Archive for 'Food and Wine'

When visiting Italy for the first time, many people are surprised when they walk into a pizzeria and see true Italian pizza. You won't find thick, greasy, deep-dish American pizza in Italy. Italian pizza will have a thin and flexible crust with very little sauce and few toppings in comparison to American-style pizza. However, the pizza is flavorful, delicious and considerably healthier. A stop in a small pizzeria will provide you with a perfect lunch or afternoon snack during your trek through Italy.

While no one disputes that pizza is an Italian creation, it seems odd that two of the main ingredients are foreign to the peninsula.

The mozzarella di bufala that is often used in pizzerias comes not from cows milk but the water buffalo introduced from India. The other main ingredient in pizza is tomato, which wasn’t used in cooking until the nineteenth century. They were brought over in the sixteenth century from America but were considered poisonous by most. We have the peasants of Naples to thank for first attempting to use the ‘poisonous’ fruit on a pizza.

A crisp and sweet accent to any after dinner liquor, or ideally a glass of Vin Santo. A very typical dessert in many Tuscan homes.

Ingredients:

• Plain White Flour 500gr (18 ounces)


• Granulated Sugar 500gr (18 ounces)


• Almonds 180gr (6.5 ounces)


• 3 Eggs


• Baking Powder, 4 tsps


• Dash of Salt

In the near future, 2007 may be a prized vintage for Italian wine. The temperatures this summer have been warm, and the grapes are nearing the earliest harvest in decades. Vineyards across the peninsula are looking for help they were not expecting to need for several more weeks.

The grapes are ripe almost 20 days early in some areas and though it's a smaller harvest than many years, the grapes are dark, sweet, and rich in flavor. This heat coupled with the lack of rain has produced a very intense grape by not diluting the natural sugars.

This recipe is a combination of the popular Porchetta with duck instead of the normal pork roast. Porchetta is a popular staple at many festivals and holidays in Italy, served from street vendors and often in a Panini. The Anatra in Porchetta offers a slightly different spin on the traditional dish that you are sure to find enjoyable.

Ingredients:

• One whole, cleaned duck


• Fennel seeds


• Bunch of fresh fennel


• 4 Garlic Cloves


• 2 Peperoncini (chili peppers)


• Fresh Sage


• Fresh Rosemary


• Salt and Pepper


• Olive Oil


• Glass of Red Wine