Archive for the ‘food’ Category
STRIKE! drop the tagliatelle & no one will get hurt
I’ve been away from here for a while, so you may be wondering what’s going on in Italy.
Well right here in the Bel Paese where a third of citizens say they prefer a plate of spaghetti over sex, Italy’s going on a pasta strike on September 13.
Seems impossible, insane even, but Italy’s four largest consumer groups are stufi with the planned price hikes of electricity, gas, train service, bread, milk, school books, and, of course, pasta, and they feel that a strike on pastasciutta would be a symbolic demonstration of citizens’ feelings on the matter.
Some say that these planned increases would cause Italian families to shell out another 1000 euros per year on such items, spending up to 25-30% more–a huge increase especially if you consider that the average monthly salary in Italy hovers around that magic 1000 euros mark.
Go ahead. Gasp.
We all know that Italians are famous for their strikes (I’m guessing more than a few of you reading this have been affected by one or another), but a “sciopero della pasta?”
Unheard of, so you know this is serious.
Most Italians eat pasta every day, and some estimates say that an average Italian eats 54 kilos (119 pounds) of pasta per year–for some, as you can imagine, that’s their own body weight or more.
The increasing price of wheat is really behind this, and it brings to mind Mexico’s recent problems with the rising cost of corn to make its famous tortillas. What else is a nation to do when their food staple is threatened?
I have to say I think the Italians have a point here.
Now you may be worried about those Italians who might suffer the side effects of no pasta for a day, but don’t worry–volunteers from the consumer groups will be handing out bread and milk throughout the country to assuage any pangs.
So if you’d like to support your Italian friends, just say no to buying or eating pasta on Thursday, September 13.
And an inside tip?
Start savoring that espresso, as it too has been the victim of a recent price increase.
And if you think Italians are protective over their pasta . . . .
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[tags]sciopero della pasta, sciopero, strike, pasta strike, italy[/tags]
Tour del Gelato: Golosia in Gioiosa Ionica Marina, Calabria
Here is, finally, my first contribution to the Tour del Gelato, brainchild of Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy–and from what I’ve been reading in the blogosphere, my timing isn’t too bad as it seems many of you in the US could use a touch of relief.
To my readers enjoying cooler weather, I’m jealous, but at least I have gelato!
Today’s destination today is actually a place I’ve mentioned in a previous post (Eating Out in Calabria), and it remains my favorite gelateria (place where they make gelato, of course) around here.
It’s appropriately called “Golosia,” which means something along the lines of gluttony or greed in Italian, and it’s been holding down a well-trafficked corner of the SS 106 (Calabria’s version of California’s Pacific Coast Highway) in Gioiosa Ionica Marina since 1989.
There are 32 different flavors in the gelateria section, but they also make cakes, pastries, cannoli, and torrone di mandorle–an almond nougat that’s shipped all over Europe and even to America. Their concoctions have been honored in various prestigious events throughout Italy, including the famous EuroChocolate in Perugia (ooh, which I now see will be held on and around my birthday this year…hmm…).
Golosia also operates as a restaurant, and the place itself is rather large with seating for 60 inside and another 300 outside–some nights there’s even a piano bar.
Right, but you want to see the gelato, right?
See those wafers in the “crema” flavor? They stick one of those in every cup or cone (two if you ask nicely). Pretty!
Now, as you might know, I’m currently cameraless, so these shots were taken with my friend Carla’s camera–which had precisely 15 minutes of battery life left even though we were heading to a fun event (report coming soon!); needless to say, I had to snap quickly and then close the camera, snap and close, snap and close. So these aren’t the greatest photos, but I think you get the idea.
Since Carla was dolce enough to give me free reign with her camera during our adventure, I promised her a spot on the blog. Here she is enjoying a banana cone, which I highly recommend as the banana flavor is *so* good. All their fruit flavors are made with fresh fruit, of course, so there’s no weird artificial, medicinal banana flavoring going on here.
I’m sure the guy in the background only thought I was a *little* weird for snapping and closing repeatedly.
This visit I had a small cup of pistacchio (my staple) and “bacio.” For those who don’t know, bacio means kiss in Italian, but in the chocolate world, it’s a small candy made by Perugina with a hazelnut inside. That description is pathetic for just how good they are, but it’ll have to do until you can try one.
Anyway, the “bacio” gelato is made with them and, whoa, is it chocolatey. And delicious. Especially with pistacchio. Yum.
So next time you’re in Calabria and looking for a great gelato, head to:
Golosia
Piazza Zaleuco
Gioiosa Ionica Marina (RC)
Italy
what’s cooking wednesday: linguine with tomatoes, zucchini, and grilled shrimp
Hello faithful readers! I have a favor to ask . . .
Would you kindly click over to Tomato Casual where I’ve posted Tomatoes and Zucchini – A Match Made in the Garden?
There you’ll find out more about What’s Cooking Wednesday; be sure to let me know you’ve visited!
Buon appetito!
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Fried Zucchini Slices
On the heels of our wonderful discussion about obesity and eating healthier (most commented on post ever around here!), I’m posting a recipe that *so* doesn’t qualify as healthy for this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday.
I do hope that when I post such gluttonous dishes you realize that these aren’t meant to be eaten every day–today’s fried zucchini slices, for example, I make once, maybe twice a year. These would be great as an appetizer at a special summer dinner party.
Anyway, remember those stuffed zucchini flowers from last week? Well now we’re working with the actual fruit–yes, zucchini is technically, botanically speaking a fruit just like the tomato.
These are pretty simple, and you just might be able to slip zucchini past even the pickiest eaters.
Fried Zucchini Slices
- One large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 c breadcrumbs (*not* seasoned, if seasoned, omit onion and garlic powder)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp grated parmiggiano cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp milk
- vegetable or olive oil for frying
1. Wash and cut zucchini slices, leaving skin on. You can slice them thinner than what I recommend, but then you lose the zucchini flavor–thicker slices, of course, would give you even more zucchini bang for your euro (or whatever currency you’re currently using).
2. Combine egg, salt, and milk in small shallow bowl. Mix together bread crumbs, onion and garlic powder, and cheese in a separate small shallow bowl.
3. Dip zucchini slices in egg and then coat well with bread crumb mixture. Be sure to keep them separated from one another until you’re ready to fry (avoid stacking).
4. Fry zucchini slices in hot oil until golden brown and then let cool on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
5. These are best served warm so if you won’t be serving right away, I suggest keeping them warm in the oven.
Buon appetito!
Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, and Prosciutto Crudo
*This recipe has been featured in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.*
Today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday has us playing with some flowers.
Those of the lovely zucchini, or courgettes to some of you:
Don’t they just look good enough to eat?
Fiori di zucchine come in two varieties, male and female, and they’re both edible. You can tell the females by the fact that they are attached to the zucchini whereas the males have stems like regular flowers. The ones pictured above, then, are males.
Plus, of course, the females have pistils and the males have stamens (you remember biology class, right?). They say you can leave these in when you prepare the flowers to be eaten, but I always remove them with a quick twist. Ouch!
There are a lot of very basic, very delicious recipes for fried zucchini flowers out there–just whip up a tempura batter with flour, egg, milk, and salt (slightly more exact measurements below), and fry ’em up.
And that’s what I did with about half of the flowers, the smaller ones.
With the rest, though, I wanted to try a little something more adventurous. So I spiced up my ricotta and spinach cannelloni filling with some prosciutto crudo. I loved the results, the way the saltiness of the prosciutto picked up the sweetness of the flowers and how the spinach brought it all back down with its earthy flavor.
All measurements are approximate, so feel free to play.
Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, & Prosciutto Crudo
(Fiori di Zucchine Ripiene con Ricotta, Spinaci e Prosciutto Crudo) 
Approximately 25-30 large zucchini flowers
Filling:
1 egg yolk
One small container ricotta cheese (fresh if you can find it)
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped spinach
prosciutto crudo, torn into bits or diced
grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
dash nutmeg
salt to taste
Batter:
(Note: I used this for all the flowers,
so this was enough for about 60 in all)
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
Oil for frying
1. Prepare the batter and set aside; it shouldn’t be too thick for this recipe, although here they definitely make this batter quite thick and you end up with almost a fritter–tasty too, but not what we’re going for here.
One note: do remember that you’re dealing with flowers, so be gentle.
2. To prepare the zucchini flowers, remove the stamens and stems and then wash the flowers carefully and put them on paper towels to dry. Note that you can also leave the stems on for presentation purposes, but I usually take them off.
3. Prepare the filling by combining all the ingredients above and gently stuff the zucchini flowers up until the point where the petals start to open. I used a makeshift pastry bag (Ziploc with the corner cut off). You can twist the petals a bit to close in the stuffing. If you aren’t going to fry them right away, you can store the stuffed flowers this way in the fridge for a few hours, although I wouldn’t wait too long because the ricotta can get watery.
4. When you’re ready to fry, heat the vegetable oil in a medium to large pan.
5. One by one, dip the stuffed flowers in the batter (you’re going to have to use your hands here) and let excess batter drip off. Then drop the flower in oil and allow all sides to brown before you lift out and put on paper towels to drain. I’d recommend only frying two flowers at a time otherwise they become difficult to keep track of increasing burning possibilities.
Although they require a bit of prep work, these make tasty, impressive-looking appetizers, but you need to serve them warm. If you won’t be serving right away, use an oven to keep them heated until you’re ready to serve.
Buon appetito!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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