Piemonte , located in the northern and most western part of Italy has summers are pure perfection at times, especially up in the Alps. Many trek to these mountains to enjoy the fresh air and cool streams. However they're also there to enjoy something far greater - Piemontese picnic dishes.
This is the food my mother and I grew up on. Piemontese food is more like what you'd get along the French Riviera (remember that our cuisine is the origin of French cooking).One of the most famous is cold veal with tuna sauce - vitello tonnato. The simplest version of the sauce is mashed tuna in water mixed with mayo.Capers and their brine are added along with salt and pepper. The veal is boiled - bollito - along with such vegetables as carrots , leeks and parsnips. The last you can switch it up with subbing in cauliflower and broccoli for the leeks and parsnips. Also you can nix the meat if you feel it's too much trouble to make.Insalata rizzo is another favorite - and a family one too. It's taking a can of peas and carrots and mixing it rice. Again mayo is added to give it creaminess. Capers could be added if you want more saltiness. Another picnic must is insalata di carne cruda,is a minced raw beef or veal appetizer, prepared with lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. It's sort of like steak tatare and served with salad greens.
Salumeria - the Piemontese version of charcuterie - is always a big thing. There's a variety of different cured meats and a large baguette to slice for sandwiches. You could make bagnet verde, a cold sauce made from parsley, garlic, and those Piemontese staple breadcrumbs and anchovies for the meats. It's a nice alternative to aioli and plain olive oil. There is also bagnet ross, a combination of ripe tomatoes, onions, peppers, celery and parsley. Mashed anchovies and mustard are added for texture.All the ingredients are cooked and then pureed. Bagnet ross can be chilled. Use it for dipping raw veggies or just hunks of bread. A great picnic idea is having the province's many cheeses with sliced rolls or baguettes.Tuma is a very strong, almost Limburger type cheese that would pair well with a hearty Barolo., the region's famed red wine.A less - overpowering - fromage is Robiola, a Brie type cheese that would pair with grissini, the ultra thin bread sticks first made in Torino.
A Piemontese picnic is a sophisticated and delicious way to enjoy eating outdoors.There's a 's variety of refreshing and chilled dishes that make for good eating. Plan one and enjoy the flavors' of one of Italy most beautiful provinces.
Showing posts with label tuma cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tuma cheese. Show all posts
Friday, August 2, 2019
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Summer Eggplant
Eggplant is one of summer's most versatile gems.It can be turned into a variety of different dishes from fried to gracing a pasta sauce.It can be baked into a type of casserole or turned into a delicious spread. Anyway you cook them, eggplants are the tastiest veggie around.
David Tanis knows this and wrote about them in his A City Kitchen in yesterday's New York Times Food section.He uses Sicilian recipes because the eggplant is one of the basic ingredients in their cuisine.It came to the island from the Arab influence and has remained there since the Middle Ages. Two other staples , tomato and peppers , came in through the Spanish during the Columbian period and the three mesh together nicely.It's also part of the cucina povera or "poor cuisine" where simple ingredients and a pinch of this or a pinch of that is added. There are no fancy ingredients, just veggies from the garden, olive oil and herbs.Eggplant has always been considered cheap. Fried slices of it , coated in breadcrumbs were always known as "poor man's oysters." and this is a stand in for lamb chops in some Sicilian households. They're also great in salads, or pickled. Stuffed eggplant is a standard and it's usually filled with rice and ground beef.
Mr. Tanis gives three eggplant recipes that are perfect for a summery dinner. The first is pasta alla Norma, named for the famed opera by Vincenzo Bellini, He came from Cataniia where he ate this dish daily for lunch. It's simply mixing fried cubes of eggplant with penne pasta. The seasoning , again, is pure cucina povera, It's garlic , tomatoes and basil mixed with the cubes. Toasted bread crumbs and cheese are usually sprinkled on top. Another tasty dish is caponata, which from the island's Arabic period.It's stewed in oil, and sweetened with sugar. The savory kick comes from vinegar, capers , tomatoes and onions cooked into a type of sauce. The eggplant is then added and let set to allow all the flavors to meld.It should sit for at least an hour before serving.Baked eggplant parmagiana is another delicious way to cook or rather bake the veggie. The original recipe recommends layering it with tuma cheese, that highly aromatic cheese from Piedmonte but Mr.Tanis uses smoked mozzarella and fresh ricotta. Anchovies fillets are scattered on top, their saltiness bringing out the eggplant's sweetness.
Take advantage of eggplants this summer. Use them in a variety of different dishes, They're versatile and tasty, perfect with other summer harvests of tomatoes and peppers.
David Tanis knows this and wrote about them in his A City Kitchen in yesterday's New York Times Food section.He uses Sicilian recipes because the eggplant is one of the basic ingredients in their cuisine.It came to the island from the Arab influence and has remained there since the Middle Ages. Two other staples , tomato and peppers , came in through the Spanish during the Columbian period and the three mesh together nicely.It's also part of the cucina povera or "poor cuisine" where simple ingredients and a pinch of this or a pinch of that is added. There are no fancy ingredients, just veggies from the garden, olive oil and herbs.Eggplant has always been considered cheap. Fried slices of it , coated in breadcrumbs were always known as "poor man's oysters." and this is a stand in for lamb chops in some Sicilian households. They're also great in salads, or pickled. Stuffed eggplant is a standard and it's usually filled with rice and ground beef.
Mr. Tanis gives three eggplant recipes that are perfect for a summery dinner. The first is pasta alla Norma, named for the famed opera by Vincenzo Bellini, He came from Cataniia where he ate this dish daily for lunch. It's simply mixing fried cubes of eggplant with penne pasta. The seasoning , again, is pure cucina povera, It's garlic , tomatoes and basil mixed with the cubes. Toasted bread crumbs and cheese are usually sprinkled on top. Another tasty dish is caponata, which from the island's Arabic period.It's stewed in oil, and sweetened with sugar. The savory kick comes from vinegar, capers , tomatoes and onions cooked into a type of sauce. The eggplant is then added and let set to allow all the flavors to meld.It should sit for at least an hour before serving.Baked eggplant parmagiana is another delicious way to cook or rather bake the veggie. The original recipe recommends layering it with tuma cheese, that highly aromatic cheese from Piedmonte but Mr.Tanis uses smoked mozzarella and fresh ricotta. Anchovies fillets are scattered on top, their saltiness bringing out the eggplant's sweetness.
Take advantage of eggplants this summer. Use them in a variety of different dishes, They're versatile and tasty, perfect with other summer harvests of tomatoes and peppers.
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