

Ingredients Ingredienti
1 pound spaghetti 1 pound di Spaghetti
2 Tbs butter 2 cucchiai di burro
3 Tbs extra-vergin oil 3 cucchiai di olio extra vergine
4 ounces di pancetta 4 once di pancetta
1/3 cup dry white wine 1/3 bicchiere di vino bianco secco
2 eggs 2 uova
4 Tbs pecorino cheese, freshly grated 4 cucchiai di pecorino grattugiato fresco
1 Tbs of flat-leaf parsley 1 cucchiaio prezzemolo tagliato
1/4 cup onion finely diced 1/4 di cipolla tagliata a pezzettini
Salt Sale
Ground black pepper Pepe nero machinato

Direction Procedimento

Bring 4 quart to boil in a large pot. Portare ad ebolizione una pentola piena di
add the salt acqua e aggiungere un pugno di sale grosso.
Put the butter and olive oil in a
skillet over a medium heat Mettere in una padella olio e burro a fuoco
medio.
When the butter is melted add the Quando il burro si e' sciolto aggiungere la
and onion and pancetta. la pancietta e la cipolla.
Cook the onion and pancietta is Fate rosolare la pancetta e la cipolla.
browned.
Add the wine until it has reduced Aggiungere il vino fino che si reduce della
by half and remove from the heat. meta e poi spegnete il fuoco.
When the water is boiling add the Quando l'acqua e' in ebolizione buttere la
pasta and let them cook for about pasta e fatela cucinare per circa 7 minuti.
7 minutes.
In a mixing bowl beat the eggs with In un recipiente sbattere le uova con il
cheese parsley, a pinch of salt and pecorino, prezzemolo e pepe.
black pepper.
When the pasta is cooked return the Scolare la pasta al dente e versatela sulla
skillet with the pancetta and onion padella dove avete soffritto la pancetta e
to a high heat. Drain the pasta on la cipolla e accendere il fuoco.
it, and add the bowl with the eggs Versate il recipiente con le ouva e il peco-
and cheese mixture. rino nella padella e amalgamate il tutto
Toss well, until the pasta is coated da formare una salsa cremosa e filante.
with the egg and cheese.
Serve immediately. Servite la pasta al momento.

Carbonara prende il nome da Carbone per il colore nero del pepe.
Carbonare get the name from Carbone (coal )The color of Black pepper.

The Italian Coffee Cultural Phenomenon

2010-08-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Un buon cafe is what I desiderata the most when I wake up in the morning. When I was in Italy I was woken up by good aroma of a coffee. And now it is printed in my memory. I loved the dark reddish-brown foam called crema or schiuma . The coffee made at home by Moka doesn't come out with that crema. Still there is a way to make it. Espresso coffee is a religion to Italians and they certainly know the difference between a good espresso and a not -so-good one. The flavor of stove top espresso coffee depends greatly on brand. Now in all United States you can easily find Lavazza or Illi brand . Lavazza is less expensive than Illi. Lavazza (250 gr.) costs $5.99 and Illi $13. If you decide for Lavazza the best choice is the black line made for espresso.
In any Italian home there is a moka pot better known as a macchinetta del cafe'. Bialetti made the first one. With moka machine it is easy to make a good Italian coffee.
Instruction/istruzioni per l'uso
1) Fill the boiler with water almost up to the safety release valve
2) Insert the funnel-shape metal filter and fill it up with coffee
3) Screwed the upper part on the base
4) Place the moka over medium heat
5) When the coffee is ready the Moka makes a characteristic gurgling noise
6) When the upper chamber has been filled removed it from the stove.
7) Espresso is ready and you can smell the aroma

Homemade reddish-brown foam
a) Prepare in advance a cup with sugar (8 coffee spoon )
b) Add the first few drop of coffee that come up from the funnel
c) Beat it until the cream become fluffy and soft
d) Put one coffee spoon of cream inside the tazzine da cafe and add the coffee
If we add at the espresso hot milk with foam we make a Cappuccino.

Curiosity/Curiosita'
Cappuccino is named after the Roman order of monks, the Capuchin, who wore a hood or Cappuccio. The color of the hood is a yellowish brown.

Different kind of espresso
Macchiato : A single shot of espresso with heated milk added
Affogato: A single shot of hot espresso with few drops of Sambuca
Doppio: A double shot of espresso

Detti Italiani/Italian expressions:
Il cafe' va bevuto caldo The coffee has to drink boiling
When you be helped by a friend usually you say:
Hai il cafe' pagato You have a prepaid coffee
Cafe sospeso Coffee in pending it means it is already paid

It is very common if you run into an Italian friend he will invite you to get a coffee at the bar
Ma dai prendiamoci un cafe insieme

Ricetta del giorno
Crema di zabaione al cafe' (for 2 people)
Zabaglione cream with coffee is a simple Italian dessert made of egg yolks, sugar, and coffee
2 Tuorli d'uovo 2 egg yolk
2 cucchiai di zucchero 2 table spoons of sugar
1 tazzina piena di cafe caldo 1 small cup of hot coffee

Beat the egg yolk and sugar with a wire whisk
Add the coffee without stopping to mix the batch
Set the sauce pan on the top of a double boiler
Beat the sauce for about 10 minutes
The zabaione is ready when the cream has doubled in volume and it is fluffy and soft.
P.S.
Un buon giorno si vede dal cafe'
Antonia

a nice place to share my passion

2010-07-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
this is my first time that I write and create a blog and I asked to myself why? I don't have already a lot of nightmares to take care during the day? But still I am here in front of my computer and try to write something.... original (maybe ) funny ....(difficult) real... (yes)
I like to create a nice blog where I can meet people who share my passion for:
Cooking, eat and Italian culture.
Antonia
P.S. (I am Italian so sorry for my English mistakes.)