The freshwater lakes of Trentino and Friuli-Venezia Giulia abound with many varieties of trout. The northern provinces of Friuli not only produce more trout than any other region of Italy, they also consume more of it than any other region. In Friuli, trout is found in both the rivers and in lakes near San Daniele and Venzone. In Trentino, there are approximately 70 trout farms along the Avisio, Brenta, Chiese and Sarca rivers. The first trout farm was established in Val Rendena in 1902, and the introduction of rainbow trout occurred even earlier.
The Trentino Trout Farmers Association unites fifty or so trout farmers who are dedicated to continual improvement of breeding techniques and developing the highest quality product. These farmers produce not only the adult fish for consumption, but trout eggs for breeding purposes, which requires special conditions on the farm and an all natural diet. This association, known as ASTRO, also handles selling and distributing the Trentino trout to specialized shops in Northern Italy, Austria and Germany. A major objective of this association is achieve the ‘certification’ of trout farming in Trentino, so that Trentino trout will be included under the Trentino products trademark now being established.
Trout fillets ready for cooking
There are several different trout species found in these regions; most common these days are rainbow trout, which were actually imported from North America. Also present are lake trout, brook trout, and the marbled trout.
For centuries, trout, salmon and herring have been smoked in order to preserve them. Today, the area around San Daniele in Friuli-Venezia Giulia has become known for its high quality smoked fish products, which are now being exported. The producers of these high quality smoked products use the extremely fresh fish available from their local lakes in conjunction with traditional smoking techniques to obtain the highest quality products.
Trout frying in butter and grappa
The following recipe is a very simple preparation – trout pan fried in butter, with a little grappa for a bit of a kick. Olive trees are not common in these Northern regions, so butter is used. Grappa is the most famous distillate of Friuli and Trentino. The almonds are my own addition, and not necessarily something hailing from this region. But I have vivid memories of a visit to New Orleans when I was 20, to visit my father who was enjoying a sabbatical at Tulane. He was very happy to have his two oldest daughters’ visit and join him as he explored the restaurants. We had a great meal at Galatoire’s, with a trout almondine.
Trout with Grappa and Almonds
Serves 4
Last of the homemade grappa
4 whole trout, heads removed, boned, and cut into 2 fillets each
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grappa
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour, shaking to remove the excess.
Garlic in butter
Cook the 8 fillets in two batches in a large saucepan. Over medium high heat, melt half of the butter. Add half the garlic, half the grappa and half the almonds. Place 4 fillets in the pan, skin side down. Cook for 2 minutes or so, then flip. Cook until just done. Remove fillets from pan and place on warm plate. Top with almonds and butter from pan.
Trying to maintain a food blog while you are on the road is a challenge! I am writing this from Colorado, where I am skiing with my two sons for a couple of days. So my quick post from here will be another using peas – the subject of my last post earlier in the week. I’ll refer the readers to that post for the background and history of peas in Northern Italy, the site of our Italiaoutdoors bike tours – the season for the fresh new peas is just about upon that region now. We’ve got a few more weeks here in the Northern US, still under feet of snow in ski country. But the crocuses and daffodils are up in Massachusetts, and the arrival of seasonal produce is not far behind!
I am often asked where I get ideas for antipasti. It’s pretty simple – whatever food combinations you enjoy as an entree can be redesigned into an appetizer. I figure out some sort of ‘platform’ for it; a toasted slice of bread (crostini or bruschetta), a pastry envelope (dumplings or empanadas), a skewer, a frico shell, a vegetable (an endive leaf, a cucumber slice), a mini sandwich, a mini pie shell, the list goes on. I look through my selection of cookbooks dedicated to appetizers for inspiration.
Peas, pea tendrils, ricotto, pistachios
Then I take 3-4 ingredients that I think go together well, and create a ‘topping’ for the platform. It should be small enough so people are comfortable picking it up and eating it – people will avoid those they can’t figure out how to eat gracefully! It should hold together well, so I usually have some sort of paste or something spreadable to hold everything together. It needs to look pretty, so it should have an attractive garnish on top.
In this recipe, I took the same ingredients I used for my last post – peas, mint pesto, homemade ricotta, radicchio, pea tendrils and pistachios – and created a beautiful spring vegetable antipasti.
Thanks to my good friend Nancy Marshall for the great pictures!
Crostini with Pea Pesto, Radicchio, Pea Tendrils and Pistachios
Makes 16 crostini
1 baguette, 1/4 inch slices on the diagonal
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 ounces frozen peas, thawed or 1 pound fresh peas, unshelled
1 tablespoon mint pesto, or 1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 – 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup ricotta
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced radicchio
1/2 cup pea tendrils
2 tablespoons pistachios, chopped
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place baguette slices on a sheet pan, and toast in the oven until just starting to brown. Don’t allow them to get too brown and hard, as they will fall apart easily when constructing the crostini, or when eaten. Remove from the oven, and brush each slice with the olive oil.
If working with fresh peas, shell them. Set a large pot of water over high heat and to a boil. Salt the water. Cook the peas in the boiling water until just tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon or spider. If using frozen peas, skip this step, as they have already been blanched.
If using fresh mint, blanch the mint leaves in boiling water. You can use the same water you used for the fresh peas. I blanch small amounts of fresh herbs by placing them in a strainer, lowering it and holding it in the boiling water. They blanch quite quickly (1 minute or less), and then I can just lift the strainer out of the water and place it directly under cold running water. This way I don’t have to frantically fish around in the boiling water for each and every loose mint leaf. Press on the leaves to remove as much water as possible.
Place the peas, mint pesto or mint leaves into a blender. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, and puree. Add more olive oil as needed to make a nice paste.
Remove the pea pesto from the blender and place in a small bowl. Place the ricotta in another small bowl, and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble, spread each crostini with the pea pesto, and then top with a small spoonful of the ricotta mixture. Top with a bit of the sliced radicchio, then a nice pea tendril, and finish with a sprinkle of pistachios. Any leftovers can make the pasta dish from my last post!
The Colli Berici (Berici Hills) are located in the Veneto region of Italy, south of Vicenza. Here, in the spring, one finds a local variety of peas that have been highly prized by the residents for centuries. Introduce by the Benedictine monks around the year 1000, the Lumignano peas are cultivated in Lumingnano, Castegnero, Nanto, Mossano and San Germano dei Berici.
The monks reclaimed the land at the foot of the Colli Berici (a wonderful hiking and biking destination, by the way), making this area ideal for the cultivation of peas, with the perfect habitat for exceptionally early production – lots of sun exposure, and heat held by the rock formations. Using this prime habitat, however, requires a lot of hard work on the part of the farmers, as they are grown in small terrace gardens cut into the steepest positions on the cliffs, in order to make best use of the sun exposure. Everything needed to build the terrace and cultivate the peas had to be carried up by the farmers. The result, however, is an extremely delicate and tasty product.
Peas, pea tendrils, pistachios, homemade ricotta
The peas of Lumignano have been prized for centuries. The Doges of Venice demanded that the peas of Lumingnano be the primary ingredient of their risi e bisi (rice and peas) that was traditionally served to the Doges for the Feast of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. This feast day, April 25, coincidentally occurs just about the time the peas first arrive in the markets of Venice.
Today, cultivation of these Lumingnano peas is extremely limited, and are produced only by families for the needs of local restaurants and the Peas Festival, which is held every year in May.
The following recipe calls for bacon, which is not commonly used in Italy. Pancetta, which is unsmoked, and a bit spicier, is preferred in most regions of italy. I have seen several versions of a simple vegetable dish, peas cooked with pancetta. However, in the northeast regions we visit, bacon is found occasionally. Here, I have made a nice spring pea pasta. It is quite good without the bacon for a nice vegetarian meal.
Sauce ready for penne
Every summer, when I can get plenty of fresh herbs, I make lots of herb pestos. I use herbs such as mint, basil, chives, even garlic scapes (the curly green tops of the garlic plant). I first quickly blanch the herbs in boiling water – this preserves their lovely green color, otherwise the pesto can turn a unattractive grayish green. I then put the blanched herbs in a blender, add olive oil, and pureed. I skip the cheese and the nuts; I can always add them later if I choose to use them. I freeze the pesto in ice cube trays, then wrap each individual pesto cube. I can pull one or two out whenever I need to add a little something to a soup, as a nice accompaniment to fish or chicken, or here, in a pasta dish. If you have access to nice fresh mint, don’t bother with the pesto!
Penne with Peas, Bacon, Ricotta, Radicchio and Mint
Serves 4 to 6
5 ounces frozen peas, thawed or 1 pound fresh peas, unshelled
2 pieces bacon, cut into strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced radicchio
1/2 cup pea tendrils
1/2 cup ricotta
1 pound penne
1 tablespoon mint pesto, or mint leaves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pistachios, chopped
If working with fresh peas, shell them. Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Salt the water. Cook the peas in the boiling water until just tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon or spider. Keep the water hot for the penne. If using frozen peas, skip this step.
Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat, and add the bacon. Saute until lightly browned, but not crisp. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.
Add the radicchio to the saute pan, and cook until wilted. Add the peas and ricotta, and stir until combined and the ricotta is heated through. Turn off the heat.
Bring the large pot of water to a full boil, and add the penne. Cook until al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain. Add the penne to the pea and ricotta mixture. If the sauce is too thick (this will depend on the water content of the ricotta), as a bit of ther reserved pasta water to loosen it. Stir to combine.
Stir in the mint pesto or mint leaves and pistachios. Serve, garnished with pea tendrils.
A great wine accompaniment:
Soave Corte Sant’Alda
Soave Corte Sant’Alda 2009 Vigne di Mezzane
Marinella Camerani at Corte Sant’Alda has dedicated much time and energy to the study of the micro-zones in her holding at Corte Sant’Alda. Each micro-zone has its own unique characteristics – sun exposure, soil type, temperature and rainfall variations. Determining which grapes will thrive in which micro-zone is an enormous undertaking, but the wines that result from this attention to detail are superb. All vineyards are managed using bio-dynamic agriculture methods.
Gargenega and Trebbiano di Soave grapes. Native, natural yeasts are used, with aging partly in wood and partly in stainless steel. Fresh, floral nose. Crisp, nice balance. Citrus, apple with hints of almonds.
I am frequently asked about what exercises I use to keep my arms strong. I keep active all year round, biking, hiking, or skiing, but no matter the season, I make a point to include weight training a couple of times per week. I try to keep it fun and mix it up constantly, but I believe that no matter the sport being strong in a balanced way (upper body, lower body, and core) is a key component of both performance and injury prevention. As I continue to try and challenge myself physically (Pan-Mass Challenge this year with Team Rialto) and ramp up for the 2011 bike season with Italiaoutdoors, I want a strong, balanced body that is ready for the road this summer!
Here are a few of the exercises that I use to work my triceps.
Tricep Workout
Your triceps are the muscles on the back of your upper arm, responsible for extending and bending the elbow. Those muscles that, as we age, tend to hang a little bit lower and looser, making us a little self-conscious in our sleeveless summer shirts! However, there are a few very effective exercises we can do to strengthen these. In addition to our physical appearance, these muscles are used every time we push something, so it is important to keep them strong. If you are working your other upper body muscles like your chest and biceps, it is crucial to work the triceps as well, to keep everything balanced.
All tricep exercises involve extending and bending the elbow, either using weights or your own body weight to add resistance. You can work out your triceps up to 3 non-consecutive days per week, going down to 1 to 2 times if you are lifting heavier weights. Your triceps are fairly small muscles, so you won’t be able to lift as heavy a weight with them as you would with your chest or back muscles. And keep in mind that you also use your triceps when doing chest and back exercises, so if you are doing a full upper body routine, it only needs to include 2-3 exercises to specifically target the triceps.
Here are a few tricep exercises. A beginner to weight training should probably only start with 1 or 2, doing 2 sets of each at a lighter weight. A light weight is one you can lift 12 to 16 times before feeling too much discomfort. A more advanced program might include 3-4 exercises, with a heavier weight, one that gets pretty heavy after only 6-8 repetitions.
Today I did 3 of these exercises as part of a 9 exercise upper body workout. I chose 3 different exercises, and did 25 reps of each. When using a heavier weight, I have to break it into two sets of 12-13 reps. I like to do different exercises that target the same muscles, rather than multiple sets of the same one – that way, if I really hate one, I only have to push through one set! With most of the other 6 exercises also working the triceps to some extent or another, they are pretty tired right now.
Tricep Extension Exercises:
Tricep Extension:
Tricep extension
Sit on a bench, or preferably an exercise ball. I always like to add a bit of a balance challenge to any move – it strengthens all the little muscles that stabilize your body, which I think is so important to preventing injuries. Beginners may want to leave the balance challenge out, and choose a more stable base. Grasp one weight in both hands and extend your arms over your head. Slowly lower the weight behind your head until the elbows are about at a 90° angle. Raise the arms until straight, without locking the elbows. Repeat.
Tricep extension
This exercise can be done on the road or at home with a resistance band. Perform it standing, with your feet on one end off the band and grasp the other end with your two hands behind your head.
Tricep Kickbacks
Tricep Kickback
This should be attempted first with a pretty light weight. Hold the weight in one hand, and bend over until your chest is at a 45° angle or even parallel to the floor. Extend one leg behind you, in line with your chest. The leg opposite the arm holding the weight will be somewhat easier to extend and balance than the one on the same side – or at least I find it that way! You can do this near a bench or chair if you need some balance assistance.
Bend the arm and pull it in toward your chest. Then slowly extend the arm until it is straight, again without locking the elbow. Repeat. Switch and do it on the other side.
Tricep Presses or Pushups
Tricep Bench Press
Tricep Bench PressTricep Bench Press
Lay on a bench under the chest press frame. Again, you would use a lighter weight than you would for a regular chest press; beginners may want to start with the bar only, or even with two light dumbbells. Grasp the bar with both hands, with your hands positioned only chest width apart. Lift the bar and lower it over your rib cage. If your hands are positioned correctly, your elbows should end up right next to your body and bent at a 90° angle. Slowly lift, keeping your elbows aligned under your hands, until your elbows are extended (but not locked.) Lower, and repeat.
Tricep dip on ball
Tricep DipTricep Dip
A tricep dip is a great exercise for on the road – it works both the tricep and shoulder, and can be done anywhere – even on a windowsill!
Sit on a bench or chair, and place your hands next to your hips. Lift up off of your hands and move your butt forward off of the bench. The further away your feet are from your hips, the more difficult this exercise becomes. Beginners start with their knees pretty bent and their feet close to their hips. More advanced perform this with straight legs, or can even balance their feet on an exercise ball.
Lower your hips by bending your elbows – do not bend them more than 90°. Don’t allow your shoulders to move up towards your ears. Keep your shoulders down. Push back up until your arms are straight – once again, without locking elbows. Repeat.
Tricep pushup on medicine ball
Tricep Pushup on Ball
This is a variation on the tricep bench press, in which your body weight is acting as your weight. Beginners would perform this on your knees. This is a surprisingly challenging exercise! And another good one on the road, you just envision having the ball in front of you, and position your hands flat on the floor in a narrow hand placement.
Tricep Pushup on Ball
Kneel in front of a medicine ball and place both hands on either side of the top of the ball. Extend your legs and balance on your toes, just as you would for a standard pushup. Lower your chest down toward the ball, keeping your elbows close to your sides, rather than letting them fan out towards the sides of the room. Remember to keep your core engaged so it remains in a straight line from your head to your feet, rather than sagging down toward the floor. Extend your elbows to raise your chest, again without locking your elbows. Repeat.
I’ve been smoking salmon for years, ever since we purchased our first smoker around 15 years ago. We now have two, one which I found in my neighbors’ trash heap and dragged home after a 6am run. Both have a cylinder with a grill and a lid, a firebox that hangs off of one side, and a chimney that rises from the other side. We fire up some coals, place them in the firebox, put the item to be smoked in the cylinder, and smoke away! We’ve done salmon, ribs, scallops, tomatoes, even our Thanksgiving turkey. The turkey can take a while – start early, especially on a cold day! But I have lost count of the number of people who have told me this is the best smoked salmon they have ever had.
Smoked Salmon
In Italy, trout, salmon and herring have been smoked for centuries in order to preserve them. Today, the area around San Daniele in Friuli-Venezia Giulia has become known for its high quality smoked fish products, primarily trout, which are now being exported. These producers use the extremely fresh fish available from their local lakes in conjunction with traditional smoking techniques to obtain the highest quality products.
I’ve been reading a bit about the methods these producers use, in an effort to understand what makes a great smoked salmon or trout, and how I can perhaps make mine even better.
Small fish are usually smoked whole, while larger fish are filleted. Prior to smoking, the fish are dry salted with a combination of coarse salt and sometimes herbs. This both flavors the fish, as well as dehydrates it, which preserves it. In more industrial methods the dry salting is replaced by salt injection.
Current larger producers have adopted time newer time-saving smoking techniques. Some use a liquid smoke, which is injected or rubbed on the fish to deliver a smoky flavor. Others use an electrostatic method, in which static liquid particles of smoke are attracted to the food, adhering to it. Both methods can result in excessive amounts of hydrocarbons being deposited on the fish, resulting in an unpleasant smell or taste. As is often the case, these efforts to save time result in a poorer quality product.
Salmon after brining
In the traditional method used by the artisenal producers in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the fish can be either hot or cold smoked. This is performed in a smoke house, or room, and the smoke is produced by the flameless combustion of wood chips, or sometimes white flour. In the hot smoking method the fish is smoked at 70°/80°C, so it is cooked as well as smoked. For cold smoking, the smoke is under 27°, so the fish is not cooked. Due to the lower temperatures, the cold smoking takes much longer. In both cases, a precise combination of wood types, herbs and berries are used to create the smoke which delivers a unique flavor profile to the final product, a secret each producer holds close.
My method for smoked salmon uses the traditional hot smoking method. I don’t dry salt, but rather brine my fish. We usually smoke salmon, and it is the one time that I prefer farm raised salmon over wild caught. We have found that the higher fat content in the farm raised salmon produces a moister smoked salmon. The leaner, wild caught can dry out a bit.
I do not salt nor smoke to dehydrate and preserve the fish, so I make no claims that this will keep any longer than salmon that has just been baked. The end product is flaky, just like a cooked salmon. It is still moist, but with a wonderful smoky flavor. I will try the dry salt technique next time we smoke, but I think I’ll have to be careful not to oversalt – we only brine the fish for two hours or so, as we find much more than that makes the salmon too salty.
I keep the flavors simple, just a salt brine. I use a high quality hardwood charcoal, and a bit of apple or maple or whatever wood scraps we may have lying around. Don’t use Kingsford, or any of those charcoal briquettes that have all sorts of additives to make them burn better/longer – you don’t want your salmon to taste of that!
Hardwood charcoal heating up
This is fantastic as an appetizer, on your breakfast bagel, on pasta, in risotto, even on pizza with some arugula and creme fraiche
Hot Smoked Salmon
1 heaping cup kosher salt
1 large salmon filet, about 3 pounds
Fill a large container with about 14-16 cups of water. There should be room enough remaining in the container to hold the fish as well. Stir in the heaping cup of salt until dissolved. Add the salmon filet and refrigerate for 2 hours.
About 30 minutes before smoking (about 1 1/2 hours after adding the filet to the brine), start a charcoal fire, either in a charcoal chimney or in the firebox. Allow the coals to burn and turn gray. If using the chimney, pour the coals out into the firebox. Add a piece or two of wood or flavored wood chips, or anything else you can think of to add some great flavor.
Remove the filet from the brine, lay it on a sheet pan and dry with paper towels.
Place the filet on the grill in the smoking cylinder. Check the vents on the firebox and the smoker chimney to make sure air is flowing through the unit from the firebox, across the filet, and up through the chimney. Smoke for 4-6 hours, until the salmon is a deep brown. This time will vary a bit with outside temperature. Keep checking the smoker, adding more charcoal or wood as necessary.
