LeahinBologna's Profile
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Pastas and The Sweet Pastas of the Renaissance
in ferrara you can also find them served with ragu (pure meat ragu, tomato free) which is also really good.
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Pastas and The Sweet Pastas of the Renaissance
this was my college dish...easy, few ingredients and maximum yum.
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Pastas and The Sweet Pastas of the Renaissance
Filled pasta dishes like agnolini and tortellini are a classic dish that italian women make together for christmas...you need the teamwork! some work the pasta, some cut, some fill, some close...and it's so much more fun! You've done it in the true italian style! Brava!!
Basil and onion mashed potatoes
It goes very well with any kind of thing you would serve mashed potatoes with. I actually served it with baked monkfish for christmas eve, but I think it's wonderful with any roast meat or chicken or even as a thanksgiving side. The recipe's the same as in the public radio link (thanks for posting it...it's a bit lengthy to type up!). I wouldn't alter anything in it. The only think I did do was make a parmesan free version because my husband doesn't eat cheese(alongside the original version because this is one of the few recipes that I don't feel bad in making my husband feel like the kid at the peanut free table because it is just that good). In the parm free version I toasted breadcrumbs on top to give it some crunch like you get with the parm version and it turned out well. I used yellow potatoes and it turned out really well.
Basil and onion mashed potatoes
sorry! I meant to post it on the Splendid Table posting but goofed and it ended up here and couldn't figure out how to move it!
Basil and onion mashed potatoes
I received this book 12 years ago so I've had some time to experiment with it. It's even followed me across the pond to my home in Bologna where I continue using it.
For me the best recipe in the book is the BASIL AND ONION MASHED POTATOES (p 345).
To die for.
Really.
I've made this for crowds of Italians and they beg for more. Granted, nobody has ever actually heard of this recipe but judging by the ingredients, it sounds very much like something that you would find on the emilia-liguria border. Mmmmm... My hint, make lots of it, HEAPS of it and freeze some directly in the pans so you can pull it out for a last minute dinner party because it is a) time consuming b) a show stopping side dish and c) freezes well.
Oven Roasted Potatoes Recipe
While I'm on pg 345, this recipe is also good. Gives great results and is how the best oven roasted potatoes are made in italy.
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Ragus and Essential Sauces & Stocks
Tomato is indeed found in ragu...in Romagna, the coastall part of emilia romagna. In emilia you'll find just a bit of concentrated tomato paste.
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Ragus and Essential Sauces & Stocks
Just a note...as I live in Bologna (and am married to a Bolognese), capon is really only used as a very special dish at Christmas. Then again, tortellini in brodo is a classic christmas dish which still remains a special occasion food. Other than that, chicken feet aren't common in Bologna. General rule...some hen pieces, some beef bones and in particular a bit of brisket, standard veggies and parmesan rind.
Sunday lunch and dinner in Bologna
No problem, let me know if you need any other advice!
Sunday lunch and dinner in Bologna
Hey,
I live in Bologna so I can tell you that Osteria dell'orsa, despite a lot of tourists is very authentic: it's a bolognese (student) favorite. Don't expect fancy anything, it's a very laid back place, old school bolognese and best of all CHEAP, a rarity in the center. The food's really good, I recommend the tagliatelle con ragu (can't go wrong). I often take people there when visitors come to town and it's never let me down as it's one of the few places where you don't spend a fortune in the historic center.
Here's the secret about bologna: the best food isn't found in the center but in the countryside. But if you don't have a car here are the places I often go to (you can google them for the addresses), I think I actually posted these places some time ago. Seeing as my budget is fairly limited, you won't be finding places where you spend too much on my list as we try to stay around 25 pp.
Trattoria Trebbi: Everything is good, the Squash Tortelloni with a balsamic reduction and guanciale are divine. Vegetarian friendly (a rarity in bologna).
Trattoria L'Autotreno: Ooooooold School bolognese. No English. 60s decor. Just outside the city center, the buses 19 and 13 stop right by it (San Pio X first stop outside Porta San Felice).
La Scalinatella: I know, I know, it's not Bolognese but if you're craving good pizza this place can't be beat for ambiance (reserve a table outside!) and it's as central as it gets.
Bertino: The pasta is good, but not my absolute favorite...here the main attraction is the meat cart: boiled or roast. Boiled meat with sauces is a bolognese tradition and it's one of the last places to have it.
Now, if you go outside the city center and go to the agriturismi t's another story.
Agriturismo Soldati: 15 euro all you can eat organic pizza, wine, coffee, spirit. Amazing. The other menus are great too and cheap.
Agriturismo La Quercia: out in the boonies, but a cute farm with great, cheap food.
Agriturismo Dulcamara: Probably the only vegetarian, handicap accessible agriturismo in emilia (the pork belt) and a great place to go if you have kids because they have tons of animals.
Acqua Sulforosa: Ok, to be honest we haven't eaten here yet cuz it's really far out towards Modena in Guiglia, but one time when I went for a walk with my husband we stopped off here for coffee and stinky water (they have a sulfuric water spring) and there were all the women sitting around a table making the tortelloni and the tortellini and it was a sight to behold. It could only be fantastic.
Other thing to do: during the spring and summer there are tons of "sagra" local festivals where they celebrate some kind of food or the Festa de l'unità, the leftist political party's summer festivals (just ignore the politics-as always in italy it's an excuse to eat) where you can get great food for really cheap + it's really fun!
Oh yes, and don't forget to eat the gelato in Bologna, imho the best in Italy.
Sorbetteria Castiglione, Stefino, Gelatauro...too many to name.
Hope that helps!
Cookies from Sardinia
The first names are in sardinian and the second in Italian..
papassinos nieddos de benetutti (dolci di benetutti),--> Blessed Cookies
ossus de mortu (doce di quartu Sant'elena) ->Bones of the dead, generally eaten around all saints day...they're generally pretty hard like bones!
mustazzoleddus ( morbido alle mandorle con vaniglia e limone) --> soft almond cookies with vanilla and lemon
zilicas chin mele ( con mandorle e miele)-->cookies with almonds and honey
Sardinia's very famous for its interesting cookies!
Bologna: the best food in the world?
oh dear! How could I forget!!! Bologna is known for the egg pasta, the rich foods, blah blah blah but there is one thing it isn't known for but the surprising blows EVERY ITALIAN CITY I'VE BEEN TO out of the water: gelato. It is really, really difficult to get a mediocre gelato in Bologna. It has exceptional gelato and the best gelateria is always a topic that will get the bolognesi arguing. My top gelaterias:
1. Sorbetteria Castiglione. The uncontested queen of gelato. The chocolate will blow your mind. It's almost black. The pistachio tastes like they've been fresh ground (cause I think they are). They have a list of classics and a list of creative flavors. It's impossible to go wrong. And it's so famous, which considering the fact that bologna isn't a turistic town is notable, that the list is even in english! If you want to be really decadent, get the foccacia. Yes, literally an ice cream sandwich. If you haven't tried it, you don't know what your missing. Via Castiglione , 44(historic center) www.lasorbetteria.it
2. Stefino. Stefino has really good ice cream and sorbet (for the lactose intollerant folk) made with fair trade and organic ingredients. But that's not why I go there, no sir. I go for the granita. The granita from Stefino has been approved by my Sicilian friends as authentic and damn good even by sicilian standards (which is where it comes from). You've never tasted an Italian ice until you've gone down to sicily or at least stopped off at Stefino. If you're lucky enough to go there on a day when they have pistachio, get it. Otherwise, for newbies, I recommend the classic: coffee and whipped cream. You won't regret it. It's right near the massive piazza 8 Agosto off of Via Indipendenza. Turn down Via San Guiseppe and it's at Via Galliera 49/b www.stefino.com/
3. Gelatauro. Gelatauro deserves a mention because they have a) really really good ice cream and b) they have the craziest flavors I've ever seen. It's run by a calabrese man married to an american (which probably explains the untraditional flavors). You can find squash, ginger, fennel (obviously not all mixed together!)...Via San Vitale, 98
www.gelatauro.com
There are plenty of others, but these are all in the center and you can't go wrong!
Bologna: the best food in the world?
There are lots of good "agriturisimo", farms and the like with little restaurants. One that we really like is called Agriturismo Soldati (www.agriturismosoldati.com), in a little town called San Lorenzo in Collina, which has a fixed menù: during the summer they do pizza (not naples style). It's a pizza that is their own invention made with whole wheat flower and local farm products and they grind the wheat daily so it's really fresh. It won't be the best, traditional pizza you eat in Italy, but it's really fun because you don't order, they just bring out pizzas, one after the other and you share. All the wine, beer, pizza, coffee, dessert nutella and mascarpone pizza and grappa you can eat and drink for 15 euros flat. Not bad! They have another menu that they do on other nights with Tagliatelle con ragù (the bolognese classic), ravioli, crescentine (a bolognese specialty of fried dough) and Tigelle (a modenese specialty of little flat breads cooked in an iron or stone press) that you can fill with prosciutto, salame, cheeses, and other good stuff plus drinks for 25 euro.
There are so many good places, it's hard to choose!
Bologna: the best food in the world?
I've lived in Bologna for the past 5 years and I'm married to a Bolognese (and have a master's in food studies from the university of bologna!). Bologna has a well deserved reputation for fantastic cuisine but there's something you must know: which region/city has the best food depends on your taste buds. Bologna is famous for it's fairly decadent and refined cuisine, which is a rarity in Italy as most of the cuisines are based on the local, rustic, poor man's food. Which Bologna's is as well, but just happens to be more decadent. And you must be a fan of pork. If you want beef, go to Tuscany.
A tip: The best Bolognese food that you'll eat isn't in Bologna. It's in the countryside. If you have a car, you have lots of options. In the city there are some hidden gems:
If you want to stay in the center of the city: Il caminetto d'oro is (so I've been told by friends) very very good, but pricey.
For traditional food: Trattoria Trebbi (in the center). I think I've taken every visitor here because as I was telling my husband yesterday, it's one of the few places that is able to make Bolognese food using high quality ingredients, even dressing it up a bit with some funky specials, yet allow it to keep the real meaning of a trattoria: Bolognese soul food. And the Tortelloni alla Zucca (squash tortelloni/tortellacci, which really is a specialty from Ferrara--by the way GO TO FERRARA You won't be dissapointed) with balsamic vinegar and guanciale (like pancetta) are literally to die for. Also fantastic: the vegetable bar. They have a fill your own plate appetizer bar with seasonal vegetables cooked up a variety of ways. It often fills up so make sure to call (or have your hotel call) and reserve a table!!! Reasonable prices. I'd say that if you want to try bolognese food, this is where you want to go!
Info:
Via Solferino, 19 40124 Bologna (BO) - 051 583713
If you happen to be in Bologna during the day and want to go to the place where students go for the best price/quality ratio in the city: Osteria Dell'Orsa. The portions are big, the tagliatelle con ragu is very good, and the atmosphere is very old school Bolognese. Cheap wine, cheap food, no frills, long dark wooden tables that you sometimes have to share. It's right in the center, if you ask any bolognese they can tell you where it is because the street is really small. Google map it. Osteria dell'Orsa: via Mentana, 1. Città, provincia e CAP: Bologna (BO) - 40125. Telefono: 051 231576
Have fun!
I feel like supermarket vegetables are getting dirtier...
Here in italy the produce tends to be less waxed than in the states. I have a feeling that the presence of dirt (here at least) has to do with people associating soil:farm and therefore it's beneficial. I must say though that I really miss my eggs being clean! Here I find little feathers and dirt (at least, I hope that's what it is) on the eggs and I always have to clean them before use. Ditto the supermarket lettuce...I often find snails in it during the summer. Although I must say that at least I know that the lettuce hasn't been bombarded with insecticide!
Wierd ingredients, secret ingredients, unknown ingredients?
Here in northern italy our secret ingredients can vary but very often we use fresh bay leaves which are really really abundant. And far more useful then as an additive to chicken soup. I recently tasted a bay leave digestive liquor that was unbelievably delicious poured in a little glass over an ice cube. It's phenomenal for digestion, and extremely refreshing. I tried it at a friend's house, I'd never tasted it before (and neither had any of my italian friends). My friend's neighbor said it was a family recipe that they make every year in october or november (if I remember correctly) when the leaves are at the correct sweetness. It totally blew me away. Bay leaves are also great with beans, garbanzos, and yummiest of all stuck between pieces of meat on skewers and barbequed italian style, BBQ sauceless with olive oil and salt brushed on with a rosemary branch.
Another thing that's not so weird but it's so, so, so useful... Salamoia Bolognese. There are many different recipes, especially between Modena and Bologna but the one I use is normally this: Finely mince sage leaves, rosemary leaves, and lemon zest ( all very very very finely) and a bit of basil (but this is normally omitted in the more classic versions) and grind in a morter with coarse sea salt. I normally chop up a whole bunch of herbs and then gradually add them in until I get the right potency. This salt blend can be used on everything: fish, potatoes, eggs (my favorite), the sky's the limit.
HELP:Best Eats in Rome, Florence, Bologna, Parma, Venice, Sorrento
Where do I begin... I live in Bologna I'm a big fan of my local neighborhood trattoria which has some of the most authentic Bolognese food around: Trattoria Autotreno in Via della Secchia, 3 outside the city walls. No english spoken. Another amazing restaurant and perhaps the only one that will satisfy someone looking for traditional bolognese, innovative bolognese, and vegetables is Trattoria Trebbi in Via Solferino, 40 near the Tribunale (call ahead for reservations its often full 051 583 713). It is wonderful wonderful wonderful. They blew my mind the last time I was there with Squash tortelloni with guanciale and balsamic vinegar. They also have a "vegetable bar" with seasonal vegetables cooked in a variety of ways and you fill up your plate and pay by the plate. The prices are typical bolognese prices, that is, higher than south of the appenine mountains.
Eyeing the crocus...anyone ever DIY saffron?
the crocus used for saffron is a particular kind of crocus. If I remember well, when I went to L'Aquila in Italy, where it is produced, they told me that you couldn't eat other varieties.
What "indulgence food experience" could I buy with a $200 William Sonoma gift card?
Have you thought about getting a really nice balsamic vinegar? try the Villa Monadori, its produced by a very famous chef from Modena. It's $40, but I can guarantee that a drizzle of a REAL balsamic vinegar will make even a bland piece of meat memorable. It's not meant for salads but more as a condiment for special occasions.
