2008/2009 olive oil: fantastico!

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

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.
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'.

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

Chef Guido's polenta cakes with strawberries

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.

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

La Befana (The good Witch) has arrived!

La Befana, thanks to 'Eventi e Sagre' for this image

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.