Reinventing Reality

Cooking in Lucca Part 3

To finish up the Italian cooking class, I am going to combine the last two cooking days of recipes and eating into one post.  Shorter, less work and I'll be honest, I totally forgot to take pics the last day so it would be boring.  But the recipes will be listed at the end if you are interested.

To start off the third day, we made biscotti.  Below you see the beginning of the cookie dough, which is on a table.  After this picture, we slowly combined the flour/sugar/nut mixture with the eggs, and once mixed rolled it into long "snakes" which we dusted with sugar and baked.

  

Annnnnd I don't have an "after" pic, so you will just have to trust me that they came out of the oven nice and golden and then we cut them into little biscotti wedges.  They were softer than we typically think of biscotti, but really the texture is up to the baker - if you want them crunchier, you bake them twice, if not, you can enjoy them a tad soft (or dry them out on a baking sheet).  

Then we moved on to the really fun stuff - making pasta!  Paolo whipped up a filling for ravioli (swiss chard - spinach would make a yummy substitute, pine nuts, parm cheese, etc) and then we made up the pasta dough.  We each took turns rolling out sheets for ravioli:

And then putting the filling down and actually making the individual ravioli:

And then we ate it.  Red and I have decided that we may have to change the name of the blog...because we are becoming Blobs Who Blog.  Sigh.

The last dish from that day was an amazing pork roast.  Paolo showed us an interesting rub that could easily go on many other cuts of meat.  You chop up lemon rind, rosemary, sage and garlic and add a bit of salt and pepper.  The cut of pork he used was pork loin and it had the ribs still on - I think you could probably do it with tenderloin as well with a few adjustments.  Anyway, he sliced the meat along the ribs and then sliced small holes on top and stuffed the rub into the slices.  Then he wrapped the loin with pancetta (the Italian bacon).  After roasting the meat for 1 1/2 hours or so, he made a gravy with the drippings and, again, we ate it (oh, and we roasted potatoes in the same seasoning as the meat, as you see on the plate).  

FANTASTIC.  Of course it was, there was bacon in it.  Sigh.

Now, the details on the last day get a little...not detailed.  First we learned how to make carpaccio, a wonderful raw beef dish.  The one below is actually cooked (for those who can't stand the idea), but the raw versions were delicious and very fresh tasting.

So this is where things go downhill a bit.  We also learned how to make pate, and discovered we aren't fans, so no pictures of that.  Then Paolo taught us 4 different risotto recipes, and yup, you guessed it, Red and I are not major lovers of risotto, so we didn't document that section too well either.  To be fair, they were very good risottos, so if you like risotto, we do have recipes.  We also made 4 different kinds of veal scaloppine and unfortunately those were REALLY GOOD, but everyone ate everything up before I could get a quality photo.  Excuses, excuses, I know, I know.

Below are the recipes worth sharing, feel free to ask, we'd be happy to email the ones that stand out to you!  MIss you guys!

Day 3:

• Panzanella (a Tuscan bread/veggie salad) 
• Crostini with eggplant topping (really yummy - another kind of bruscetta)  
• Ravioli  
• Ragu alla Luccese (a fabulous spiced meat sauce from Lucca) 
• Roast Rack of Pork with Sage, Rosemary and Pancetta  
• Biscotti  

Day 4:

• Beef Carpaccio (2 different raw versions, one cooked) 
• Fresh Mozzarella with raw tomato sauce 
• Scaloppine: sage and prosciutto (maybe my favorite scaloppine) 
• Scaloppine: tomato sauce (really delicious too)  
• Scaloppine: lemon sauce (fresh and tangy) 
• Risotto: Saffron and Shrimp 
• Risotto: Red wine and Radiccio 
• Risotto: Bacon and mushroom

Parma, Langhirano, and Modena Food Field Trips

Hello, 

Today we hopped in the Chef Paulo’s small SUV and headed to Parma, a town infamous for its Parmaggiano Reggiano cheese. The journey brought us out of Tuscany and over the summit of the Appenine Alps which create the spine of central Italy. After summiting mountain passes, the landscape gave way to a broad flat Po Valley which bears similar resemblance to California’s Central Valley. Not surprisingly, the area is known for its cows and its pigs. 

In order to bear the name Parmigiano-Reggiano, the cheese must come from specific type of cow which eats only a certain type of grass. Parmagiano-Reggiano takes a whole day to make in one of these buckets below whereas other cheese, such as Buffalo Mozzarella, can be made almost instantly. 

Each one of those blocks behind us in the picture below is worth 400 Euro. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is certified with a special encoded pattern to guarantee it’s the real thing - much like currency.

Our next stop was a Prosciutto facility and farm in the hills near Langhirano. Prosciutto from the Parma area is considered the best by Italians and is typically differentiated form other Prosciutto by its sweeter and slightly less salty flavor. Chef Paulo took us right in the facility and grabbed a piggie poker (narrow piece of horse bone) to show us how to inspect pork legs. The piggie poker is inserted into the pig leg and removed to check for any funny smells.

Since olive trees don’t grow well in the harsher climate of the Po Valley, the dishes tend to rely more on butter and cream much like continental Europe. We had the best buttered ravioli we’ve ever tasted along with this refreshing sparkling Rose made from the local red Lambruzzo grape. Very tasty complex for a Rose and for 5 Euros the price is right. 

Our final stop was the town of Modena which is known as the birthplace of Ferrari and the world’s best Balsamic Vinegar. The Balsamic Vienegar is made from 100% Lambruzzo grapes grown locally with absolutely no other ingredients. White wine vinegar is made from the local Trebbiano grape. Below is a picture of the wooden casks the vinegar ages in. 

These can be made from several types of wood. Many of the casks you see below date back 25, 50, 75, and even 100 years. The room was soooo hot because that’s part of the aging process for the vinegar - hot in the summer, cool in the winter. It was 100 degrees outside so I had a sweat attack and had to leave the premises. 

That's all for now. Cheers,

Red

Day Two of Eat Until You Pop (Aka Cooking Class)

So the first day was great, but we were just getting started.  We began the day with a trip to a market in La Spezia (Paolo is one crazy driver but more on that later).  Paolo mainly wanted to show us the fish market and how to pick out fresh seafood but we got to take a tour of the whole place to see the produce, cheeses and meats as well.  

As we were walking through the fruit/veggie stands admiring the goods, Red and I decide to buy some fruit.  So, like any normal person, I start picking up peaches to smell and see if they are ripe.  WELL, that triggered something - women started giving me the death-stare and male shop keepers looked at me like I was smearing something nasty all over their produce.  I started thinking, "What the hell, I'm looking at fruit, not porn, give me a break."  But then Paolo saw me "doing it" and he was like, "No no, you touch it you buy it".  WELL, now who looked stupid?  Apparently there is too much bacteria and fruit bruising for all of the touching.  Whatever, I'm still going to do it when no one is looking - touch and smell still count.

Moving on, below is one of the the meat stands - yummy salami, prosciutto, pancetta, etc.  Apparently Italian meats appeal to more than just people!

But the main attraction of the morning was the fish market.  Paolo walked us through and explained that when buying fish, always try and buy the whole fish - you can usually see how fresh it is by looking at the skin (and eyes) and most often when you see fillets, the fish is older (practically a guarantee that it has been frozen) and may have been dyed to make it look better.  Paolo said to look at the fish skin to determine freshness - most fish should have iridescent scales and quite a bit of slippery looking mucus on the skin (mmm, mucus, doesn't the word just make your mouth water?).  We went around comparing fish, calamari, shrimp, octopus, etc.

After the market it was back to the kitchen to prepare mountains of seafood.  All of the recipes were quite fantastic, but strangely enough my favorite was the Spaghetti alla Vongole (with clams).  The dish was so simple to prepare and is a regional favorite along the Italian coast.  You can really taste each flavor in the dish and the clams are not overwhelming.  Here is Red making the dish and below is the finished product.

The rest is the Vongole recipe and a list of others we made - if anyone is interested in a recipe let us know and we can email it.

Red is doing the next post about our day trip away from Lucca, so I won't spoil it - miss you guys!

Spaghetti alla Vongole

2 lbs clams

olive oil

fresh parsley, finely chopped

red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons (each) of butter and flour mixed

butter

white wine

chicken stock

spaghetti - 4-6 ounces

Soak the fresh clams overnight in salty cold water to purge them.

Place the clams in a large pan with heated extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) and immediately add the garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes (or more if you like spicy).  Cook on medium heat until the clams start to open and then add a healthy splash of white (dry) wine.  After a minute, add the stock and let simmer for a minute or two and then add butter/flour mixture (vigorously stir to mix that into the sauce).  Sprinkle in the parsley and add additional butter or salt if the sauce needs it.  Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and mix in with the sauce before serving.

The following are recipes we made that we think are worth sharing - if you want any please tell us and we can email them!

• Orange and Shrimp Salad (delicious and tangy)
• Mussels saute with garlic, lemon and wine 
• Mussels saute with celery, cream and Sambuca (or Pernod)
• Pasta with pistachio and shrimp sauce
• Grilled Tuna with lettuce sauce (surprisingly good) 
• Panna Cotta 

 

Cooking in Lucca Part 1

We have been in Lucca for over 4 days.  In that time we have cooked up a storm (translation: eaten A LOT) and learned a bunch of new things.  There will be a few posts from this week.

Below is the kitchen that we have become familiar with - Chef Paolo's staff wheels in an electric stove every morning after the hotel guests have finished breakfast and we have our lessons.

One of the first things Paolo taught was was the importance of olive oil.  Yes yes, we use olive oil in America - its healthy, tastes good, etc etc etc.  But Paolo is in a whole other world with olive oil.  He had us taste many oils from around Italy and surprisingly they all tasted different with varying levels of flavor, complexity, and depth.  Generally, the milder the climate of the region, the milder the flavor of the oil.

As our first lesson progressed we also realized his relationship with olive oil was a bit...well lets just say he is infatuated with olive oil (I would say "saturated" but that seems to imply something bad about the oil).  He uses a healthy generous amount for sauces and sauteing vegetables, and then, almost without fail, at the end of a dish he sort of splashes an additional "dash" (read 1/4 - 1/2 cup) of oil into the dish "just in case".  We have two other people in class with us and the first day we all stared at each other and out of nowhere Paolo read our minds, "OH MY GOD what is he doing with the oil?"  Although the oil sometimes seems a bit much sometimes, I will concede that we have probably been using a bit too little in our cooking at home - it adds a richness that can sort of be associated with cream and a delicate flavor that is Italian in every way.  We think Paolo has olive oil pumping through his veins.  

One of the first things we made was a simple tomato sauce that we used in just about every dish.  We added it to two meat sauces, chicken cacciatore, and a tomato-cream sauce (made with mozzarella, not cream!).  

Quite simply, the ingredients are a 2-pounds of canned (Italian) peeled tomatoes (whole, not diced), one onion (diced finely), extra-virgin olive oil (4+ tbsp) and 1 small bunch of fresh basil.  You saute the onions in the oil until transparent, add the tomatoes and let them bubble on the stove for 30-45 minutes.  As the tomatoes heat, they start to break down, so as you stir it becomes more of a sauce versus whole tomatoes in juice.  Make sure to stir so that the tomatoes do not carmelize on the bottom of the pan.  At the end, add the basil on the stems and let them sit in the sauce to add flavor (take them out before using/serving sauce).  Paolo used this sauce as the base of a spicy pancetta spaghetti and in many other dishes (let me know if you are interested further so I won't bore anyone!).

This is Paolo with one of the spaghetti dishes (a bolognese sauce) - I'd give you the recipe but there is any even better ragu sauce from Lucca that will appear in the future.  He is so cute and speaks excellent English - and boy does he know jokes.  "Have you heard the one about the Italian who visits New York on his vacation?  Knowing little English, he is forced to use the phone book to seek out his dinner.  He sees listings for laundry mats, cars, lawyers, pharmacies, hardware stores, but no food.  Finally he sees a listing for "hotdogs".  He thinks, "Geez, how disgusting, these people eat dogs!"  He searches further but can't find anything that he understands, so he decides to go to the hotdog place.  He tells the waiter that he will have a "hot dog", and shortly he is presented with a hotdog in a bun.  He takes one look and says, "Waiter, I will eat any part of the dog except this one! Mamma Mia!" 

Anyway, he is great and consistently teaches us excellent recipes with a sense of humor.  

Next you see Red preparing the plates (even focusing on presentation!) for a dish that was surprising but delicious: pork tenderloin with a lemon-cream sauce.  Totally unexpected and amazing.

Ok, pretty much done with...day one.  In case anyone is interested, we have recipes for the following dishes that we feel are worth sharing: 

• Fresh tomato sauce with garlic and basil (a summer dish)
• Mushroom Bruschetta 
• Crispy prosciutto salad with sage vinegar dressing (absolutely amazing - served warm) 
• Spaghetti all' amatriciana (tomato and italian bacon sauce) - he nicknamed the dish "midnight pasta" because many people eat this dish after drinking
• Pork tenderloin with lemon-cream sauce 
• Tiramisu - so easy and delicious!  

Talk to you soon - we can't wait to have people up to Tahoe and make some of these dishes together!