Cicchetti and a Venetian Giro d’Ombra

by chefbikeski Posted on July 3, 2012
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Rialto Bridge at night

On any day trip to Venice with Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine, our food loving guests are treated to a visit to Venice’s famed Rialto market. We cross the famous bridge, and enter first into the multitude of fresh produce stands, displaying a stunning variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our guests are amazed by the selection, often purchasing a little to taste and share with the others – fresh wild strawberries were the favorite on our last trip. We Americans want to pick them up and touch them, but don’t! The Italian shopkeepers will ask you not to touch, and place them in a bag for you.

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Wild strawberries in spring

Right next to the vegetable stands are the butcher and cheese shops, in permanent buildings, again offering such a broader range of cuts and variations than you will ever see in even  the largest grocers here in the US. You will notice an absence of prepared foods; this is a destination for cooks. After touring the stands, we continue to move back, and eventually reach the star of the show,  the fish market.

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Kathy and Chef Jody Adams shop at Rialto market

Photo courtesy of Ken Rivard

Venice has relied on fish from the waters of the surrounding Adriatic for its entire existence. It is the mainstay of their cuisine, and its no wonder when you see the choices they have. Literally dozens of types of fish, plus shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, all fresh and gorgeous. You will see a few familiar varieties – swordfish, tuna, sole, sardines – and a host of fish that may not be familiar to you if you haven’t visited Italy before – John Dory, orata, cuttlefish, mullet, many types of shrimp, moleche soft shell crabs. We wander, gawk, separate and find each other – “Did you see this??”, and finally, we’ve absorbed as much as we can, and it is time for a respite.

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Rialto fish market

The perfect post-market snack, and the meeting place for the locals after they finish their shopping for the day, are the small traditional wine bars that are located within a few blocks of the market. Serving little snacks called cicchetti or cichetti , similar to the Spanish tapas, these snacks will feature many of the wonderful seasonal foods you just admired in the market. A walking tour of the wine bars is a great end to the morning; called a giro d’ombra, or tour of shadows, as ombra is local slang for a glass of wine.

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Cantina Do Mori - Classic Venice wine bar

I recently hosted a fundraiser at my home in the US, where many friends gathered to support my upcoming bike ride in the Pan Mass Challenge. As the largest single athletic event fundraiser in the US, and the largest source of funds for the esteemed Dana Farber Cancer Institute, I am hard pressed to find a more worthy and well-run cause to support. But I am not very good at hitting my friends up for money, so I hold events like these where I can at least say “thank you” by cooking! Here, I recreated a Giro d’Ombra, serving wines from the Veneto that I’ve found in my travels, and serving a large selection of traditional Venetian cicchetti. Here are a few of the recipes; others will follow in the next few posts.

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Cicchetti at my PMC GIro d'Ombra

Cozze con Scapi d’Aglio (Mussels with Garlic Scapes)

Mussels with bread crumbs and garlic would be the traditional version, but given the plethora of garlic scapes available right now at my farm stands, I couldn’t resist a new spin on the old.

1 bunch garlic scapes, bulbous end cut off, and cut into 1-inch pieces
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 2-lb. bag mussels
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Place the garlic scapes in a food processor, and add about 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Pulse  until a puree with the consistency of a pesto, adding more olive oil if needed. Season with salt.

Pick through the mussels, pulling off the fuzzy ‘beard’ that may hang off of most of them, and discarding any that are broken, or are open and do not close. Rinse the remainder. Place into a large saucepan. Add the wine, and about 1/2 cup water. Place over medium high heat, and steam until open, about 8 minutes.

Allow to cool briefly. Remove the top shell from each, and place the bottom shell and mussel on a sheet pan. Top each with a dab of pureed garlic scape, then with a bit of bread crumbs. These can be prepared in advance to this point, and refrigerated.

When ready to serve, turn on the broiler. When hot, place the mussels under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from oven, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

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Cozze con Scapi d'Aglio

Grilled Shrimp

This recipe is based on a couple from “The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan. It’s incredibly basic, but always receives rave reviews. Hazan mentions that it is often used to prepare “prawn-like crustaceans, with a broad, flat body and mantis-like front claws” which are found in the Adriatic, and nowhere else in the Western Hemisphere. I use the shrimp I can find here, and still delicious.

2 pounds shrimp, cleaned, deveined, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
2/3 cup unflavored bread crumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the shrimp in a sealable plastic bag. Add the olive oil, garlic and bread crumbs. Season with salt, and add a generous amount of pepper. Seal the bag, and toss to mix the ingredients thoroughly with the shrimp. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes, to a maximum of 2 hours.

There are several ways you can cook these, depending on how you wish to serve them. You can place several on a skewer and grill (if it is a wood skewer, soak them in water before using). You can saute on the stove top over medium heat, or place all on a sheet pan and broil in your oven. In any case, cook quickly, and just until cooked through. They shouldn’t take more than 3 or so minutes.

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Pesce in Crosta di Sale – Salt Roasted Whole Fish

by chefbikeski Posted on June 27, 2012
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Salt Roasted Red Snapper

On our Chefs on Bikes tours in the Veneto, we’ve enjoyed a very fun and entertaining cooking class with our hosts at Villa Margherita, the Dal Corso family. We prepare our own dinner in their spacious kitchen, then relax as they serve it to us in their beautiful restaurant. Our main course is Salt Roasted Branzino, a very simple technique in which we encase the whole fish in a bed of salt and roast it in the oven. The result is an amazingly flavorful and moist fish. At our post-cooking class dinner, it arrives at our table – a dramatic presentation as our hosts break open the browned salt shell and serve us the wonderfully moist fish that we’ve all prepared.

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Dramatic unveiling of the perfect fish!

As to it’s place in Italy, I found the following description on the Salt Institute web site:

“For all those who have had the good fortune of attending one of Italy’s fabulous wedding celebrations, the endless supply and variety of unbelievably good food is always a wonder to behold. Starting with the antipastos and wending its way through the myriad courses through to the luscious desserts, the feasts are a delight for all the senses. Invariably, however, the crowning highlight of the meal will be a huge fish (or several of them) roasted in salt.

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Salt Roasted fish

The platters are taken from the oven and brought before the assembled guests. Everyone gathers round in anticipation while the bride and groom swiftly crack the salt encrusted delicacy with small wooden mallets. Gently brushing away the salt, the servers take over and start doling out the succulent fish to the eager guests. No matter how often Italians or other Mediterranean people eat fish and other foods made this way, they keep returning to it. They know what’s good.”

They do.

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Whole fish on bed of salt, seasoned and ready for top

Lest you fear that salt roasting would result in an overly salty product, let me reassure you, it does not. The salt is combined with egg whites, or sometimes even just water, and bakes into a hard crust. The salt doesn’t penetrate into the food itself. The crust that forms is a dense barrier that seals in flavor and moisture, combining the benefits of both roasting and steaming. This crust provides a dry heated surface next to the fish, perfect for roasting, rather than a moist one that you would get by simply wrapping it in foil.

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Salt encrusted fish, ready for oven

I don’t make this as often as I would like back here in the US, as whole fish are not often found in my local groceries. This week, red snapper was available, so here was my opportunity. You can do this with any whole fish, of any size. I’ve done it with large whole salmon – about 8 pounds or so. Just make more of the salt mixture, and cook it longer. You’ll note in my photos that the tails are exposed, which is fine; I wasn’t going to make more of the salt mixture just to cover those. If you’ve been reluctant to cook a whole fish before, here’s the recipe for you. Ask your fishmonger – or grocer – to clean and scale the fish for you; often it is already done. Then just give it a quick rinse, stuff the cavity with whatever you may have on hand to season it – herbs, citrus, fennel – and encase it in the salt mixture as described below.

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Fish and seasoning ingredients

You can use the same technique on just about anything – chicken, beef, potatoes, vegetables – but that’s another post for another day! I’ve done this with the mixture below, a combination of egg whites and salt. I have also done this with just salt – no binding agent. It is a little more crumbly, and doesn’t make a hard crust that lifts off, but it does skip the only part of the recipe that requires any work! It still comes out delicious, and not overly salty.

Pesce In Crosta di Sale

Serves 4

4 whole fish, about 1 lb. each, scaled and cleaned, but with head and tail intact
4 egg whites
5 cups kosher salt
Seasoning for the fish – fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, rosemary, tarragon; fennel, sliced lemon or orange, garlic scapes, celery.

At our classes in Italy, we used fresh rosemary. Here, when I prepared the fish for these photos, I used fennel fronds, some basil and parsley pestos I had on hand, sliced lemons and a bit of garlic scape.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Rinse the fish with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.

Using a mixer, or by hand, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Slowly add the kosher salt, one cup at a time. When done, you should have a mixture the consistency of soft sand.

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Salt mixture at right consistency

Press a thin layer of the salt mixture on a sheet pan. This just needs to cover the surface, and does not need to be thick.

Stuff a bit of the seasoning ingredients into the body cavity of each fish. Lay on top of the salt mixture, overlapping them a bit.

Cover the fish with the remaining salt mixture. The shell does not need to be very thick, 1/4 inch or so. Too thick, and it will be very difficult to break!

Place in the preheated oven and roast for about 30 minutes. For larger fish, add about 8-10 minutes per pound.

Remove from oven, and serve at the table for the full dramatic effect! Crack the salt shell with the back of a spoon. Remove the pieces of the shell and expose the perfectly cooked whole fish. Fillet and serve, drizzled with some wonderful olive oil.

To fillet, remove the top layer of skin. Starting at the tail, carefully lift off the top fillet, and place on a plate. You should now see the exposed skeleton of the fish. Grab this at the tail, lift off and discard. You can then lift the bottom fillet off of its skin, and place on the same plate. Repeat with all four fish.

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Insalata di Farro con Asparagi e Zucchine

by chefbikeski Posted on June 21, 2012
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Insalata di farro con asparagi e zucchine

Farro is a whole grain often seen in Italy, and now beginning to be available here in the US. I love to cook with it, and am always looking for additional ways to use it. Locating the real thing here can be difficult, as there seems to be quite a bit of confusion as to what exactly it is – here’s what I’ve been able to find out about it.

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Farro and vegetables

Farro is often said to be a whole wheat, but in fact is a totally different grain. Also referred to as “emmer” in English, it can be used whole, or ground into flour and used to make pasta and bread. Often spelt or wheatberries are recommended as a substitute, but they make poor replacements, being heavier grains that require much longer cooking times. When searching for farro, look for light brown grains with a small cleft, with some white striping.

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Chopped asparagus for insalata

Farro is an ancient grain, grown for thousands of years in North Africa, the Middle East, and northern and central Italy, it flourishes best in high-altitude, barren land. Centuries ago, it fed the Roman legions and was a nutritious food that played a primary role in their diet during this time, and may have even been used as money. It is a very nutritious grain, high in vitamins A, B, C and E, magnesium, and fiber. It is quite easy to digest, and as it is also quite low in gluten, may be appropriate for some who are gluten-intolerant.

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Insalata di farro at Tamburini in Bologna

Today in Italy, you will see farro used in the cuisine of Central and Northern Italy, home of our custom bike tours. It is very common to find it in soups, together with beans, chickpeas, and greens. Farro pastas are wonderful to try. And as it contains a starch very similar to that found in rices such as Carnaroli and Arborio, it makes a wonderful risotto, with its characteristic creamy liquid.

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Inside Tamburini in Bologna

On a recent trip to Bologna, I visited one of the wonderful local food stores, Tamburini, on Via Caprarie. This is a beautiful store featuring the magnificent cuisine of Emilia-Romagna. There is a vast array of cured meats and cheeses to tempt you, as well as the sublime stuffed pastas that Emilia-Romagna is renowned for. A wide variety of prepared foods are available for take-out, and among the choices was a lovely farro salad, which I attempted to recreate here. In Bologna, I purchased a few snacks and headed over to the Osteria del Sole, an unassuming neighborhood hangout, opened in 1468. You bring your own food to this wine bar, and enjoy it at long tables with a glass of Sangiovese or Pignoletto as you rub elbows with the locals.

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Long communal tables at Osteria del Sole, Bologna

Insalata di Farro con Asparagi e Zucchine

Serves 6

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 spring onion, chopped into 1/4 inch dice
1 1/2 cups farro
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 lb. asparagus, peeled, woody end snapped off, and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 zucchini, chopped into 1/4 inch dice
1 clove garlic, minced, or 2 garlic scapes, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat half of the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add the farro, and saute briefly, about 1 minute. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by half or more.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the farro is done, about 15-20 minutes. This can vary quite a bit, depending upon the farro itself, so keep checking it. The chicken stock may not be totally absorbed before the farro is tender. If this is the case, simply pour the contents of the saucepan into a strainer (over the sink or a bowl) to remove the excess liquid, then return the farro to the saucepan and keep it warm.

While the farro is cooking, heat half of the remaining oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the asparagus and saute until tender. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add the last of the oil to the pan, then the zucchini, and saute until tender. Add the garlic, saute another minute, and remove from heat.

When everything is done cooking – the farro, asparagus, and zucchini – combine them all in the saucepan. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm if you wish, or chill and serve later as a side salad. I would remove it from the refrigerator a bit before serving, to remove a bit of the chill.

Posted in Asparagus, Emilia Romagna, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cantina Tramin – Discover the beautiful home of Gewurztraminer

by chefbikeski Posted on June 17, 2012
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Cantina Tramin

Last week brought me not one, but two opportunities to explore the wines of Cantina Tramin. Here in the US, I lead a cooking class event to benefit the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and the host of the event, a local wine distributor, selected the Tramin Pinot Noir as one of the wines for the evening. A few days later, I was exploring the Sudtirol Wine Road, a beautiful area perfect for our Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine Bike tours, and had the chance to visit the Cantina itself. Located in a spectacular setting in Alto Adige, it was a chance to enjoy their wines once again, while enjoying their splendid panoramic views of the surrounding vineyards.

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View from Cantina Tramin

Cantina Tramin is located in the town of the same name, also known as Termeno (towns in Alto Adige have both German and Italian names). This region grows many types of wines, but it’s favorite vine bears its name, Gewurztraminer, or “spicy” Traminer. Traminer is one of the oldest grapes in the world, and recent studies have demonstrated that it is the ancestor of some of the oldest grape varieties in the world, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Bianco, Grigio and Noir. An intensely aromatic and elegant wine, its pink to reddish grapes are naturally sweet, and produce a white wine that is usually off-dry, with a strong scent of lychee.

Cantina Tramin was founded in 1889 by Christian Schrott, the rector of Termeno and a member of the Austrian Parliament – recall that this part of Italy was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until after World War I. Cantina Tramin is among the oldest cooperatives in the region. Today, their wines are created from grapes grown by the 270 member growers. Their vineyards are located on slopes spread between the towns of Tramin, Neumarkt, Montagna and Ora, at an altitude between 250 and 850 m. above sea level. During the day, these hillside vineyards experience wonderful sun exposure and warm winds wafting up from Lake Garda just to the south, and become quite warm. As the sun sets, the temperature drops significantly as the colder air from the mountains drops down and cools the grapes. This contrast between warm days and cold nights creates very balanced, drinkable wines with a fresh minerality and elegance.

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Inside Cantina tasting room

In addition to Gewurztraminer, the Cantina produces many other fine white, red and sweet wines, many from traditional grape varieties that thrive in this region. There is Lagrein, the native black grape of Südtirol – Alto Adige. Additional whites include Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon, all grapes when grown in this environment display unforgettable aromatics and complexity.

Of course, when in Tramin, you must try Gewurztraminer. We enjoyed this as we watched the sun drop behind the mountains just outside, backlighting the picturesque peaks. This wine is 100% Gewurztraminer, grown in vineyards planted between 300 and 450 meters in calcareous clay and gravel in the areas of Tramin and Montagna.

The wine itself is a golden yellow, with hints of green and red. It exhibited intense aromas of rose, tropical fruits and lychee. Very fruits and intense, rich and silky, with some acidity to balance everything out. This wine pairs well with fish and white meats, and it slight sweetness is a great foil for spicy foods.

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Tramin Pinot Noir

I have also enjoyed two of their red varietals. Their Pinot Noir/Blauburgunder (Black Burgundy) again is 100% of the named varietal, with these grapes hailing from vineyards planted in gravel and calcareous clay soils between 350 and 450 meters near Mazzon and Montagna. The combination of soils and abundant sunshine give this wine a unique taste and detail. The wine is fermented and aged in a combination of French barriques, oak casks and stainless steel vats.

We very much enjoyed this Pinot Noir during our cooking class event; it is an elegant red that paired well with both the brick oven pizzas we made, as well as the grilled steak. Ruby in color with light garnet hues, it exhibits aromas of fresh berries. This is a well-balanced wine, with nice tannins and elegance.

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Lagrein Festival

Finally, I got a chance to taste their Lagrein that evening, at one of the events in the Sudtiroler WeinstrassenWochen/Vino in Festa, a month long festival in the area to celebrate the local wines. That night, we attended the Il Lagrein Al Passo Col Tempo festival in Ora, Italy. This was a chance to taste several of the local Lagreins, one of the areas most beloved indigenous grapes, along with a few of the local foods, including polenta, cheese, and salumi. The Cantina Tramin Lagrein was included in the tasting line up.

Made of 100% Lagrein, from vineyards planted in the clay, gravel and sandy soils common to the areas of Ora, Tramin and Egna. It was a dark ruby red in color, with scents of dark berries with floral hints. Full-bodied, with a characteristic tannic structure, it’s strong acidity makes is the perfect pairing for the local salumi and aged cheeses, as well as roasts and braises.

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Tramin Lagrein Urban
Posted in Gewurztraminer, Lagrein, Pinot Noir, Uncategorized, Wine Pairings, wine tastings | Leave a comment

Bistecche all’Aceto Balsamico

by chefbikeski Posted on June 5, 2012
Bistecche all'Aceto Balsamico luxury bike tours
Bistecche all'Aceto Balsamico

Balsamic vinegar is one of the most well-known Italian contributions to the culinary world, now a basic condiment found in many kitchens here in the US. It is common all over Italy, we find it at every table in the regions we visit on our bike or ski tours, but to truly appreciate it requires a bit of background on it’s origins and the role it has played in the households over the centuries. Balsamic vinegar hails from the Emilia-Romagna provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena, with its origins dating almost 1000 years ago. The name comes from the Latin Balsamum, meaning a ‘balm’ or a restorative, and it was originally used for it’s curative properties. Supposedly, during the plague of 1630, the Duke of Modena carried an open jug of the vinegar in his carriage to ward off the disease.

Marinating steak in balsamic

In the farmhouses and estates that in Reggio Emilia and Modena which have been producing balsamic vinegar for centuries, enter their sunny attics and you will find a row of wooden barrels, of increasing size, lined in a row. The number of barrels may vary, but the minimum was 3, and the DOP regulations require at least 7 barrels, and a total aging period of at minimum 12 years. The types of wood used for the barrels varies as well, one may be chestnut, one cherry, one mulberry. Each year, a bottle of vinegar – the families allotment for the year – is removed from the smallest of the barrels. The smallest barrel is then topped off with vinegar from the next smallest barrel, and so on down the line. The sweet concentrate produced each fall by pressing and cooking down this year’s grapes enters the largest barrel, beginning its slow progress into the wonderful balsamic vinegar – now one may understand why, in Modena, it is said “One generation makes balsamic for the next.” Balsamic vinegar was traditionally part of a brides dowery, and one of the families prized possessions that traveled with them during wartime evacuations during WWI and WWII.

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Grilled steak from wood oven

I just included  this recipe in a fun cooking class event in Falmouth, ME to benefit the Portland Symphony Orchestra. We were able to grill the steaks in a wood fired oven, and our host cooked them to perfection! I like to make this recipe with Tendercrop Farms own flank steak or hanger steaks. I marinate them in a little balsamic, grill, and then thinly slice and serve with grilled vegetables.

Cooking class steak private bike holidays
Cooking Class

Bistecche all’Aceto Balsamico

Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
4 steaks of your choosing (I like to use flank steak, that I’ve marinated in about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar for a few hours)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot, chopped
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Sea salt

Season the steaks with salt and pepper, and grill until they have reached the desired doneness. Transfer to a serving dish and allow to sit for a few minutes.

Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the shallot to the skillet and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, and any steak juices that may have collected on your serving dish. Reduce for about a minute or so, then remove from heat, pour the sauce over the steaks and serve.

We paired this with the robust Cormi from Zenato, a blend of Corvina and Merlot. This big, tasty red was a great pairing with the grilled meat.

Zenato Cormi - bike wine tours italy
Zenato Cormi
Posted in Beef, Emilia Romagna, Travel, Uncategorized | Leave a comment