Since I've been back from Italy, I just can't get enough olive oil. It's got to be extra virgin, peppery, smooth, light and luxurious. I want to taste that olivey flavor and see the glossy texture as I coat arugula and tomatoes. I love it plain but wanted to try a little experiment and see what else we could do with this fantastic condiment. I decided to enhance the flavor of the oil by submerging different ingredients. The results fantastic, here are my recipes:
Herb Oil
3 springs dried rosemary
3 sprigs dried thyme
Extra virgin olive oil
Place the dried herbs in the container, pour in olive oil until well covered. Store in dark cool place.
*If you don't have dried herbs on hand, microwave fresh herbs for 2 minutes on medium high heat.
*Great to coat fish or chicken and then grill or saute.
2 heads garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Peel garlic cloves whole. Place in container, pour olive oil until well covered. Refrigerate.
*Perfect to saute veggies in, especially spinach!
Hot Chili Oil
8-10 dried hot chili peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
Add peppers to container, pour olive oil until well covered and container is full. Store in dark cool place.
*An excellent flavor addition to fish or veggies when you want an extra flavor kick!
I guess it is starting to become very obvious that I am missing home. Last night I made the personnel fried chicken for dinner. Of course I tried adding an Italian spin by frying it in extra virgin olive oil and adding dried oregano to the flour mixture. The result was tasty and they certainly couldn't get enough!
Italian Fried Chicken
4 Chicken Breasts
2 egg whites
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
Slice the chicken breasts into strips. With a fork scramble egg whites until well beaten. In a different bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. Dip the chicken strips one by one into the egg whites and then flour mixture. Once well coated, heat the oil in a non stick skillet. When oil is sizzling place chicken strips in oil. Let cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on paper towel before serving.
I board the train to Florence tomorrow morning to meet Mom and Dad! I can't wait, they are getting ready to board the plane in Atlanta right now. We will be in Florence for 4 days and then they will stay in Lucca, explore all of Tuscany and come visit me when I have afternoons off! We are going to see The David, visit the Uffizi, and shop at the Ponte Vecchio among many other things. We'll drink Chianti while sharing risottos. I can't wait to return to this magnificent city AND finally see my parents again! I'll be making another visit to Acque al 2 to enjoy another taste of that unbelievable balsamic steak! And then come back to blog about all my yummy adventures!
Yesterday was Valentina's birthday. Valentina is the sweet Albanian pastry chef who speaks no English. She works her heart out making bread for each shift, preparing brioche and homemade cakes for breakfast, and creating each dessert during service. Everything sweet in the kitchen comes from her hands and I certainly can't get enough! To celebrate her birthday I made White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Banana Foster's Sauce. This is one of the first recipes I learned while working at Natalia's for my senior project in high school. If you've ever been to Natalia's and enjoyed this dessert you know just how rich and luscious it is. However if you haven't had the chance to taste this one way ticket to heaven, let me know, I'll make it for you. I made it twice, one for her to take home and one for the others' to eat. Everyone left the shift very very happy. This is what I love about cooking, it brings people together. Although we can't all understand each other, food defies the language barrier and bonds us in a way nothing else can.
The thought of eating raw fish has always repulsed me. I've never been a fan of sashimi, always having to douse my sushi rolls in soy sauce and cover them in pickled ginger. It's not that I don't like the taste. I think it's the thought of consuming a product that inevitably could cause some microbial disease if not prepared correctly that truly disturbs me.
Well, this mind set quickly had to change in Italy. During the service, one of my primarily responsibilities is making carpaccio. We have a shrimp carpaccio and a beef carpaccio. I would never think to order shrimp carpaccio when going to a restaurant, but it's one of our best sellers. Therefore I make it all the time, almost every single day. And with each time I make it, I must taste to make sure the seasonings are right. (One of the best parts of the job-sampling as you go!)
Surprisingly, I find it to be most delicious. Although you must get past the texture- it is raw shrimp after all- the seasonings make it the perfect summer appetizer. We flavor it with vanilla oil, a mix of spices, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. On top we garnish with a quenelle of fish tartare, a raw version of pesce that has been flavored with pesto, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. The flavors all come together harmoniously to create a very edible, very tasty dish.
Same goes with the beef. We season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon (the acid from the lemon is what makes eating raw safe). Then pair this with a light fennel salad and parmesan shavings. It's an excellent choice for a primi piatti. Lately we've been making a fish tartare as for the entreè , or amuse bouche. We've been seasoning it with a variety of ingredients. One unique version is with fresh berries and fruits. It's delightful and perfect for a light starter. Plus, it makes for a beautiful dish.Perhaps I find eating the uncooked protein sanitary because I do it myself, or maybe it's the fact I am in Italy and everything just tastes better here. But most importantly I think it is understanding complimentary ingredients that really highlight the raw meat. It's finding the balance between acidity and seasonings that make the dish work. Pictured: Amuse bouche of fish tartare, flavored with fresh berries.
Il Bottaccio buys all of their pork products from La Bottega di Ado. This well-known butcher shop is the best in the area. Specifically, they are experts for making the famous Lardo di Colonnata. Colonnata, one of the smaller towns in this area (only 5 km from my house) is acclaimed for it's marble and of course lardo. The lardo is a prized cut, and the process though which they cure it truly makes it one of a kind. The pure fat comes from the layer of fat at the back of the big and a cut of the belly.
Once the pieces of meat are cleaned, they are placed in a large marble basin, the marble of comes from the area as well. The basins have been rubbed with garlic and herbs, when the fat is placed in the tub then it is covered in a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic, sage, and rosemary. They layer the lardo in a tub like that until it is completely full: salt mixture, lardo, salt mixture, lardo, salt mixture, etc. The tub is sealed with a marble slab. The fat stays here for 6 months until it comes out full of flavor from the long process of seasoning and melts in your mouth.
When the lardo is finally ready, it can be taken home and used in a number of ways. It comes in a large slab, so it is important to use a very sharp knife or a meat slicing machine to cut it into thin strips. At Il Bottaccio we place it on crostini for bruschetta, wrap it around prawns, and also blanket filets that we serve with a red wine reduction sauce. I've also had it on a pizza at one of the local ristorantes. Any way you serve it, it is a delicacy.
It's unlike anything I've had before. The buttery texture, salty taste, and subtle hint of herbs truly makes it irresistible. Plus this is the only place in the world true Lardo di Colonnata is made, and it's only 5 minutes from my Italian home!
I can't believe I only have 2 weeks left in Italy! It's hard to believe how quickly this summer has gone by. Il Bottaccio gave me last night off so Marco and I headed to a pizzeria in the center of Massa. This trattoria sat us outside under a canopy lit with Christmas lights and lanterns. They served us such an incredible pie! Mine was covered in prosciutto crudo, stracciatella (a type of mozzarella), fresh tomatoes, and arugula. One of the best parts of being in Italy- it's socially acceptable (and pretty much expected) for you to order a single pizza and consume the entire thing by yourself. How could you not? The food is too good to leave a single bite! I already miss being here!
