Not so pretty but oh so tasty!

For the second week of our Italian vacation, we used the charming town Radda in Chianti as our base for exploring the hill towns of Tuscany. We would be tourists during the day, but in the evening would return to our "home town" Radda for our apero and dinner.  One evening, we dined at the Ristorante Botte di Bacco.

For my main course, I chose a primo piatto, Blueberry Pasta with Cinghiale-Chianti Sauce. Now you can see from the picture that it was not the prettiest dish I've ever had put in front me, bless its little heart, but I gotta say, it was one of the best, if not the very best dish I had in Italy.

I had seen the blueberry pasta in another nearby town, but hadn't ordered it. It must be a VERY local item. I asked my friend (and Tuscan cooking instructor) Judy Witts Francini about it, and she had never heard of blueberry pasta. This isn't unusual in Italy (or France or Spain either, for that matter). Some menu items are just VERY local.

Cinghiale is the wild boar that populates the hills of Tuscany and during the fall can found on pretty much every menu around, perhaps as a sort of stew. Or it might be in a tomato-based pasta sauce, usually served on pici, a regional thick and chewy spaghetti.

For this sauce, the ground boar meat was simmered with Chianti wine and herbs.  Then a very reduced drizzle of Chianti wine was drizzled around the edges, garnished with sangiovese grapes warmed in the reduction.

I'm going to try to reproduce this (although I'll have to use ground pork for the wild boar) and if I'm successful, I'll share it with you!

Dinner as a culinary experience...

 

In Florence, we went to Cibreo. It is considered one of the most creative kitchens in the city, and with good reason. The chef, Fabio Picci, has three establishments side by side (well, two are back to back). I'd eaten in the trattoria twice before, and enjoyed it immensely. There's also a cafe across the little street with a bar and snacks.

We went to the "real" restaurant, hoping we could get in without reservations (legend has it that one can NEVER get in without them). We lucked out. We were among the early comers at 8:00 and got a good table with as good as view of the kitchen as there is. Our first hint of the price level was that there were four fine stemmed glasses at each place.

One interesting note: Cibreo serves no pasta. The chef is reputed to have said "It's cheap and we all eat it at home. Why go out for pasta?"

So here's how it works: You don't get a menu. You get a card saying first courses (primi) are E20 and main courses (secondi)are E30. A handsome young man came to the table, pulled up a chair and listed the first courses. I chose a yellow bell pepper soup that had been recommended to me by a friend who'd been there. Tom got a "spicy fish soup."

For our main course, Tom got "coda de vacca," an oxtail dish cooked sort in a stew. I got pigeon with mostarda, a tangy fruit confit. Once we'd ordered, the sommelier came for wine ordering we asked for a light white wine, and were happy with the selection although in retrospect, a light red would have been better with our main course. He didn't suggest that to us. Hm...

Then came a lovely selection of antipasti: a tomato/basil aspic, a spoonful of marinated zucchini, a square of zucchini mousse, one crostini each of liver pate and another of sundried tomato, and tender, delicious marinated tripe, with a roll of the home-made potato bread they are known for. Tom even ate his liver. I didn't tell him what the tripe was until he'd eaten it. He liked it.

Then came the soups. I'd say the serving was around 6 ounces. My yellow bell pepper soup was good, and beautifully served, drizzled with a very fine flavored olive oil, with a couple of tiny slightly cheese-flavored croutons. Tom's spicy seafood soup was just that. A similar sized serving, it was dark and dense and delicious, with a little more than a hint of hot pepper.

My pigeon was wonderful. all dark meat but tender, and the waiter encouraged me to use my fingers (a real no-no for most Italian rules of etiquette) to get every bite. As my contorno (side dish) I was brought a ramekin of potato puree, lightly toasted on top. Tom's ox-tail was, well, boring. The sauce was a little on the sweet side, it was hard to eat, and, well, boring. And he doesn't remember if he got a contorno. So it must not have been memorable.

We pretty much never order dessert, and didn't there either, but they brought us a nice tasting slice of a very dense, very chocolatey tart. The bill was E180 with the wine, or somewhere around $250. Was it an interesting experience? For sure. Did I enjoy my food? Absolutely. Am I sorry we went? Definitely not. Will I ever go back? No. Am I recommending that you do? No.

Go to the trattoria, it's half the price for many of the same menu items and a LOT more fun!

A delightfully delicious martini

 

My dear sister Cindy came from Knoxville a couple of weeks ago for a visit. Tom was out of town for the week, so we had a "Girls' Night In." Leave it to my sister to come up with a delicious contribution: Blood Orange Martinis.

She had brought Blood Orange Elixir, available online at Earth & Vine, and maybe at Fresh Market or Whole Foods.

I must admit to being a bit of a wimp, hard-liquor wise, so I cut the amount of vodka in half. I rimmed the glasses with regular orange juice and sugar, and we poured. Delicious!

Now I just have to order some for myself. She took her bottle home with her!

EARTH & VINE BLOOD ORANGE MARTINIS

4 oz vodka
2 oz Concentrated Earth & Vine Provisions Blood Orange Beverage Elixir
½ oz Triple Sec or flavored orange liqueur (I used Grand Marnier)
Crushed ice

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice; shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with orange twist. Makes two.

Tasty Winter Squash Pizza

 

A couple of weeks ago, my husband had a work assignment out of town. So I decided it was time for a "Girls’ Night In." Several of my friends came over and we ate chips and dip, and cheese and crackers, and had a glass of wine or two. And we made pizzas.

I got several 12" pre-baked crusts. I had thought about making them from scratch but just didn’t have the time.

I have a pizza stone that lives in my bottom oven which makes for a nice crispy crust. If you don’t have one, just put a baking sheet in the oven while preheating and transfer your pizza to it when ready to bake.

I made one—Pizza alla Zucca--using acorn squash. A small butternut squash would be equally good. (The Italian word "zucca" refers generally to any of the hard-skinned winter squashes.)

The easiest way to peel either is to cut into slices with a heavy knife, and then cut off the skin around the edges of the slice. Then it’s easy to grate for this recipe.

You could cut this into 12 thin wedges for an appetizer, or into 6 wedges for larger servings. We had a little green salad to go along with it, and it made the perfect dinner for our girls’ get-together.

PIZZA ALLA ZUCCA

2 tbsp. good fruity olive oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 plump cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ cup onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cups peeled and grated acorn (or other winter) squash
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 12-inch pre-baked pizza crust
4 oz. gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
4 oz. mozzarella, grated

Preheat the oven to 450-degrees. In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the squash and rosemary and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Lift the squash mixture from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving behind any fat or liquid that drains off. Spread on crust to about ½" from the edges. Sprinkle first with the gorgonzola and then the mozzarella.

Put on preheated pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, until topping is melted and lightly browned. Let set for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Golden Beet-Avocado Salad

 

A few weeks ago I wrote about Montmartre, a great little French restaurant I found in D.C. It was the sort of neighborhood bistro that you might find in France, with several tables of folks speaking French (always a good sign).

I ordered gazpacho and a salad. The gazpacho was delicious but I really loved the salad. I spoke to the server, Anne, who gave me a little hint as to how it was prepared. It was composed of roasted yellow beets, grape tomatoes, red onion and avocado. It was a very felicitous combination, and I couldn’t wait to make it at home.

Anne said they rubbed the beets with olive oil and roasted them. I’ve always wrapped beets in foil to roast, but found that this method sort of concentrated the natural sweetness of the golden beets.

They sprinkled it with a mixture of chopped fresh herbs; I used cilantro with equal success. And they used grape tomatoes, but in this season, good farmers’ market or home-grown tomatoes would be perfect.

Because of the lemon juice in the dressing, you can keep this for a day or two without having khaki colored avocado. This will make a great side dish to any of your grilled dinners this summer.

MONTMARTRE SALAD

Juice and finely grated zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup good fruity olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ripe but still firm avocados, peeled and cubed
3 golden beets, roasted, peeled and cubed (see note)
¼ cup slivered red onion
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (or 2 cups diced tomato)
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup minced cilantro, plus a couple of sprigs to garnish

Whisk the lemon juice and zest with the olive oil in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining ingredients and toss just until combined. Let rest for an hour or so for flavors to meld. Serve garnished with additional cilantro sprigs. Serves 6 or so as a side dish.

NOTE: Golden beets are available at Fresh Market. Cut off tops, leaving 1" of stems. Rub with olive oil, put on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Check to see if a small pointy knife can penetrate easily. If not, roast until it can. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then peel and cube.

Daley Plaze Farmers' Market - Chicago

Random shots, it was all quite appealing. Unfortunately I couldn't bring a lot back with me!

A lovely new café in Chicago

 

I get a weekly e-mail from Daily Candy that gives the weekend special activities in several major US cities. Since we were headed to Chicago, I looked up their recommendation for this weekend. One of the suggestions was a new café opened by the Omni Hotel. Café 676 has only been open a little over a week, but you wouldn't have known that from the service, or execution of the food. The alfresco new-comer uses ingredients from its hotel rooftop garden to use in salads, snacks, and sandwiches

The one page menu is widely enough varied to have something for everyone, yet each dish shows a nice touch of creativity. There are "Snacks," each priced at $4.00, a few bites of a perfectly aged cheese with a lovely accompaniment. Then a list of soups and salads, and a few amusing more substantial dishes.

 

Tom ordered the "Great Lakes Niçoise Salad." A riff on the classical French version, the fish was a perfectly grilled filet of walleye. I wasn't familiar with this fish but is was delicious. The salad wasn't the composed version typical of the South of France. Besides the usual haricots verts (skinny green beans), hard cooked egg and tomato, there were chunks of blue potato that did nothing for the visual appeal of the salad, and the dressing, a white wine vinaigrette was a little sharp for both our tastes. A little more olive oil would have softened it nicely.

 

I ordered the "Sweet Corn Soup." Smooth and creamy with a bit of spice that I wasn't quite able to identify, it was laced with tasty bits of crisp-tender veggies. I loved it.

 

After that, I had two "Snacks." Both were cheese. The first was the "Julianna," perfectly aged goat cheese from Capriole Farmstead in Indiana, accompanied by a sweet-tart Meyer lemon compote. The other was robiola, a rich and mildly pungent cheese from the Lombardy area of Italy, with a not-too-sweet strawberry jam. Each made a perfect match.  All were accompanied by crisps made from thin slices of sourdough bread.  The bread is house-made with, they claim, a 105-year old sourdough started.

Although the beer and wine was a little on the pricey side, on the whole we felt pleasant dinner, enhanced by the people-watching opportunities offered by being right on the corner of Michigan Avenue on a warm Saturday evening.  We both agreed that if we lived here, this would probably be a perfect place to stop after an evening out for a glass of wine and one of the snacks, or a nice afternoon stop after shopping for a cup of tea and of of their delicious sounding sweets.  But we probably wouldn't make it a meal destination in a town where there are so many!

Insalata Caprese Redux

 

I had a goodly amount leftover of the Insalata Caprese that we spoke about a couple of days ago. I stuck it in the fridge thinking it would be my lunch the next day. Which didn't happen.

So that evening I had planned veal chops with pasta. I did as I planned with the veal chops: I rubbed them with a good olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and grilled them. (I'd planned on doing them on the outside grill but it was WAY too hot. The stove-top ridged cast iron grill had to do!) I made a lemon-caper butter that I dropped on top as it came off the grill.

And to go with it, I cooked imported fettucine nicely al dente and drained it, reserving a bit of the cooking water. Meanwhile, I chopped the tomatoes and mozzarella balls with the balsamic dressing left. Once the pasta was drained, I put it back into the pasta pan and added the caprese salad with a little drizzle of olive oil, a splash of the reserved cooking water and more fresh basil tossed into it.

I put the pasta on the plate and topped it with the veal chop. When some of the caper butter drizzled down onto the pasta...well all I can say is "Multo buono!"

LEMON-CAPER BUTTER

1 stick butter, at room temperature
Juice and finely grated zest of two lemons
1 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
1 tbsp minced parsley, preferably Italian
1 good pinch kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients. Leave at room temperature so butter is soft. Use for grilled veal, pork or full flavored fish like swordfish, halibut or tuna.

Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad

 

At the Agricenter Farmers' Market yesterday I got some great looking tomatoes from the Tomato Lady. I had some bite-size fresh mozzarella balls, so what could I do but Insalata Caprese?

Since Mantia's closed, I am not aware of anyplace in Memphis that sells real fresh mozzarella. The best is made the day it is eaten, kept in lightly salted brine at room temperature until consumed. All I've been able to find is the packaged kind, and let's face it, it wasn't made yesterday even.

So here's a tip: Put it in a cup or bowl with enough lightly salted water to cover. Stick it in the microwave. For the little bite sized balls, set the timer at 30 seconds, for a big ball, 60 seconds. Then let set in the brine for an hour or so.

So anyway: an assortment of wonderful tomatoes, my "re-freshed" mozzarella, slivers of fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette...summer doesn't get any better than this!

Laretha's Tasty Corn Sauce

L

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that one of the friends I really enjoy cooking with is Laretha Randolph. Over the years, she has given me lots of good recipes that I’ve passed along to you.

Recently we went to the Randolph’s for dinner and she came up with another goodie, perfect for the summer season: a tasty and really REALLY easy-to-make corn sauce.

She had made fresh salmon croquettes adapted from a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. As wonderful as the sauce was with the croquettes, Laretha says it is also a great dressing for a salad with hot fried okra on top.

This would also be really good with grilled salmon, tuna or swordfish.

With fresh locally grown corn abundant in all the farmers’ markets, there’s no better time to try this than now!

LARETHA’S CORN SAUCE

4 ears fresh corn, shucked
1 cup corn oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
Your favorite salmon croquette recipe
Salad greens for 6 servings

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the ears of corn on a lightly greased baking sheet and roast until done through and lightly golden in places.

Cut the kernels from the corn. Scrape the cobs with the edge of the knife to get all the good juicy parts. This should give you about 2 cups. Reserve ½ cup for garnish.

Put the rest of the corn into a blender or food processor with the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. The sauce will be thick. Taste and add a little more salt if necessary.

Toss about half the sauce with the salad greens. Divide among six plates. Put the salmon croquettes on the side and spoon the rest of the sauce over them. Sprinkle with the reserved corn kernels and serve immediately. Serves 6.