Cooking Final PDF

Central Italy: The flavors of Tuscany, The city of Florence, Tuscan food capital, Bistecca alla Fiorentina Florence is known as the birthplace of the Renaissance ○ Known for its art (Uffizi) and Pitti palace ○ Florentine dialect formed the base of standard italian...

Central Italy: The flavors of Tuscany, The city of Florence, Tuscan food capital, Bistecca alla Fiorentina Florence is known as the birthplace of the Renaissance ○ Known for its art (Uffizi) and Pitti palace ○ Florentine dialect formed the base of standard italian ○ Was briefly the capital of the Kingdom of Italy Tuscan Virgin Olive Oil is used in almost everything Florentine steak ○ Grilled on open flame ○ T-bone steak (uses both the New York Strip and filet mignon ○ Made from beef of chianina cattle (largest cow breed in world) ○ Beef must be from a native bovine animal, bred in Val di Chiana in Tuscany ○ Cows must be older than 4 years old to be used ○ Meat must hang for 30 days ○ Only 3 florentine steaks come from each cow, hence why price is so high ○ When cooking no salt or marinades are used and meat is cooked for around 40 mins over an open flame ○ Served with a dash of salt and olive oil Tuscan saltless bread ○ Used to thicken many soups Ribollita Pappa al pomodoro ○ Was at war with pisa, their salt producer, so bread needed to be made saltless Simple seafood ○ Cacciucco is a hearty fish stew ○ Muscle soup Simple, savory salami and cheeses ○ Lardo Di Colonnata DOP Tuscan classic made from perfectly white lard aged in marble tubs Produces agricultural products ○ Grain, olives, tobacco, grapes, livestock Sheep's milk cheeses found here Fresh egg pasta and lots of wild boar Producer of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vin Santo, and more Lots of hills ○ Covered with cypress trees, olive groves, grapevines Geographic position of Lazio and of Rome extraordinary fame of its gastronomy, Rome's pastas Cacioe Pepe and Carbonara Located in the middle of the country Has city, coast, and mountains  ○ Coast has cities which are important for exporting and importing goods ○ Apennine Mountains Cuisine is a mix of many cultures ○ Cultural exchange dating back to Etruscan times ○ Quick and easy to cook foods ○ Pork is very common Porchetta alla romana is most popular regional pork dish Guanciale is cured pork cheek and is very popular Pancetta is cured belly meat Mortadella, prosciutto, lard are also common Cacio e pepe ○ Simple dish which uses pecorino and black pepper ○ First toast peppercorns, then they must be cooled down before grinding or crushing them ○ Then mix pecorino, pepper, and the room temp water ○ When adding pasta to sauce, pasta must be cooled down ○ When adding water to the dish, if the water is too hot it will make the cheese stringy ○ If the protein and fat molecules in the cheese separate, this is what causes the cheese to be stringy, which is unwanted in this dish The salts used to prevent this separation of molecules is called an emulsifier Carbonara ○ After liberation of Rome in 1944, military rations were dispersed which consisted of powdered eggs, dried bacon, which people used water to make pasta and the dish Campania region and above all Naples. The cuisine of this city is fundamental for Italian gastronomy, Pizza History Known for coastline and ancient ruins ○ Places like amalfi coast ○ Pompeii Mt. Vesuvius erupted covering the entire town in ash Ruins can be visited Volcanoes create conditions which foster fertile soil for growing grapes and other crops like wheat Associated with music and folk songs, traditions instilled in culture Cuisine is mix of regional food, food of the people, food of the masses, and aristocratic (wealthy/elite) touches Margherita pizza  ○ Raffaele Esposito made the first pizza w/ tomatoes, cheese, and other toppings/seasonings ○ was asked to make the first pizza for King Umberto and Queen Margherita of Italy in late 1800s ○ Queen Margherita loved the pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil so much Esposito named it after her History of pizza ○ Traced back to ancient times in middle east Greeks, romans, egyptians would cook flatbread in mud ovens topping it with olive oil and spices (also known as focaccia which people think inspired pizza) ○ Addition of buffalos milk mozzarella and tomatoes, dating back to Lombards, created what we know as pizza Wheat grows well in this region due to geography and climate (dried pastas typical) ○ Pasta originally topped with black pepper and cheese but the addition of tomatoes to their cuisine allowed for making sauces 1522 tomatoes brought back to Europe from Peru ○ People thought they were poisonous at first ○ Peasants would put tomatoes on their yeast dough which created the first simple pizza we now know ○ Campagnia was a poor region for a long time so diets consisted of inexpensive foods such as flour, olive oil, cheese and herbs Rich fertile soil is great for cultivating fruits and vegetables Sicily, one of the most important islands in the Mediterranean basin, famous for its street food, Cannoli and Rice Balls Has Phonecian, Greek, Arabic, Roman influence affecting its history, culture, and cuisine Mount Etna is one of Europe’s most active volcanoes ○ Volcanic ash changes soil chemistry and adds flavors to wines, in which grapes are grown on this soil ○ Grapes, citrus fruit, olives, almonds, hazelnuts, durum wheat Corinthians founded Sicily in 734 BC ○ They planted olive trees and vineyards, contributing to wine reputation Roman Empire takes control of Italy ○ Planted hard durum wheat which contributes to pastas made in Sicily and south Wheat, carrots, eggplant, artichoke, pepper are most important crops 1773 John Woodhouse creates Marsala ○ Mainly white grape varieties used but can be mixed with some red ○ Fortified with brandy ○ Very sweet and ripe aromas and flavors ○ Syrupy  ○ Fruits and pastries pair nicely with it ○ Sometimes strong flavors like blue cheese also pair well Sicilian Couscous ○ Gets this from being close to Middle Eastern countries ○ Typically served with rich fish stock Arancini ○ Stuffed rice balls ○ Also comes from Arabic culture ○ Made with carnaroli rice Starch binds arancini to make it creamier ○ Saffron gives it its famous color Swordfish and tuna are caught off coast and used in many recipes in combo with tomatoes ○ Olives, capers, lemons, and other citrus foods are common ○ Local tuna preserved as bottarga which is a dried fish roe ○ Salame di tonno is a cooked tuna sausage Dairy ○ Sheep's milk is most common used form of dairy ○ Ricotta is main ingredient in most desserts Deserts ○ Stuffed cannoli and cassata are very popular desserts ○ Cannoli Marsala, flour, sugar, white wine vinegar, and lard are used to make the dough Ricotta and sugar are used to make the filling ○ Marzipan Made from an almond and sugar paste Beautifully decorated and crafted to look like real pieces of fruit ○ Siclian wines are sweet and syrupy This is due to warm climate which causes sugar in grapes to increase and causes more sweet aromas and flavors Moscato, Marsala, Malvasia Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Tradition VS Quality. 600 cultivars in italy Tradition can be the enemy of quality when it comes to olive oil Traditionally ○ Farmers would wait till olives fall on ground, then they pick them up, store them in sacs and leave them for days ○ At this point fermentation already begins, mills would be dirty, olives were exposed to a lot of contamination  ○ People described the olive oil as rancid When the olives are exposed to time, oxygen and heat, defects happen to the olives and fermentation begins ○ Extremely delicate process, olives must be quickly turned into olive oil so defects don’t occur Filtered vs unfiltered ○ Filtered is more transparent, lasts for longer, has more aromas and flavors, more health benefits ○ Unfiltered is more cloudy, shorter shelf life, some people may say its lower quality but depends on what you are using it for Current Method ○ Olives are collected from trees by hand or by machine ○ Olives are separated from leaves & dirt ○ They they’re pressed, spun (separates water and oil), then filtered Types of olive oil ○ Extra virgin comes from the first pressing ○ Olive oil comes from second press ○ Sansui comes from the third press Olive oil is produced in steel tanks & stored in glass bottles because these materials don’t affect flavor at all - like plastic which gives a chemical taste to the oil