For foodies, the varied and plentiful gastronomic festivals in Italy are a dream come true. Throughout the year there are countless celebrations that take part in big cities as well as small countryside towns. Cobblestone city squares are filled with numerous stands offering passersby the opportunity to taste and buy artisanal products specific to the festival’s theme. From wine to cheese, pumpkin to risotto—you’ll find numerous festivals :: sagre that promote local beverages, vegetables or typical Italian dishes.
A few weeks ago Mr. Italicano and I went to the sagra di tartufo :: truffle festival with 20 some friends in Cavola, a small country town in the region of Emilia Romagna. We spent the warm Autumn morning touring the stands that were selling truffle oil, truffle cheese and of course truffles straight from the ground. Although the white truffles were out of my budget (around 300 euros a piece!), I picked up a small paper bag full of black summer truffles.
We then headed into a large community hall where over 500 people packed in for lunch with a set menu: truffle rose pasta and truffle risotto for the first course; roasted pig and roasted potatoes for the main dish followed by fruit tarts :: crostate di frutta. That lunch reminded me of the pancake feeds the Lions Club put on in the small town where I grew up in Eastern Washington.
There are different kinds of truffles but the three most common are:
White Truffle—The most prestigious and expensive truffle that is found in Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and France.
Black Truffle (or Black Périgord Truffle)—The second most valued species and is native to Southern Europe.
Black Summer Truffle—More economic than the first two truffles but still highly prized.
Black summer truffles ::tartufi neri estivi are extremely versatile in the kitchen. They are often shaved fresh over a dish or infused into sauces to add depth. In this kale and truffle tagliatelle recipe I grated them into the mixture as well as topped with some shavings.
I like strong flavors and therefore added a dash of truffle oil. Even at the truffle festival lunch they used a concentrated truffle butter and freshly shaved truffles to create a rich flavorful dish. If you already have black summer truffles on hand, this is a great recipe to try; for those who don’t, you can simply use truffle oil or truffle butter :: burro di tartufo instead.
12 ounces (350g) tuscan kale (or other kale variety), center ribs removed, leaves chopped
5 summer truffles (45g, 1.5 ounces), washed and scrubbed
1-2 teaspoons truffle oil
1 cup rice cream (or heavy cream)
Knob of butter
Salt
Instructions
Bring a medium pot of water to boil.
Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a medium skillet and sauté the garlic over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped kale and continue to cook until the kale is wilted; 3-4 minutes.
Put the mixture into a blender or food processor, add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and blend until smooth.
Return the mixture to the pan and add the grated truffles, truffle oil, cream, butter and salt. Cook on medium heat until warm.
When the water is boiling, add coarse salt and cook the homemade tagliatelle for 2-3 minutes or according to the instructions on the package. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce. Top with a few pieces of freshly shaved truffles.
If you have never tried roasting tomatoes, you are in for a delicious surprise. This recipe for paccheri with roasted tomatoes and ricotta is one you won’t want to miss.
In the States, I have vivid memories of buying plump red tomatoes that were picture-perfect but tasted like…well, nothing. I remember my continued disappointment! Of course, if I took some from my mother’s garden or hit the farmers market, I usually had better luck, but, let’s face it—these days it’s sometimes hard to find a tomato that tastes like a tomato. Even in Italy, where I usually do find juicy and flavorful tomatoes, sometimes I find some duds. In these cases, I have a natural remedy: roast them. If you never have roasted tomatoes, you are in for a delicious treat. Roasted tomatoes concentrate the tomato taste leaving them bursting with robust flavors. They makes every dish pop and are the star in this recipe for paccheri with roasted tomatoes and ricotta.
Ever since I have discovered roasting tomatoes, I have found myself adding them to a variety of dishes because they are an easy and healthy option to add flavor to most savory dishes. I used them as the base in this delicious roasted tomato and basil soup and as a topping for these double baked kale potatoes and breakfast bruschetta.In this roasted tomato and ricotta paccheri recipe I pureed them so they blended perfectly with the ricotta cheese then used the rest to line a dish with a few spoonfuls of sauce.
Roasting tomatoes and then freezing them is a great way to preserve tomatoes for use in the fall and winter months when tomatoes are out of season. They will last for about 4-5 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. I like to freeze them in small portions and whip out a bag at a time to make a quick pasta sauce or bruschetta with fresh herbs. There are some recipes that say to roast tomatoes at a low temperature for up to 2 hours; however, I’ve found that roasting tomatoes for around 40-50 minutes at a higher temperature is just as sufficient to draw out their intense caramelized flavors. (Sometimes, I even roast them for less time if I am in a hurry. Even at the 20-30 mark, they still have a strong flavor.)
If you have never tried roasting tomatoes, you are in for a delicious surprise. Here’s one recipe you won’t want to miss.
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
For the tomatoes and sauce:
1 pound (450g)Datterini tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
.5 ounce (19g) Arugula
10 Basil leaves
1 cup (8.9 ounces, 250g) ricotta
Chives (optional)
For the pasta:
12 Paccheri pasta
½ tablespoon course salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Arrange the tomatoes in one layer on top of the baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes or until the tomatoes are have shrunk, keeping a close eye on them so they don’t burn. When you take the tomatoes out, keep the oven on.
In the meantime, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the course salt. Cook the paccheri pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain the pasta, let cool.
In a blender purée the roasted tomatoes, arugula and basil leaves. Scoop out 4-5 spoonfuls and spread on the bottom of a casserole dish. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, add the ricotta then pour in the rest of the tomato sauce and stir until combined.
Using a pastry bag or small spoon, fill each tube of pasta with the ricotta mixture and set the pasta tubes upright in the casserole dish. If you want, tie the tubes in groups with a chive stem and top with chopped chives.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10-12 minutes or until the filling is warm and the top is slightly golden. Serve warm. Buon appetito!
A few helpful hints:
Roast tomatoes ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator (up to 4-5 days) or freezer (up to 6 months) to whip out when you need them. If you have the roasted tomatoes on hand, this pasta recipe goes from 60 minutes to around 25 minutes.
Be sure to fill the pasta tubes completely full as the sauce sinks when baking.
If you have some ricotta filling left over, spread it on a piece of toasted bread for a quick bruschetta.
If you want to elegantly plate the pasta like in my photos, reserve a few extra spoonfuls of sauce and heat it on the stovetop in a small saucepan. The sauce baked in the oven will have a different consistency and dries out a bit more.
If you want a taste of Italy, try these tortiglioni with anchovies, radishes and tomatoes. Don’t shun the thought of anchovies just yet! This salty ingredient is the secret ingredient in this mouthwatering sauce.
Although anchovies might not be the first ingredient that comes to mind, definitely don’t exclude them. Anchovies are extremely versatile and can be used in a variety of ways, whether they are fresh or salt-cured in olive oil. You can melt them down with butter or olive oil in a skillet and spread the flavorful sauce onto a piece of toasted artisan bread then top with stracciatella cheese for a quick bruschetta. Or, how about marinated anchovies, which are a typical Italian recipe proliferate in restaurants along the Mediterranean Sea?
If you want a real taste of Italy, cook with anchovies. Their savoriness adds an irreplaceable bold flavor to dishes that are unlike others. My challenge to you: sneak them in various sauces, soups and salads and observe for yourself if anyone can spot that flavor, or if they just tell you that your dish is delicious.
If you want a taste of Italy, try these tortiglioni with anchovies, red radishes and tomatoes. Don’t shun the thought of anchovies just yet! This salty ingredient is the secret ingredient in this mouthwatering sauce.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ large white onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
7 radishes, thinly sliced
20 datterini tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), cut in half
5 anchovies in oil, cut into pieces
1 fresh sage leaf, torn in pieces
1 chive stem, torn in pieces
250g Tortiglioni pasta (or fusilli, penne, or macaroni ecc.)
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, as needed
Instructions
Put the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet and cook the onions and garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the radishes, tomatoes, anchovies, sage and chives and continue to cook until the tomatoes are soft, about 5-10 minutes.
In the meantime, bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, add the coarse salt and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and return to pot. Pour in the sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. Delicious served both warm and cold.
The majority of Italians eat pasta every day for lunch. Of course they vary their recipes so it doesn’t get boring and prepare dishes like this vegetable kamut pasta,tagliatelle with asparagus and peas,tortelli verdi,lumaconi or pasta with a simple tomato sauce. But, yes, that’s right, most Italian eat some kind of pasta every day. But that’s not all. The typical weekday Italian lunch usually includes some kind of meat or fish, vegetables, fruit and espresso. On the weekends expect to find various desserts and gelato. You would think that with these extravagant lunches everyday, the whole country would be obese, no? Yet, Italy is considered to have one of the healthiest diets in the world and is ranked among the highest life expectancies. What’s the deal?
From my observation of the last 5 years living in Italy, there are a few eating behaviors that play a large role in the Italians healthy style of living. This is not a scientific study, so take what I say with a grain of salt. This is only my observation/opinion. This reflection is for the majority of Italians; certainty, there are individuals who follow a less healthy diet.
7 Italian Diet Secrets
1) Fresh foods—Italians typically prepare food by hand instead of buying pre-packaged goods loaded with preservatives and sugar. They eat a lot of fresh fruit, vegetables, beans, whole grains, dairy products, fish and extra virgin olive oil. Recipes are simply and don’t require loads of caloric condiments like mayonnaise.
2) Sauces, pesto and dressings—Sauces are made by hand with just a few whole ingredients. Tomatoes and basil are picked from the vegetable garden to make tomato sauce and pesto. Alternatively, if you don’t have a garden, both markets and supermarkets carry extremely fresh produce which often times even lists the place of origin; many products come from local farmers. Salad dressings consist of just healthy extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Meat is usually eaten alone or with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Think of all the calories Italians save by not loading their salads with ranch, thousand island or blue cheese dressing or dipping their meat into mountains of bbq sauce?
3) Snacks—Mid morning or mid afternoon snacks typically consist of a yogurt, nuts or piece of fruit.
4) Sugary drinks—Coca cola and similar beverages are typically drunk on special occasions. Italians drink wine and natural or sparkling water at meals.
5)Quantity—Italians dishes aren’t meager portions by any means; however, they aren’t exaggerated and super-sized like you often find in the states or restaurants with all-you-can-eat buffets.
6)Quantity vs.meal time—Typically Italians eat sweets for breakfast, a large and varied lunch, and a light dinner. This gives their body fuel for the entire day and they slowly and consistently burn most of it off by evening. Makes sense. Not sure why in the states it’s the reverse and we often go to bed with a full belly of food.
7) Walk—Italians have a tradition of a “passeggiata” or “stroll” after meals, which aids in digestion.
There you have it, 7 Italian diet secrets for a healthier lifestyle. These 7 secrets aren’t hard at all to incorporate into your everyday life. It just takes some self-will and determination to undo some of the habits you may have grown accustom to.
From every culture we can learn something new that can help us live better. And, in this case, Italy’s healthy style of eating can be an inspiration to all of us to alter the way we think about consuming food. Remember, what we put in our body affects how we feel. If we feel good, we are happy. If we are happy, we are more productive. If we are productive, we are motivated to live fully. All this, just by eating better.
Forget the store bought sauces and make your own with vegetables for a flavorful and healthy Italian meal.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
¼ cup (25g) extra virgin olive oil
1 vegetable bouillon cube*
½ onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
3 celery stems, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 datterini or grape tomatoes, skin removed (I freeze the tomatoes then the skins just pop off under water)
10 cloves
½ Cinnamon stick
Dry white wine, as needed (enough to cover the vegetables)*
12 ounces (340g) pasta (I used kamut tortiglioni pasta)*
½ tablespoon coarse salt
½ cup (38g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese)*
Instructions
In a medium-sized saucepan, add: extra virgin olive oil, vegetable bouillon cube, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook on medium low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes, cloves and crumble in the cinnamon stick. Cover the vegetable mixture with white wine and stir.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes, checking periodically to make sure that there is some liquid at all times, adding a bit more wine or water if needed.
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil and add the coarse salt. Cook the pasta according to the indications on the package. Drain and mix in the sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano. Buon appetito!
*For a vegan recipe, check the vegan-friendly wines here, double check the vegetable bouillon ingredients list (or buy vegan bouillon cubes), make sure that the pasta doesn’t have egg and don’t include the cheese.
Pasta dishes don’t have to always be smothered in tomato sauce :: sugo and loaded with meat to be satisfying. In fact, some of the best Italian pasta dishes are those made with a vegetable sauce, like this recipe for tagliatelle with asparagus and peas given to me by my aunt-in-law.
There are three main secrets to preparing a delicious pasta dish like they make in Italy :: Italia:
1. Use fresh seasonal produce
2. Cook the pasta in generously salted water until it is al dente (slightly firm when bitten).
3. Top with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.
Italian women are clever :: furbe; they prepare mouthwatering dishes with just a few ingredients. What is their secret? They buy fresh vegetables that are in season. Often Italian women have a vegetable garden at home, otherwise they head directly to a farmer or vegetable stand at the market. Choosing good in-season vegetables allows you to enjoy the maximum flavors since the produce is in its prime. Good sauces aren’t difficult to make, they only need fresh and flavorful raw materials.
The next important trick is how you cook the pasta. The first rule of thumb of a good Italian cook is that you should always add coarse salt to the water once it comes to a boil. Secondly, you should always read the cooking time on the outside of the pasta package and be sure to start checking the pasta’s firmness a minute or two before it should be ready, especially if you mix the pasta with a sauce over heat, like in this recipe, as it will continue to cook. Although overcooked pasta is perfect for those who wear dentures :: la dentiera, it is by no means good. So set a timer folks and cook the pasta al dente!
The last important tip to making this tagliatelle with asparagus and peas dish absolutely delicious, is to load it with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. I might be impartial since I live in Emilia Romagna, the origin of this delectable ingredient, but I can definitely tell you there is a major difference between pasta dishes with and without parmigiano reggiano. And, no, for all you Americans, I am not talking about the powdery stuff in the cylinder green tube made by Kraft, that stuff for Italians has the same affect as kryptonite on Superman.
There you have it, some of the most important tricks :: trucchi you need to know to make some tasty Italian pasta dishes. If you have any other tips, leave them below in the comments section.
Pasta dishes don’t have to always be smothered in tomato sauce and loaded with meat to be satisfying. In fact, some of the best Italian pasta dishes are those made with a vegetable sauce, like this recipe for tagliatelle with asparagus and peas.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the sauce:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
10 asparagus spears, hard ends snapped off & discarded, then chopped
1 cup (145g) freshly shelled peas
1 organic vegetable bouillon cube
White wine, enough to cover the vegetables
4 datterini or grape tomatoes, skin removed (I freeze the tomatoes then the skins just pop off under water)
½ cup (38g) parmigiano reggiano
For the pasta:
200g tagliatelle pasta (or any kind of pasta)
½ tablespoon coarse salt
Instructions
For the sauce:
In a medium-sized saucepan, cook the shallot in the extra virgin olive oil over low heat. When the shallot begins to become golden brown, discard.
Add the asparagus, peas, tomatoes, vegetable bouillon cube and white wine (enough to cover the vegetables); bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 40-60 minutes.
For the pasta:
Bring a pot of water to boil, add the course salt and cook the pasta according to the instructions located on the package. Check the doneness around 1-2 minutes before it should be ready, remove from heat and drain when it is al dente (slightly firm when bitten).
Add the pasta and parmigiano reggiano cheese to the sauce previously prepared and stir over low heat until combined and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately. Buon appetito!
Note For vegetable based sauces, I like to cook them around 40 minutes but you could also let them simmer for less time.
For foodies, the varied and plentiful gastronomic festivals in Italy are a dream come true. Throughout the year there are countless celebrations that take part in big cities as well as small countryside towns. Cobblestone city squares are filled with numerous stands offering passersby the opportunity to taste and buy artisanal products specific to the festival’s theme. From wine to cheese, pumpkin to risotto—you’ll find numerous festivals :: sagre that promote local beverages, vegetables or typical Italian dishes.
A few weeks ago Mr. Italicano and I went to the sagra di tartufo :: truffle festival with 20 some friends in Cavola, a small country town in the region of Emilia Romagna. We spent the warm Autumn morning touring the stands that were selling truffle oil, truffle cheese and of course truffles straight from the ground. Although the white truffles were out of my budget (around 300 euros a piece!), I picked up a small paper bag full of black summer truffles.
We then headed into a large community hall where over 500 people packed in for lunch with a set menu: truffle rose pasta and truffle risotto for the first course; roasted pig and roasted potatoes for the main dish followed by fruit tarts :: crostate di frutta. That lunch reminded me of the pancake feeds the Lions Club put on in the small town where I grew up in Eastern Washington.
There are different kinds of truffles but the three most common are:
Black summer truffles :: tartufi neri estivi are extremely versatile in the kitchen. They are often shaved fresh over a dish or infused into sauces to add depth. In this kale and truffle tagliatelle recipe I grated them into the mixture as well as topped with some shavings.
I like strong flavors and therefore added a dash of truffle oil. Even at the truffle festival lunch they used a concentrated truffle butter and freshly shaved truffles to create a rich flavorful dish. If you already have black summer truffles on hand, this is a great recipe to try; for those who don’t, you can simply use truffle oil or truffle butter :: burro di tartufo instead.
