One day, mom asked our Sicilian/Italian/Hungarian pal Ms V, “How the hell did the Italians cook anything before tomatoes were brought from the New World?” All three of us cracked up.
When she was finally able to, Ms V replied, “I have absolutely no idea!” which naturally cracked us up all over again.
Stanley Tucci’s cnn series re: Italian cookery (and Italy herself) was wonderful. He visited friends, farms, families, growers/makers, city and country. Real people and real food that can be made in a kitchen who lacks dry ice and chemistry equipment.*
While he chopped veg with his mom in her kitchen, his voiceover explained that the basis of most Italian dishes is carrots, celery, and onions. Almost everything begins with sauteeing that trio.
I was ahem turned off by most or all (it’s been a while) of the expensive restaurants he visited - too many ridic little details, poseur-ish, uptight, snooty, tryin’ too hard, etc etc etc plus obscenely rich people. A buncha phonies. Yuck.
*Yes, we all know that cooking is alchemy, but some modren Chefs do take it all a bit far. They and their restaurants (and the customers!) take themselves entirely too seriously.
I have a feeling all three of those veggies go back way further than either Italy or France, “la battuta” was used in ragu far before tomatoes made it across the Atlantic, and @MerelyGifted if you’re ever in the Appenine region, on the Adriatic side, there’s a very nice little restaurant in what used to be a nunnery in the mountains, and they serve only “pre-Columbus” recipes, so lots of mushrooms in season, asparagus, grains, bread, soups, and so forth.
As for the originators, might as well ask who made the first couscous, or dry cured a sausage.
The romans used parsnips, and brought them to the UK, it was only the arrival of the potato that marginalized it in the Italian cuisine. Same with coriander, Romans loved it, it became passe when spices from Asia started to arrive regularly.
Instead of borrowing bits and pieces of foreign food cultures to serve as the next wellness trend, we need to address the core of the problem: our country’s food environment. Demonizing ultra-processed foods without considering the broader context — including how and why these foods became ubiquitous in the first place — is a one-size-fits-all solution that misses the mark. What’s needed is a deeper, more nuanced conversation that doesn’t just point fingers at ultra-processed foods, but works to create sustainable, culturally inclusive and accessible food systems that support health for all.
Broke out the pickled watermelon rind last night. This is usual for this time of year, I am getting desperate for Spring, and this dish is just simply preserved Summer. It’s a really simple recipe, with a vinegar simple syrup, warm spices and slices of watermelon pith (I don’t know if that is the right term, the white part without the skin.) This is pretty close to what I do:
Yeah, we just have weird growing seasons for tomatoes if they don’t start in a greenhouse. We start seeds in February, plant in April, and get cherry tomatoes in June, early season tomatoes start ripening in late July, but late ripeners like San Marzano/Roma/Italian Paste don’t really start hitting ripeness until September/October.
Here’s a link to my Øм Ɲøм Ɲøм yt playlist. There are multiples of some recipes so I can compare and contrast when I get around to attempting them.
There are so many Jamaican festival (doughnut-esque fried dumplings, sweet or savory) recipes b/c I love them so much. I need to find the easiest one, and I’m also terrified of fucking 'em up. Wish I’d had Lovely Rita in JA teach me how. All her dishes were great. Her festival esp stands out in my memory. So was her ackee (scrambled egg fruit, pretty much) w/little pieces of bacon and onions. Breakfast was always perfection.
Shoulda brought down a box of Jiffy mix and some real maple syrup, and made my genius pancakes for everyone, esp Rita!
I don’t suppose anyone has a good recipe for chinese or korean style chive pancakes? I was thinking of making some ramen tonight and thought it might go well with it.
