Italy (8.10.23)
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Recipes contributed by Gino Grivetti.
You might be surprised to learn there is no such thing as Italian food -- at least that's how Gino framed it for us, as he described Italy itself as being a relatively young country (its unification occurring about 1860-1871), containing many diverse regions and dialects and cuisines, not to mention other cultural and culinary influences, such as tomatoes, introduced from South America after Columbus's voyages, and more recent additions, such as the possibly American origins of pasta carbonara. The different regions each have their own flavors, specialties, and ingredients, from boar to squid to pigeon, and a wide variety of pasta, of course. Coming from such rich diversity, it's not surprising that every Italian dish has at least one story behind it. Gino shared a few with us (summarized in the recipe notes below), plus a tidbit or two about his own family. After unification, the poor southern region got poorer, and to this day, there are still those who are economically disadvantaged and harbor some resentment toward the north. Many immigrants came to the United States for temporary work, not intending to stay; some were stranded here by the events of WWI and WWII. Gino's ancestors hailed from both north and south -- on one side of the family, his southern grandmother was told she shouldn't marry a northern "foreigner," but she threw that rule out the window! Perhaps following in her footsteps, Gino stressed that there are no rules when it comes to Italian cooking -- after all, there's no such thing as Italian food! He suggests that you take your time and use good ingredients (which aren't necessarily the expensive ones) and whatever you've got on hand. All the recipes below use approximate amounts; feel free to experiment in your kitchen and make them how you want them to taste. Click here to download these recipes. Want to try more Italian recipes? Click here for the archive from our program in 2012. Click here for the archive from our program in 2013. Click here for the archive from our program in 2014. Click here for the archive from our program in 2015. Click here for the archive from our program in 2022. Click here for the archive from our program in 2023. |
Tomato Bruschetta
Meaning "toasted bread," bruschetta can be made with whatever combination and amount of toppings you like.
Ingredients:
1 loaf baguette bread
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 tomatoes
1 onion
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Cut the baguette into slices, about ¼ inches, and lay flat on a baking sheet. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl and spoon generously onto each slice. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Dice the tomatoes and onion into small cubes and combine in a large bowl. Add the basil, mashed (or minced) garlic cloves, a drizzle of olive oil, and the balsamic vinegar. Mix the ingredients together and add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, spoon a generous portion of the tomato mixture on top of the toasted bread. Optionally, top with grated parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
1 loaf baguette bread
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 tomatoes
1 onion
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Cut the baguette into slices, about ¼ inches, and lay flat on a baking sheet. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl and spoon generously onto each slice. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Dice the tomatoes and onion into small cubes and combine in a large bowl. Add the basil, mashed (or minced) garlic cloves, a drizzle of olive oil, and the balsamic vinegar. Mix the ingredients together and add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, spoon a generous portion of the tomato mixture on top of the toasted bread. Optionally, top with grated parmesan cheese.
Pasta Carbonara
The first record of this Roman dish dates to 1944, the year Rome was liberated by the allied forces. Some think it might have originated with American soldiers, who combined their rations with local ingredients and pasta to create this tasty comfort food. If so, it's one example of Italian-American food that you can find in Italy, and reflects the confluence of cultures there.
Romans like their pasta chewy, so don't overcook it. When cooking the pancetta/guanciale, you can optionally deglaze the pan with white wine.
Ingredients:
1 box pasta (any type of pasta can be used for carbonara. Some recipes recommend spaghetti or linguini. I prefer to use rigatoni)
1/2 cup pancetta or guanciale (cured pork; bacon can also be used)
4 eggs
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Lots of black pepper (to taste)
Salt to taste -- probably won't need to add any, as the pasta is cooked in salted water, and the meat and cheese are very salty.
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to slightly before it is al dente. The pasta should still be a bit firm.
2. Cut the pancetta or guanciale into small cubes. Cook over medium heat until the fat renders and the meat is slightly crispy. Remove from heat and set aside. (If cooking with bacon, use slices with lots of fat or add butter or olive oil.)
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and pecorino Romano cheese. Add salt and a generous helping of black pepper. Optionally, parmesan cheese may also be added.
4. Timing is essential to make the carbonara sauce. The pasta and the pancetta should finish cooking at about the same time. When the pasta is finished, turn off the heat before draining.
5. After draining the pasta, immediately add it back into the pot and mix in the pancetta with the rendered fat and the egg-cheese mixture. The heat of the pasta and the pancetta will cook the egg as it coats the pasta. Stir vigorously to prevent scrambling.
6. Serve immediately. Optionally, top with freshly grated pecorino Romano and/or parmesan cheese and black pepper. Generally, it is recommended to pair carbonara with a white wine (ideally from central Italy) or rosé.
Romans like their pasta chewy, so don't overcook it. When cooking the pancetta/guanciale, you can optionally deglaze the pan with white wine.
Ingredients:
1 box pasta (any type of pasta can be used for carbonara. Some recipes recommend spaghetti or linguini. I prefer to use rigatoni)
1/2 cup pancetta or guanciale (cured pork; bacon can also be used)
4 eggs
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Lots of black pepper (to taste)
Salt to taste -- probably won't need to add any, as the pasta is cooked in salted water, and the meat and cheese are very salty.
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to slightly before it is al dente. The pasta should still be a bit firm.
2. Cut the pancetta or guanciale into small cubes. Cook over medium heat until the fat renders and the meat is slightly crispy. Remove from heat and set aside. (If cooking with bacon, use slices with lots of fat or add butter or olive oil.)
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and pecorino Romano cheese. Add salt and a generous helping of black pepper. Optionally, parmesan cheese may also be added.
4. Timing is essential to make the carbonara sauce. The pasta and the pancetta should finish cooking at about the same time. When the pasta is finished, turn off the heat before draining.
5. After draining the pasta, immediately add it back into the pot and mix in the pancetta with the rendered fat and the egg-cheese mixture. The heat of the pasta and the pancetta will cook the egg as it coats the pasta. Stir vigorously to prevent scrambling.
6. Serve immediately. Optionally, top with freshly grated pecorino Romano and/or parmesan cheese and black pepper. Generally, it is recommended to pair carbonara with a white wine (ideally from central Italy) or rosé.
Almond Cookies
Also called "amaretti," these cookies are traditionally served in October around the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Story has it that St. Francis loved these cookies, and that before he died, he asked them to be brought to him by "brother" Jacoba. She made the journey to bring him the freshly-baked cookies, he took one bite, and they were so good that he was ready to die.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups almond flour*
1 cup white flour
1/4 cup sliced almonds (for garnish; optional)
1/4 cup powdered sugar (for garnish; optional)
* If you do not have almond flour, place 3 cups of whole almonds in a food processor with the white flour, sugar, almond and vanilla extracts. Process until finely ground. Add eggs and process until a dough forms.
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, almond and vanilla extracts. Add the flours and hand mix into a shaggy dough. Shape the dough into small spheres and place onto a baking sheet. Optionally, place 2-3 slices of almonds on top as garnish.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Optionally, lightly dust with powdered sugar.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups almond flour*
1 cup white flour
1/4 cup sliced almonds (for garnish; optional)
1/4 cup powdered sugar (for garnish; optional)
* If you do not have almond flour, place 3 cups of whole almonds in a food processor with the white flour, sugar, almond and vanilla extracts. Process until finely ground. Add eggs and process until a dough forms.
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, almond and vanilla extracts. Add the flours and hand mix into a shaggy dough. Shape the dough into small spheres and place onto a baking sheet. Optionally, place 2-3 slices of almonds on top as garnish.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Optionally, lightly dust with powdered sugar.