Remembering how easy they were to make, as the original version consists of only 3 ingredients (none of which is flour), I decided to make them for tomorrow's Passover Seder at my brother and sister-in-laws'. If those of you who regularly follow my cooking adventures, you'll know that I like to alter recipes, and for this one, I also added cranberries and a drizzle of good quality dark chocolate. Just a little something to beautify the brutti.
Foodista's Take on Brutti e Buoni - Adapted from recipe used at Tasty Tuscany
Ingredients (makes 24 cookies)
3 - 4 large egg whites - depends on the size. I used 3 and change
1 heaping cup of granulated sugar
8 oz of roughly chopped hazelnuts
Big handful of dried cranberries (craisins)
Good quality dark chocolate, melted (I used Ghirardelli)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Toast hazelnuts for a minute or two in a nonstick skillet. You'll know when they're ready when you can smell them, but watch them closely to make sure they don't burn.
In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Throughout the process, add the sugar and keep whipping until you can turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites moving. Gently stir in the hazelnuts and craisins. Mix well but make sure you're careful when mixing, so you don't completely deflate the egg whites.
Take a spoonful of the mixture and spoon into a greased cookie sheet. It's OK if the shape isn't perfect - these cookies are meant to look rustic. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Let cookies cool for about 15 minutes and then carefully remove from the cookie sheet. Place on a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes longer. Then take the melted chocolate and drizzle on top with a fork in an irregular fashion.
Buon appetito and Happy Passover to those who celebrate.
La Vena di Vino - Via Don Minzoni, 30. 56048 Volterra, Italy.
+39 0588 81491
www.lavenadivino.com
I’m going to reminisce about Italy one last time before I completely veer off the topic. Here I want to recall an awesome day trip we had with Paolo, our first in fact, to a Medieval Tuscan town called Volterra. Established in the 11th century by the Etruscans, Volterra is located in a hilly region close to San Gimignano and Lajatico, the birthplace and still home place of famous tenor, Andrea Bocelli.
While in Volterra, Paolo showed us all around, taking us to ancient squares, cathedrals, and most interestingly to artist’s shops that sell alabaster works. Alabaster, a mineral, discovered by the ancient Etruscans, was and still is the most popularly used element to make art. We were enamored by the versatile uses this stone had – from musical instruments to mirrors, jewelry, toys and more.
After some great sight seeing and absorption of history, we stopped for lunch and a wine tasting at a local restaurant/pub called La Vena di Vino. Paolo is well acquainted with the owners, boisterous, good-natured Italians who extend their hospitality with gusto and like to share their passion for wine. We dined in their quaint wine cellar at the only communal table, which felt both intimate and special.
Atmosphere:When you first walk into Vena, it feels very much like a bar – a casual pub actually or a dive bar as us Americans would say. What classifies it as a dive? Well the myriad of bras hanging up all over the ceiling and walls in the main room, for starters. This gave us a good laugh and broke the ice quickly, at the same time making us wonder, “Where did Paolo take us?” But like everything else we experienced that week, what you first saw was not what you really got.
We proceeded downstairs to their cellar, where we’d have lunch and a proper local wine tasting. I loved the cellar immediately because it emanated with history and old, cool-looking things. Gone was the kitsch from the upstairs room and in came the tasteful vintage décor such as an old scale, shelves of what looked like precious wine and also an antique dentist chair that was used to surf the web (OK…I guess not all the kitsch was gone).
Food and Wine:As it happened, the menu was in Italian so Paolo graciously ordered for us. But I had a feeling this would’ve been the case regardless of the language on the menu. Despite meeting him just the day before, we trusted him to order something good – I guess last night’s dinner he cooked proved to us that he understood good food.
Ribollita (Zuppa Volterrana) – Since it was still pretty chilly outside (the only cold day we had, luckily) we were delighted when the ribollita, a steaming bowl of thick soup arrived. Packed with vegetables such as zucchini, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and bread as its thickening agent, it absolutely hit the spot. It was deliciously hearty and flavorful, making me think of an Italian version of chili. Paolo described it as the epitome of peasant food because it used simple ingredients and really stretched them to the max.
Cured Meats and Cheese Plate – Now this is how I like to eat lunch – a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and some crusty bread to go along with it. The plate of goodies we received was impressive, boasting 4 types of meats, 3 cheeses, spicy red pepper jam and a crostini with chicken liver. I adored everything and especially the fennel salami that proved to be as earthy as it was primal. The red pepper jam was lovely to spread onto the crusty bread, which was then further topped with a rustic slice of fresh sheep’s mozzarella cheese. As you can see, the portion was quite generous, and even though my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach, I managed to polish off the whole thing. I think you would’ve done the same.
Wine – We had a great time tasting three types of local red wines, one was a Chianti (most commonly known in Tuscany), the other a moltepulciano and the final a Francesa Romana Terenzi. The pairing was perfectly matched with what we were eating – full bodied, red wines with full bodied feel-good food. Our bellies were satisfied and our psyches, needless to say, were relaxed, producing laughs and ridiculous tangents that turned into more laughs.
Service:Since we were with Paolo, a native Italian, we received wonderful treatment and lots of detailed explanations about the wine and the food. Bruno, Vena's gracious owner, recited an interesting history of where the wines came from and also about the cuts of meats we were enjoying. I felt really happy and lucky to be where I was at the moment, enjoying the good things in life and being in the company of genuine, interesting people who shared my interests.
If you ever find yourself in Volterra, I couldn’t recommend this place more – just ask for Bruno or mention Paolo. You’ll get the red carpet rolled out for you.
3 full bellied Mmmms
As a result of my amazing trip to Tuscany last week, I was inspired to use the cooking knowledge I gained from Pat and translate it to my everyday cooking routine. This proved pretty fortuitous thus far, as the cooking we practiced in Tuscany was simple and used fresh ingredients, which consisted mostly of produce. I added in some starch too, for a more filling result, and a dish that was once a salad in Pat's kitchen, turned into a gnocchi variation in mine.
I loved the use of the licoricey fennel in this dish, coupled with sweet, juicy oranges that were cut into bite-sized chunks. Tweaks were made of course, as I dulled out the sharpness of the fennel by sauteeing it for a few minutes together with garlic, instead of serving it raw, like in the salad. For some creamy tang, I also added a few crumbles of good quality goat cheese and for the greens, I used fresh basil instead of parsley.
Here's my refurbished recipe:
Fennel Orange Gnocchi a la Foodista by way of Tasty Tuscany
Ingredients (serves 2)
1 package of whole wheat gnocchi (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1 whole fennel bulb, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 clove of garlic, pressed or minced
1 fresh orange, cut into bite-sized cubes
A small handful of basil, rolled and then cut into thin pieces
A shake of red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Glug of good marsala wine
Salt to taste
Directions:
Cook gnocchi according to directions.
Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. You can mix in a little bit of butter too if you have it, but use unsalted butter. Add the garlic and make sure to stir frequently to make sure it doesn't burn. Add the fennel and mix frequently until it gets a nice golden color (the fennel shouldn't get too soft though). Incorporate the salt and red pepper flakes and keep mixing for another minute or two. Then add the marsala wine and turn down the heat so the sauce thickens a bit.
Stir in the gnocchi and a little bit of gnocchi water too, to thin out the sauce, if needed. Mix in the orange cubes and basil. Stir well and spoon into bowls. Crumble the goat cheese on top at the end so it melts in nicely with the still hot gnocchi. If you don't love goat cheese, you can substitute, pecorino, mozzarella - or any other cheese of your choice. Buon appetito.
Also located in an off-the-beaten-path area, one probably wouldn't know to uncover this treasure unless you were with a true Tuscan. We were lucky in this way, as Paolo discovered this piece of history and all its "candy" years ago, when he and Pat opened up Tasty Tuscany.
The most notable part of Calci was the aforementioned Baroque monastery he took us to, which included breathtaking frescoes of religious and secular scenes, opulent halls where the monks gathered and the modest quarters in which they lived. We also had the pleasure of seeing an old pharmacy, which was run by the monks and was still functioning until about 30 years ago. It was all so fascinating and truly unreal to imagine that we were looking at and touching pieces of history originating in the 13th century.
When we got back to the villa, we were pretty tired and took a luxurious cat nap after lunch under some trees, overlooking the beautiful rolling hills of Tuscany. After a dose of R&R, it was back to the kitchen we went to create our 3rd meal.
Cooking Lesson 3 - A Real Taste of Tuscany
Our third cooking lesson was the most involved and took the most amount of time, but we enjoyed every minute of it. After glancing at the menu, we were nearly squealing with excitement for today was the day we'd make fresh pasta. I've made a form of fresh pasta before with my grandmother in Slovakia and I've always had a really hard time rolling out the dough. I was hoping to learn how to do it properly here. But aside from the pasta, there were other lovely dishes we learned--from the stuffed and baked zucchini to a refreshing Tuscan salad and Cantuccini (aka Biscotti)--that by the end of this meal, we were three very happy (and full) travelers.
Handmade Tagliatelle with Sweet Tomato Sauce - Pat did a great job demonstrating the simplicity and the magic behind making fresh pasta. For all of you who are intimidated by this process, I hope this description changes your mind, for you don't need any special equipment or ingredients. All you need is flour, egg and a good roller. While the process was a little time consuming, it was so much fun and we really enjoyed putting our own spin on each batch of tagliatelle - mine were all helter skelter while Angela's and Marjorie's were perfectly straight and beautiful. But in the end it didn't matter, as they all looked gorgeous in our bowls, mixed in with the sweet tomato sauce we made. Here's how you make the pasta:
Ingredients: (Serves 6)
1 egg per serving
Approximately 6 tbs of flour per serving
Directions:
Place your egg in a bowl with 2 heaping tbs of flour. Whisk with a fork until incorporated. Add 1 or 2 tbs of flour, depending on the consistency you get. The goal is to get a firm dough ball where you don't see the yellow in the egg. Continue to beat your dough until you get the desired firm but still malleable consistency.
In the meantime, set a large pot of water to boil.
Kneed the dough with your hand, pressing down and stretching it, but at the same time ensuring that you keep it round. If the dough starts to stick, sprinkle it with more flour.
Then take your rolling pin (flour it lightly) and start stretching the dough by using a steady forward motion. Turn the dough 90 degrees after each roll to make sure you preserve its round shape. Steady the dough on one side with your forearm and work the opposite part of the dough with your rolling pin (i.e. if you are steadying the top of the dough with your arm, roll out the bottom with your floured roller). Switch sides and continue to roll out the dough until its about about 1/8 inch thick or thin enough to eat as pasta.
Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter) and then take your knife and cut into 1/4 inch strips with a fast chopping motion. Unfold the pasta strips so they are long and then cut them in half, as to make them more manageable to eat.
Place the pre-cut pasta into the boiling water and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until al dente. Try one to make sure you are happy with it. Remember, it's always best to undercook pasta, as it continues to cook even after you take it out of the pot.
Drain the pasta and stir in the freshly made sweet tomato sauce. See recipe for the sweet tomato sauce here.
Stuffed and Baked Zucchine - Besides the pasta, this was my other close favorite. It was healthy and hearty, combining all vegetable ingredients such as carrots, onions, the inside of a zucchine and breadcrumbs. Pat wasn't happy with the outcome because she thought the bread we used was wrong, but I thought it was pretty darn delicious. Pat suggests using a crustier bread for the stuffing, but we used a softer Pugliese bread that almost reminded me of potato bread. Additionally to to the amazing taste of this dish, I loved the bite-sized zucchine, as we used small organic zucchine, instead of the larger, darker variety we are used to in the States. I have no doubt that you can find these adorable minis at your local farmer's market or a CSA.
Tuscan Salad - As mentioned yesterday, I was totally smitten with Pat's salads and this one was no exception. A very light, fruity creation, containing plump raisins soaked in Vin Santo wine, thin slices of pears or apples (we used the latter), pine nuts and chunky pecorino cheese, it made me reach for seconds and thirds. Dressed simply with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, it was a most delightful pairing with the stuffed zucchine.
Cantuccini - Essentially the same thing as Biscotti, just named differently and meaning "corners," we had a great time making these. Just for fun and for variety, we created 2 types including a classic version with lemon zest, almonds and anise seeds, while in the other, we ditched the last ingredient and added dark chocolate chunks. Since I'm such a chocoholic, I thought I'd enjoy the chocolate chip cantuccini more, but I actually preferred the more classic version because of its clean taste and a hint of something intereting at the end of each bite, which came from the anise. Yum!
While my Tasty Tuscany experiences will come to an end with this post, I will continue coverage about my Italian adventure later in the week with some Florentine and Venetian restaurant reviews. Stay tuned...
Our second day in Tasty Tuscany proved just as fruitful as the first - if not more. During the day, we visited a quaint town called Certaldo, whose most famous resident was Giovanni Bocaccio, an author and poet whose most notable contribution was his skill with language and particularly dialogue. We visited a local cafe named in honor of this literary master, during which we had some pretty spectacular looking (and tasting) cappuccino. The cafe, Bar Bocaccio is in fact known for its flowery cappuccino designs, and Paolo told us they've even won some accolades for it. I can see why - just take a look at the beauty below.
But now...on to cooking!
Cooking Lesson 2 - A Mediterranean Dinner
When we returned to our villa for our second cooking lesson with Pat, we were excited to find out that the dishes we were about to make had Sicilian roots. Pat explained that this region is mainly what Italian-American cooking is known for - tomato sauce, olives, seafood and of course pasta. One of the dishes below, the chicken, was invented by Pat and she's quite proud of it, as she should be--it was vibrant, interesting and most importantly, it tasted molto bene.
Penne Coi Broccoli Alla Mediterranea - Since I'm completely partial to pasta and sometimes get bored with meat, I was really looking forward to making this. It proved to be my favorite dish of the night, mainly because it was totally different from what I'm used to--containing a vegetable-based pasta sauce with hints of garlic, spicy chili peppers and black olives. The main vegetable in the sauce was a broccoli/cauliflower hybrid (see first picture above), which looked like something out of a fantasy flick. Its saturated neon green color and gorgeous spirals made it almost too pretty to cut into, but once we decapitated it, it made the most delicious pasta sauce. I'll even share the recipe with you:
Ingredients (serves 6)
1 large head of broccoli/cauliflower hybrid (you can get this at your local farmer's market)
4-6 anchovy fillets
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
A pinch of hot chili peppers
20 black olives
1 cup of parmesan cheese
Salt and extra virgin olive oil
Short pasta such as penne, ziti, fusilli
Directions:
Cut up the broccoli/cauliflower hybrid into small pieces - simply separate the florets with a pairing knife. Then make a paste out of the anchovy fillets by pressing them with the top of your chef's knife, then chopping them into small pieces, and once again pressing them with your knife.
In the meantime, blanch your broccoli/cauliflower in boiling water and then put it immediately in cold water to shock it. Use the water in this pot to cook the pasta of your choice.
Place the prepared anchovy paste into a large, hot skillet, preheated with olive oil (and butter too if you want). Add the garlic and mix frequently so as to not burn it. Add the broccoli/cauliflower hybrid and stir well, letting the mixture cook for a few minutes until the broccoli/cauliflower softens. Next come the olives and the chili peppers. Let the mixture cook for about 10 - 15 minutes, stirring once in a while. Add a ladle of the water, which you used to cook the broccoli/cauliflower to thin out the sauce. Cook for another 10 minutes until it thickens up.
Toss the broccoli/cauliflower sauce with the cooked pasta, stir in most of the parmesan cheese, but save a little bit for the topping.
Chicken Alla Siciliana - Pat made up the recipe for this dish and we were impressed with it. Not only was it a versatile meal that could be made with a different protein (even fish), it also incorporated inventive ingredients that surprisingly went well together. If I tell you that we mixed sun-dried tomatoes with raisins, black olives and pine nuts, you might question our choice of ingredients, but I want to assure you that the mix of sweet, savory and crunchy sent our tastebuds on a most exciting trip to the Mediterranean coast.
Orange and Fennel Salad - I often marveled at Pat's creativity with salads. These were no ordinary leafy greens, tomato, pepper, cucumber combos, Pat's salads always incorporated something interesting, unexpected and delicious. This fennel salad was most refreshing, paired with bite-sized orange chunks, those lovely, sweet black olives and lots of parsley. It tasted like a cheery springtime dish, and I could very well see myself eating it for lunch on a comfortable, warm day.
Drunken Pears in Vanilla Ice Cream - A common thread in all our cooking last week involved using a lot of local wine. That's why I wasn't surprised to see that the recipe for this dish called for the inclusion of Tuscany's signature, Chianti wine. Used to make a sweet, syrupy reduction, which was further flavored with wine-soaked raisins, dry ginger, cinnamon, honey, cloves, nutmeg and brown sugar, it was then poured over the softened pears, which were also topped with creamy vanilla ice cream. The juxtaposition between the warm and cold was most welcome, and the ice cream was particularly needed to cut the sweetness of the Chianti reduction.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's menu when we really take a bite out of Tuscany.
Each day would start with a nice, light breakfast of yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit and a dessert from last night's dinner. We'd take about an hour, eating luxuriously, taking our time to wake up and by the end exchanging fun stories and always some laughs.
Then, we'd spend the day with our host Paolo, who each day took us on unique arts & culture excursions to various regions in Tuscany. Whether a visit to the beautiful Volterra, the home of the ancient Etruscans or a quaint little artists town called Certaldo, there was always something interesting and cultural to absorb. We quickly came to see that Paolo, a very well connected individual, always uncovered a neat little find or a piece of "candy" as he'd call it. And we were eager to eat em up, one piece at a time.
Our excursions with Paolo were followed by a nice family lunch after which we had some time to relax. Shortly after that, it was cooking time. Our time to spend in the kitchen with Pat, a free-spirited Italian food extraordinaire who taught us more tips, recipes and delicious "candies" than we could swallow.
A set menu was presented to us each day, consisting of about 3 (sometimes 4 dishes). Pat would start by talking a little bit about each dish and where it came from, often revealing to us the nuances of each Italian region that we gained inspiration from. During our first cooking lesson, we took a page out of Piedmont.
Cooking Lesson 1 - A Dinner from Piedmont
Our first cooking lesson was inspired by the Italian region of Piedmont, which is located up North near Mont Blanc, Pat's hometown. Since the region is privy to colder weather, its cuisine properly reflects that through its hearty stews, roasts, potato dishes and other starch-based foods. Our Piedmontese dinner included:
Brasato al Chianti (Beef Roast with Chianti-based Sauce) - We worked with a nice sized piece of beef roast for this, which we braised in a local, organic Chianti wine for about an hour and a half. We could've done it for longer and Pat suggests marinating the meat overnight in spices such as cloves, cinnamon, rosemary and thyme, but we did the quicker version of it in our class. Besides the Chianti, we also used chunks of onions, celery and carrots, which we also cooked with the meat and later pureed into a gravy that we poured over the roast. The result was a tender, comforting and juicy meat dish that's wonderful and comforting, especially on those unseasonably cold days we're having.
Potato Ring - At first, I couldn't imagine what this would be - it sounded simple yet also foreign to me. Consisting of three different colored (and flavored) potato layers that were stacked in a bundt pan, the dish was very innovative and also obvious in hindsight. I loved that about Tasty Tuscany...always introducing us to something new, but also something simple enough to recreate at home. I'll tell you how we made this:
Ingredients (serves 8-10)
About 3 lbs of russet potatoes
1/2 cups of tomato sauce (1 can of raw peeled tomatoes)
1 cup of finely chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 cup of parmesan cheese
Nutmeg
2 tbs of butter and 1 more tbs for the mold
2 tbs of breadcrumbs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the potatoes in their skin. Let them cool slightly and then remove the skins. Put the potatoes through a press or a ricer to finely mash them and flavor with salt and butter. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon and make sure you get a nice smooth consistency.
Divide the potatoes in thirds and move each one to a separate bowl. Each bowl will be flavored differently. In the first bowl, add the finely chopped parsley and mix well. In the second bowl, add the freshly made tomato sauce (see Tasty Tuscany's recipe here) and in the third bowl, add the pressed garlic and about a 1/4 tsp of grated nutmeg. You can add some parmesan cheese too if you like - it'll melt nicely.
Take the bundt pan and line it with the room temperature butter. Make sure you get the butter in all its crevices, so the potatoes don't stick. Then take your breadcrumbs and sprinkle them all over the inside of the bundt pan - they will stick to the butter.
You can now layer your potatoes. Start with the tomato layer and make sure you even it out with a spoon; then do the same thing with the parsley layer and then top it off with the garlic/cheese/nutmeg layer. Bake for about 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes (about 15 minutes). Flip the bundt pan onto a flat, oven-safe plate and remove the potato ring. You will see the pretty colored layers on the outside. Right before you are ready to serve this, sprinkle it with more parmesan cheese on top and pop it into the broiler for about 3-5 minutes or until the top is nice and golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Brutti e Buoni (Ugly but Good) - The name of this dessert cracked me up, but it also represents one of life's great lessons - not all beautiful things are good, as sometimes the ugly ducklings are the real prize. Well such is the case with these rustic hazelnut cookies, which are made up of only 3 ingredients - hazelnuts, sugar and an egg white. They're dropped onto a cookie sheet in a free form fashion, and what comes out is something truly wonderful - soft little, cloud-like meringues that end each bite with a nice crunch.
Tomorrow...I'll cover my second cooking class which is inspired by Sicily. Stay tuned...
Image by tastytuscany.comJust because I like to keep you informed about my latest and greatest food adventures, I thought you should know that I'm currently in Palaia, Tuscany. Spending my time in a bed & breakfast cooking school, run by an Italian couple, Pat and Paolo, I hope to bring you up to speed about my Italian food adventures. Here's a little taste of what you can expect in my future posts.
Foodista in Tuscany - What I'll Learn to Make:
- Fresh tagliatelle- Stuffed and baked zucchine
- Brutti e Buoni (not yet sure what this is - can you guess?)
- Risotto with pumpkin and mushrooms- Chicken alla Toscan- Crostata with figs and rosemary
- Stew with mushrooms- Potato rolls with saffron and more!
Depending on how much of a digital connection I'll get, I'll try to report each day about the wonderful foods and customs I'm experiencing. Until then...I hope I've whet your appetite. Ciao!
