Travel with Julie

Bistecca Alla Fiorentina

Hubs birthday was this weekend and to celebrate he asked for his favorite Tuscan meal, Bistecca alla Fiorentina.  Easy breezy!  

The Florentine-style steak is featured on menus of almost every restaurant in Florence.  Those that know how to prepare it well know the secret to a mouthwatering, cut-like-butter, flavorful piece of meat: Chianina beef.  The huge white oxen are raised in the Val di Chiana, near Arezzo.  These animals are so large, they can produce a steak reaching 6 pounds!

Finding Chianina beef in the United States is a little more complicated, so I asked my butcher for a thick cut of Porterhouse steak.  I know, I know!  Such an expensive cut of meat!  Why not a less expensive T-bone?  Simply because, it's closer to a Chianina steak.  Besides, it was hub's birthday and a Porterhouse is far cheaper than the new set of golf clubs and the racey sports car he'd also like to have!

The meat is prepared simply: a little olive oil, salt and pepper (I add a little garlic, too.).  Place it on a hot grill and cook to your desired doneness.

In our house, Bistecca alla Fiorentina is not complete without a side of arrosto patate (roasted potatoes). Toss diced potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary.  Spread them on a baking sheet and bake in a 475° oven until brown and tender.

The meal was complimented with a good bottle of Chianti, of course.  Nothing more was needed.  Hubs was happy, and I think he even forgot about turning a year older -- at least for a few mouthwatering moments!

The Best Spaghetti alla Carbonara In Rome

"I'm going to eat spaghetti alla carbonara everyday!"  That was hub's proclamation before our last trip to Italy.  I reminded him that we were only going to be in Rome (home of pasta carbonara) for one day before moving on to Campania and Puglia where the food specialties change to seafood and grilled meats. Nevertheless, spaghetti alla carbonara is hub's all-time favorite pasta dish.  Plus, we can't find really good carbonara in Texas, so if he finds it on the menu in Italy, I say, let the man eat all he wants!

In Rome, we stayed near Termini station where we had to pick up our rental car early the next morning. Finding a decent restaurant in this area was a bit of a challenge. None of my favorite trattorias were nearby, and others that were didn't seem to receive very good reviews.  Plus, finding the perfect restaurant for our one night in Rome was not high on my list for this trip, while discovering the other parts of Italy were.  So, I halfheartedly chose La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali.  It was within walking distance. And, it had to be at least OK -- they have photos of famous visitors like Ron Howard, Al Pucino and Robert De Niro dining there on their website -- right? (Kidding, of course!)

It was a pleasant evening for late October, so we were seated outside under a large tent.  There were probably 20 to 30 tables under the tent and only 3 were occupied (including ours). The waiters were sufficient, but not overly friendly (typical for many tourist spots in Rome).  Not a good sign. Why didn't I didn't take the time to research a small neighborhood trattoria? They almost always please with great food and warm service.

Regardless, we ordered up a meal fit for a small army.  And of course, hubs ordered spaghetti carbonara. When the pasta arrived, hubs took one bite of his carbonara, rolled his eyes and said, "Oh my, this is better than sex!"  I laughed, and then . . . wait . . . oh, gee, thanks a lot!!  What's that saying about me?!  (I love the fact that hubs and I can joke around with each other like that!)  Even still, I reasoned that after 15 hours of nothing but airplane food, any old pasta dish would have tasted like heaven on earth!

As it turned out, La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali did have the best spaghetti alla carbonara.  Hubs lived up to his vow and ate carbonara every day, sometimes twice a day, so he earned the right to be judge!

I'm not sure my spaghetti alla carbonara is "better than sex" good, but it's close.  Here's how I make it:

3 eggs (at room temperature)

1 1/2 cups grated pecorino romano cheese

2 tbs. olive oil

6 oz. diced pancetta

Salt to taste

1 lb. dried spaghetti

Ground pepper

 

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and cheese.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the pancetta and cook until browned and fat has rendered.  Add pasta and 1/4 cup of cooking water.  Once pasta has rewarmed, remove the pan from the heat.

Slowly whisk 1/2 cup of reserved cooking water into egg-cheese mixture.  Pour egg-cheese mixture into skillet; toss well to combine.  Season generously with pepper.  Serve immediately.

 

Do you know a restaurant in Rome serving awesome spaghetti alla carbonara? Tell me.  I'd love to know about it!

Ribollita, The Ultimate Vegetable Soup From Tuscany

It's cold outside and nothing warms the body like a hot bowl of Ribollita, a traditional classic Tuscan soup.  Made with stale bread and garden vegetables, it was a hardy soup that country people found to be filling and budget friendly. Today, this delicious soup can even be found on the most discriminating menus in Tuscany.

Ribollita means "re-boiled."  Traditionally, the soup would be reheated day after day increasing in flavor each time. The main ingredients include green leafy vegetables, cannellini beans and stale bread.  Some versions add sausage or proscuitto. The recipe is easily adaptable to your tastes and availability of  vegetables. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 carrots (diced)                          1/2 head of Savoy cabbage (roughly chopped)

2 celery stalks (diced)                1 can diced tomatoes

1 yellow onion (diced)                48 oz chicken broth

2 zucchini (chopped)                  1 can cannellini beans (drained)

2 potatoes (chopped)                 Thyme (to taste)

1 bunch of spinach                     Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 bunch of kale (stems removed, roughly chopped)

Stale bread (sliced)

In a large soup pot, slowly saute carrots, celery, onion, zucchini and potatoes in 1/4 cup olive oil until nearly tender.  Add the tomatoes and chicken broth.  Add spinach, kale and cabbage.  Cover and bring soup to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes.  Add cannellini beans and season with thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook until greens are tender (approx. 1 hour).

At this point, you may cool the soup and store in the refrigerator overnight, reheating the soup before proceeding with the next step. Otherwise, add the sliced bread, stir and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8.

 

Pappardelle al Cinghiale

After a week of organizing Italy vacations for others, I was feeling a little nostalgic (and envious, I might add!). So, for me, there's only one way to tame that green-eyed monster:  cook up an Italian feast!  This time, the mood called for one of my all-time favorite Tuscan dishes: Pappardelle al Cinghiale (pronounced pa-par-dehli al ching-ee-al-ay).

This is no spaghetti and meat sauce dish, folks.  Uh-uh...this is the real deal.  Local to the Tuscany region, cinghiale (wild boar) is one of the best meats around.  It has a distinct taste--much richer than pork.  Since cinghiale is not available in Texas (and, no...Texas wild boar is no substitute--trust me!), I chose to use a pork shoulder roast.

So, if you're ready, I'll share my recipe with you:

INGREDIENTS

4 lbs pork shoulder roast (quartered; seasoned w/salt and pepper; dredged in flour)

1 cup diced pancetta

Diced onion, carrots, fennel, garlic (soffritto)

1.5 lbs crimini mushrooms (quartered)

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (drained)

3 tbsp. each of mushroom demi-glace and tomato paste

1 cup each red wine and chicken broth

pappardelle (cooked al dente)

Using medium-high heat, warm two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.  Brown the pork roast on all sides and then transfer to a plate.  Add the pancetta and brown.  Add soffritto; cook 5-6 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl. Add a another tablespoon of oil to the pan; add the mushrooms and cook for about 15 minutes; transfer to the bowl of vegetables.  Add tomatoes, demi-glace, tomato paste, wine and broth; bring to a simmer.  Add the pork, pancetta, soffritto and mushroom mixture.  Cover and simmer for 5 hours.  When done, use tongs to gently work the meat, pulling it apart.  Serve over pasta.

HEADS UP!:  This makes a huge pot of ragu.  Any remaining can be frozen and reheated later (in fact, it tastes even better the second time around!).

NOTE:  Next time, I want to try rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves in lieu of fennel.  I think the combined flavors of these herbs will add even more complexity to this well-deserving dish!

Risotto With Osso Bucco for Valentine's Dinner

Valentine's Day is a special day to share with someone you love (not that we shouldn't strive for that every day--right?).  Yet, the idea of spending it battling weather, heavy crowds and exorbitant Valentine dinner prices, it just sounded more romantic this year to enjoy Valentine's Day in front of a crackling fire with soft music and a delicious meal at home.  So, I decided to grace my Valentine's table with one of our Italian favs:  Risotto with Osso Bucco!  

INGREDIENTS

Flour 1 cup red wine

Salt & Pepper 6 1/2 cups beef stock

2 Veal shanks 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

Olive oil 1/2 cup white wine

Yellow onion, chopped 1 pinch Saffron threads

1/2 carrot, chopped 2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 celery stalk, chopped 1/2 grated Parmesan

2 garlic cloves

Season the veal with salt and pepper, dredge in flour.  In a heavy pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the veal shanks and brown on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium.  Add 1/2 the onion, the carrot, celery, and garlic. Saute until softened.  Add the red wine.  Stir to scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Raise the heat and reduce the liquid by half.  Add 2 1/2 cups of beef stock and reduce the heat to a low simmer.  Return the veal to the pan. Cover and cook for 1 hour, turning occasionally.  Remove the lid and cook until the shanks are tender (approx. 30 minutes).

During the last 30 minutes of cooking time, make the risotto.  In a saucepan, heat 4 cups of beef stock.  In a larger saucepan, heat 1/8 cup olive oil.  Add the other half of chopped onion and saute until softened.  Add the rice and stir until each grain is translucent with a white dot in the center.  Add the white wine and keep stirring until the liquid is absorbed.  Add a ladleful of stock and stir continuously until stock is completely absorbed.  Add another ladleful of stock and repeat until all but 1/4 cup of stock remains.  Add saffron to the remaining stock.

When the rice is tender and creamy but still firm in the center, add the saffron stock.  Remove from the heat and stir in butter and parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the risotto to serving dishes.  Top with the veal shanks and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 2.