Part One of a three part series called Pasta and Perseverance, examining the use of pasta made with what were considered ‘inferior’ flours. The aim was to immerse myself in the experience of using these flours from a sensory perspective to get a closer understanding of what it meant to have to rely on them for nutriment when circumstances did not allow one to use the preferred white wheat flour. Part 1: barley. Sicilian 'suddhi'.
Crostello is a traditional Easter bread made exclusively in Città di Castello. It is a tradition that is quickly slipping into the folds of time. In lockdown Italy, more and more people are taking the time to make food from scratch and we in CdC have discovered that almost no one knows how to make crostello anymore. This post is my mission to save it from oblivion.
A bit of ravioli history. The first known recipes for ravioli are recorded in the 14th-century collection referred to as Anonymous Venetian or Libro per cuoco. You might be surprised to learn that the pasta wrapper on the outside was an ‘extra’ not necessarily a ‘plus’ at that point in time. Here I unveil all three of the ravioli recipes and how to prepare them in your own kitchen. Historical Italian cooking.
This traditional stew is from a recipe from 1899, but has antecedents in the Middle Ages. It’s a marriage of sweet, sour, salt, umami, and spice (though not ‘spicy’), with herbal and citrus aromatics. It takes us into the woods to the hunt; it recalls the sensuality of an Arabian banquet, and yet hails from the stalwart Roman table. Historical Italian cooking - food history for practitioners.
What makes people crave puntarelle and long for them when they are away from Rome? Within the species cichorium intybus var. foliosum is a varietal formally called cicoria di catalogna frastagliata di Gaeta, and commonly known as puntarelle, one of the crowning delights of Roman gastronomy. Find out more about its history and how to prepare this unique vegetable.
