Red sez "Rain is finally coming! The time to sit out on the patio is NOW!"(yes this entire email is going to be about this weekend))
Veal Spezzatino on TagliatelleLet's talk about Italian beef stew. This weekend we have one of the best comfort foods in the vast variety of Italian cooking. A simple dish: start (as always) with a soffrito, add your meat to brown lightly, then a splash of wine, then your braising liquid and, if you like, some fresh herbs. Cover and let it simmer very gently until tender. It sounds straightfoward—and it is. The Italian way with stew is very much like the stews of other cuisines. The main difference lies in the use of a soffritto of aromatic vegetables to start with, before you add the meat. Since you then add the meat to the already soft vegetables, they will not caramelize as much as in recipes where you begin by browning the meat directly in hot oil. Rather than forming a nice dark crust around the meat, the meat absorbs the sweetness of the aromatic vegetables. The result is sweeter and mellower than other beef stews you may have tried. Put this over a great Tagliatelle noodle (or polenta), add a deep red wine.... and BAM!
Burrata e Fichi Burrata, meaning "buttery" in Italian is a fresh cheese made from a mix of mozzarella and cream. The outside thin shell is a pasta filata curd made of buffalo and/or cow's milk mozzarella while the insides contain a soft, doughy, stringy, mixture of curd and fresh cream. Add this to fresh figs and... Cotoletta al Milanese The cotoletta alla milanese is a classic of Milan’s cuisine, up there with saffron-stained risotto, osso buco and panettone. It gets its name from the cut of meat traditionally used, la costoletta, an inch-thick bone-in veal chop, which would correspond to a prime rib cut, such as rib eye. A second version of the cotoletta is made with a beaten-out-till-enormous-but-thin cutlet of veal, aptly called l’orecchia di elefante (elephant’s ear), as reference to its size and shape. It’s for those who like their fried goods crunchy all the way. Il Coroncino Our favorite Le Marche wine is finally in. If you haven't tried it before, you will wonder where it's been your whole life! “Fattoria Coroncino” is the producer, “Il Coroncino” is the name of the wine “Verdicchio” is the grape variety, a native Italian and Castelli di Jesi (the Castles of Jesi) is where it is from near Ancona on the East coast in line with Perugia. Lucio Canestrari & his wife, Fiorella De Nardo founded Fattoria Coroncino in 1981 and have been pioneering quality Verdicchio ever since. Their three vineyards comprising 9.5 ha of their total 17.5 ha and all lie within 3km radius of the winery. They produce around 50,000 bottles per year all from their own grapes. Altitudes vary from 250 to 400 metres and all wines are Classico Superiore, from the heart of the traditional zone and from the lowest yields. They farm organically, grassing the vineyards since 1983, integrating insects and vine health since 1992 and have used no fertilizers since 1995. In their words: Holiday Party Time is Here! (or at least the time to book them is) Across the parking lot from Riccardo's sits our retail wine shop, Vin Italy. The Italian street-side patio seating in front (fully shaded from the afternoon sun), and Bocci court, Bar Marzocca is the perfect place for an afternoon wind-down, staff get-together, or just some social time. We specialize in hosting work and client parties as well as private group dining. Throughout December we decorate and use this space as the ideal Private Holiday Work Party room for parties of 10-35 people. There is only one booking per night, and yes we fill up the entire month of December so call to book a date right away. Ask for Shane to work out details and ask questions work out details. (503) 636 - 4104 |