Sicily: An Exotic Foodies’ Paradise

           Ingredients in Sicily's signature cannoli were brought by the Greeks, Arabs & Spaniards

The Mediterranean’s largest island….and perhaps the most beautiful….is a mecca for food lovers.  The original fusion cuisine, Sicily’s food is an interesting tapestry reflecting its diverse conquerors.  Greeks, Arabs, Romans, Normans and Spaniards have all left their culinary footprint and created one of the world’s most fascinating cuisines.  Many of the foods classically associated with Italy such as pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, gelato and even wine grapes are thought to have been brought to Italy via Sicily.

                          Sicily's Greek temples are some of the best preserved in the world

The Greeks first arrived in Italy 750 BC on the island of Sicily.  They founded the city of Syracuse, a city-state that became one of the most powerful in the entire Mediterranean.  Food items were brought by the Greeks such as wheat, figs, pomegranates, capers and olives---unknown to the island at the time, these foods remain an important part of Sicily’s profile today.  The Greeks also brought the know-how for turning goat and sheep milk into a cheese that closely resembles modern ricotta.  Last, but not least, the Greek explorers introduced grapes and developed a considerable reputation for Sicilian wines in the centuries leading up to the birth of Christ.

                        The Arabs brought many food items but also the concept of antipasto

Fast forward nearly 1,500 years and the Arabs arrive Sicilian shores.  The Arabs left a profound imprint on the island’s gastronomy.   Water buffalo was introduced to Italy first by the Arabs in Sicily----this buffalo milk is still required in making Italy’s authentic mozzarella.  Arabs also brought rice and sugar cane, both of which became cash crops for Sicily and remain staples in any Sicilian kitchen.   Gelato also owes its origin to the Arabs, as does possibly pasta.  Many food historians believe that Arabs, who had acquired the method of pasta-making from the Chinese, created the first pasta in Sicily.

Most importantly, however, the Arabs brought with them advanced irrigation techniques that turned a dry island into a fertile garden of Eden.  Orange and lemon orchards (what would Italy be without Limoncello?) that are seen throughout Sicily today owe their heritage to the Arabs....as does Sicily’s ubiquitous eggplant, melon, pistachio and pine nut.

Citrus, brought by the Arabs, grows throughout the island in rich volcanic soil

While the Arabs introduced a plethora of new foods to Sicily which then worked their way up through Italy, some of the greatest Arabic gifts to Sicily’s culinary scene are spices.  Saffron, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg were all introduced first to Italy via Sicily.   Some of Sicily's most decadent pastas feature saffron.   The island's most epoch desserts are laced with cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg.

Next, the Normans discovered Sicily in the 11^th century.  Their genius of preserving fish transformed Sicily's sardine industry.  Five hundred years later the Spaniards arrived with tomatoes, peppers and chocolate brought back from their discoveries in the New World.  All of these three remain a fundamental part of Sicily’s culinary fabric.

                                 Spaniards brought tomatoes from the New World

Modern Sicily has a different gastronomic profile from mainland Italy.  Out of all of its many past invaders, the Arabs have exerted the most dramatic influence on Sicilian cuisine.  This island is a treasure trove for foodies seeking an exotic epicurean adventure.  If you’re coming with Wine-Knows this autumn to Sicily, you are in for a serious culinary treat.

Buon appetito !

Fabulous Farro

                               Farro with Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese, Arugula & Walnuts

I’m in Italy with a group of Wine-Knows at a Renaissance villa in Umbria.  Tomorrow we head to Tuscany for the week at a stupendous 10,000 square foot villa on the sea.  Farro is one of both Tuscany and Umbria’s classical foods, however, until recently it has played second fiddle outside of central Italy to pasta.  Now it’s becoming the latest culinary craze on this side of the Atlantic.

Farro is an ancient grain.  It is not a wheat but a plant and a grain all its own.   A grain of farro looks and tastes somewhat like a lighter brown rice.  In Tuscany the grain dates from the Neolithic era.  Etruscans ate farro.  Farro fueled the Roman armies. But, the grain did not originate in Italy.  Research indicates that farro came from the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia.

Farro is a light starch, but with a big texture and an almost nutty taste.  It has a distinctive texture that I love.  It’s also extremely versatile.  Like pasta, it can be eaten plain, in a soup, or even in a salad.  Farro contains a starch similar to that found in the rice used to make risotto, releasing a creamy, binding liquid when cooked.  But, unlike risotto, farro doesn’t become gummy.  Each grain of farro has a protective layer of bran.  This means that every little morsel retains a tender but distinct bite…ever after it sits for days in your frig after preparation. 

Rich in fiber, farro also offers magnesium, as well as vitamins A, B, C and E.  It grows best in barren, high-altitude terrain, hece, is almost grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers.  More good news:  because it is so easily digested and so low in gluten, farro can often be eaten by those who are normally gluten-intolderant.  

I've had farro in many preparations, but here is one of my faves:

Farro with Roasted Butternut Squash, Walnuts, Arugula & Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

1 C farro

1.5 cups cubed squash

1 C arugula

½ cup crumbled goat cheese

1/3 cup chopped alwanuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon walnut  oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vineyar

Salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and cut squash into ½ inch cubes, toss with olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Put on well oiled baking sheet and roast for 20 min.

In a saucepan bring 2 cups of water with salt to boil, add farro, cover and summer until faro is tender with a slight chew (15-20 min).  Remove from heat and drain.

In a large bowl toss farro with squash, add walnut oil and balsamic, arugula, chopped nuts and goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Note:  can be served either hot or cold

Buon appetito!

Perfect Foodie Gifts to Bring Home from Italy

I'm on my way to Italy with two different groups.  Often times on my tours I am asked by my clients what gifts are best to bring home  for their food-loving friends.  My answer depends on the district of the country in which the group is----each region has certain gourmet specialties.  Below I’ve listed my recommendations beginning with Umbria and Tuscany as that’s where Wine-Knows has rented villas this June, however, I’ve added ideas for many other regions.  My suggestions are based on the weight of the item, ease in packing it, perishability, and uniqueness.

Umbria

   ~ Umbria is world famous for its black truffles.  Truffle oil and truffle paste are great because they are not near as perishable as fresh truffles.

   ~ Nothing says Umbria like a piece of Deruta pottery for the kitchen.  There are all sizes and shapes of these colorful ceramics available, many of which never make it to the export market.

                                                             Deruta's tempting wares

Tuscany:

   ~ Vin Santo (a dessert wine often eaten with biscotti)  is a Tuscan tradition.  While available in the U.S., many of the boutique producers’ Vin Santo does not leave the country.  As it is frequently packaged in half bottles, it can easily be brought home packed in your suitcase.

                        Biscotti, another Tuscan specialty, pairs beautifully with Vin Santo

   ~ Finocchiona salami is a specialty of the Chianti wine region.  This savory deeply flavored salami is chocked full of local fennel.

Emilia Romagna:

   ~ The capitol of Italy’s gourmet cuisine, there’s a plethora of goodies to tempt you (e.g. home of Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and Balsamic Vinegar).  Pasta attains true stardom in this region and you’ll see shapes and sizes that you’ll  never see again.  If packed between layers of clothes, a package of dry pasta weathers the journey home nicely.

                                Butterfly-shaped pasta in the colors of the Italian flag

   ~ Balsamic is in every grocery store these days, however, aged Balsamico is not.  Pickup a small bottle of 20 or 30 year old rich, aromatic, syrupy Balsamic for drizzling back home on fruit dessert (or add it at the last moment to a savory sauce for major complexity).

Amalfi Coast:

   ~ Gigantic lemons are one of the hallmarks of the coast.  While US customs forbids bringing them back, you can bring back a memory of them in the form of a kitchen towel, pot holder or even a small ceramic platter decorated by local artisans with colorful lemons.  All are very abundant in shops.

                              When life gives you monstrous lemons, make limoncello

  

~ Superbly yummy San Marzano tomoatoes are grown on the slopes of Mt Vesuvious which looms over the entire Amalfi Coast and Bay of Naples.  Tomato paste (double or triple concentrations are the best) are fabulous gifts to bring home…I usually buy a dozen and stick one in to a hostess gift.

  

                         Paste comes in 3 strengths:  regular (L), double (C), & triple (R) 

Sicily:

   ~Capers are available in every province in Italy, however, the Sicilian varietal is the pinnacle.  Dry-packaged in salt (which is rinsed before serving), these taste like no other caper you’ll ever have.  They are expensive but worth every Euro.    

                                 Meaty, plump capers like you're never had before

   ~Bottarga is another Sicilian specialty.  Somewhat like dried caviar, it is a salted and cured fish roe.  Expensive, it is often added in small amounts to pasta dishes, although it can also be served on a crostini.

Lombardy:

   ~ Northern Lombardy is home to polenta, risotto, Gorgonzola and Taleggio, all of which are widely available in the US.  It is also home to mostarda, a heavenly savory fruit condiment somewhat like chutney.  Served with meats or even cheeses, this labor-intensive delectable can make even the simplest dish into a masterpiece.

  

                                     Mostarda made from plums, pears, peaches & apricots

Piedmont:

   ~ Home to the Slow-Food movement, this northern most district that shares a border with France is one of my favorite for gourmet gifts.  Piedmont is synonymous with the white truffle, the King of truffles.  Truffle-centric gifts are everywhere from salami to truffle oil.  Truffle shavers are also available in every shop.

                  White truffles are so expensive that they require a shaver to thinly slice them

        

   ~ If it’s not summer, than one of the best gifts to bring home from Piedmont is gianduja, the marriage of chocolate and hazelnut.  Gianduja is an art-form here as exotic, imported cocoa beans are mixed with the smoky local hazelnut.   (If it is summer, bring home just the unusually rich, and intense local hazelnuts).

                                            A Italian marriage made in heaven 

Umbrian Truffles

                                                  Fettucine with Umbria's Black Truffles

Summer is coming to a close.   In Umbria, that means the season for its precious black truffles is also ending.   Every ristorante  in Umbria is now offering a “Tartufo” menu:  bruschetta with local olive oil and truffles, truffled cheese,  pasta of every shape and size served with shaved truffles on top (cooking destroys the delicate taste of truffles), risotto crowned with shaved truffles, their version of steak tartare topped with truffles, beef or veal covered with a truffle-infused sauce.  Umbrian pizzerias feature truffle pizzas.   Even truffle gelato is sold at Umbria’s pasticcerias.

What exactly is a truffle?  A truffle is an exotic fungus, a kind of distant relative of the wild mushroom.  They are one of the world’s most expensive culinary items.  Up until recently, truffles were only found in Italy.  Now, Oregon and even China are trying their hands at truffle farming, but so far, none can compete with Italy.

Umbria is world famous for its summer truffles.  These prized culinary morsels are the black variety.  Like their cousins, the white truffle from the northern Piedmont district, Umbria’s black truffles grow underground in symbiosis with the roots of trees such as oaks, hazelnuts and chestnuts.  While the white Piedmontese truffle is much more aromatic (and expensive), Umbria’s black rendition offers a good substitute for those who cannot wait for Piedmont's white truffle---which does not mature until winter.

Wine-Knows will be visiting Umbria in June 2015 just in time for the beginning of their truffle season.   Truffles are hunted with specially-trained truffle-sniffing dogs.  We’ve scheduled a truffle hunt into the forest with a truffle hunter and his dog, followed by a truffle dinner featuring the finds of our hunt.  There are just two more spaces left for this gourmet extravaganza.   For more information about the food lovers tour visit www.wineknowstravel.com.

BOLOGNA: Italy’s Ground Zero for Foodies

                                   Pasta Bolognese, one of the city's many specialties

If there ever was a town in Italy that could be considered the country’s gastronomic capital, it would have to be Bologna.  Located between Milan and Florence in the province of Emilia-Romagna, this place has everything for your last meal.  Pasta here  has become an art form;  always home-made, it is accompanied by the region’s world-famous Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese and often includes another of the area’s culinary treasures…Prosciutto di Parma.  (Since this is a last meal, none of us should mind the added cream and butter that often accompany its rich cuisine). 

I arrived in Bologna a few days ago.  I had visited the city in the early 1980’s and fallenl in love with Emilia-Romagna cooking.  My husband, however, has never been.  To prepare him for our visit, I read Fred Plotkin’s description of the city from his book, Italy for the Gourmet Traveler::  “Bologna is a sensual paradise of fragrances, flavors, beautiful smiling people who frankly love life and all the pleasures it offers.”  It’s all that and more.

Just as I remember, the entire city is a treasure trove for eating.   While I’m not a fan of salami, today I passed deli’s that had mortadellas that were a foot tall (mortadella is another specialty of the area, something like our bologna lunchmeat in the US only bounding with flavor…and minus the artificial fillers).  Pasta shops are filled with a mind-boggling assortment of fresh products in every shape and size. My favorites are the filled pastas…in Bologna they can contain meat, cheese or vegetables (as it’s autumn, many are stuffed with pumpkin).  Last night I had a “I’ve-died-and-gone-to-heaven” rendition of pumpkin raviolis with an ethereal sage infused cream sauce that was topped with generous shavings of Parmiggiano.   Pasta Bolognese (one of my husband’s faves in the U.S.), was birthed in Bologna.  The classical sauce, which involves various cooking techniques such as sweating, sautéing and braising, is complex… and turns a simple pasta into sheer magic. 

Balsalmic vinegar is another famous food product of Emilia-Romagna.  Produced in Modena (45 minutes), acteo balsamico is an extraordinary ingredient in the local cuisine.  Almost every store in Bologna sells it, but remember, almost every store in Bologna sells something to do with food.  This, however, isn’t just any acteo balsamico…there are precious bottles of vinegar which are more than a 100 years old; also, young ones that are only 40 or 50 years of age.  Ounce for ounce, they’re almost as expensive as a Mouton-Rothchild.  We purchased a truffle-infused balsamico that was 20 years of age.  My husband, a great chef, loves to use aged balsalmico in sauces at the very end to “finish” the sauce.

Never been to Bologna?  Are you a John Grisham fan?   Don’t miss his fun read on the city, Playing for Pizza.  Grisham lived in Bologna the year he penned the humorous book and many of scenes and characters will catapult you instantly to this paradiso for food-lovers.