Italy holds a special place in my heart. I spent six months there in college, and those six months I still consider the best in my life. Maybe because it was the first time I’d gone abroad alone and thus, quickly learning to fend for myself; maybe it was learning a new language, then surprising myself when I actually spoke it; maybe it was all that wine and delicious foods I discovered. I’m sure it was all those things and more. I know it was the friendships I formed (both American and Italian), friendships that I still maintain today (thank you, Facebook!).

Italy became one of those places I consider home. Even though I’ve not been there in twenty years I still think of #10 Via Patricio as home. So when I heard about the April 6 earthquake in Abruzzo, I shuddered. Fortunately none of my friends were affected by the devastation, but many cannot say the same. Hundreds of lives were lost, thousands were hospitalized, and tens of thousands more have been displaced.

Here in the Northwest (Seattle and Portland) restaurants are rallying together in an effort to support the victims of the quake in Abruzzo. On June 24, restaurants participating in the “Big Night for Abruzzo” will donate a portion of their sales to the victims of the L’Aquila earthquake.

Participating Seattle Area Restaurants Include: Barolo, Bella Italia, Bella Napoli, Branzino, Cafe Lago, Caffe Fiore, Caffe Umbria, Caffe Vita, Calabria Ristorante, Cantinetta, Ciao Vito, Europa Bistro, Firenze, Gaspare, Hunt Club @ The Sorrento Hotel, Il Bistro, Il Terrazzo “Carmine”, La Rustica, La Spiga, La Vita é Bella, Mamma Melina, Marcello, Mio Posto, Mondello, Paradiso, Piccolino, Pizzeria Guido, Pizzutos, Procopio, Pulcinella, Restaurant Zoe, Ristorante Luciano, Salumi, Salvatore, Sorrentino, Tavoláta, The Mark, The Pink Door, Trinacria, Troiani, Tulio, Tutta, Bella, Via Tribunali, Vince’s

Participating Portland, Oregon Area Restaurants: Ciao Vito, Nostrana, Salute

Major Sponsors Include: Caffe Vita, Dinerware, Ferrari of Seattle, Gravity Payment, Peroni, Rosella Produce, Stoneway Concrete, Vi Wines, Vio Vi Juice of Blood Orange

Date: Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Location: Please See List Above
Time: Varies Depending on Location
More Info Please Email: yuasa@caffevita.com

For more information about the L’Aquila earthquake click here.

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Categories:	Events • Italian	0 Comments
Tags:	abruzzo • earthquake • fundraiser • Italy • l'aquila earthquake

Photo by: PhillipC

I poured my morning cup of coffee, grabbed my stack of food magazines, and went to sit in my Springy sun-filled (finally) sun room.  Before I could put my coffee down, my May 2009 issue of La Cucina Italiana slipped off the top of the pile and landed wide open to a beautiful spread of Il Palio in Siena, Italy. My heart leapt. Siena is the beautiful town where I spent the best six months of my life. And Il Palio is the glorious horse race that has occurred twice each summer for more than 350 years in the Piazza del Campo. Il Palio is a dangerous race where jockeys ride bareback, where 90 degree corners must be turned, and where horse - not man - is winner. In fact, a horse can win even if the rider falls off.

Unfortunately, I’ve never been to either race because at the time I felt sunning myself in in the Greek isles was more fun (it was fun, but I should have scheduled in at least one race). Seeing the pictures of Siena and the Piazza del Campo brought back so many memories of friendship, food, love, and even politics:

• The fountain where darling Daniele professed his love me, only to have me turn him down. Poor guy. I was gentle, though.
• The corner of the square where my girlfriends and I, sitting on our coats studying, were trampled by a swarm of journalists. At the center of the swarm was the Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov. Coats and homework were trampled, but at least we had an interesting excuse to give our professor!
• The little café where we’d sip aqua minerale con gas (sparkling water) and nibble on the free bread sticks.
• Long laughs over wine or sangria at Bar Centrale or Re Artu.

The article also reminded me of the wonderful meals our friend Claudio would make us. Many of which I still cook to this day: Penne con Panna e Salciccia (penne with cream and sausage). He taught us the delectability of pasta drizzled simply with garlic infused olive oil, which seemed to be our standard meal at the end of the month when the money ran out. He also taught us that we were using far too little salt in our pasta water, and that, no, not all pasta is the same.

Best of all, the article reminded me of the times I’d sit in the Piazzo del Campo thinking of all the laughs, the professed loves, the glasses of wine sipped, and friendships that had formed over the centuries in that same little spot where I sat.

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Categories:	Italian • Travel	2 Comments
Tags:	il palio • Italy • siena • Travel

Photo: pink_fish13

I return home from work (hungry), check the mailbox and find my newest issue of Gourmet magazine. There on the cover is a delicious grilled sandwich bulging with juicy ham, its bread toasted to crisp perfection. When I flip through the pages (which, by the way, reading a food mag is never a good idea to do when you are hungry) I am reminded of the sandwiches we used to get in Siena, Italy. After school my girlfriends and I would head to Bar Centrali for panini and cokes (okay, sometimes wine). When I first arrived in Italy I could barely speak a lick of Italian, but I quickly mastered the art of ordering my “panino.”

“Prosciutto crudo, fontini é fungi con salsa rosa é salsa verde, per favore!”

Raw cured ham, fontina cheese, mushrooms with red and green sauce grilled to perfection on a big fancy panini grill. I’m still not really sure what the red and green sauces were (tomato- and pesto-esque), but they were divine in their mystery. Best of all, I felt oh so Italian when I placed the order! I ate that same sandwich almost daily for six months straight. Whether I ate the same version because I was so in love with it (completely) or just scared to learn a new string of ingredients (probably) I’ll never quite know (or admit).

Oh, so young, so naive! If I were there again I’d be ordering a different panino each day. Choosing from amongst the cured meats and cheeses that hung over the bar.

I’ve never been able to reproduce that same panino, and I don’t think I actually want to, as the memory of that one great panino would somehow be sullied. I will always miss that sandwich, though not nearly as much as I miss the time spent with my wonderful girlfriends. Nothing comes close to either.

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Categories:	Cheese • Italian • condiments	2 Comments
Tags:	Bar Centrale • fontina • grilled sandwich • Italy • panini • panino • prosciutto • prosciutto crudo • sandwich • siena

When we were starving college students in Italy (starving because we spent all our money on weekend get-a-ways and clothes at Benetton) my friends and I would sit for hours in one of the little restaurants in the Piazza del Campo and sip caffè lattes and nibble on grissini. In America this would be like going to a coffee shop, ordering the cheapest drink on the menu and eating all the packages of crackers on the table. But in Italy the free “crackers” are better. Much better.

The most common type - grissini stirato (straight) - are long, crisp, pinky-finger-width breadsticks that are often found on tabletops in tall glasses.  Grissini were the brain-child of Don Baldo Pecchio who created them for Vittorio Amedeo II, the Duke of Savoy. As a small child the Duke suffered from food poisoning, ironically caused by bread, which at the time was under-baked and thus prone to pathogens. Remembering the small, thin breads his mother made him as a child when he ailed from similar intestinal disfunctions, Don Baldo ordered the Court’s master baker to create thin twice-baked sticks. Keeping them thin and twice baking the bread killed any micro-organism, thus making them clean and safe to eat. It’s said that these hygienic “miracle” breadsticks cured the Duke, who then grew to become the first Savoy King.

Grissini
Adapted from a recipe found in Cooking Light, January 2003

1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1  cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3  cups bread flour, divided
1 1/4  teaspoons  salt
Cooking spray
1  teaspoon water
1  large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2  cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
1  tablespoon cracked black pepper
2  teaspoons cornmeal, divided

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 3/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press 2 fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

Punch dough down. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle.

Combine 1 teaspoon water and egg white, stirring with a whisk; brush evenly over dough. Sprinkle dough with cheese and pepper. Lightly coat dough with cooking spray; cover with plastic wrap. Gently press toppings into dough; remove plastic wrap.

Sprinkle each of 2 baking sheets with 1 teaspoon cornmeal. Cut dough in half lengthwise to form 2 (12 x 4-inch) rectangles. Cut each of the rectangles crosswise into 12 (1-inch) strips.

Working with 1 strip at a time (cover remaining strips to prevent drying), gently roll each strip into a log. Holding ends of log between forefinger and thumb of each hand, gently pull log into a 14-inch rope, slightly shaking it up and down while pulling. (You can also roll each strip into a 14-inch rope on a lightly floured surface.) Place the rope on a prepared pan, curving into a series of shapes so that the rope fits on pan.

Repeat procedure with remaining strips, placing 12 on each pan. Lightly coat ropes with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450°.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Italian	3 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • bread sticks • breadsticks • grissini • Italian bread • italian breadsticks • Italy • Piedmont • recipe • Savoy King • Torino • Turin

Photo: James.Whisker

Every day as we walked to school in Siena, Italy we passed the big panforte factory. We could smell the delicious confection baking and it was intoxicating. Back then I didn’t appreciate this dense and chewy cake but it’s now something I look forward to during the holidays.

Panforte dates back to at least the Middle Ages, some believe back even further, and originated in Siena (or at least Tuscany). It literally translates to “strong bread,” referring to its piquant flavor. Being so densely packed with dried fruit, nuts, spices, and honey I’m sure the Crusaders referred to it as their energy bar.

Many regard Siena as the panforte capital of Italy. While there are various recipes for panforte most Senese believe it should contain seventeen ingredients to represent the seventeen contrade (subdivisions) of the walled city (my beloved contrada was the Istrice, or the crested porcupine!).

If you’re making panforte follow the traditional Italian way by baking it in small 4-inch disks. Wrap it in wax paper, then brown butcher paper. Tie it with string and, if you want to get really fancy, seal it with red embossed wax. Che bella! A little slice is perfect in the morning with a cup of cappuccino, or after a meal with a nice glass of vin santo.

Panforte
Adapted from Chef Gina DePalma

Nonstick cooking spray, for pan
3 cups whole blanched almonds
1 3/4 cups whole hazelnuts, skinned or unskinned
2 cups diced candied orange peel
6 ounces dried apricots, diced
5 ounces dried figs, diced
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups honey
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees with a rack set in the center of the oven. Generously spray a 9-by-2-inch heavy-bottomed, nonstick round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper circle, spray parchment paper circle with cooking spray. Coat bottom and sides of pan with flour, tapping out excess.

Using a sharp knife, roughly chop almonds and hazelnuts and place in a large, wide bowl, along with orange peel, apricots, and figs; toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper. Add to bowl of nuts and fruit and toss until well combined.

Place sugar, honey, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture until it reaches 217 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat and quickly pour sugar mixture into nut mixture. Using a heatproof spatula, stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to prepared cake pan, smoothing surface with a spatula.

Transfer cake pan to oven and bake until entire surface is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool completely. Wrap well with parchment paper, and then again with plastic wrap. Store in a cool, dry place up to 3 weeks.

To serve, dust the panforte with confectioners’ sugar and cut into thin wedges with a sharp knife.
For more on the history of panforte check out Siena’s Panforte: A Christmas Delight.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Fruit • Herbs • Holiday • Italian • Nuts • Seasoning & Spices • desserts	6 Comments
Tags:	baking • Christmas • Food • foodista • holiday baking • Italian • Italy • panforte • siena

It wasn’t until I lived in Italy that I truly learned to love and appreciate a good olive oil. Drizzled on tender butter lettuce salads with a pinch of salt, spooned over handmade pastas, dabbed on a chunk of rustic Tuscan bread, and I ashamedly admit, slathered all over myself in lieu of suntan oil. I was twenty, I wasn’t thinking (but my skin sure looked damn good!). Now, many years older, I have nixed the use of olive oil as a tanning accelerant, but continue drizzling, spooning, and dabbing with molto gusto.

In Italy, early November is the time when olives will begin to be harvested for the first batch of olive oil. Gourmands around the world eagerly await this time of year for the season’s new arrival. Now I like me some good fresh olive oil, but I was not about to hop on a jet and queue up with the rest of the oliophiles. So I went local and visited Oil & Vinegar in Bellevue, Washington.

This growing franchise offers a wide and impressive selection of beautiful imported oils and vinegars. Oil & Vinegar’s product line also extends to an exclusive assortment of herbs and spices, pastas, appetizers, cooking tools, and more. Their gift sets are far from the predictable packaged sets because the product is so unique, like personalized oil and vinegar labels. Think Christmas, everyone!

What immediately caught my attention when I walked into Oil & Vinegar was their tap wall (pictured). A stunning display of glass vessels containing an array of olive, nut and seed oils, flavor infused oils and vinegars, as well as balsamic and wine vinegars. One of my favorites, a blood orange oil that nearly brought me to my knees it was so fresh and good.

As the gourmands begin their journey home from Italy carrying their precious cargo, I too, happily returned home with an armful of olive oils and vinegars. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to use mileage.

Check out our video interview with Matt Stermer, owner of the Oil & Vinegar franchise in the US.

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Categories:	Fruit • Herbs • Holiday • Interview	5 Comments
Tags:	foodista • Italy • oil • oil & vinegar • olive harvest • olives • vinegar

My mother’s friend brought the seeds of these beautiful runner beans back from Italy sometime last year, and they were finally harvested. I have to admit, I kinda like the idea of her secreting seeds away in her purse and steeling across international borders. All for the love of gardening. Actually, it was all probably on the up and up, but I still giggle at the idea of a sweet bespectacled lady responding innocently to the Customs agent, “Only a liter of Chianti, sir.”

Really, I absolutely do not condone smuggling or any illegal behavior. I promise. I blame it on my evil twin who likes the naughtiness of it all. Like drinking Cuban rum.

Anyway…

These beans are huge! And they are so tender and buttery. We steamed them until slightly soft, but still with some crispness, then simply tossed them with a little butter and salt and pepper.

I love when food takes the least amount of preparation, yet tastes more divine than anything.

(And, I swear, smuggled beans from Italy do taste just a little sweeter. But don’t tell!)

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Categories:	Italian • Veggies	5 Comments
Tags:	beans • Food • foodista • gardening • Italian • italian runner beans • Italy • runner beans • vegetables

You all have been enjoying the limoncello recipe so much I thought I’d stay on the Italian train and give you another tasty treat. Bomboloni are the Italian version of doughnuts - without the holes - and are usually filled with cream, raspberry jam (or some other yumminess), and dusted with sugar.

My girlfriends and I used to sit in the Piazza della Republica in Siena, sip caffè lattes, and nosh on bomboloni until we were nearly sick.

Those were the good old days.

Bomboloni

Scant 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh compressed yeast
Scant 1/4 cup cold water
3 1/2 cups bread flour
4 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for coating
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Vegetable or canola oil
Raspberry jam (or pastry cream)

Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl with the cold water. Place the flour, eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the ingredients are dispersed, about 5 seconds. Add the dissolved yeast and beat for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed, until the dough is well combined and holds together. Add the cubed butter and mix for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the mixing bowl. If the dough is overly sticky, you may need to add about 1 tablespoon of flour. It is usually necessary to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula to encourage the dough to form a ball and come away from the side. Remove the paddle and pat the dough into a ball at the bottom of the bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. The dough will rise slightly.Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and punch it down to remove the air. Spread it onto a lightly floured baking sheet with your fingers and flatten the dough until it is about 3/4-inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. It will slightly proof.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Flatten it slightly with your hands. Cut the dough into circles with a 1 1/2-inch diameter cutter, keeping the cuts as close together as possible. Pat any leftover dough into a rectangle and cut more circles out of it. (At this stage, the Bombolini can be frozen for up to 1 week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Allow the Bombolini to defrost in the refrigerator before proofing.)

Place the Bomboloni on a parchment covered baking sheet lightly sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Space them 2 inches apart. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Allow the Bomboloni to proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, until they have doubled in size and appear light and full of air.

Heat the oil about 15 minutes in an electric fryer or in a 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat to 320 degrees F. If using a saucepan, check the temperature with a candy thermometer. Fry 5 to 7 Bomboloni at one time, any more than that and the oil temperature will dip down too much and they will not fry evenly. Fry for a total of 3 to 5 minutes, until they are golden brown. Turn to evenly fry each side. As they fry, they will increase in size. Remove the Bomboloni with a large slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.

While the Bomboloni are still warm, roll them in a bowl filled with granulated sugar until evenly coated. If desired, fill the Bomboloni with a jam-filled pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Use a sharp paring knife to make a small hole on the bottom of each Bomboloni. Place the tip of the pastry bag in the hole and squeeze until the Bomboloni feels heavy. It is best to fill the Bomboloni while they are still warm and the dough soft and pliable. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy Jacques Torres, Dessert Circus At Home, 1999

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Italian • desserts	13 Comments
Tags:	bomboloni • Dessert • doughnuts • Food • foodista • Italian • Italy • siena • Sweets

Oh, we dined with such guiltless pleasure last night at La Spiga’s Ferragosto event. It was a sweltering hot evening (by Seattle’s standards), so we were thankful for the big round table on the airy back patio.

Previously, I had asked Sabrina, chef and co-owner of La Spiga, why food in Italy just tastes better than here in the US. “It’s a trio of things,” she said. “One, it’s the ingredients. When you cut corners you can tell. Two, preparation. In Italy there’s a big focus on digestability.” Onions, garlic and bell peppers are hard to digest, so there is more preparation and care in making these items easier to digest. And, three, “the mind-set in general. Food and cooking,” she says, “is very important to the culture. It’s the love of food and sitting around the table and enjoying a leisurely meal.” Here in the U.S, everything is about convenience: grabbing something quick or rushing home from work to feed the kids and put them to bed. It’s just not in our long history to sit, appreciate and savor the meal.

It smelled of Italy last night, and I was looking forward to my first bite. Our first stop along the path of gluttony was a simple, tasty assortment of assaggini (little tastes), such as buttery green olives, creamy pâté, bocconcini, pepperonatta, and fried flat bread.

Grabbing our glasses of wine we moved on to stations of porcini and truffle orechiette pasta, hand-crafted salami, imported cheeses, grilled sausage and lamb skewers, among a bevi of other toothsome delights.

The piatto principale: porchetta (whole roasted pig). Sous chef Jonathan Langley artfully stuffed the roughly-80-pound pig with toasted fennel seed, sage, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. To top it off, he shoved in a pork shoulder for good measure and roasted it for 14 hours. It was tender, juicy and herbaceously delicious.

At La Spiga, one could tell that each offering was prepared with love and care, just like in Italy. And we sat around our large round table and leisurely enjoyed every bite.

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Categories:	Interview • Italian	5 Comments
Tags:	Ferragosto • Food • foodista • Italian • Italy • La Spiga • seattle

Photo courtesy of LookatLao

In 1989 I studied in the beautiful medieval Tuscan town of Siena, Italy. I quickly fell in love with everything Italian, especially the food and wine. Fluffy gnocchi as light as clouds, butter lettuce salads perfectly dressed with olive oil and a bit of salt, intense cheeses, cured meats and salami that made your taste buds sing, and the wine! You could taste the winemaker’s love for his grapes in every glass. My young palate learned to love food and wine in that country.

When I moved back to the States I was sorely disappointed with most “Italian” food. Pasta dishes are huge and loaded with sauce, gnocchi is dense and heavy, pizza is thick. The structure of food in Italy is much more subtle, allowing intense flavors to come through. Some restaurants do an exceptional job, but truly authentic Italian restaurants in the U.S.A. are rare.

Then, a few months ago, our friends took us to La Spiga on Capital Hill in Seattle. My friend Tracy also lived in Italy and said, “I promise, you’ll love it. This is true Italian food.” La Spiga is owned by chef Sabrina Tinsley and her husband, Pietro Borghesi, who hails from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. They specialize in Northern Italian cuisine, known as Romagnola (think rich sauces, homemade pastas, cured meats, parmigiano-reggiano cheese), and Sabrina is a master at keeping it authentic. I closed my eyes with every mouthful and savored what I have missed: Italy.

Recently I heard about Ferragosto, an event they are holding on August 17, and I quickly called up Sabrina to learn more. In Italy, Ferragosto marks the height of summer, and people head outdoors to celebrate in the way Italians do best: by drinking and eating lots of good food. Typically held on August 15, Ferragosto is also considered a major holiday for Roman Catholics, as it is the day the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven. To Sabrina and her family, Ferragosto is simply “a true celebration of summer.” And, according to her, it’s a time to get wet, be it at the beach or the family country home, “you will get wet.” Hot weather, swimming, and copious quantities of delicious wine and homemade foods? Sign me up!

Fortunately for us, La Spiga is bringing Ferragosto to Seattle by opening the garage-door facade of their charming restaurant and bringing the street festival indoors. Stations will be set up to serve Italian street foods such as salsiccia alla griglia (grilled sausage), tortelli alla lastra (potato stuffed grilled bread with cured meats), a summer salad buffet, and much more. The dish I’m already salivating for is porchetta (whole roasted pig).

Beginning at 4 pm, and running until 9, we will be enjoying every taste of what is sure to be an outstanding meal, all we can eat for $30 (drinks and tax not included). If you are in the area, you won’t want to miss this special event, and seating is limited. Call (206) 323-8881 or email them to make a reservation.

Click here for more details on our experience at La Spiga’s Ferragosto, and more of my conversations with Sabrina.

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Categories:	Italian • Restaurants • Uncategorized	3 Comments
Tags:	Ferragosto • Food • foodista • Italian • Italy • La Spiga