Italian Food, Wine, and Travel

No matter where we travel in Tuscany, be it biking in the Val D’Orcia on our way to taste Brunello, or walking through the vineyards of Chianti, we find this same dessert to end every meal – Cantucci and Vin Santo. Vin Santo in Tuscany is the local sweet dessert wine; many areas have a favorite sweet local wine to enjoy with dessert, be it Vin Santo in Tuscany, Recioto in Valpolicella and Soave, or Sciacchetrà in Liguria. All typically are traditionally paired with a local dolce (sweet) – in the Veneto it is Sbrisolona you enjoy with your Recioto, Pandolce Genovese with Sciacchetrà, in Tuscany it is Cantucci.

Cantucci, or Cantuccini, are small biscotti. Biscotti are oblong-shaped, dry and crunchy cookies, as they are twice-baked, perfect for dipping into a drink like Vin Santo. They are known as Cantucci or Cantuccini in Tuscany, but are also referred to here as biscotti di Prato, the biscuits of Prato, a city just outside of Florence. Here, in 19th century, local pastry chef Antonio Mattei perfected a recipe for an almond biscotti, winning numerous awards including one at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1867. His original shop, the “Biscottificio Antonio Mattei”, is still the leading manufacturer of these biscuits in Prato. Just below the name on the sign outside is the description “Fabbricante di Cantucci” (Manufacturers of Cantucci).

We made cantucci in a cooking class on one of our Italiaoutdoors private Tuscany tours. I cannot claim that this is Antonio’s original award winning recipe, but it is from a native Tuscan chef – and it pairs perfectly with a nice glass of Vin Santo!

For those unfamiliar with Vin Santo, it is a sweet wine with a long history of production in Tuscany.  Once called the “wine of hospitality”, it was used to warm up a passing stranger on his way down from the hills, celebrate some happy event, or make a toast on a Sunday after a special meal.

We find many a Vin Santo here – twenty-six of Tuscany’s 41 DOCs make a Vin Santo, as do a few DOCs in other regions. Vin Santo wines are typically blends of an assortment of local varietials, typically white, with Trebbiano most often used. On our visits to Montepulciano we sample Occhio di Pernice, meaning “Eye of the Partridge,” a Vin Santo made with red grapes, usually Sangiovese.

The traditional fermentation method is extremely typical for Vin Santo wines: the harvested grapes are selected and hung up to dry in temperature- and humidity-controlled rooms. Drying concentrates the sugars, makes it possible to obtain the sugar levels necessary to make the wine. The grapes are pressed, then aged in wooden barrels. The ageing period lasts for at least 3 years for the Vin Santo, 5 years for the Riserva and 6 for the Occhio di Pernice.

Cantucci – Almond Biscotti

1 1/2 cups whole almonds
3 eggs plus 1 egg for egg wash
3/4 cup sugar
Grated peel of one orange or lemon
1 tablespoon honey
2 3/4 cups flour (plus flour to help kneading on the work surface)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
Brown sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Coarsely chop 1/2 cup of almonds. Bake the remaining whole almonds for 5 minutes: do not toast, remove them as soon as they release their aroma.

In a large bowl, mix 3 eggs with sugar. Whisk to combine well. Whisk in orange peel and honey.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. Then add it slowly to the mixture of eggs and sugar. Add the almonds, both the chopped and the whole ones. You will have a thick dough, knead well in bowl to distribute almonds uniformly in dough.

Place the dough on the work surface, knead to form long loaves, about 3” wide and 12” long. Place on a sheet pan.

Brush with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with a few grains of brown sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove from the oven, cut the loaves obliquely into 3/4” slices, to create the typical shape of the Cantucci. Then bake another 5 minutes to toast and remove them.

Surrounded by majestic medieval walls, some of the best preserved in all of Italy, the town of Castelfranco Veneto is a destination we visit often on our Italiaoutdoors private walking and cycling tours in Italy. This lovely small town is situated between Treviso and Vicenza, and its defensive walls remind visitors of the battles between the powerful towns of Padua, Vicenza and Treviso in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The town has a small historic center, a delightful place to wander for an afternoon. The central piazza is dominated by the Duomo, designed in the eighteenth century by Francesco Maria Preti who also designed Villa Pisani at Strà, another stop on our tours. The church houses the town’s main attraction: an altarpiece by Giorgione, who was born here in Castelfranco. His works are few but very important, including the famous Tempest in the Accademia Gallery in Venice. The altarpiece, which is located in a side chapel on the right, is one of his finest works, the Madonna with St. Francis and Liberalis, more commonly called Pala del Giorgione. In the background, the towers of the old town may be seen.

For a town of such a small size, we have many options for wonderful meals. This area around Treviso is known for radicchio – on my first visits years ago I was amazed by the number of varieties and the range of flavors. Castelfranco boasts its own unique variety, the heirloom IGP Radicchio Variegato di Castelfranco. This radicchio has a distinctive appearance, creamy white and variegated, with an open rose-like shape. It has a tender, softer flavor and some claim that is it actually a hybrid of radicchio and belgian endive.

Radicchio is a member of the chicory family, and was first introduced to the Republic of Venice from Asia around 1400. It was cultivated extensively in the region, primarily as animal fodder, and the roots were dried and mashed and used as a substitute for coffee. It was also included as an ornamental plant in the botanical gardens of the Venetian aristocracy. It wasn’t until the 19th century that radicchio was introduced into the local cuisine. It does make an occasional appearance in its raw form, but the preferred method of use is as an ingredient in pasta fillings, rice dishes, or sauteed and served as a side dish to braised meats.

Here in the US, we see predominately the Radicchio Rosso di Chioggia form, which was first grown in the town of Chioggia on the Venetian Lagoon. This type is ball-shaped, like a small cabbage, and mostly purple in color with larger white streaks, or veins.

There are two varieties of Radicchio Rosso di Treviso which are grown in and around Treviso, and both are protected by their own IGP quality designation. The Precoce variety appears first in the season, and has deep red leaves with an elongated shape. It has the sweetest and most delicate flavor in the radicchio family. The second type, Tardivo, is more elongated, with a more pronounced vein. As with most radicchios, both undergo a forcing, or ‘whitening”, imbianchimento, in which field-harvested plants have their upper halves cut off, and then are replanted in running water. After a few days, the deep red inner ‘heart’ begins to grow, which is sweet and tender, with a touch of the original bitterness still remaining. The older outer leaves are removed and the heart is what you will see in the market.

The following recipe is a savory tart with a filling of radicchio and ricotta. This recipe is adapted from Osteria Pironetomosco in Treville di Castelfranco Veneto. The original recipe included farro flour as the second flour; I used chestnut as a substitute. Buckwheat flour work work as well. Enjoy with one of the Veneto’s best white wines, a crisp Soave.

Thanks to Port Plums in Newburyport for the lovely linens and wooden bowl in the photos, and the great olive oil needed to make this dish delicious!

Torta di Radicchio

Dough

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chestnut flour
1 teaspoons salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into smaller pieces
1 large egg
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Filling

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds Treviso radicchio, cut into ribbons
1 small yellow onion, minced
Extra-virgin olive oil for sauteing
1 to 2 tablespoons red wine
Salt to taste
9 ounces (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) ricotta
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the dough, place the two types of flour and the salt into a bowl of a food processor. Pulse 3 times to combine. Add the butter pieces and process until the mixture is a course meal. Add the egg, yolks, and grated cheese, pulse until everything is combined and the mixture begins to form a single ball. Remove from bowl, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the filling, place the olive oil in a preheated saute pan. Add the radicchio and onion and saute until soft and the onions are translucent. Add the wine and turn down to a simmer. Braise until the radicchio is soft and the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Salt to taste.

In a bowl combine the ricotta with the egg yolks, grated cheese and cream. Season with salt to taste. Stir in the cooked radicchio to combine.

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and place it in a 9” tart pan. Spread the radicchio mixture on top of the dough, level with a spoon, and bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.

From Osteria – 1,000 Generous and Simple Recipes from Italy’s Best Local Restaurants by Slow Food Editore.

Many of our Veneto private walking tours begin in the magical city of Venice. Famous for its canals, the Republic of Venice has a fascinating history as a major maritime and economic power for hundreds of years. Exploring the history, and understanding how it plays a role today in the culture and cuisine of the area is always part of our experience.

Sarde in Saor is a classic Venetian dish, dating back to the 13th century. This was a fisherman’s dish, fried sardines preserved in a marinade of sauteed onion. It could last for several days without refrigeration, and onions are high in Vitamin C, very important for avoiding scurvy on long sea voyages. Onion and vinegar provide “saor” which is Venetian dialect for “sapore” (flavor). During the Renaissance, raisins and pine nuts made their way to Venice from the Greek islands and Turkey, and were added in order to sweeten the breath of the person eating the dish.

This technique of treating fish, or vegetables, with vinegar to enhance its flavor and extend its shelf life is found throughout the Italian peninsula, such as Sicilian “agrodolce”, the Southern “scapece” or the Lombard “carpione”. Here is a recipe from Trattoria al Forno in Refrontolo, Treviso, which uses the saor marinade to flavor baked eggplant. An easy, make ahead preparation perfect for guests, and great on sandwiches later in the week.

Sarde in saor is traditionally served, along with Bigoli con Le Sarde and prosecco, during the Redentore, when Venetians take their boats onto the Grand Canal and eat and drink until around 11pm when fireworks begin. So enjoy the eggplant version with your own glass of prosecco!

Thanks to Port Plums in Newburyport for the lovely linens in the photos, and the great olive oil needed to make this dish delicious!

Melanzane in Saor

Serves 4

2 medium round eggplant
Salt to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil fro drizzling and sauteing
4 medium yellow onions, halved and sliced
1/2 cup white wine vinegar or dry white wine
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon black raisins
1/3 cup pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the eggplant into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, salt lightly, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and tender, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

While the eggplant is cooking, prepare the marinade. Saute the onions in olive oil. Add the vinegar, the bay leaves, and the cloves. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the raisins and pine nuts. Remove bay leaves and cloves.

Arrange a layer of eggplant slices in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Drizzle on some of the marinade and a drizzle of oil. Continue alternating layers until you have used up all of the eggplant and marinade, ending with a layer of marinade on top. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

This simple beef stew – beef, cooked slowly in a few spices, olive oil and wine – is prepared all over Tuscany. I’ve enjoyed it several times during our farewell dinner in Montalcino on our Walk the Wine Roads of Tuscany tour. The dish supposedly originated over 500 years ago in the town of Impruneta, a hilltop town outside of Florence. Impruneta is famous for its terracotta, intensely red in color and resistant to frost.

In the early 1400s, the wealthy city of Florence finally began its long overdue construction project – the building of a cupola over its Santa Maria del Fiore duomo. The roof had remained open, exposing the interior of the cathedral to the elements, since its construction over 100 years earlier, as it was to be the largest dome on earth and no architect knew how to build such a structure. In 1420, Filippo Brunelleschi had finally managed to convince the city fathers that his double dome scheme, an inner dome supporting the outer cupola, would work, and construction commenced under his supervision. He personally oversaw every aspect of the project, including frequent visits to Impruneta, chosen to produce the red tiles that would cover the exterior of the cupola.

The fornacini or kiln workers labored long hours. To fuel themselves, after the daily final firing of the kiln the workers would put a large pot filled with stew meat, simple seasonings and olive oil inside the kiln, where it would simmer gently for much of the day. The dish the workers prepared for themselves while firing the terracotta tiles was what Florentines today refer to as peposo alla fornacina. According to local legend, Brunelleschi is said to have fallen in love with the dish on his visits to Impruneta. I certainly have!

Peposo alla Fornacina – Traditional Tuscan Beef Stew

Serves 6

2 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into large chunks
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig sage
2 tablespoons Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic. minced
1 bottle Chianti or other Tuscan wine

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Lay the stew chunks on a sheet pan and salt well. Place the meat in an earthenware or other heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Wrap the peppercorns and cloves in a cheesecloth sachet. Add the peppercorn sachet, oil, and garlic to the pot. Add the wine, which should just barely cover the beef. Stir to combine.

Cover and roast in the preheated oven. Check occasionally to be sure the pot has not dried out. If the liquid evaporates, add small amounts of water as necessary.

Roast until the meat is tender enough that it falls apart when you pierce it with a fork, about 4 hours. Remove from the oven and place on the stovetop over medium heat. Cook until the cooking liquid has reduced to a thick sauce. Remove and discard the sachet and any large remains of the rosemary and sage sprigs.

Serve with plenty of unsalted Tuscan bread and the local Tuscan wine – at home, a Chianti, but in Montalcino, on a celebratory occasion, a Brunello!

This classic Venetian dish you can whip up out of your pantry, making the sauce while the pasta cooks. I’ve enjoyed this across the Veneto region, from an osteria along the Grand Canal in Venice to a lakeside trattoria on Lake Garda, as sardines are found in both saltwater and fresh. Sardines play an important part in the local markets in Italy because of its low price and its ease of preserving. Salted sardines are perfect for this dish, but hard to find here in the US, however sardines packed in oil work just fine.

Bigoli is an extruded pasta in the form of a long and thick tube. Venetian grandmothers would make bigoli with a bigolaro, a press that was fixed to the table or a stool: the Nonna would put a bowl under the bigolaro and then press the dough with the machine and the long spaghetti would fall into the basin below. We’ve made this several times during our cooking classes on our Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine Italy tours. Dried Bucatini pasta is a good substitute available here in our US supermarkets.

Traditionally, bigoli was a common dish eaten during the days of abstinence and fasting: Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday and Holy Friday were always the days of “bigoli in salsa” across towns of the Veneto, with a combination of bigoli and salted sardines. Each town would have their favored variation, with a few other ingredients, including cherry tomatoes, garlic, capers.

This version I’ve kept to items that can be stored in your pantry, except for an optional garnish of parsley. I added some bread crumbs for a bit of crunch. The sweetness of the onions complements the strong salty flavor of the sardines. Enjoy with a nice crisp glass of Soave or a sparkling prosecco from the Veneto.

Bigoli con Le Sarde

Serves 4

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Two 4 3/8 ounce tins sardines packed in oil, bones and head removed, minced
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 tablespoons white wine
1 pound bigoli, or bucatini
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the sardines and onion and cook until onions are soft. Before the onions brown, add the wine to stop the cooking and remove from heat.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add a generous amount of salt. Add the bucatini and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, then drain the pasta.

Add bucatini to the sardine sauce and mix, adding a bit of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. Toss with bread crumbs and serve immediately.