Giardini di Sole

Tales around Tripe – Trippa alla Romana

Posted on February 18, 2012 by giardini

Trippa is Italian for tripe. Tripe was something I did not normally eat — in fact, it always used to surprise me the way friends or relatives got all excited at the prospect of eating tripe. The very thought made me queasy. My mother makes a very good tripe, apparently, and my husband loves it.

The closest I ever got to eating tripe was tasting a teensy weensy bit in a green sauce at Anna Dente’s michelin starred restaurant “Osteria di San Cesario” about 4 years ago — and I congratulated myself for not gagging as it slithered down my throat (it didn’t taste bad, however, I had to admit). Just for the record, it was on a degustation platter that Liz had ordered.

The Damascene moment for me and tripe to become friends happened earlier in January, in London, when Gareth Jones treated me to the best Dimsum I have ever had the good fortune to eat, at the Joy King Lau in Soho. A passionate raconteur, Gareth was regaling me with stories and keeping me spell bound with tales and adventures and I was all ears and palate as he pointed to the tripe (again green) on display at our table. It took me less than 5 seconds to decide it was high time I became an omnivore … at least where tripe is concerned. I told myself I was going to love it and that was that! So thank you, Gareth, for lowering my resistance to offal via your Sheherazade mood and tales.

Gareth is the mover-and shaker-creator of the Blue Collar Gastronomy movement (www.GarethJonesfood.com) and I whole heartedly share his motto over food: “Ever meal, however simple, should be a feast”. Interestingly, in a morality-tale sort of way for this post, Gareth is friends with Anissa Helou who has just published the cookery book “Offal: The Fifth Quarter”. A book I now know I want to buy …

“Il quinto quarto” or ‘fifth quarter’ is a big deal in Roman cuisine. It relates to all the parts of the butchered animal that richer clients (nobles and clergy mostly) eschewed in days gone by and which the poorer interacted with creatively to churn out some incredibly tasty morsels. These dishes subsequently came to be enjoyed by all strata of society and have long been thought of as a ‘speciality’.

Anyway, back to me and my resolve to cook trippa alla romana for my husband myself. While buying some at the butcher’s, I asked their advice on how to cook it and and a lady who could be my mother, called Maria (what else!), very kindly intervened too with a few ‘secrets’. I then telephoned my mother to get her recipe and was flabbergasted to discover that she ‘cheated’: in that she buys tripe that is pre-cooked. I thus felt very self complacently virtuous as I went about the very long procedure of cooking ‘raw’ trippa.

First of all, I was told to rinse the trippa several times in plenty of cold water.

The butcher had given me cuts from three parts of the tripe … as you can see, they vary in pattern.

A close up …

Maria at the butcher’s had explained that there were three steps to making trippa alla romana. The first was to boil it and then throw the water away. The second was to boil it anew in fresh water coupled with vegetables. And the last to cook it and flavour it in a tomato sauce.

Step 1

Boil the tipe in plenty of unslated water for one hour. Discard the water. Then rinse the tripe in a tub of cold water with some vinegar in it. Strain. (The vinegar in the water was one of Maria’s secrets.)

Step 2A

One celery stick, 1 onion, 1 carrot, a little bit of lemon zest … (the lemon zest is another of Maria’s secrets.)

I then added some pepper corns, juniper berries and cloves. This was my personal addition!

Add water and simmer for one hour.

Step 2B

Remove the tripe and allow to cool. Remove the vegetables also but keep some of the cooking water.

Cut the tripe into strands.

Step 3

Sauté an onion in plenty of olive oil … as you can see, I added one solitary pepper corn.

Add the strands of tripe and mix in with the sautéed onion and cook for about two minutes.

I added 1 jar of tomato passata … and mixed it in.

I immediately afterwards added some plum tomatoes too … because I could see that the passata wasn’t going to be enough. And then added a couple of pinches of dried mint (menta romana). You can’t get fresh mint this time of year.

I simmered the trippa for one hour with a lid on and on a fairly low heat. Only once did I have to add some of the cooking water, at which point I tasted the sauce and added salt and some chilli flakes. At the end of the hour, the trippa still tasted like it could do with a bit more cooking and so I let it simmer for another 15 minutes. At the very end, I drizzled a little olive oil, mixed well and served it with freshly grated pecorino cheese.

My husband pronounced it very good … but I only believed it when he insisted on eating the leftovers the following night.

It’s a very hearty dish but I wouldn’t say it is overpowering. Wonderful on a winter’s night.

Posted in Cook and Chatter from Italy, Jo's Cooking | Tagged offal, roman cuisine, tripe, trippa alla romana | Leave a comment

Giving Gnocchi the Cold Treatment

Posted on February 13, 2012 by giardini

I have no problem confessing that I only made gnocchi once the whole of last year. I did eat gnocchi more than once, however. And on one occasion shortly before Christmas, at a new restaurant that was hosting a wine tasting evening. The sauce was very good but the texture didn’t do it for me (too hard) and so I didn’t feel too bad about my own gnocchi!

I surmised the problem might have been that the restaurant had to make gnocchi for too many people at the same time. Some time later, talking about this to my cousin’s husband who is a chef, I was surprised to hear from him, instead, that he and his helpers had often made large quantities of perfectly good gnocchi at the restaurant from which he only recently resigned in a posh hotel in the heart of Rome. He agreed that gnocchi can spell trouble if they are not cooked straight away. The secret, he confided, was in bringing the gnocchi to the boil immediately they are shaped and then confining them for a few minutes to a bowl of iced water. The gnocchi thus cooked can be eaten the following day, warmed up in whatever sauce.

Emboldened by this technical advice, I ventured to make gnocchi as soon as I could and check out this ice-water business.

Here are some gnocchi rising to the surface of boiling water …

Remove the gnocchi (they are cooked as soon as they float up to the top of the boiling water) and place them in a large bowl full of iced water. When they have cooled down, drain the gnocchi and put them in a container in the fridge (if you are going to eat them the following day) or somewhere fairly cool, if you are going to eat them later in the day.

When you are ready to serve the gnocchi, heat up the sauce and grate the cheese (either parmesan or pecorino) ….

Prepare a large serving plate … this Cassandra platter was just perfect!

Re-cook the gnocchi (which had previously been removed from the fridge and brought to room temperature):

Then drain the gnocchi and put them, piping hot, onto the serving dish …

Pour the steaming sauce over the gnocchi and sprinkle plenty of cheese!

So … thank you very much indeed Mimmo (my cousin’s husband) … a wonderful tip these gnocchi on the rocks!

P.S. Instead of re-boiling the gnocchi, you could also heat them up directly in the sauce. In fact, probably a better thing to do.

Posted in Ceramics and Tableware, Cook and Chatter from Italy, Jo's Cooking | Tagged gnocchi | Leave a comment

Snow at Tenuta Colle Maria, Frascati

Posted on February 7, 2012 by giardini

Saturday morning, Liz woke up to a “surreal silence” on the Tenuta Colle Maria.
As if it was a New England winter morning, a beautiful white blanket covered the Castelli Romani just outside of Rome. Unlike New England (where snow is scarce this winter). the storm paralyzed the Castelli Romani. Schools sent homework via email, many were without water and the city called for citizens with shovels to help clear sidewalks and streets.

Tenuta Colle Maria is the home of the eponymous olive oil we offer at the Boston showroom. Hopefully the snow hasn’t harmed much in the olive groves. Liz is trying to hibernate, kick back and enjoy the beauty until the sun comes out and life returns to normal. Meanwhile, we’ll just have to drizzle a bit more oil on dinner tonight in honor of the Castelli snow of 2012.

Salute!

Posted in Ceramics and Tableware | Leave a comment

Ready for the party? 5 things to do today

Posted on February 3, 2012 by giardini

Love the lights at this casual big festa! Party photo by lazymustango

In New England, party fever is particularly high this weekend, with the Pats seeking to whop the Giants for destroying their almost perfect season in 2007. And then, of course, there’s the advertisements that bring even the non-football lovers to the screen. Whatever the reason, it’s just so pleasant to spend time with friends. The slow crescendo begins as party time comes near. Details, details! I find that these 5 things accomplished the day before make hosting easier for me.

Chez nous, emptying the coat closet is one of the first signs of merrymaking is on the horizon. Whether on a bed, or a table set up, don’t forget to give the guests a place to put their things.
Carousing for clutter, I walk through the house, making sure there’s room for drinks to be set without falling on cherished photos or textiles.
Then it’s off to the loo, scrutinizing the stock of hand towels, soaps, paper, etc.
Larger serving platters emerge from their displays on walls or resting spots in cupboards.
Rubbish: this unavoidable nuisance is best handled with larger capacity anything. Mark the recycling bins clearly, making the next trash trip much more pleasant.
I go back to my lists…. or start my list, depending on how impromptu the party.

But what have I forgotten? And what are your favorite tasks that just make entertaining easier for you?

Posted in Giardini in Boston | Tagged entertain, party planning, Super Bowl | 1 Comment

Adding fish roe to a salad …

Posted on January 30, 2012 by giardini

Bottarga is the name for the dried and pressed roe pouch of either tuna or grey mullet (sometimes even swordfish), which some people refer to as poor man’s caviar. Quoting wikipedia: “ It is massaged by hand to eliminate air pockets, then dried and cured in sea salt for a few weeks. The result is a dry hard slab, which is coated in beeswax for keeping. It is usually used sliced thinly or grated. In Italy, it is best known in Sicilian and Sardinian cuisine; its culinary properties can be compared to those of dry anchovies, though it is much more expensive. Bottarga is often served with lemon juice as an appetizer or used in pasta dishes.” End of quote. And why just pasta dishes, the question sprang to mind? Why not sprinkle some grated bottarge over a salad? Take a look:

Not only does it make for a very colorful plate … the bottarga adds a lot of ‘colorful’ falvor to the caprese salad: slices of mozzarella, slices of tomatoes, fresh marjoram leaves and, naturally, a superb olive oil.

Posted in Ceramics and Tableware, Cook and Chatter from Italy, Jo's Cooking | Tagged bottarga, fish roe, salad | 2 Comments

Grateful for “Extra Virginity” by Tom Mueller

Posted on January 24, 2012 by giardini

As we read “Extra Virginity” by Tom Mueller, we are relieved that Jo carries her own bottle of oil with her at all times. We are grateful for the growers dedicated to quality olive oil.

If you haven’t heard or read about the book already (at our December event with Micaela Alfonsi, everyone was talking about Mueller’s interview the day before on WBUR’s “OnPoint“), “Extra Virginity” relates the story of olive oil from a historic, cultural and business perspective. From a food fraud perspective, it is truly frightening. From a food lover’s perspective, it gives my drizzle new appreciation.

The fact of the matter: some olive oil producers will mix who knows what in “extra virgin olive oil.” There’s been sporadic media attention to this reality over the years. Government consumer and food protection agencies realize this, but have little power and resources to grapple the issue. Most consumers do not realize the extent of the olive oil dilution problem.

Salt and pepper, oil and vinegar: nearly every Italian displays these condiments on their table (We offer some lovely sets in the Bella Frutta and the Limoni patterns). It’s a standard! The quality of those essential seasonings should not keep us up at night. Goodness, can’t we take some things for granted? Throughout “Extra Virginity,” Mueller or his interviewees frequently use the word “Caveat Emptor” the Latin phrase for “let the buyer beware.”

Bella Frutta olive oil servers from Giardini di Sole

Olive Oil Servers from the "Bella Frutta"

Thankfully, there are many olive oil producers who are committed to quality. They take the utmost care in harvesting, processing and bottling the oil.

Iolanda Griego of Frascati took pity on me in the mid-90s, a freshly transplanted resident of the Castelli Romani. ”Oil is the essence of your home now,” she declared. None of that supermarket stuff, except to polish your furniture, protect your silver and wood utensils or to drizzle a concoction of oil mixed with coffee grounds around the corners of the house to repel ants. Whenever she visited her native town in Campania, she’d return with a 5 liter wine jug filled with olive oil. I obediently hid it in the cupboard of the coolest room in the house, refilling the servers used in the kitchen as needed.

“Don’t keep it in the kitchen. It changes flavor more quickly.” Ideally, I would have kept it in a large ceramic or terra cotta jug to further protect it from temperature fluctuations, but that was before my days with Giardini di Sole. Thanks to Iolanda, I’ve been careful about my oil for a long time.

Whenever we travel with Jo, her personal bottle benefits us all! There are restaurants where she doesn’t need to discreetly pass the bottle around the table, but “Caveat Emptor,” right? Last week, when Lisa stopped by the showroom, she had the brilliant idea of using a flask. Now that’s an idea…

We’re pleased to offer wonderful olive oils from Quattrociocchi, Tenuta Colle Maria and Casale Sonnino, as well as beautiful ways to serve and store this oil. Stop by the showroom on Saturday, January 28 from 1 to 5 pm to taste them all.

Posted in Ceramics and Tableware, Cook and Chatter from Italy | Tagged Ceramics, olive oil, vinegar | 1 Comment

Behind the scenes at Quattrociocchi

Posted on January 20, 2012 by giardini

On the table in their facility near Alatri, you see the finished product:.

As always, there’s a story inside the bottle. We were delighted when Americo Quattrociocchi invited us to his production facility to taste his award-winning olive oils. We love invitations, especially when they come from charming people with wonderful stories and good food.

So, in late October, 2011, sunshine and warm breezes accompanied us to Alatri. It’s not often that the Rome, Boston and Vancouver Giardini women are together, so car conversation buzzed. New glass and textile suppliers, last night’s dinner and that night’s wine tasting (food is never far away).

We interrupted the work day, but they were gracious and showed us how each day’s olive harvest was cold pressed. The olives are hand picked and immediately sent to the production facility…. none of this laying around until the harvest is over or waiting for your turn at another frantoio (oil mill).

The intensely fruity aroma of the Quattrociocchi oil has charmed connoisseurs in the last five years. In addition to Flos Olei 2011 Best Olive Oil in the World, Quattrociocchi swiped nearly 20 first or grand awards since 2006. Obviously, we just had to bring some home…. so you could have some, too!

It turns out that Quattrociocchi also creates lovely cured olives, pastes and jams. They were irresistible, as those who enjoyed them over the holidays can attest. Divine.
On January 28 from 1 to 5 pm at the Boston showroom, stop by and taste this delicious award winner.

Posted in Cook and Chatter from Italy, Giardini in Italy | Tagged Alatri, olive oil, Quattrociocchi | Leave a comment

A Cassandra platter to show off an orange and radicchio salad

Posted on January 18, 2012 by giardini

Salads have a wonderfully reassuring ring to them for sad people who like to be on a perennial diet. Salads are spoken of in hallowed terms with holier-than-thou endorsement by those who would eat healthily. And salads are anything but a fresh ballad of nature’s leaves when served in dodgy food places, quite the opposite actually, because the food industry knows that clients must have the option of salad somewhere on the menu.

I am a salad purist, which makes me a very fussy salad eater because I do so love my salads and enjoy them especially for their gastronomic pleasure rather than for any health-promoting promise. The healthiness is a boon and a bonus, not a draw. Which is why you’ll never catch me looking lovingly upon a smoothy.

I once read or was told, I cannot remember which, that adding vinegar to a salad dressing was somehow counter-productive … in that the vinegar would ‘cook’ the salad leaves as it were whereas a ‘real’ salad ought to be crisp and fresh. It made sense and I tried it and liked it and pruned my salad dressing, for the most part, to salt and pepper and extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil only (it happens to be the only olive oil I use and, yes, I am most definitely making a point). In other words, I eschewed the anointment of balsamic vinegar … which I now look upon as an insult to most green salads. ”Anche perchè” as the Italians say, i.e. “not least because” … because the balsamic vinegar in question is usually some concoction of sugar and caramel added to any ol’ vinegar and nothing like the real thing that costs far too much for most households to use on a regular basis.

In the case of this salad, however, I have had to re-instate it. It made sense and it tasted lovely!

When I say ‘lovely’, I also imply that the olive oil in question be a really good one … such as the ones we at Giardini di Sole go to some length to source and promote.

The name off this beautifully dappled salad is: radicchio variegato di Castelfranco and hails from the Veneto region of Italy. It is a cross between a round-headed endive and Radicchio Rosso. If you can’t get hold of this variety, use the ordinary radicchio that you can indeed find.

Slice a couple of oranges into rounds, leaving the white ‘pith’ on … add the salad leaves …

Drizzle some olive oil (only the good kind), use restraint in splashing a few ‘dots’ of good-quality balsamic vinegar, sprinkle some salt …. and voilà! A lovely salad that makes use of food that is in season (oranges and radicchio) as well as satisfying the palate.

Posted in Ceramics and Tableware, Cook and Chatter from Italy, Jo's Cooking | Tagged balsmic vinegar, diet, orange, radicchio, salad | 1 Comment

Boston Olive Oil Tasting January 28

Posted on January 16, 2012 by giardini

This is the tale of three olive oils. Each with its own character, personality and sense of place, meeting in South Boston. We are delighted to share them with you! Come and taste them all on January 28, 2012 from 1 to 5 pm.

Photo by Nicola Orichuia/Bostoniano.info

All of the oils we are featuring this season come from Lazio and are single farm harvests. Our new olive oil from Quattrociocchi has a lusty olive grove bouquet. We’re not the only ones who thinks so. In the last decade, this intensely fruity oil has received more than 20 awards and recognitions. We visited their olive groves last fall (more on this later). A wonderful place and delightful people!

Quattrociocchi joins the tastebud tantalizing smoothness from the Tenuta Colle Maria. We had rave customer reviews last year, and we served it at our December parties. The trio is completed with the sparky sunshine from Casale Sonnino’s oil.

A drizzle of oil is just what you need to energize a cold winter’s day. If you have a chance and are on Facebook, it would be lovely to have your RSVP. Looking forward to seeing you there!

The details:

January 28 from 1 to 5pm

460 Harrison, Suite B-17
Thayer Street Marketplace
Boston, MA 02115

(Free parking lot off Albany Street)
Off Silver Line Berkeley Street or a 10 minute walk from Orange Line Tufts Medical Center)

Posted in Boston Events | Tagged Casale Sonnino, olive oil, Quattrociocchi, Tenuta Colle Maria | 1 Comment

Wishing you energy and life force!

Posted on January 10, 2012 by giardini

Sigh. The winter holidays are over. ”La Befana” has picked up her oranges and left coal colored sweeties throughout Italy. Family, festivities, food…. the holidays are a wonderful way to seal off the old year and begin anew.

Of course, resolutions aside, there can often be an energy lull after such excitement. Hibernating is good, and so is surrounding yourself with auspicious and beautiful objects to brighten winter days.

It’s the perfect time for Enza Fasano’s “Coral” tableware line.

Coral tableware pattern by Enza Fasano for Giardini di Sole

Enza Fasano's elegant "Coral" tableware line

Coral is an amazing animal whose polyp lives near the surface of saltwater environments. Its color depends on the algae it hosts: red, pink, white, yellow and even black. Found in jewelry throughout the ages, coral is a symbol of life force and energy. Even in Medieval times, coral was sought after on trading routes across the Mediterranean and along the Silk Road. Coral jewelry was (and is) worn to protect the wearer from the evil eye.

Enza’s tableware line comes in red and turquoise. The vitality in both of these colors lights up not only the table, but everyone nearby. What a wonderful blessing for those who share the table with you?

At Giardini di Sole, we wish you joy, verve and spirit in 2012! Auguri (best wishes) a tutti!

Posted in Cook and Chatter from Italy | Tagged Befana, Coral, energy, Enza Fasano | Leave a comment