Rome Cooking Classes

Mulled Wine - Vin Brulé at Toffia Festival

2011-12-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

Mulled wine for 150 people? No problem at all! I (Sally) was in charge of making the vin brulé for the 2 day 'Festa di Natale' recently held in Toffia. This Family Christmas Festival was held to raise funds for the local primary and infants schools here in Toffia and I am pleased to say it was a huge success. The mulled wine was my idea.... so I got to make it too! After selling over 15 litres or about 150 glasses of vin brulé (the Italians use the French word for mulled wine), I think I can say it was a great success! To help you celebrate the forthcoming Festive Season and New Year with good cheer.... here's the recipe so you can try it for yourselves.

Vin Brulé
Serves approx. 50 glasses
Ingredients:
5 litres of dry red wine ( we used the local red grape called 'Sangiovese')
1/2 litre of orange juice
1 expresso coffee cup or 125 g sugar (according to taste)
8 cloves
15g cinnamon sticks (about 5)
1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
2 or 3 large oranges, peeled and sliced

Method:
1. Pour wine and orange juice into a large saucepan. Add the sugar and mix well.
2. Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg powder and thinly sliced oranges to the wine. Stir.
3. Heat gently for about 15 to 20 minutes without allowing the mixture to boil. Stir occasionally and taste for sweetness. Add more sugar if desired.
4. Serve the vin brulé hot red wine in heat-resistant glasses.
Enjoy!

Auguri di Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo

Torta di Ricotta alla Romana - Roman Style Ricotta cheese cake

2011-12-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

Photograph by Todd Gallopo

This is the most traditional dessert of Rome and we often prepare it during our cooking classes. Ricotta is mostly whey, which separates from milk during the cheese making process. Being neutral and creamy, it's suitable for both sweet or savoury dishes. In Rome, as we discuss during our cooking classes, ricotta mainly comes from sheep's milk. For this recipe I prefer cow's milk ricotta as it's sweeter. This cake is eaten hot out of the oven, during our Rome cooking classes, however I would try it cold as well. It keeps in the refrigerator for a few days.

Torta di Ricotta alla Romana (serves 6 )
For the pastry: 150g of butter, 300g of flour, 150g of sugar, 3 egg yolks, vanilla flavour, 8g of baking powder, salt. For the filling: 400g of ricotta, 2 egg yolks, 100 g of sugar, lemon or orange zest, a drop of single cream or milk, dark chocolate (to your taste).

For the short pastry, mix flour with softened butter, add sugar, citrus zest, 3 egg yolks, vanilla flavour, 8g of baking powder and a pinch of salt. Make the dough in to a ball, wrap it in film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Mix ricotta until smooth, add sugar, flour, two egg yolks, cream and fold in the whipped egg whites. Then add chocolate chips. Roll the pastry and line a cake tin with it. Pour in the ricotta mix and bake at 150C° for 30 minutes, until golden. Sprinkle some icing sugar.

Preparing fresh tagliatelle with 130 eggs!

2011-11-30T00:37:00.000-08:00

I have been preparing fresh home made tagliatelle pasta with a team of local villagers to use for the forthcoming Family Christmas Fair 'Festa di Natale' to be held in Toffia on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th December. Over 130 eggs where used in the process! With all that mixing, kneading, rolling and cutting we have enough fresh pasta, to be served with a local Sabina pasta sauce, for over 200 people! Of course we had to 'sample' the fresh pasta yesterday over lunch with the other cooks and their children - and believe me it tastes great! According to a local tradition, the pasta wasn't served in a plate, but directly on a number of large wooden cutting boards and each one of us had just a fork to help ourselves. This was such a great experience and what a great idea: eat as much as you can!

What's really important in life?

2011-09-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

The beautiful and inspiring images of 'Terra Madre', a video from award-winning Italian director Ermanno Olmi. It's about food, love, nature and slow living.

Fresh Tagliatelle (and no machine in sight!)

2011-09-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

Making pasta by hand is, nowadays, a rare art. This is why, when I moved to Sabina from Rome years ago, it was important for me to learn this art directly from my next-door neighbour Lina, who has been making fresh pasta since she was little. Now I'd like to share this fresh pasta recipe with my blog readers. You can experiment with different types of flour, such as regular wheat, semolina (durum wheat), wholemeal, spelt. With practice, the whole process shouldn't take more than half an hour from start to finish: just enough time to let your favourite pasta sauce cook on the side.

Tagliatelle Fresche - Serves 6
350g of flour, 3 to 4 eggs (according to size).

Create a well in the middle of the flour and break the eggs into the centre. Carefully mix the eggs with a fork as if you were making an omelette. Once eggs and flour begin to mix, start working the dough with your hands until mixture is smooth but firm. Let dough rest for 20 - 30 mins. Roll out mixture with a rolling pin until thin and as circular as possible. Keep dusting with flour. Gently roll it up and cut into thin slices with a knife to make tagliatelle. They will cook in salty boiling water in a few minutes.

Risotto agli asparagi selvatici - Wild asparagus Risotto

2011-04-12T02:22:00.000-07:00

Wild asparagus are ready to be picked now and the opportunity is not to be missed, here in Sabina. This variety, very different from the cultivated one we normally buy, is packed with flavour and antioxidants. Wild asparagus grow naturally in wooded areas and picking them require a lot of patience and the ability to spot them. A pleasant walk in the countryside can therefore double as a wild asparagus picking expedition. The actual asparagus plant is not difficult to spot, as it is very spiky and green. The new shoots are the edible part of this plant and appear right at the base of it. Wild asparagus can be eaten raw, but one of the best combination is with something smoked.This risotto combines these two flavours with the creaminess of rice and parmigiano cheese.

Risotto agli asparagi - Serves 6-8
500 g of 'Arborio' or 'Carnaroli' rice, a bunch of asparagus, 50g of butter, 50g of diced 'speck'(northern Italian smoked and cured ham), 1 cup of grated parmigiano cheese, a small onion, white wine.

Finely chop the onion and gently fry it in butter. Add asparagus and 'speck'. Add rice and let it fry with all other ingredients for a minute or two, always stirring. Pour in a little white wine and let it evaporate. Pour enough boiling water (or boiling vegetable stock) to cover rice. Add a little salt. Stir rice frequently. Add more boiling liquid if necessary. Check salt and add more if necessary. When rice is 'aldente' (cooked but firm) add grated parmigiano cheese and stir vigourously. Serve immediately and buon appetito!

Olive harvest

2010-12-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

Finally, olives are just beginning to turn half black here in Sabina, which is the right time for picking. At this stage, the olives are full of flavour and antioxidants and all this will be transfered into the olive oil. I do not own an olive grove myself (unfortuntely), but I would not miss the opportunity to go olive picking with my family at a friend's small olive grove near by. We went a few days ago and most of the work was done in the morning simply using plastic rakes, making sure all olives drop on geen nets layed on the ground. The children joined in as well, although sliding downhill on the nets at incredible speed proved to be a more tempting activity for them.
Anyway, lunchtime came so we cooked some simple pasta with tomatoes and herbs for everyone, accompanied by a glass of red wine (which is why most work needs to be done before lunch). In the early evening, crates were filled with olives, ready to be pressed the next day. Tired but happy to have spent a wanderful day out in the fresh air we were looking forward to taste a sample of the new olive oil of Sabina, with its fresh, complex yet light and peppery flavour.

A winter treat - Gato' di Patate (potato souffle')

2010-11-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

To warm up your winter evenings, there is nothing better than this potato soufflé (although not technically a soufflé, this is the way we call it), also called "Gato' di Patate". As a child, I remember this one being my absolute favourite dish out of my family's cooking repertoire and for good reasons: it's incredibly smooth in texture and flavour, it has lots of good cheese and those irresistible golden crunchy breadcrumbs on the outside. Gato' di Patate is also perfect for utilising cheese leftovers but you will need at least these three: parmesan, fresh mozzarella and Swiss gruyère. Just take out the ham for a vegetarian version of this classic Central Italian winter dish.

Gato' di patate. (Potato soufflé'). -serves 10.
500g of potatoes, 300g mozzarella cheese, 1 cup of parmigiano cheese, 200g of Swiss gruyère cheese, 2 eggs, 100g of butter, bred crumbs, prosciutto cotto (ham), salt, nutmeg.

Mix mashed potatoes with butter, one or two eggs and parmigiano cheese, a good pinch of salt and nutmeg while still hot. Add diced mozzarella, bits of prosciutto or ham, grated parmigiano and any other cheese you like (except for blue cheese). Pour the mixture in to an oven bowl and top with bread crumbs and a few bits of butter. Bake for about 40 minutes and/or until golden brown. Serve hot.

Zuccotto - perfect summer dessert

2010-07-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

This delicious dessert is perfect for hot summer days, as it needs to be refrigerated for several hours. It originated in Florence and it's popular in all central Italian regions. One key ingredient is ricotta cheese and this needs to be ultra fresh. I serve it with mixed berries. Buonissimo!

Zuccotto - Serves 6
400 g of fresh ricotta, 150 g of sugar, vanilla flavour, 300 g. single cream, 30g of cocoa powder, 100 g of dark chocolate chips, 80 g of candied citrus peel, 200 g of sponge cake*, 50 g of sugar, 10g of icing sugar, liqueur, 1 lemon.

Boil 2 full glasses of water with 50g of sugar and lemon zest. Line a small tray or bowl with slices of sponge cake, then wet the sponge cake with the lemon, sugar and water mixture and a little liqueur.Whip cream, add icing sugar and ricotta. Divide this mixture into two. Add candied peels to one part, cocoa and chocolate chips to the other. Put both mixtures in the middle of the sponge cake and top with a layer of sponge cake to seal. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

*For your own sponge cake: Serves 6. 4 eggs, 120 g of sugar, 100 g of flour vanilla flavour, lemon or orange grated peel, butter to grease the cake tin.
Mix egg yolks with sugar until smooth. Whip egg whites separately until very firm and add them to the mix. Slowly fold in the flour, then add grated citrus peel or vanilla flavour. Bake sponge cake for 40 minutes at moderate heat.

Wine: terroir, passion and variety.

2010-06-07T04:46:00.000-07:00

There are two main ways of making wine: one is through standardisation and the other is the traditional way.

Unfortunately, it seems the most popular way nowadays is through standardisation. This starts with producers hiring enologists (always the same ones). Then it's down to marketing, working with the international press and the so-called wine critics. The goal is to turn everyone into 'one consumer': to have the same opinion and tastes on (mass-produced) wines. According to the powerful 'experts', we should prefer wine with lots of colour, tannins and sweetness. Jonathan Nossiter, director and author of the film 'Mondovino', calls this process the "Parkerization" of wine, from the famous wine critic Robert Parker. In other words, the 'wine critics' want wine to taste the same, no matter where it is produced. This way of making wine suits the globalised wine producers because it's standardisation, not diversity, that makes things easier for them.

Then, there is another way of making wine: It's the traditional way. This is what we always discuss during our wine-tasting evenings, part of our Italian cooking holidays and vacations. What's important, in this case, is the 'terroir', the territory of the wine. The soil, the wind, the climate, the surrounding nature and the local traditional techniques are what matter. This is usually wine made by small producers, with passion. These are wines that are very different from village to village, let alone from region to region in each country (Italy, in my case), because the 'terroir' is different and determines the wine's flavour and character.
In other words, as Nossiter said, "wine is an intimate thing". Why should we listen to the so-called experts? Why shouldn't we develop our own taste and preferences? This would make the 'experts' less and less powerful and would give us the freedom to trust our own taste-buds again. Keeping the wine's terroir as our only guide, it would bring back one of the most important things in life: variety.

Riso Italiano

2010-03-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Not many people know that Arborio is not the only Italian rice available. In fact, there is a variety or rice for every cooking need, here in Italy. Rice has been produced in the north-western part of the country, particularly the the Vercelli region, for over 150 years.
Arborio Rice is well known all over the world. Its grains are large and elongated. Because it doesn't overcook easily, it's perfect for risotto. Riso Baldo has a lot of starch and is used for baking. Then there is Carnaroli (my favourite), a 'cross-breed' between Vialone and Leoncino: it absorbs flavours perfectly. Roma rice, with round grains, is versatile, suitable for many recipes. Riso Sant'Andrea is perfect just boiled and consumed as part of a main dish, like in Asian cuisine. Vialone Nano is similar to Carnaroli but smaller, so it takes less time to cook (13 instead of 18-20 minutes). Riso Venere has recently become very popular in Italy. It's black in colour and similar to wild rice.
Last but not least, Originario is the original rice for us Italians, the one that was already cultivated 150 years ago, from which all the other varieties developed from. Originario is the perfect rice for soups. It expands while cooking, without releasing too much starch.

Buon Natale! - Panettone Genovese

2009-12-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

When we say "Panettone", we usually think of the "Milanese" version of this Italian Christmas cake. But there is also panettone from the city of Genova. This is much easier to prepare (the panettone from Milan takes 24 hours to make!) and has pinenuts as an added ingredient.

Panettone Genovese
500g self raising flour, 200g of sugar, 150g of butter, 100g of raisins, 50g of pinenuts, 50g of candied citrus peel, 1 egg, 1 lemon, 1/2 glass of Marsala wine (or other dessert wine), a pinch of salt.

Mix flour with sugar, raisins, pinenuts, candied citrus peel, a pinch of salt, lemon zest. Form a well with this mix and put an egg, 1/2 glass of Marsala wine, the juice of a lemon and melted butter in the middle. Knead the dough for a few minutes then shape it into a ball. Put the dough on a greased oven tray. Let rest for half an hour. Bake for 45 minutes at 180 - 200 C. Serve at room temperature.
Buone Feste!

It's olive harvest time

2009-12-01T02:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a long, sunny and warm November, the olive harvest went really well, here in Sabina. Thousands of cases of this precious fruit were filled and immediately pressed, to produce one of the best (if not the best) olive oil in Italy. Sabina olive oil is protected by Europe as a traditional, high quality product of Italy, hence the 'DOP' label, which literally means 'Of Protected Origin'.
Here is Sabina olive farmers, very often small family producers, don't wait until the olives fall to the ground. That would be too late. They run especially constructed rakes along the branches when the olives are half green and half black, in the ripening process. This way, the intact olives will fall onto previously positioned nets on the ground, then sorted from the leaves that might have fallen as well, then immediately taken to the olive mill for pressing. This produces the healthiest olive oil, full of flavour, peppery but never ever 'greasy' or 'oily': in other words, true Sabina Extra Virgin olive oil at its best.
This is the time when we purchase at least 35 litres of freshly pressed olive oil for the year, for our own use. New olive oil is very peppery and strong, perfect for bruschetta. It mellows down in about 6 weeks of storing in a dark, cool place when it reaches absolute perfection.
To celebrate the end of olive oil harvest, as every year a festival is organised along the streets of Farfa, a nearby 7th Century monastic village. This is when olive farmers from the area gather to present their 'green gold' (oro verde), ready to be tasted on a slice of toasted fresh bread. It is an opportunity to get to know local cheese and wine makers and purchase their wonderful products. Of course, it is also great fun, with plenty of music, street performances, food and wine.

Toffia Summer Festival

2009-08-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Toffia, our medieval village, attracts thousands of people every year for the summer festival in mid August. The 2009 festival just ended and we all had great fun. There was plenty of music, with 4 or 5 live bands playing every night, art exhibitions, artisan's shops, amusing street performances and of course plenty of great food and wine at every corner. Most residents volunteer to help, which makes this festival work really well. This year, I was part of the beer-and-organic-barbecue team!

Pesche alla Piemontese

2009-08-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Summer fruits are now at their absolute best, especially peaches. So, here is a delicious dessert from the northern Italian region of Piemonte. Enjoy!

Pesche alla Piemontese (Serves 6):
7 peaches, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 30 g of butter, 4-5 amaretti biscuits, 1 egg yolk.

Cut peaches into halves. Scoop some flesh out of each peach and put it together with the flesh of 1 whole peach. Make this into a puree. Mix in sugar, crushed amaretti biscuits, egg yolk and butter. Put peaches into a tray and bake at moderate heat for 45 minutes (or less if using forced fan oven). Serve with a sweet sauce made out of half a glass of red wine, a tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam, all brought to the boil.

In praise of Birra Menabrea.

2009-06-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Italy is not often associated with beer. Menabrea beer is an exception. It is in my opinion one of the best beers I've ever had and it's made in Biella, north-western Italy, by a small, independent family-run 152 year old brewery. It's full of flavour even in its 'lager' form and it also comes in 'Strong' and 'Amber' varieties. Problem is: it's such a gourmet beer that it's difficult to find. At the moment, I have to drive to the next village to buy it. However I've already convinced the local restaurant to stock it!

Zucchine ripiene - meat-filled zucchini (courgettes)

2009-06-08T02:30:00.000-07:00

June is the season for zucchini (or courgettes). We now have the "Romanesque" variety available at the market. This variety, typical of the Roman countryside, is full of flavour, firm, lighter in colour and often sold with the flower attached to it. Now, the flower can be stuffed and baked or deep fried. But the vegetable itself is often used to prepare this summer recipe, an absolute Roman cuisine classic and a wonderful dish that can be eaten hot or cold. The flavours of tomatoes, basil, good quality extra virgin olive oil, parmigiano reggiano (Italian original parmesan) all blend together and balance each other perfectly. Also these 'zucchine ripiene' can be reheated and are actually better the day after!

Zucchine ripiene alla Romana - Serves 6
6 zucchini (courgettes), 250g mince meat, 1 egg, 50 grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, bread (without the crust), a slice of ham, extra virgin olive oil, onion, fresh basil, salt, pepper, tomato passata or fresh, peeled tomatoes.

Empty the zucchini carefully. To prepare the stuffing, mix mince meat with one egg, some bread (soaked in water then squeezed), parmigiano reggiano, salt, pepper, a few bits of ham. Fill the zucchini with the stuffing.
Fry some finely chopped onion in a pot or pan that can accommodate for all the zucchini) until the onion is translucent. Put the zucchini in the pan, then add tomato passata or fresh peeled tomatoes, a pinch of salt and fresh basil. Cover the pan and cook until the zucchini are soft. La cena e' pronta!

Torta al Cioccolato - Dark chocolate cake

2009-01-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

As if we didn't have enough chocolate during the festive season, here is my family recipe for a dark chocolate cake. It is easy to make. The most important thing is the quality of dark chocolate: it has to be absolutely excellent. I get my chocolate from a small chocolate factory near where I live, called 'Dolc - Art'.

Torta di cioccolato - Serves 6 - 8
300g dark chocolate, 5 eggs, 100g of sugar, 50g of flour, 100g of butter, half a glass of milk, an orange, icing sugar, salt.

Melt chocolate with butter. Add flour, sugar, egg yolks (one at a time), grated orange zest, milk and a pinch of salt. Mix all ingredients carefully, then gently fold in 5 whipped egg whites. Bake at moderate heat (150 C) for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle icing sugar on top and serve. Optional:serve with pears.

Panforte, the true flavour of Christmas

2008-12-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

Panforte is an absolute Italian Christmas classic cake. Originally from Siena, Panforte comes from a time, the middle ages, when sugar was not really used in Italy (except for Sicily, where the Arabs brought it already in the 9th Century). To sweeten Panforte, honey and dried fruits were used instead. The recipe I have dates from the 1930's and has the same amount of sugar and honey. Panforte is called 'pangiallo' in Rome and here in Sabina. The only difference is the shape: spherical in Rome, thin and round in Siena. When I offer a slice of my panforte to my friends, I always serve it with a small glass of sweet wine, such us Vin Santo or Passito di Pantelleria. Buon appetito e Buon Natale a tutti!

Panforte - Serves 10.

100g of peeled almonds, 100g of peeled hazelnuts, 30g of cocoa powder, 15g of cinnamon, 50g of flour, 300g of mixed candied citrus peel, 125g of icing sugar (or confectionery sugar), 125g of honey.

Lightly roast almonds and hazelnuts. Put almonds, hazelnuts, cocoa powder, cinnamon, flour and mixed candied citrus peel in a bowl. Put sugar and honey in a pot and let the mix melt on a low heat, always stirring. When, if immersing two wet fingers in the mix and then immediately in cold water, a small sphere will form, the mix is ready. Put the rest of the ingredients in the pot and stir carefully. Put the mix into a greased and flour-dusted cake tin. Bake at low heat (120-150 C) for half an hour.

2008/2009 olive oil: fantastico!

2008-11-28T00:18:00.000-08:00

Finally, after all that picking, blending, transporting and cold pressing, the olive oil of Sabina is ready. It has a DOP (Denomination of guaranteed origin) stamp on it like every year, which already means excellent quality. But this year our local olive oil is truly special. I've had a sip of my olive oil supply for the year, kindly delivered to my door by Alfio. He is our official supplier of fruit, vegetables, wild herbs and olive oil. I found it very peppery, not oily or greasy at all, with a wonderful fruity flavour. The smell too is fantastic, similar to freshly cut grass.
According to most olive oil producers around Italy, there has been a production increase of about 10%. This is because this year we've had the perfect four seasons as described by Antonio Vivaldi. It was hot and dry when it needed to be and rainy when it was meant to be, according to mother nature. So by last May I could see the olive threes full of tiny flowers, which usually is the premise for a good year. So, I recommend stocking up your cupboard with DOP Sabina Extra Virgin Olive Oil from 2008/2009, if you can.
Tomorrow, I am going to the Olive Oil festival at the nearby monastery of Farfa. All the olive oil producers from the area will be there and I will be able to taste some of the best olive oil in Italy. There will be cheese, olives and wine as well as street performances, music and a lot of fun for children and adults. It's been my 5th year at the festival and it gets better and better!

Olive harvest is on

2008-10-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

There is something very special about the olive harvest season in Italy. Here in Sabina, the way olives are harvested has remained unchanged for thousands of years. The olives are picked manually when they begin to turn from green to black. This is exactly the right time to harvest, as it ensures the olives are blessed with the highest amounts of antioxidants and vitamins and a low acidity content. Of course olives ripen differently according to the amount of sunshine they get each day. Even within our beautiful region of Sabina, some olive groves are ready for harvest now and some others will be in two weeks time. In fact, the olive grove that our guests visit during their Convivio Rome Italian cooking holiday will be picking this weekend and we will be joining in the fun.
Olives are quickly transported to the press. This needs to happen within 24 hours from picking. It's better to keep off the roads at this stage, as hundreds of Piaggio 'Apes' (the typical motorcycle-engined three wheel mini-trucks) full of olives can be found racing around the windy streets!
Nowadays, the olives are pressed by modern stainless steal machines, able to control the temperature. Only cold-pressed olive oils from around this area can be called 'Sabina DOP' olive oils, a stamp of superior quality. Low temperature pressing ensures that all the nutrients of the olives are chemically unchanged.
Just to remind everyone: olive oil is very, very good for you, with its antioxidants and the ability to increase good cholesterol and decrease the bad (this is proven by several scientific studies). But, it has to be good quality. A good Italian extra virgin olive oil has to have the 'DOP' stamp on the bottle and always comes in dark coloured glass: this shows that the producer is serious about its 'green gold'.

In Praise of Sagrantino

2008-07-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

The best kept wine secret of Italy is, without any doubt, Sagrantino di Montefalco. This wine is made of 100% Sagrantino grape from the hills and valleys around the tiny village of Montefalco, in southern Umbria. What makes this Italian native grape so special is that people simply forgot about it for many, many decades. In fact, the Sagrantino grape' history is well documented since medieval times. This allowed a group of passionate, small local wine makers to search for abandoned and overgrown vineyards, in search of the perfect Sagrantino. Seeds were collected, new vineyards were planted so today we can drink this precious wine again. Still today, there are only 30 Sagrantino producers.

Sagrantino di Montefalco is in the same league as Brunello di Montalcino or Barolo, with a similar price tag but with even more character. Sagrantino has a very, very strong personality, is extremely aromatic, very tannic, spicy, with a definite taste of wild berries and, yes, chocolate. The notes of chocolate and spices come from ageing for at least 12 months in old oak barrels (according to Italian law). Of course, none of those 'barriques' that the French like so much.

If you want full alcohol content (14,5%) get a 2003 vintage bottle (remember how hot the summer of 2003 was?). Otherwise, we are usually around 13.5%, with vintage 2004 gaining popularity. Have Sagrantino with strong cheese and black olives, not necessarily with a full meal. I always offer Sagrantino di Montefalco during our wine tasting evenings, part of our Italian cooking holiday programme. It's great to share such a special and different wine with my clients (and watch their reaction to it!)

Sagrantino di Montefalco is awarded DOCG ('Di Origine Controllata e Garantita', 'Of protected and Guaranteed Origin') denomination from the European Union, a seal of absolute quality. It exist in a sweet, dessert version called 'Sagrantino Passito', delicious and very, very expensive.

Tortino di polenta con fragole (polenta cakes with strawberries).

2008-05-07T13:37:00.001-07:00

There was a time In Italy when wheat flour was scarce and expensive for many. This was certainly true during the Renaissance, but also during the 19th century and again during WW2. Since the discovery of the Americas a new, cheaper ingredient was available: maize flour (or corn meal, or polenta flour). A little wheat flour could be added to polenta flour and this would make the softest, most delicious bread. Adding a little sugar and raisins would produce a cake that was simply irresistible.
With strawberries and a rum sauce, this 'poor cuisine' classic from Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria can today become a refined, well presented and well balanced dessert.

Tortino di polenta con fragole.
200g of fine maize flour, 160 g of butter, 125g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 70g of wheat flour, 2 eggs, 80g of sultanas, 150g of single cream, a little rum, strawberries.

For the cakes: Mix eggs with 65g of sugar, add maize flour first, then wheat flour with some baking powder, add melted butter, sultanas and a pinch of salt. Bake at 180 C for 15 minutes in a muffin tray.
For the sauce: bring cream to boil for 5 minutes, add 50g of sugar and a little rum, leave it to boil for 2 more minutes. Serve cakes warm with sauce at the bottom of the plate and strawberries on the side.

Ciambelle al vino rosso - red wine biscuits

2008-03-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

These classic Italian biscotti or wine biscuits have a doughnut shape (ciambelle) and use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter and red wine for flavouring. You can make the savoury version, just skip sugar and add a little more salt. The ciambelle al vino are popular in Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio (Rome).

Ciambelle al vino rosso - for 18 -20 biscuits.
300 g of flour, two espresso cups of olive oil, two espresso cups of red wine, handful of chopped hazelnut, 70 g of sugar, a pinch of salt.

Mix all ingredients together to obtain a smooth and soft dough. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Make small doughnuts out of it. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 180 C. Serve with sweet wine. Addictive!

In season: Roman artichokes - Carciofi alla Romana.

2008-02-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

Artichokes are a favourite ingredient in Roman cuisine. They are now in season and available at farmer's markets around our region. There is a specific variety of artichokes that is grown in the Roman countryside. These artichokes are so tender they can be eaten raw with salt, olive oil and lemon juice, if picked when they small.
A very traditional way to cook artichokes is 'alla Romana'. Roman style. You need a type of wild mint called mentuccia, which only grows in central Italy. It has small, light green leaves with lighter spots on them and a very strong smell and flavour. It is collected from the fields, although the best one grows out of old walls. If you can't find any mentuccia (that is if you don't live in Italy!) regular mint will do. Here is the recipe.

Carciofi alla romana (Roman style artichokes)
Serves 4: 4 artichokes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh mint, fresh lemon, garlic, salt & pepper.

Prepare the artichokes by disposing of all the tough leaves and by peeling the bottom part and quickly rub half a lemon on them, which will prevent them from darkening. Stuff the artichokes with mint leaves, a little chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Put them upside down (stalk up) into a pot just large enough to contain them, pour a quarter of a glass of olive oil and half a glass of water on them. Cover the pot and let cook until tender (the amount of time really depends on the type of artichokes). Buon Appetito!

Having fun making fresh pasta at our Convivio Rome Italian Cooking School, in Toffia, Italy!

2008-01-16T01:33:00.000-08:00

La Befana (The good Witch) has arrived!

2008-01-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

Here in Italy, Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) is a recently imported tradition. It is La Befana, instead, who comes down through the chimney, bringing a stocking with sweets and small presents. She is a sort of good witch and a bit of an eccentric elderly lady, flying on her old broomstick through the sky at night. She comes on the 6th of January bearing gifts of sweets for those that are good and bits of charcoal for those naughty children. Adults have great fun with this tradition by setting the scene and building up the anticipation for their children and grandchildren the night before.
In Rome, there is a traditional Christmas market in Piazza Navona, that I remember going to as a child. Still today has plenty of Befane strolling around the piazza, while children eat zucchero filato (fairy floss) or mostaccioli, traditional Roman biscuits simply made out of flour, honey and walnuts.

Risotto alla zucca e rosmarino (pumpkin risotto)

2007-12-18T13:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a typical winter risotto recipe. Fresh, chopped rosemary has a strong, refreshing flavour which goes perfectly with pumpkin.

Risotto alla zucca e rosmarino - Serves 6

500 g of 'Arborio' or 'Carnaroli' rice, a slice of pumpkin, 50g of butter, 1 cup of grated grana cheese, a small onion, white wine, fresh rosemary, grana padano cheese.

Finely chop the onion and gently fry it in butter. Add diced pumpkin and chopped rosemary. Add rice and let it fry with all other ingredients for a minute or two, always stirring. Pour in a little white wine and let it evaporate. Pour enough boiling water (or boiling chicken stock) to cover rice. Add a little salt. Stir rice frequently. Add more boiling liquid if necessary. Check salt and add more if necessary. When rice is 'aldente' (cooked but firm) add grana padano cheese and stir vigourously. Mangiare subito!

Pecorino di fossa, matured in a cave.

2007-11-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

Once you have tasted Pecorino di Fossa you won't forget it. It has a sweet start, then a vibrant peppery flavour develops. This type of cheese, certainly the most precious (and most expensive) here in Italy, is made of sheep milk and it is matured in sealed caves. This ancient process, which originated in Roman times, is also a ritual with its rules and procedures. It is in August that Pecorino di Fossa is put in caves excavated in the tufa rock (volcanic in origin), after they are sterilised with fire and lined with hay. Once the cheese is in, the caves are sealed with lime and reopened during the last week of November.
This cheese matures in an oxygen-deprived environment. Therefore, taste and structure are modified by the good bacteria present in the cave and the hey surrounding the cheese. Pecorino di fossa is typical of central Italy. It is very nutritious and perfect to eat with chestnut honey to enhance its flavour.

La Ribollita - perfect winter soup

2007-11-22T03:48:00.000-08:00

It's finally winter here and this is the perfect time for comforting soups, such us Ribollita ('boiled again'), so called because it's even nicer you have it heated up the day after. It's a very traditional dish in Central Italy and it's sometimes called Acqua Cotta ('cooked water'). I made Ribollita yesterday and had it today for lunch with a bunch of friends. Delicious! Here is the recipe. You'll need a big pot.

Ribollita (serves 6 or more)
800g of fresh borlotti or cannellini beans (or 300g of dried borlotti or cannellini beans), 400g of fresh, ripe tomatoes or tinned tomatoes, 1 black cauliflower (almost impossible to find!) or 1 quarter of a regular one, 1 quarter of a cabbage, 500g of beet (similar to spinach but milder flavoured), 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1 red onion, parsley, basil, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, parmigiano reggiano (parmesan) cheese.

If you are using dried beans, they need to be soaked for 24 hours, then boiled in 2 litres of water, a pinch of salt and a little olive oil. Finely chop the onion and fry in oil until translucent, then add tomatoes, beans (if fresh with 1 litre of water, if dried add with its own cooking water). Chop all the remaining vegetables roughly and add the to the soup. Add salt and boil for at least two hours. Add more water if necessary. Serve in a bowl on top of a slice of toasted country bread. Finish off with parmigiano, a little olive oil, pepper and chopped parsley and basil (if available). E' Pronto!

Why should olive oil be extra virgin and single estate?

2007-10-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

A lot of my clients and friends from different parts of the world often ask me why they should buy the more expensive extra virgin olive oil, as opposed to simply olive oil. Extra virgin olive oils are the pure juice of cold pressed olives. 'Olive oil', apart from a small percentage of extra virgin, is oil extracted with the help of harmful chemicals, which of course end up in the bottle. To make things more confusing, I have seen cheap olive oil marketed as 'light' , which doesn't change the result: harmful chemicals.
The best extra virgin olive oils are 'single estate' ones, from small producers such us the ones here in Sabina, who harvest the olives at the right time, when they are turning from green to black. This ensures low acidity and plenty of antioxidants. The quantity produced might be less from each tree, but the quality is at its highest. This explains why good extra virgin olive oil is not cheap.
Moreover, would you buy olive oil from a huge company that also make washing powder and underarm deodorant? I wouldn't, even if their marketing image screams 'Italian-authentic-traditional'.

Risotto al vino

2007-10-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

So, you've come back home at night only to find out that you have no food in the house, except for a bottle of good red wine, some rice and a small onion in the cupboard and a chunk of butter and a piece of parmesan or mature cheese in the fridge. No need to worry, as this is all you need for:

Risotto al Vino Rosso - Serves 6
500 g of 'Arborio' or 'Carnaroli' rice, 50g of butter, 1 cup of grated grana or parmigiano or mature cheese, a small onion, glass of red wine.

Finely chop the onion and gently fry it in butter. Add rice and let it fry with all other ingredients for a minute or two, always stirring. Pour in a good glass of red wine and let it reduce. Pour enough boiling water (or boiling chicken stock) to cover rice. Add a little salt. Stir rice from time to time. Add more boiling liquid if necessary. Check salt and add more if necessary. When rice is 'aldente' (cooked but firm) add grana cheese and stir vigourously. Serve immediately - Mangiare subito!

Torta di Mele (apple cake) from an old cookbook

2007-10-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

My favourite Italian cookbook is called 'Il Talismano della Felicita' (The Talisman of Happiness) and was written in the 1920s by a Roman lady called Ada Boni. Her cooking lessons were favoured by the Roman aristocracy of the time and her book is a true bible of Italian cuisine. This recipe for 'Torta di mele' comes from an early edition of 'Il Talismano', which I inherited from my grandmother. It is deliciously moist, because the apple slices are 'sunk' inside the cake mix. Locally grown apples have just come into season. They are so juicy and full of flavour I have included this recipe in my October cooking classes.

TORTA DI MELE
100g of butter, 135g of sugar, 2 eggs, 135g of flour, 12g baking powder (not if you use self-raising flour), bread crumbs, 1 and a half to 2 apples (depending on size), icing sugar, a pinch of salt.

Mix butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Mix in 2 egg yolks, then add flour and baking powder (you can use self-raising flour instead). Add a pinch of salt to enhance flavour. Add 2 firmly whipped egg whites. Grease a cake tin with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Pour cake mix in the tin. If the mix is too thick you can add some milk or some plain yogurt. Cut apples into thin slices push them vertically into cake mix, so they will stand upright. Bake for about 40 min. at 150 C. Pronto in Tavola!

GM food-free Italy

2007-10-09T03:50:00.000-07:00

Good news for those passionate about good food, and bad news for those big corporations that are trying to convince us that genetically modified food is good for us. Italy is GM food-free and will be in the future. At a conference yesterday, a vast majority of Italian parliamentarians and senators with different political views all agreed on this crucial issue. Giuseppe Politi, president the Confederation of Italian Farmers, said: "Agriculture does not need GM crops. We need to defend our bio-diversity and high quality food and produce instead" (Source: 'La Repubblica' newspaper).

The Sabine Hills (Sabina)

2007-10-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

Nestled between the Rome province, Umbria and Tuscany, Sabina is a land of rolling hills covered with olive groves and ancient vineyards. The lower Sabina, which is where we are situated, is only 40kms from Rome. The landscape is still unspoilt and has not been turned into a theme park like Tuscany. In a way, Sabina is probably like some parts of Tuscany were in the past, before the 'restore-derelict-farmhouse-and-write-a-book-about-it' business started. In other words it's AUTHENTIC.
For my family, this region always meant: food supply. The local extra virgin olive oil has its 'DOP' high quality stamp on it and there are plenty of small independent cheesemakers, producing different varieties of sheep cheese, not to mention local prosciutto and salami. Fruit and veggies are full of flavour and available in abundance here, obviously according to the season.
Sabina has a strong medieval heritage, the landscape being dotted with many hilltop villages, each one of them hiding an architectural or art treasure. For example, Toffia is a 10th Century tiny village built on a cliff. Yet, within its historic walls, there are four 1000 year old churches and beautiful frescoes hidden in its many renaissance palazzos. When family, friends and clients come to visit, they always remind us how wonderful this region is.

Early vintage

2007-10-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

As I take a walk around our village Toffia, there is a distinctive smell coming from the palazzo's basements: it's the smell of must.
Generally, vintage time is frantic. Little 3 wheel 'Ape' open vans zip around the country at frightening speed with their precious load of grapes. Everyone is working over the same weekend, and watching all this happening at the nearby Monastery of Farfa is spectacular. The monastery has a small and very ancient vineyard. If you have seen Jamie Oliver's 'Great Escape', you would have see the Farfa monastery featured in episode #3. Vintage has been a little early this year, due the warm winter and long, sunny summer. It will be interesting to taste the result of it in a glass. Some of the new wine is due out in November and sold as 'vino novello'. I know this is not for the purists, but a glass of it won't hurt anyone!

It's all about wine, olive oil, chestnuts

2007-09-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

Autumn is my favourite time of the year, here in Sabina. The colours are beautiful and the weather, still sunny and warm without being hot, is perfect for walks and excursions.
Above all, this is vintage and olive harvest time. The olives are just about to turn dark, a bit early this year. My prediction is that both wine and olive oil making will happen soon, because of the long hot summer we've had.
Chestnuts will be available at the village markets in a few days: time to roast them in the fireplace or just on the stove top by using a special tin pan with holes in the bottom. Chestnuts then become 'caldarroste' (hot roasted). Looking forward to all that!
PS: We had a pasta strike last week: no one bought pasta for a day, as a protest against soaring pasta prices. Then bought double the amount next day!

Welcome to my kitchen!

2007-09-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to Guido's Kitchen. This blog is dedicated to Italian cuisine, wines and lifestyle. With the rest of Convivio Rome team, I help run Italian Cooking Holidays here in Toffia, an incredibly unspoilt medieval village in the beautiful land of Sabina, 40 kilometres north of Rome.
We have got a cooking long weekend about to start and I am going to prepare a 3 course welcome dinner for my clients Friday night. Main course will be 'Gateau di patate' or potato soufflé, a classic from Naples and perfect for dinner parties: you prepare it the day before and heat it up in the oven when you need it. Here is the recipe.

Potato soufflé'. (you need at least 6 large potatoes)
Mix mashed potatoes with some butter, one or two eggs and parmigiano cheese, a good pinch of salt and nutmeg while still hot. Use two thirds of mixture to coat the inside of a greased oven bowl or tray. Fill this with diced mozzarella, bits of prosciutto or ham, fresh basil, grated parmigiano and any other cheese you like (except for blue cheese). Cover with the remaining mashed potato and top with bread crumbs and a few bits of butter. Bake for about 40 minutes and/or until golden brown. Buon Appetito!