Italia....

Actually "Italia" refers only to southern Italy, and I am actually in love with all of Italy.

Sitting next to a fellow classmate last week while feasting on our night's endevours, he says, "This is the best class yet!" "Why," I ask, "Is it all the seafood (south) and veal (north)?""Absolutely," he says with a grin.

But we can't dismiss the Bolognaise, the freshly made pasta, the creamy polenta, and the tender risotto. And what about the osso boco? Ahhh, more veal.

Veal. Regardless of your political views in regard to veal, well, that is why you purchase organic, pasture fed meet, whether it is veal, beef, pork or chicken.

Now back to Italy. As a class, we have all enjoyed the foods from "the boot." We were able to sample a variety of cheeses and "salumies." I write more about this topic in my report below.

During one class, we learned how to clean squid and while one group went on to make calamari fritti (fried), another made calamari ripieni di magro (stuffed squid). Both were wonderful. Another group made cioppino (like a seafood stew).

We made a variety of different pastas, but my favorite was the squid ink linguini I made with carbonara sauce. I know, not a real stretch there in terms of sauce for me (please see my blog entry from March 22), but none of my fellow students had it before AND it was AWESOME over the black pasta.

My partner and I also made the osso boco (we divided into two days...I would do that again), tomato basil soup, porcini mushroom stuffed ravioli with gorgonzola sauce and fried polenta.

It was a great week in Italy, and I miss it already.

ITALY

Geography

Bordering Nations:

1.     France

2.     Switzerland

3.     Austria

4.     Slovenia

5.     San Marino (independent state)

6.     Vatican City (within Rome)

Locations of coast and major bodies of water: As a peninsula jetting out into the Mediterranean Sea, Italy has about 4,700 miles of coastline.

1.     Adriatic Sea (east)

2.     Ionian Sea (south)

3.     Tyrrhenian Sea (west)

4.     Liguruan Sea (northwest)

Major Rivers:

1.     Po (flows through the Po Valley)

2.     Arno (flows through Florence)

3.     Tiber (flows through Rome)

Mountain Ranges:

1.     Alps (north running from France to Slovenia)

2.     Apennines (northwest)

The Alps, divided into regions called, from west to east the Occidentali, the Centrali, and the Orientali, border with France, Austria and Switzerland. The backbone of Italy is formed by the north-south trending Appennino chain. The Dolomites, which are really part of the Alps, located in the regions of South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno The highest point in Italy is Mont Blanc, in the alps at 15,770 feet.

Volcanoes: Vesuvius, near Naples, is the only active volcano on the European mainland. Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, is one of the world's largest volcanoes.

Major Cities:

1.     Rome (capital)-

2.     Milan

3.     Venice

4.     Parma

5.     Pisa

6.     Florence THE CENTRAL influence of all Europe

7.     Naples-Pizza Margarita 200 yrs ago

8.     Genoa-shipping. C. Columbus

9.     Bologna

10. Torino

Climate

Topographical changes: Mediterranean; Alpine in the far north while dry in the south.

Rugged and mountainous with some plains and coastal lowlands. The Po Valley in the north has Italy’s best farmlands where they grown rice, corn and wheat. Central Italy is dry and not much is grown. However, in the south, small farms grow beans, wheat, olives and grapes for Chianti wines.

On Sicily, the Mediterranean Sea’s largest island, most of the hilly terrain is used for wheat, beans, and grazing sheep.

History

Significant historical markers that have influenced culture and food:  Italian heritage extends to not only Romans but also includes the Greeks, Etruscans and other Mediterranean peoples (Africa is only 90 miles away at it’s closest point). However, Italy has also been influenced by Germanic regions of Europe as well as Arab-Islamic civilizations and Asia (think rice, eggplant). It has been documented that the chicken was first domesticated in Rome, which as result of a surplus of eggs, flan was created. After the dark ages, the dish resurfaced in Spain as a sweet dessert and in Great Britain where it tends to be savory.

Italy is very regional and for much of it’s history thought itself as independent states, even when ruled by a conquering monarch, emperor or pope. Not only is the country divided by the north and south, it is also divided by mountains and sea.

The birth of Christianity has played a very large part of the history in Italy as well as the founding of the Roman Catholic Church. The Renaissance strengthened the idea of a single Italian nationality but that didn’t occur until the mid 1860s.

This era of parliamentary government ended in the early 1920s when Benito Mussolini established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic then replaced the monarchy after the war. Italy has been influential in NATO as well as the ECC.

Major Food & Flavor Profiles

Proteins:

1.     Cured meats (salumi) from pork (the preferred) beef, veal, buck, goat, chamois, venison, sheep, wild boar, or horse. These include Prosciutto, Pancetta, Coppa, Culatello, Mortadella (bologna), Genoa

2.     Pork

3.     Beef

4.     Chicken

5.     Duck

6.     Horse

7.     Fish: cod, sardines, anchovies

8.     Shellfish: calamari, shrimp, eels

9.     Baccala (dried cod fish)

10.  Goat

11.  Wild Bore

Vegetables:

1.     Tomatoes (thanks to the Americas)

2.     Artichokes

3.     Eggplant

4.     Peppers

5.     Garlic

6.     Zucchini

7.     Cabbage

8.     Fennel

9.     White Truffles (Piedmont) RAW

10.  Black Truffles (Umbra) HEATED

11.  Spinach

12.  Porcini mushrooms

Fruits:                                                                                                        

1.     Olives                                                                                        

2.     Mandarins & other citrus                                                          

3.     Fig-fresh & dried                                                                                              

4.     Persimmon                                                                                 

5.     Pomegranate                                                                             

6.     Pistachio                                                                                   

7.     Grapes

8.     Plums

9.     Apples

10.  Capers
11.  Berries

Nuts
1. Almonds
2. Pistachios
3. Chestnuts
4. Pinenuts (pignoli)
 5. Walnuts
 6. Hazelnuts

Starches:

1.     Rice (Arborio-risotto)

2.     Potatoes

3.     Corn (polenta) 3:1 ratio milk/stock/water

4.     Pasta

5.     Gnoochi-potato

6.     Spatzle

7.     Lentils & cannellini beans

8.     Breads

Dairy:  Cow, Goat, Sheep (water) Buffalo

1.     Milk

2.     Cream

3.     Butter

4.     Cheese:

a.     Fresh: mozzarella (cow and buffalo), mascarpone, ricotta, stracchino, robiola, feta (ricotta salata)

b.     Semi-Soft:  provolone, gorgonzola, fontina, tallegio

c.     Hard (Aged) Cheeses: Parmigiano reggiano, grana padano, scamorza, asiago, romano, pecorino

Spices & Seasonings:

1.     Oregano

2.     Thyme

3.     Basil

4.     Rosemary

5.     Sage

6.     Italian Seasonings (see about 5 herbs)

7.     Garlic

8.     Olive oil

9.     Wine

10.  Citrus

11.  Sea salt

12.  Crushed red pepper

13.  Parsley

14.  Saffron

15.  Bay leaf

Cooking techniques

Preparation styles and “unique” cooking styles:

-Very regional

-Tomato was introduced in the 1500s after Columbus brought it back

-Oil oil in the south, butter in the north

-Eggless pasta in the south and tubular shaped while flat enriched dough in the north

-Seafood-south, veal-north

-Very simple, fresh/seasonal/local

Major flavor profiles:

1.     Acidic (tomato, citrus, vinegar)

2.     Seafood

3.     Salty

4.     Chocolate

Unusual aspects of preparations:

1.     Braising

2.     Baking

3.     Poaching

4.     Roasting

5.     Boiling

Classic menus and dishes:

1.     Antipasto (before the meal)

2.     Polenta

3.     Bolognese Sauce

4.     Burida (seafood stew from Liguria)

5.     Gnoochi

6.     Minestrone alla Milanese

7.     Panettone (sweet dough)

8.     Risotto

9.     Osso Bocco

10.  Pesto