Farro Couscous

November 13, 2017, 2:06 pm

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Farro Couscous

Rustichella d'Abruzzo collaborates with a group of local farmers to cultivate an indigenous variety of farro, known as farro vestino, grown in the Vestini hills of Abruzzo. Rustichella's Farro Couscous is made with 100% stone ground whole farro and pure Apennine mountain spring water.

Farro has seen a surge in popularity thanks to its excellent taste and adaptability. Now in couscous form, the nutty flavor and delightful chewy texture enhances a range of dishes from meat ragu to seafood stew, or even eaten simply drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Because it is easily digested and low in gluten, farro can often be eaten by people who are normally gluten-intolerant.

Origins: Italian couscous has a grand historical tradition on the Sicilian Island of Trapani. Easy to cook and adaptable to many recipes, farro couscous pairs beautifully with a number of flavors in a main dish or as a side.

Cooking Method: These small granules of farro are best prepared by steaming until they reach a light, fluffy consistency, with a texture similar to al dente pasta.

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Pizzichi di Farro

November 13, 2017, 2:06 pm

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Pizzichi di Farro

Pizzichi means "pinches, nips or bites" in Italian. Extruded with the small lasagna dies and then cut into a 1-inch diamond shape.

Mushrooms, truffles or game are the perfect pairing when serving this nutty pasta. Also delicious when baked as macaroni and cheese, or simply with garlic and olive oil.

Farro Penne Rigate

November 13, 2017, 2:06 pm

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Farro Penne Rigate

One of Italy's most popular cuts, penne rigate has a wider tube than the original penne ("quills"), but rigate ("with ridges") on the outside.

Serve with your favorite sauce. Ideal for sauces with ground meat, game or vegetables so that the sauce is trapped in the middle and on the points. A good choice for making pasta salad.

Farro Spaghetti

June 30, 2015, 4:37 pm

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Farro Spaghetti

Made with just farro flour and water, these spaghetti have a rich and nutty flavor with hearty toothsome texture.

The nutritional virtues of farro have long been revered in Italy. Farro is rich in fiber, magnesium and vitamins A, B, C and E. High in protein and low in gluten, Rustichella d'Abruzzo farro pasta is easy to digest and when combined with legumes, it forms a complete source of protein.

We love the farro spaghetti with sautéed greens, mushrooms or even just a simple tomato sauce.

Olio Verde 2017 Freshly Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

November 6, 2013, 2:29 pm

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Olio Verde 2017 Freshly Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olio Nuovo: New Harvest 2017 Tasting Notes 
An impressive harvest sure to delight all olive oil lovers, novices and experts alike. The estate extracts an impressive complexity from the Nocellara del Belice olive (also known as Castelvetrano). Aromas of grass and artichoke leave a softly sweet impression in the nose, while forward notes of artichoke, green walnut and herbs—green Italian parsley!—mingle on the tongue. A spectacularly polished oil, with each aroma and flavor component in even balance.

The Estate
Olio Verde’s creator, Gianfranco Becchina, set out to accomplish what many considered a follia (“folly”): develop a world-class olive oil in a land where quantity had always reigned over quality. He purchased and restored a historic agricultural estate on the outskirts of Castelvetrano, Sicily (owned for six centuries by the noble family Tagliavia Pignatelli Aragona Cortes), carefully revitalizing its 60 acres of 300-year-old olive groves. One of the first monocultivar (single-varietal)  olive oils in Italy, Olio Verde sings in exaltation of the intensely green, nutty (noce means “walnut”) Nocellara del Belice olive.

Best Two Recipes for Olio Nuovo from AUTENTICO: cooking Italian, the Authentic Way

• Fettunta col Cavolo Nero (page 75)
• Gelato di Pistacchio, Olio e Sale (page 334)

Rolando raves: “Brilliant! A seductive, herbaceous oil with an exotic spiciness that sparkles on the palate. Incredibly full of aromatic herbs—like rolling around in an herb garden! Each year, Olio Verde astounds—it just gets better and better.”

Titone 2017 Freshly Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

November 6, 2013, 2:38 pm

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Titone 2017 Freshly Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olio Nuovo: New Harvest 2017 Tasting Notes 
This phenomenal extra virgin olive oil—a mix of three olive varietals (Nocellara del Belice, Cerasuola, and Biancolilla)—exemplifies the inspired work of a master blender. Complex and balanced, it is brilliant with the aromas of green herbs (rosemary, sage and bay leaf), tomato leaf, and olive leaf. Titone’s full body flirts on the palate, ending with a long, clean, lingering spiciness that sings in the mouth.

The Estate
Father-daughter team Nicola and Antonella Titone tend to their organic farm and impeccable frantoio (olive mill) in Trapani, Sicily with passionate devotion to one governing mantra: quality or nothing. Surpassing every norm for organic farming in the area, they have imposed their own rigors and standards to production, elevating their multi-award-winning D.O.P. olive oil to exceptional status.

Best Two Recipes for Olio Nuovo from AUTENTICO: cooking Italian, the Authentic Way

• Fettunta col Cavolo Nero (page 75)
• Gelato di Pistacchio, Olio e Sale (page 334)

Rolando raves: “Walking through the estate’s sustainable, organic olive groves with Antonella Titone is a revelation. Here, the earth is alive and potent and one can feel how everything is connected. Their own flocks of turkeys and guinea fowl run all about, trimming the herbs and enriching the dynamic soil. Native bees and butterflies excite the air. This joyful aliveness comes through in Titone’s extraordinary oil.  Drink it by the spoonful every single day—it’s a magical potion!”

Tenuta di Capezzana 2017 Freshly Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

November 6, 2013, 3:02 pm

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Tenuta di Capezzana 2017 Freshly Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olio Nuovo: New Harvest 2017 Tasting Notes 
The freshest you’ll have all year! This classic Tuscan extra virgin olive oil blends four olive varietals—Frantoio, Leccino, Moraiolo and Pendolino—for a complex play of green almond, tart green apple, ripe black olives and chicory, with a pleasant finish of warm cinnamon. Bitter yet buttery, it’s an exciting preview of what’s to come in the 2017 harvest. We are daydreaming about swirling it into a steaming bowl of minestrone with a crusty loaf of focaccia.

The Estate
Tenuta di Capezzana, in Carmignano outside Florence, has been producing wine and olive oil since 804 A.D., as evidenced by a parchment found in the state archives. Its grand villa, built for one of the Medici daughters as a wedding gift, is surrounded by a breathtaking landscape of silver-green olive trees, tall cypress trees and rows of immaculate vineyards. Since the turn of last century, when Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi arrived from Venice and bought the estate, it has flourished under the assiduous care of the Contini Bonacossi family.

Best Two Recipes for Olio Nuovo from AUTENTICO: cooking Italian, the Authentic Way

• Fettunta col Cavolo Nero (page 75)
• Gelato di Pistacchio, Olio e Sale (page 334)

Rolando raves: “It’s like walking barefoot in the grass in the early morning . . . you feel the earthiness and smell the delicate aroma of herbs—parsley! arugula!—coming up off the warming ground. It brings me right back to Tuscany!”

Frescobaldi Laudemio 2017 Freshly Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

November 6, 2013, 3:15 pm

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Frescobaldi Laudemio 2017 Freshly Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olio Nuovo: New Harvest 2017 Tasting Notes 
Mamma mia! Experience the bold character of olio nuovo! This year’s Frescobaldi Laudemio displays the liveliest expression of Tuscan olive oil—a fantastic freshly pressed olive oil. It’s a knock-your-socks-off explosion of green flavors—fresh olive, green grass and artichoke—yet, true to Frescobaldi’s innate elegance, the greenness, pepperiness and delightful bitterness are held in impeccable balance.

The Estate
The Marchesi de' Frescobaldi family has been at the heart of political, commercial and cultural life of Florence since the Middle Ages, and the name Frescobaldi is synonymous with quality and tradition. The family has been making wine and olive oil since the Renaissance, and in 1986, Bona Frescobaldi was responsible for conceiving and creating the Laudemio Consortium of olive oil makers, a governing group that ensures quality and origin. The Frescobaldi family company currently manages 11,000 acres of agricultural land in Tuscany, of which about 2,000 are vineyards and 600 are olive groves.

Best Two Recipes for Olio Nuovo from AUTENTICO: cooking Italian, the Authentic Way

• Fettunta col Cavolo Nero (page 75)
• Gelato di Pistacchio, Olio e Sale (page 334)

Rolando raves: "Bitter green, lean and mean.”

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Strained Tomatoes

June 16, 2017, 1:14 pm

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Strained Tomatoes

Made with fresh tomatoes picked from Masseria Mirogallo's own fields, blanched in boiling water and passed through a sieve. Full-bodied and aromatic, these strained tomatoes are the perfect base for delicious sauces.

The key to the best tomato sauce starts with fresh tomatoes picked at the perfect moment of ripeness—as done by the Belfiore family of Masseria Mirogallo. After harvest, the tomatoes are immediately processed into a passata (fresh tomato purée, or strained tomatoes) and bottled when the purée is dense and rich in texture. The Belfiore family is masterful at capturing the balance of sweet and acid that graces the perfectly ripe summer tomato.

Thanks to the care that goes into the jar, these tomatoes save you considerable time in the kitchen. Use passata the way the Italians do, the simplest way of all, cooked as a sauce with onion or garlic and basil.

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At home with the Belfiore family

The Belfiore family farm, known as the Masseria Mirogallo, sits on 70 acres of land in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The family specializes in cultivating heirloom vegetables, from which they handcraft exceptional pantry products. The Belfiore brothers are quick to point out that everything they put in a jar comes from their fields, and that the only preservatives that they use are vinegar and salt. From the perfectly ripe tomatoes to the luscious extra virgin olive oil in every tomato sauce, each ingredient is grown on their farm. Not only do the ingredients come from the family's own fields, but they are also processed just steps away, often mere minutes after being picked. The vine-ripened tomatoes are blanched, hand-peeled, and made into passata (fresh tomato purée) in small batches.

Hand Peeled Tomatoes

June 16, 2017, 1:33 pm

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Hand Peeled Tomatoes

Pomodori Pelati—tomatoes peeled by hand, from Masseria Mirogallo—are a typical Lucan specialty. Pantry powerhouses, they are versatile in their uses, exalting anything from a simple pasta sauce to a hearty ragù. The tomatoes retain a hearty texture in cooking, enough to withstand a slow braise, and also a wonderful sweetness and bright acidity.

Carefully cultivating seeds from the previous harvest, the Belfiore family—owners of Masseria Mirogallo—replant their own heirloom tomato seeds year after year.

When ripe, the tomatoes are harvested by hand, carefully cleaned, quickly blanched, then peeled by hand in a fascinating show of skill. The tomatoes are jarred, sealed and briefly pasteurized for the minimum amount of time required. The result? Pure tomatoes preserved in their own juices, with no added salt or water. 

Rolando raves: “Watching the process is amazing: the careful and tender hand labor of peeling the tomatoes is as if they are making the softest gnocchi."

Sliced Tomatoes

June 16, 2017, 1:42 pm

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Sliced Tomatoes

These sliced tomatoes from Masseria Mirogallo are a typical Lucan specialty. Fresh tomatoes are cut in half by hand and gutted of pulp, but the skins are left on. Unlike many jarred tomatoes meant only for cooking, these can also be used in much the same way as a fresh tomato. Think of it as having a fresh tomato trapped in a jar for use throughout the year when tomatoes are not in season. You can taste the sunshine still in them!

The Belfiore family, owners of Masseria Mirogallo, has been planting these tomatoes from their own heirloom seeds year after year. They are hand-harvested, carefully washed, and quickly blanched. Then, with gentle fingers, they are cut into halves, with great effort being taken not to break them. They are placed in the jar and pasteurized for the least amount of time necessary, to keep as much of the natural flavor of the tomato in the jar. There is nothing else inside the jar but their own juice—no water or salt has been added. 

Suggestions for use: Serve with a drizzle of great olive oil, rinsed and dried capers and a few thin slices of raw garlic, plus crusty Italian bread. The famiglia Belfiore loves to serve them raw on top of bread, alone or with anchovies. When you cook with them—when making anything from a pasta sauce to a hearty ragù or braising ribs with red wine—the tomatoes have enough texture to withstand a slow braise and you can still taste their sweetness and bright acidity.

Vialone Nano Rice

March 18, 2018, 6:10 pm

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Vialone Nano Rice

A semifino variety widely planted in the area south of Verona, this is a shorter and rounder grain with an almost pearl-like shape.

Ideal for making sea-food based risotti in the style of Venice, including squid black ink or mixed shell fish, this pebbly rice is also ideal for making rice salads and even paella.

Recipes featuring Vialone Nano:

Venere Black Rice

March 18, 2018, 6:10 pm

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Venere Black Rice

In 1995, Countess Rosetta Clara returned from a trip around Asia with a few bags of Black and Red rice. Upon returning to Lucedio, and with the collaboration of Chinese agricultural professor Wan Xue Ren, a resident of Vercelli for the previous 10 years, Rosetta Clara developed a cross between Chinese black rice and a local Italian variety, without any genetic manipulations. The resulting rice has an incredible texture and color. Use it to create new dishes, and variations on classic ones.

Venere Black Rice is now available in a 500 gram size.

The Venere rice has to be boiled in abundant salted water the same way one would boil pasta, and for 30 minutes. Drain, season with olive oil, salt and a pinch of pepper, and serve as a side-dish or use the cooked rice in your favorite rice dish preparation. Mix the rice into a fish-soup, served on a bowl with a shellfish ragu’, or mixed with sliced sautéed vegetables. Once cooled, the rice can be stored in the refrigerator or served in any type of salad or rice dish at a later date.

Contessa Rosetta Clara's suggestion: "I enjoy mixing boiled Venere black rice into a risotto for a touch of color and texture, as well as in making wonderful rice salads with chopped vegetables, shrimp or lobster during the Summer months."

 

Carnaroli Rice

March 18, 2018, 6:10 pm

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Carnaroli Rice

Considered the King of Italian rice, Carnaroli kernels are the longest and thickest of the superfino rice.

This long oval grain contains the highest concentration of starch resulting in superior texture when making a velvety risotto. Because of its thickness, the rice keeps al dente even after cooking, making it the preferred choice for top chefs. Used mostly for making risotto where the rice is the star, such as Risotto with Barolo or Risotto with Truffles.

Recipes featuring Carnaroli:

Arborio Rice

March 18, 2018, 6:10 pm

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Arborio Rice

A superfino classified rice, named after the nearby commune of Arborio in the province of Vercelli, this rice cultivar is the most well known Italian rice in the world.

The rice kernels are shorter than Carnaroli, with a burnished uniform opaque creamy color and a solid white center. Arborio has a high starch content that is released slowly in the cooking process, creating a lush blanket of creamy starch that coats each kernel. Commonly used in classic dishes such as Ristotto alla Milanese or even Rice Pudding.

Recipes featuring Arborio:

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Green Walnut Syrup

April 3, 2018, 7:13 am

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Green Walnut Syrup

The Green Walnut Syrup - sciroppo di noci verdi - is made with sugar, macerated green walnuts and natural vanilla bean. The result is a rich syrup black as ink and thick as old balsamic vinegar.

One of Italy’s most famous liqueurs, called Nocino, is made from green walnuts, sugar and spices that are left to macerate in alcohol for more than 45 days. The result is a dark black syrupy elixir, beloved by many Italians as a digestif or after-dinner drink.

The Valier family decided to create a similar product but without the use of alcohol, and in 2010 they released their unique Green Walnut Syrup.

The tannic, aromatic liquid is excellent over vanilla ice cream, shaved ice, panna cotta or pudding.

See more serving suggestions below.

Saba

April 3, 2018, 7:13 am

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Saba

Acetaia Leonardi's Saba is unique. The family's Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes are grown in the 7 hectares surrounding the family home and acetaia. After a gentle crushing, the juice and pulp is coarsely filtered and the mosto (mash),is cooked (cotto) in an open copper vat at 175-200°F for a day or two, reducing it to about a third the volume.

The concentrated mosto cotto is then cooled and placed in large oak casks which were previously inoculated with a "mother of vinegar", a batch of vinegar alive with a culture of aceto-bacteria. The Saba will stay in the casks for almost 4 years, giving a deep complexity to the Saba, without converting it to vinegar.

The fruity character of Saba makes it an ideal supplement to any dessert. Think of it as a sweet sauce in order to highlight cheesecake, ice cream, fresh fruit and even panna cotta.

Mugolio - Pine Cone Bud Syrup

April 3, 2018, 7:13 am

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Mugolio - Pine Cone Bud Syrup

Mugolio is a distinctive syrup created by forager Eleonora Cunaccia of Primitivizia in the heart of the Dolomite Alps National Park, Trento, Italy. Eleonora is one of the few residents in the area given permission to gather by hand the tender young buds of the Mugo pine in early May. The fragrant buds macerate in water and sugar during the sunny summer months until September, when the must is filtered. The resulting syrup is cooked over low fire with additional sugar until thick and golden brown

Mugolio is a burst of pine resin and sweet mountain scents of delicate maple, rosemary and wild herbs.

Drizzle over a pork roast or grilled chicken or very ripe cheeses. It is also wonderful on gelato, panna cotta, yogurt and roasted fruit, or as a substitute for maple syrup for a new flavor. Even perfect in a martini.

Chestnut Honey

April 3, 2018, 7:13 am

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Chestnut Honey

Chestnut honey is for the serious honey lover: dark, dense and bitter. Franca's intense chestnut honey is very Tuscan, and comes from the chestnut forests high up the Apennines between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Loaded with pollen, mineral salts and tannins, Franca's chestnut honey has a high proportion of fructose which will keep the honey from crystallization if kept in a warm cupboard or pantry. Chestnut honey is very low in acidity. Rich dark brown in color, reminiscent of molasses. Woody, pungent dry aromas of hay and bark with a strong tannic finish. Uniquely Tuscan. Not sweet at all with a persistent dark cocoa finish.

The chestnut tree (Castanea sativa) is common throughout Europe where it was introduced from Sardis (today’s Turkey) thousands of years ago. Once it was called Sardinian Nut, now simply chestnut. Italian chestnut trees blossom from May to June. The chestnut tree is in the family of beeches and oaks. For thousands of years and still today, the chestnut is a primary source of nutrition for people living in the mountainous areas of Italy, taking the place of grains and potatoes in many dishes.

Chestnut honey is excellent to accompany fresh cheeses (Stracchino, Ricotta) or better yet over very ripe blue cheeses (particularly Gorgonzola Dolcelatte). For a true Tuscan experience, drizzle over Pecorino Toscano and sliced fresh pears. Ideal for gelato making: substitute the sugar in the basic vanilla gelato recipe with chestnut honey. Drizzle over vanilla ice-cream for a stunning flavor contrast. Also delicious over porchetta, or as a glaze to any grilled or roast chicken, duck or pork.

Sour Cherries in Syrup

April 3, 2018, 7:13 am

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Sour Cherries in Syrup

Amarene (sour cherries), referred to as visciole in the municipiality of Cantiano, are known here as the dark red Morello cherries. These wild cherries grow on trees smaller than those of regular cherries. The fruit itself is small and crimson-to-near-black in color. 

After pitting the small stone from the fruit, the pulp is set to drain overnight. The resulting juice found the following day is blended with sugar and reduced until thick. Once the syrup is cooled down, the pulp is mixed in with a special blend of spices, brought to a simmer, and jarred immediately while still hot. A short pasteurization takes place, and then the jars are placed in a cool storage room for two months for the flavors to macerate prior to distribution.

Mix in fruit salads or use as a topping for ice cream, panna cotta or your favorite desserts.