Federico Fellini perfectly summed up the Italian condition when he said, ‘Life is made of magic and pasta.’ And it’s not a cliché that Italians eat pasta every day. They really do. A recent study showed that Italians eat 28kg per person per year. Divide that by 80g, the normal portion size, and you get 350. I guess the two weeks when they are not eating it is when they are on holiday, or that you have to take into account that children eat less.
If another island were worthy of the title ‘the Emerald Isle’ it would be Sicily. Not because of its verdant vegetation but because of one of its typical products. The pistachio and in particular the pistacchio verde di Bronte DOP. To celebrate the Sicilian pistachio harvest, which takes place this month, why not prepare this truly mouth-watering dish?
Spaghetti alla carbonara just like it’s served in Rome.
After pizza, spaghetti alla carbonara is probably Italy’s most famous dish, but also its most controversial. Everybody knows that this plate of bacon-and-egg pasta is supposed to have a rich, creamy, sauce, but few know the real secret of how to achieve it. Outside—and even inside—Italy, people often cheat and add a little (or sometimes a lot of) cream to get the right consistency. But to purists (and even not so purists), cream might as well come in bottles with the number 666 printed on the label. They will tell you, with a stronger than religious fervour, that it is not part of the original recipe. Nor, for that matter are peas.
It’s no secret that I love aubergines, or eggplants as some of you call them, or … well for argument’s sake let’s call them melanzane, the Italian word. So, it’s no secret that I love melanzane and would probably eat them every day, if I could. When cooked properly, they have the same mouth-puckering strength as a quality mature cheese. It’s no secret that I love cheese, or fromage, or … well let’s call it formaggio.
At the market with Paolo.
Have you ever dreamed the Italian dream? Waking up, let’s say in Florence, on a Saturday morning; taking a stroll to the local market to buy fresh produce; making fresh pasta with your own hands; having an aperitivo with friends before sitting down to enjoy the fruits of your culinary labours?
Last week, I was lucky enough to have been invited to live this experience in the capable hands of Eating Europe Food Tours and the Florence Food Studio at their cooking school in the authentic Santo Spirito quarter of the city. You may remember that last year I reviewed their excellent Other Side of Florence tour.
Bologna la rossa
La dotta, la rossa, la grassa. These are the nicknames given to the city of Bologna by Italians. La dotta (the educated) because it boasts one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world. La rossa (the red) because of its distinctive red-brick architecture. And la grassa (the fat)? Because of its amazing food of course!