Gourmet Italian

photo credit: Laurel Fan

Fresh gourmet dishes made with Jerusalem Artichokes are a real treat.  You must make sure that your Jerusalem Artichokes are firm, not spongy.  Try to find the ones with the least “gnarls”, as these are a bit of a pain to peel.  Also – remember that Jerusalem Artichokes look just like raw ginger roots.  Make sure you don’t end up with a pound or two of ginger!  You would have a hard time using that up!  These also go by the name “sunchokes”, so if you see a sign for those in your produce market, you have found what you are looking for.

photo credit: tnarik

Want go gourmet with Pappardelle?  If you are not familiar with pappardelle – pronounced pa-par-DAY-lay – it is one of the broadest of the pasta noodles.  Think along the lines of a wide fettuccine or a narrow lasagna which sometimes comes with curly edges.  It is a cousin of tagliatelle, but a bit wider.  The dried version is often folded into nests, so you can watch for those if you are looking to buy some pappardelle.

Zucchini is one of the most favored Spring vegetables in Italy and there are many dishes Italian chefs create with them.  In some cuisines, the zucchini is considered a bit bland, so lots of seasonings and cheeses are usually added to “kick it up” a bit.  Italians, however, love the very delicate taste and they carefully nurture the fine, distinct flavor.

Italians know that the really good zucchini are usually not very large – not more than 1 1/2 inches across and no longer than 6 inches.  If one can find zucchini with the flowers still attached, they have surely found the freshest around.  The skin should be very bright in color and have a glossy skin.

photo credit: @sahxic < twitter

There is a common misconception about this Italian Chicken dish – Pollo alla Marengo.  The story almost always appears when you read a recipe for Chicken Marengo.

There is a city in Italy, just south of the Piedmont region, called Marengo.  This is where Napoleon defeated the Austrians in the early summer of 1800.  Napoleon felt it was bad luck to eat before a battle, so the story goes that he was starving after defeating the Austrians.  He supposedly told his Chef, Dunan, to scrounge up whatever he could from the locals and make him a fabulous meal.  Dunan returned from his “scavenger hunt” with chicken, tomatoes, garlic, eggs and a few crayfish.  With that, he created Napoleon’s signature victory meal – Chicken Marengo.

photo credit: cursedthing

If you are looking to add some Italian cookies to your lineup this Christmas, why not try these heavenly Rocotta cheese cookies.  Did you know that ricotta is not really a true cheese?  It is actually  a by-product of the cheese making process.  The watery leftover liquid from the making of another cheese is called the whey.  Ricotta actually means “cooked again”.  When the whey is recooked, the final product is ricotta cheese.  Italian ricotta is made from the milk of many different animals, but the American version is almost always made from the milk of a cow.  Italian versions tend to have a nutty, sweet flavor and are more dry than American ricottas.  In Italy, you can also purchase a salty or a smoky version, as well.

We can most likely thank the Genoans for Pesto.  This quick Italian green mixture will brighten up any dish.  The name actually derives from the Latin word “pesta” – meaning to crush or pound.  Of course, the key ingredient in Pesto is basil.  Basil thrived throughout the region near Genoa, so it was widely used.  Pesto is basically pounded basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.  Basil also thrived beautifully in the region of Provence, France.  They make a similar sauce, but pine nuts – or pignoli – are not used in the French version.

photo by Dominick Hundhammer

Everyone has heard of Italy’s incomparable Gorgonzola cheese being used in cooking gourmet dinners.  This is primarily made with cow’s milk and it is a wondrous creamy, piquant cheese that originated around 879 in a little town outside of Milan named … You guessed it!  Gorgonzola!  Today Gorgonzola is a suburb of Milan.

Although the cheese dates back to the 9th century, it wasn’t until about 200 years later than that greenish/blue mold was introduced to the cheese making process quite by accident.  The green veins are actually penicillum glaucum.  Really, the mold in gorgonzola is more green than blue.  The London Stock Exchange is lined with green marble and they refer to it as “Gorgonzola Hall”.