Le Gourmande Gastronome

Not Oscar Mayer’s Bologna

                                              

Bologna is in Northern Italy. It is the capital and it also happens to be the largest city in the region of Emilia-Romagna.  This region in Italy is rich with food history, cuisine, and gastronomy, well come to think of it every region in Italy is rich with food. But this region of Italy is awarded the title of the “Culinary Capital of Italy.”  Emilia- Romagna is where egg and filled pasta are made. The origin of Parmigiano Reggiano is in the region of Emilia-Romagna.  Since Bologna is the capital and the largest city of this region, it has influenced the dishes the famous dishes of Emilia-Romagna. Bologna is the place of origin for the pasta dishes of tortellini, lasagna, tagliatelle, and gramigna. 

The tortellini may be considered the symbol for Bologna.  There is a legend behind this pasta.  It is said that the shape of the tortellini comes from an inn keeper that was mystified by the beauty of Venus during her overnight stay at the inn.  He was pepping through the keyhole of her room and saw Venus naked.  The inn keeper ran to the kitchen and to commemorate her beauty he shaped a pasta to resemble her belly button.  Regardless if the legend is true the inn keeper created a magnificent and versatile pasta. Tortellini is a rolled pasta and typically filled with rich ingredients, and I mean rich in the sense of hearty and flavorful not expensive ingredients.  During the Middle Ages due to the abundance of cattle and poultry the broth made from these animals was used for tortellini’s and later the meat from the abundance of pigs was adopted as the filling for the tortellini.  The 16th century brought the concept of the tortellini we are familiar with today. 

The lasagna is thought to be originally an ancient Greek dish.  There are two different stories that suggest a Greek origin.  The Greek word “laganon” means a flat sheet of dough cut into strips. I must say that is a pretty close description of the Italian pasta lasagna.  The second theory behind the origin is from the adaptation of the Romans from a Greek word that means “stand for a pot” or “trivet”, and the Latin word the Romans used means “cooking pot”.  From there the Italians used the Latin word to refer to the pot or dish the “lasagna” was made in.  And due to that it is thought that the name of the pasta adopted the name of the vessel in which the pasta is cooked in, hence lasagna. The pasta is made in Italy today from a drum wheat and eggs.  The well known dish Lasagna alla Bolognese derives from Bologna.  Bolognese sauce is a meat sauce, or ragu that was created in the 18th century. The meat and vegetables are minced and cooked with broth. Bolognese sauce is typically served as a filling in between the lasagna noodles or traditionally as a sauce for tagliatelle. 

Tagliatelle literally means “cut pasta”. It is a wider pasta, the width is between a fettuccine and a pappardelle pasta.  Similar to the tortellini there is a legend behind the creation of the tagliatelle, which involves a man taken back by the beauty of a women.  The origin of the pasta is thought to be in the late 1400’s by a cook Maestro Zafirano, who was to cook for a wedding between the Duke of Ferrara and Lucrezia Borgia.  Legend has it that Zafirano found the Lucrezia Borgia’s long blond flowing hair to be beautiful, and hence the creation of tagliatelle.  The legend may have some truth, but it is documented that tagliatelle existed in Italy long before this wedding.  Around the 11th century in the Arab health manual, a pasta which experts believe to be referring to tagliatelle, is a cut stripe pasta which is boiled. 

Gramigna is a thin pasta, which is curled at one end, and resembles a half circle. Unfortunately there is no legend behind gramigna, and not much is known about this pasta. It is suggested that gramigna is best served with a lighter sauce since the pasta is thin and light weight. 

Bologna is a well known city in Italy and it truly has a unique and delicious cuisine. The Po River Valley allows for this region to be rich in meats and cheeses. The valley is very fertile and the people of this region have used what nature has provided them to the fullest, by creating a cuisine that utilizes the environment to create delicious meats, cheeses, and the origin of scrumptious pastas.

Until next time, enjoy GOOD food!

- The Gastronome

Sources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna#Cuisine

http://iwi138.iwinet.rug.nl/wiskunde/users/ernst/wedding/foodhistory.html

http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/topic_id/16/id/20/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilia-Romagna#Cuisine_and_gastronomy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna#Cuisine

Easy As Pie

       

                           

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.  The holiday season in the United States is filled with many holiday specific food items.  It is the time of year to indulge oneself in food that is not common to eat everyday.  These foods have sentimental and specific value to the holiday itself and for some personal value embedded in memories.  With Thanksgiving less than a week away I am going to spotlight one of the quintessential American dishes, good ole’ Apple Pie. 

Pie has existed in gastronomy for a very long time.  It is not an original American dish, even though now it is strongly associated with the United States cuisine. Pies were not created originally for sweet fillings, it typically contained savory fillings.  A pie was a meal for most people, well not the entire pie, but a slice of the pie was a meal because it was made to be a substantial dish. The first pies in history date back to the Neolithic period in Egypt, circa 9500 BC.  The pies from that era and onward were more of what we consider today a galette.  But the popularity of the pie continued through to the Romans, and their empire spread the concept of the pie throughout Europe. The Medieval period kept this dish very prevalent in man’s diet, and the origin of the word “pie” comes from the Latin word “pyes” which appeared in the 12th century in the English language.  What we know now a days as pie, a more deep dish sweet filled decadent pastry was created by the Pilgrims.  When they landed in the Americas the Pilgrims (very appropriate to be discussing Pilgrims for this story) started to create deeper filled pies with the berries they found.  This dish allowed for ingredients to be used to their full potential, not allowing for waste.  And thus the Pilgrims regionalized the pie, to a sweet filled, deep dish, quintessential American food item. 

The crust/pastry of the pie is thought to originate from the Greek filo dough, which is a flaky, buttery pastry dough.  This dough was made popular in the 17th and 18th century when the French and Italian chefs were introduced to this magnificent concept of “pastry” dough. The French created what we know as brioche with the concept of the Greek filo dough, and we thank the French very much for this genius pastry concept. The base concept of a pie crust is the mix of flour and water. The addition of a fat was incorporated later, and it was also based on economic status. Purchasing a fat for cooking or consumption was expensive, so it was not common for fat to be used in a pie crust. But in today’s pie crust, fat is always an essential ingredient. 

Apple tarts have existed for some time and you can say this is where the idea of the Apple pie originated from. Yet the credit is awarded to the English.  When the English settled in the New World, a.k.a North America, they brought with them the concept of this apple pie dish which originated during the Medieval period.  Apples were a common food item during the this time and place in history.  It is thought that during the Medieval period the perfecting of cooking and baking apples occurred.  From there the concept of an apple pie became popular.  Since the dish was common amongst the English it became popular and a staple dish with the Pilgrims who settled in America.  The history is a bit fuzzy at this point. Whether apple pie was served at the first Thanksgiving is unclear, but what is clear is that Apple Pie is an American dish.  It is documented that First Lady Martha Washington did have her own recipe for a version of apple pie, which helps in solidifying the Americanness of the dish.  

What can be understood about Apple Pie is that it is not 100% American, but rather a combination of origins helped in creating this American dish.  Wherever the Apple Pie’s origins lie everyone should enjoy a slice of good ole’ homemade Apple Pie on Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving. 

Until next time, enjoy GOOD food. 

- The Gastronome

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpies.html

Risotto

        

Risotto is traditionally a rice dish from the Milanese cuisine of Italy.  Milan is part of the Lombardy region of Italy, which is in the north. This area is known for creating risotto, a classic Italian dish because the Lombardy region of Italy is filled with rice paddies.  Because of the abundance of rice in this area it only makes sense that Milans’ regional dish is risotto. This region is unique in terms of its regional cuisine.  Lombardy has had many influences in its cuisine.

For example the classic Austrian Wiener schnitzel (boneless veal or pork dredged in egg, flour, and bread crumbs and pan fried) influenced the classic Milanese dish cotoletta alla milanese.  Because of the name cotoletta which in Italian means rib so the Italians use a veal cut with the bone, unlike the Viennese who use a rib less cut of meat, and the Milanese do not dredge the the meat in flour after the dipping the cut of meat in the beaten egg mixture.  It is thought that the Italian style of preparing the dish without coating the cut of meat in flour is that the meat will not slide around in the case created by the bread crumbs.  Rather the bread crumbs become part of the bone in veal cut, unlike the Viennese Wiener Schnitzel creates a case where the meat is inside. Cotoletta alla milanese is a very traditional Milanese dish.

Another prominent cultural influence to the Lombardy area and especially the Milanese cuisine, and to be more specific, the Milanese risotto, is the Spanish cuisine. The reason for the influence of Spanish food in this specific area of Italy is due in part to the Spanish control in the 16th and 17th century of Lombardy.  What was left behind by the Spaniards and adopted by the Milanese is the predominantly Spanish ingredient, saffron.

 Saffron is a spice, which is extremely fragrant, delivers a powerful taste, and is a reddish/orange color, which when added to a dish changes the color of the dish.  It was also thought that saffron had medicinal properties to it, and thought that it could either alleviate or eliminate various ailments. It is also thought that saffron had love properties as well. There is a legend behind the use of saffron in the Milanese risotto.  The legend has it that during the late 1500s a painter dropped his paintbrush which was dipped in saffron into a bowl of rice, which of course changed the color of the rice.  Also it has been rumored that during the Baroque period in Italy gold was added to dishes.  Whether these myths have some truth to them doesn’t make the dish any more or less Milanese.  But due to the influence of the Spaniards and the myth, saffron has become a part of the Milanese risotto. The classic Milanese risotto after the Spanish dominance in Lombardy, is rice  a medium-short grain (typically known as Arborio rice) mixed with ox marrow and saffron. The previous Milanese risotto did not include saffron. 

Milanese people are known for having a busy fast paced life, and sitting down to enjoy a meal does not come by that often.  They have learned how to make typical Italian dishes in a “fast food” sort of manner, so as to continue with their work and their life styles.  Risotto though is not a dish you can eat on the run.  Granted it does not take much time to cook, typically 20-30 minutes.  But to make risotto does take care, constant stirring, a vigilant eye, and of course an Italian mama to prepare the meal.  Also risotto is a meal that is warming, hardy, and you cannot eat it on the run.  Risotto is a family meal and one thing that the Italians love is a meal with family.  The next time you want to have a sit down meal with the people you love and care about, make risotto.  It is GOOD food, and warms your belly and your heart. 

Until next time, eat GOOD food.

- The Gastronome

Sources: 

Why Italians Love to Talk About Food, Elena Kostioukovitch

Real Men Eat Quiche

Todays post is about, yes you guessed it Quiche.  I know the title completely gave it away, next time I will try and be slightly more discrete.

The quiche is quite an old dish that has become a very prominent dish.  It originates from the 16th century from an area in France called Nancy. But there is some debate over the true origin of the quiche.  It is believed that the English were baking and eating quiche, or what the English called savoury custards in the 14th century. Even though there is a debate the fame is due to the French, and they have kept it a French dish since the 16th century.  Nancy is in the north-eastern part of France and the former capitol of the Duchy of Lorraine.  This is why the most famous and the original quiche is named Quiche Lorraine.  The origin of the word quiche comes from the German word “kuchen”, which means cake.  A quiche does resemble a cake, it is round, you slice it, and does not look like a typical central dish of a meal.  

The ingredients for a classic quiche Lorraine are a tart filled with beaten eggs and cream, with pieces of bacon.  The tart used to be made out of bread dough, but today most tarts are made from pastry dough.  The eggs and cream in French are called, migaine, and any other ingredient you add to the migaine, pumpkin, onions, spinach, mushrooms, makes the dish a quiche.   

Since I am discussing a classic French dish I feel it is appropriate to spotlight a chef who felt she was French at heart, Julia Child.  Her passion for French cuisine and French cooking style is truly admirable.  Julia Child was an American from California, but moved to France with her husband Paul Child.  She developed this passion for French food, which in turn lead her to Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in France.  She is the author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, at the time there wasn’t a cook book like this and it received great reviews.  Due to the success of her book she was given a TV show called The French Chef.  She became a great success in both the culinary and media world.  She bonded and had a life long friendship with another world renown French chef, Jacque Pepin.  

Julia Child is well known for many of the French dishes she has created.  But I felt it was appropriate to pair a classic French dish, the quiche, with a classically French trained chef, Julia Child.  Since the quiche has changed over the years and many cultures, and regions all over the world have adopted the classic Quiche Lorraine to their own recipe, it only seemed right to spotlight Julia Child, who helped changed the image and idea of who is thought of as a classic French chef.  

Until next time, enjoy GOOD food.

-The Gastronome

Sources: 

Larousse Gastronomique

biography.com/people/julia-child