The Traditional Food of Florence and Tuscany, Italy! A Taste of Tuscany!

Interior ceiling fresco of The Duomo 

(photo credited to "Going Through Italy")

The Duomo of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori

(photo credited to "Going Through Italy")

We've just arrived in beautiful Florence, Italy, considered to be the center of the Renaissance at the end of the Middle Ages.  It's almost impossible to find a point to begin discussing this incredible city, considered to be on the most important historical cities world-wide.  Florence shares with Venice a top position on anyone's list of 'must-visit' destinations!  It's simply incredible that I am walking in the same place where the brilliant Michaelangelo, da Vinci, Botticelli, Gelileo, and Giotti walked . . . and that's pretty humbling!  Did you know that Julius Caesar was the founder of Florence?  I didn't, continuing to learn something new every day!

Without a doubt, our brief time in Florence will include seeing Michaelangelo's "David" in the Galleria dell'Accademia and walking through the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori with it's infamous red terra-cotta tiled roof, the Duomo.   Also on our must-see list is the Campanile, The Galleria deli Uffizi, and the Ponte Vecchio.

I'll happily, no, JOYFULLY post more photos upon my return to the States.  So in the meantime, let's get down to talking foodie chatter:

THE FOOD of Florence and Tuscany!

As with all of Italy, Fiorentini or Tuscans, prepare their unique regional cuisine with gusto and passion!  Much of the cuisine of Tuscany is 'cucina rustic' (rustic cuisine) that is comfort food at its best and known more for its simplicity.  A minimum of seasoning and herbs are used in this region along with olive oil and vinegar for the purpose of keeping the focus on quality ingredients.  Italians (including my family) who came from poverty never wasted anything.  Poverty was the norm in Tuscany where Florence is located and is know for its 'waste not, want not' philosophy.  Yet despite the lack of wealth, at the heart of Florentine cuisine are simple, humble, but fundamental ingredients necessary for creating delicious recipes based:   bread, olive oil, beef or game, fresh vegetables and wine!  Creative soups, stews, and other dishes were created to use up every part of an animal, bread, vegetable or fruit. "Cucina Povera", what my family grew up on in the mountains of Northern Italy, is now extremely popular not only because of the flavor, but also because this type of cooking is much more healthy for us!

Tuscans are also affectionately known 'bean eaters' because of for their love of beans which is an absolute essential staple of the Tuscan table. Plus this is the home of Chianti wine.

As I mentioned, nothing was ever thrown away, especially bread which is the basis for two very well known Florentine dishes:

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige, 

link to my Panzanella recipe and the original recipe)

Panzanella

A simple and popular Tuscan dish made of Italian bread that is at least a day or two old blended with fresh tomatoes and basil and than allowed to soak in vinegar and oil.  Other variations abound, all with different vegetables add, and I've even added cooked Italian pancetta (bacon).  Because panzanella consists of garden fresh tomatoes and basil, it is primarily a dish eaten in the warmer months of summer.

(photo credited to the talented chefs of "Organic Tuscany", link to the recipe)

Pappa al Pomodoro (Mush of Tomato)

A humble, yet hearty soup made of dense, crusty, stale Italian bread and tomato, olive oil, onion, garlic, freshly cracked sea salt, maybe a pinch of dried red pepper flakes (pepperoncini), and garnished with fresh basil.  This soup is often enjoyed in the colder months of the year, but truly is eaten year-round if whenever fresh tomatoes are available.  Often olive oil is drizzled on top.

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige, 

link to my Pasta e Fagioli recipe)

Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans

Undoubtedly one of my family's favorite soup is this hearty, traditional bean and tomato-based soup that simmers in seasoned water for several hours over very low heat.  Pasta is then added to cook al dente which is then cooked with very, very briefly with the pasta.  Nothing soothes and comforts the soul on cold days as does this wonderful soup!

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige,

link to my Contucci/Biscotti recipe)

Biscotti / Cantucci 

These are the famous small, almond-based cookie that is twice baked (thus the name) and shaped like a crescent moon.  Growing up, I remember my grandfathers dipping them into wine after dinner!  No one where I grew up in Iowa had ever heard of these cookies until their popularity exploded in the States sometime in the 80's, yet my mother made them for us every Christmas as did her mother when she was growing up too.  The holidays would not be the same without these special cookies in my home!

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige, 

link to my Bistecca all Fiorentina recipe)

Bistecca alla Fiorentine

This enormous steak is widely celebrated around the world that is a huge, fat, thick cut of beef with the bone and filet included and from a specialty breed of cattle known as the Chianina (white cattle).  The Chianina beef possesses a more tender, flavorful essence and is of the highest quality beef in Europe.  These superb steaks are always and exclusively grilled to a 'rare' level and no more!  This guarantees the exterior of the steak is seared and crisp with good, black grill marks and ensures an interior that is tender, soft, and succulent.

The thickness of the steak cuts helps maintain these qualities because they are cut about 4 inches thick!  Bistecca all Fiorentina is prepared simply with olive oil, some freshly cracked sea salt and black pepper and often sprinkled with rosemary (the way that we prefer it).

There are butchers in Tuscany who have become famous for their mastery of beef preparation and who have even penned poems and songs for this famous bistecca (Dario Cecchini of Panzano in Chianti).  You may have seen him interviewed on some of the American food shows by David Rocco or Anthony Bourdain.

Of course, you're thinking that this is certainly not the food of peasants . . . and you would be absolutely correct!  This a dish that was coveted for special occasions and actually the incredible size of this steak could feed four people!  At least one steak certainly feeds four of us when we grill these huge steaks in my family.


This certainly is not a comprehensive list of all the traditional specialities of Florence and Tuscany, but they are definitely some of the most well-known dishes.  Time is of the essence, and I've got to get busy and get to some ristorante or trattoria to 'mangia' (eat) and get in some sight-seeing.  I'll be chatting with you in my next post when I am in Roma!

If you feel that I have left out any important, classic dish of Florence and Tuscany please let me know in your comment and I will make sure to edit this post upon my return to the States.


Mangia!
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The Traditional Food of Emilia ~ Romagna, Italy! A Taste of Emilia-Romagna!

(photo credit: 'tourism emilia-romagna)

We are in Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy today, affectionately known as the legendary "bread basket" of Italy!   With its capital of Bologna, this region is considered by many to be the gastronomical and culinary heart of Italy . . . and that reputation resonates throughout very demanding Italian food circles.  This region has bestowed its traditional culinary gifts and delicacies to make Italian food what we all know and love.  If you desire to taste Italy's best food, you must direct yourself to Emilia-Romagna for its robust, distinctive, and superior cuisine!  Many of the remarkable and unique dishes that have originated and have been mastered here are now served throughout Italy and for that matter!

I am truly on a journey to discover my heritage from this region.  It is with great enthusiasm that I write about this land where my family is from and where my relatives still reside today.  I have a better understanding of my family's passion for delicious cooking, their incredible art for good taste, and why our traditional recipes have been handed down throughout the generations.

So just where am I in Italy?  To give you an idea, Bologna and Modena are about an hour north of Florence and about two hours southwest of Venice.  A diverse geography encompasses a wide variety of influences on the region's cuisine.  This highly productive region just bursts with an array of famous foods!  The landscape leads to many directions which contain plains, gentle rolling hills, and countryside with the extremely rich and fertile Po River valley yielding exceptional wheat, incomparable butter and cream, cheese, veal and pork from animals that graze this verdant land.  Interestingly, more wheat is grown here to make a soft wheat flour, making it the motherland for the highest quality homemade pasta that is unparalleled throughout Italy.  The rugged mountain ranges of the Appennines and hillsides offer the cooler temperatures for hundreds of cured meats, and along the coastline of the Adriatic seafood is frequently served, being one of the top fish producing areas in Italy.  Interior wetlands are famed for feathered game, fresh water fish, and rice.

Throughout my days of discovering this or any region of Italy, I've been joyfully involved with tasting the traditional foods and recipes.  The cuisine of Emilia-Romagna is simple, yet full of strong and refined flavors with pasta, sauces, cheeses and pork products that are world famous and still made in the traditional fashion.

If you are thinking of pizza, you need to realize that pizza is from the Southern half of Italy, whereas Emilia-Romagna boasts as being the source for many of the vital, staple ingredients that Italian cuisine is noteworthy of:  Prosciutto di Parma, Aceto Balsamico (Balsamic Vinegar), Parmigiano-Regiano (Parmesan cheese), and an enormous variety of fresh, hand-made, stuffed pastas.


  

(photo credit:  tourismo emilia-romagna)

prosciutto and fig pizza

click for the recipe

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige)

THE FOOD of Emilia-Romagna

Prosciutto di Parma 

Emilia-Romagna is home to the town of Parma, which is the birthplace of Prosciutto di Parma, Italy's most famous pork product.  Considered to be the 'king' of Parma food, Prosciutto is a mainstay for Italian cuisine.  There are more pigs in Parma than people, making pork the cornerstone of Emilia-Romagna's cuisine where prosciutto has reigned supreme for years.  The region's rich tradition of cured meats are produced and perfectly aged in the colder climates of the hills, mountainsides, and caves near Modena.

And it's not just Prosciutto that hales from the hogs in this region!  More cured pork bounty includes other favorites of my family:  Coppa (one of my faces!), Pancetta, Salame, Culatello, and Zamponi are also specialities.  The time-honored Mortadella di Bologna is produced here as well making the people of this region proud of their pork products.

An Italian 'cucina' wound simply not be authentic without the presence of cured, preserved meats.  My refrigerator is never without Prosciutto, Genoa Salami, Coppa, and Pancetta.  When my kids come home to visit, it is literally the first thing they want when them come home -- a home-made, crunchy, grilled panino with any or all of these meats (that Americans call 'deli meats').  Having savory slices of these cured meats easily at hand is integral to my Italian cooking.

What would holidays and entertaining be without a beautiful platter with an assortment of Italian cured meats, cheese, olives, and more?  It wouldn't be the same in my home if any of these were missing!

(prosciutto with figs and cheese

photo credit:  unknown)

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena (Balsamic Vinegar of Modena)

Modena is also well known in culinary circles as the origin of another Emilia-Romagna culinary masterpiece:  the coveted Balsamic vinegar of Modena, which has been produced since Roman times under strict quality standards of highly government-regulated methods in which it is aged up to 50 years in wooden barrels.   Exquisite Balsamic vinegar is an artisan gourmet vinegar that possesses a rich, intense, and sweet/sour flavor and fragrance.

I just love using this dense, aged brown vinegar when I cook and appreciate how it gives that secret magic touch to Italian food.  Although quite expensive, the incomparable liquid condiment enhances so many recipes, both sweet and savory, with its complexity.  Not only do I and other food lovers use balsamic in pasta, but it's also fantastic served with cheese, vegetables and even (one of my favorites) with strawberries for dessert!

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar and Mascarpone Cheese Crostini
Fragoline al Balsamico (Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar)

click for the recipe

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige)

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Emilia-Romagna is the birthplace of the highly prized Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese.  In fact, this legendary cheese is exclusively produced in this region of Italy by law.  Although there are many imitations, there is no rival to this renowned cheese that has found inclusion in endless recipes around the globe.  The provinces of Parma, Reggio, and Emilia have had legal title to production for hundreds of years.

Stuffed Pasta

Pasta dishes that were created first in Emilia-Romagna include the renowned Lasagna, Tortellini and Tortelloni, Ravioli, Cappelleti, Cannelloni, and all of the well-recognized deliciously-stuffed pastas.  Here the natives favor tomato-based sauces and is the home of Sugo all Bolognese (Tomato with Ground Meat Sauce), also known as 'ragu', which my family never called it . . . it was always 'pasta sauce' to us.

My family's tradition of making tortellini by hand for Christmas Eve, Easter, (and Thanksgiving in the States) can be trace all the way back to the region of Emilia-Romagna where the tradition began.

Tortellini in Brodo (Tortellini in Chicken Broth)

click here for the recipe

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige)

Tortellini in Brodo

These delicious stuffed pasta pouches have been one of my family's cherished Italian foods throughout the years and across the Atlantic from our roots in Emilia-Romagna!  It is so interesting to me to see how the world has embrace tortellini as one of its favorite stuffed pastas!   This little pasta is shaped like a person's 'navel'.  Every holiday we prepare the stuffing of various meats and cheeses, along with the Northern Italian 'brodo' or chicken broth.  It is not traditionally served in cream, Tortellini all Panna, but I love it with cream despite breaking tradition!

Making tortellini is a work of love and art combined, and quite labor and time-intensive.  This is why we reserve this specialty to holidays only, thus keeping them even more special and something to look forward to at every holiday gathering!

Tortelloni

Tortelloni is simply a larger-sized tortellini, also stuffed.  In my family, we strive to only make tortellini as small as the size of our smallest fingers tips oh which we 'twist' the pasta into shape.  What you find in the stores in the States is far too large for my family's preference.  It is a very difficult skill to produce the tiniest tortellini.  With that said, we consider what you find in the stores, more of a tortelloni because they are so much larger than what my family makes at home.

Cappelletti

In Italian, cappelleti translates into 'little hats' which they resemble.  This famous stuffed pasta is also from Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region.  There is not a lot of difference between cappelleti and tortellini, in fact, some people use the two names for the same pasta, with only the stuffing that may differ.

Lasagna Bolognese

click for the recipe

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige)

Lasagne Bolognese 

Another specialty pasta dish from Bologna, Emilia-Romagna is Lasagna, a delicious, special, yet very time-consuming labor of love.  If made from scratch, including the bolognese sauce, as is the custom of my family, it requires quite a bit of time.  We always make large, I mean huge, pots of sauce which we freeze to use later saving a good deal of time when Lasagna is requested from my hungry family!   Our son prepared our family Lasagna for dinner on the evening when he proposed to his wife.  Now that's romantic!

Stuffed Ravioli 

Another perfectly stuffed pasta originating from Emilia-Romagna is Ravioli, either square or round, with an array of filling ingredients is yet another favorite dish created from Emilia-Romagna hands!  These are much larger and heartier as a result of the colder climate of Northern Italy.  My family uses swiss chard instead of spinach for the filling and it is absolutely mouth-watering!

Huge pots of Bolognese Sauce made continually year-round

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige)

Sugo Alla Bolognese (Bolognese Sauce, Tomato with Meat Sauce)

This famous meat-based Italian sauce is another culinary contribution from Bologna in Emilia-Romagna.   This is a thick, hearty, delicious and prized dish that has many interpretations and variations.   Tagliatelle is the customary pasta served with bolognese, but other pasta shapes can be used such as my family favorites of rigatoni, penne, and ravioli.  My family's cherished recipe is prepared in huge pots that we freeze and continue to replenish throughout the year.  This sauce is also given to my kids in several plastic containers (because they freeze so well) whenever I visit them or after their visits to us!  I just cannot imagine our Italian home without this exquisite sauce that pairs perfectly with any pasta.

Macaroni (Spaghetti) Pie

click for the recipe

(photo credit:  Rosalind Corieri Paige)

Pasticcio di Maccheroni (Macaroni Pie)

When celebrating "Carnival" before Lent, the natives of Emilia-Romagna traditionally prepare this expensive dish which requires a great deal of experience.  In the States, we would associate this dish more closely to our favorite 'Spaghetti Pie' that we love so much and where a plethora of diverse recipes exist.

Chestnuts

From the mountain forests of Emilia-Romagna an abundance of chestnuts is available to use in flour, soups, and breads.  Ciacci is a favorite traditional chestnut-based delicacy for dessert.  For my grandfather's family that lived in extreme poverty in the mountains, chestnuts were a vital necessity for survival, which sadly led to a distaste for chestnuts on his part.  Today, around the world, roasted chestnuts and other chestnut desserts are winter treats, especially around Christmas.

Zuppa Inglese

This popular dessert which originated in Emilia-Romagna is similar to an English Trifle in which soft, sweet ladyfinger biscuits are soaked in liqueur and topped with layers of 'pasticciera', an egg-based custard.  The aristocrats of the region who frequented England requested that their chefs create an Italian version of this English classic.

Torta Barozzi 

Originally known as a 'black cake' from Modena, this extremely guarded secret ricipe is a register trademarked and patented cake that many Italian cooks attempt to imitate at home.  This torta is an intense chocolate cake made with almonds, coffee, cocoa, and peanuts.

Finally, Modena enjoys a reputation for wonderful fruits, in particular peaches, cherries, and pears.

Vino (wine)

Familiar grape vintages native to this region include the popular wines of Lambrusco, Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Trebbiano, and Albana.  These wines are a source of great pride of the people who realize how perfectly they compliment the foods of the region.

Famous Italian Sports Cars and People

Even though I am not a car fanatic, I know beauty in design when I see it.  The people of Italy are passionate about fast, beautiful cars and incredible artistic design.  The most famous of these autos are the coveted Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati . . .  all manufactured right here in Emilia-Romagna!    Unlike myself, my husband is a car enthusiast and so he will be getting a thrill to be able to admire these cars that Emilia-Romagna can claim fame for.  Ducati motorcycles share the same production location as well.

And if that's not enough to boast about originating from Emilia-Romagna, there are also numerous famous artistic names who were born here!  Luciano Pavarotti (opera tenor), Fellini (cinema), Verdi (author), Pascoli (poet), and Toscannini (music conductor)!

Emilia-Romagna is a wonderful place for me to call home in Italy with its famous foods, super cars, and great people!  It is truly a blessing to be here! 


Please know that this is not a full and complete representation or list of all of the specialty foods that originate from Emilia-Romagna.  If you believe that there is something that I may not have included, please let me know in your comment and I will be more than happy to edit this post upon my return to the States!

Ciao!
..

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Montecreto, Italy ~ ~ My Family's Home in Northern Italy!

Tucked on the side of the tallest towering mountain in Italy, Monte Cimone, lies the native hometown of my family, Montecreto.  This little town of 950 people is nestled among fir and beech trees in the Apennine Mountains in the Provence of Emilia-Romagna.  Although Monte Cimone has many ski routes nearby, Montecreto has never grown into a wealthy ski village because it's location is more hidden, remote and difficult to get to.


This was a most desperate place to live in Italy and at the turn of the 20th century, which compelled both sides of my impoverished grandparents to search for a better life in America around 1910.  My ancestors lived on 'cucina povera' (food of the poor) out of necessity and not because of its trendiness today.  My grandfather hated chestnuts because that's about the most that they had to make flour with and other recipes.  Pasta and rice were staples with a bit of little meat.  Chicken and rabbit were common, but never, EVER did they eat fish because of the distance from the sea.  That explains why my family has never celebrated the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner known as the "Feast of the Seven Fishes".  They could not get to the fish, nor afford it if it were in front of them, nor was fish brought up into the mountains.  As a result they had never heard of the feast.  My family also never could afford any of the rich desserts such as cannoli or ricotta cakes, but they did bake biscotti, which we have always called 'contucci' that they dipped in wine after dinner.

Similar to thousands of Italian immigrants at that time, my grandparents' families were dirt poor, period!  And they certainly did not travel to 'America' on the ocean ships in first class . . . I imagine they were in the bottom level of those ships with just one trunk with all of their belongings in two (of which I am the only fortunate grandchild to have one trunk from both sides of my grandparents, each over 100 years old, to cherish and pass down to my children).

But only two people people from each side (maternal and paternal) of the family moved to America.  Their sisters and brothers stayed behind on the mountain and never left Italy.  Eventually they moved to where they live today in the nearby bustling city of Modena, home of Luciano Pavoratti, both the Ferarri and Maserati sports cars, and balsamico vinegar.  Today my relatives' quality of life is such that my aunts, uncles and cousins have absolutely no desire to ever leave Italy.  It just couldn't be any better today!

A part of me wishes that my grandparents had never left Italy and that I would have had the opportunity to grow up in this beautiful country.  But that was obviously not part of the bigger picture/plan and so here I am, a fortunate U.S. citizen visiting the land of my heritage with my parents (ages 85 and 92 years young).  My mother and father have returned to Montecreto and Modena about six times, so they know their way around and are quite fluent in Italian.  At one time I was fluent in the language, but you know what they say, "Use it or lose it" and I had no one to speak Italian to once I left home after college.

Today the only things that I can say in Italian are pretty censored, sex-related comments!  My Scottish/German husband knows exactly what I'm saying though and it always brings a big smile on his face!  :-D

While here we will not only visit my family, but also go to the local Catholic church to look through Baptismal records so that my mother can do some family genealogy work.

One of those homes on the top of that ridge is my grandmother's childhood home.  There's only one road going through this tiny little town and you're looking at it in both of the photos above!  To get up here, one has to drive straight up twisting and winding roads with hair-pin turns, something I am SO not crazy about driving on.  But chauffeur of this trip, I am.  So I need to just get over my fear of mountain road driving (it's something I usually let my husband do while I keep my eyes shut).  I just pray that they have guard rails on the side edges of the road!  Luckily for me, my sister who has driven this road before told me that there's not a lot of traffic!

After I return to the States, I'll share more photos.  For now, I'm off exploring this little mountain town, visiting family, talking, eating delicious home-made Italian food, drinking some vino, looking through dust-covered, aged record books in a church basement, and thanking God that I've got this moment in time to be in this lovely little spot on earth.

Ciao!
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