Jun 22nd, 2009 by cucinone
Slow Food will be introducing a worldwide Terra Madre Day, with the first edition to be held on December 10, 2009 - Slow Food International’s twentieth anniversary. This day will be celebrated by the Slow Food network, across the 150 countries in which it is active, to celebrate ‘eating local’ and the crucial work being done by the Terra Madre food communities – a network of farmers, artisan producers, cooks, academics and youth for sustainable food production launched by Slow Food in 2004.
‘Terra Madre Day is a way to celebrate our connection to the earth’, said Slow Food International President Carlo Petrini. ‘It doesn’t matter how we celebrate it - you can celebrate it at home, or organize a community or school event, the important thing is that we celebrate eating local.’
Petrini identified some of the key considerations at the base of the Slow Food philosophy to be celebrated and promoted through Terra Madre Day:
- Food is a right for everyone;
- Small-scale farming is the future;
- Food sovereignty is key to communities;
- Biodiversity is essential to a healthy food future;
- We have the right to preserve our cultural and local identities;
- Agriculture is closely linked to the environment;
- Food production and trade must be socially just.
Tags: slowfood
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Jun 8th, 2009 by cucinone
Risi e bisi is a traditional recipe from Venice that is served to the Doge on April 25th: Saint Marcus day. It celebrates spring, and the arrival of the first peas from the island of Sant’Erasmo.
Whether this is a soup or a risotto has been a point of discussion for a long time. Those who favour risotto, prepare a classic risotto with peas, and add some more liquid than usual, resulting in a risotto which is called all’onda. Those who claim this to be a soup, use all the ingredients to make … a soup.
The final result should not differ very much, as the dish is usually eaten with a spoon. The pods of the peas are sometimes used to flavour the stock, or even cooked and then pureed and mixed into the dish. Blanching the pods for 20 minutes or so in the stock is a good idea to give some extra “pea flavour”. The use of pancetta is optional.
Ingredients
- 900 gram fresh peas (unpodded weight) podded or 225 gram frozen peas
- 1 1/2 liter chicken stock
- 50 gram butter
- 50 gram pancetta stesa, cubed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 225 gram Vialone Nano rice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 40 gram Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- pepper and salt
Heat half the butter and fry the onion and the pancetta for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and the rice and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the podded peas, some pepper and salt and continue to simmer till the peas are done. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano, the remaining butter and the parsley.
Serve immediately.
Tags: peas, rice
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Jun 5th, 2009 by cucinone
Slow Food Presidia are products that help preserving the biodiversity.
Slow Food published a borchure about these products, You can have a look at it here.
Tags: slowfood
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Jun 4th, 2009 by cucinone
Although this dish can be made throughout the year with frozen peas, it is always satisfying to use fresh seasonal produce. The dish is simplicity in itself, and takes almost no time to cook. The peas can be cooked at the same time with the pasta.
Ingredients
- 300 gram pasta, e.g. farfalle or penne
- 900 gram peas (unshelled weight), podded
- 100 gram uncooked ham, like prosciutto di Parma
- white part of a few spring onions
- 1 tablespoon extra vergin olive oil
- pepper and salt
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add salt and cook the pasta al dente. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a pan, add the spring onions and fry for a few minutes (don’t let them brown). Add the peas and a few tablespoons water. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then add the ham. Season with pepper and salt, and continue the cooking till the peas are ready. Taste often, so that you don’t overcook them. Drain the pasta, and mix with the peas. Serve immediately.
If you want, you can add some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Tags: pasta, peas, primi
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Mar 15th, 2009 by cucinone
The combination of ricotta and spinach is a classic one in the Italian kitchen. The mixture is used to fill ravioli (ravioli di magro) and is sometimes cooked in water (ravioli nudi). The dish is often served with a simple sauce of melted butter flavored with sage leaves, and topped with some grated Grana cheese.
In this recipe, the ricotta and spinach balls are breaded, and then deep-fried in olive oil, and served piping hot as part of an antipasto misto.
Ingredients
- 450 gram cooked spinach, drained well
- 450 gram ricotta
- 60 gram Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- freshly grated nutmeg
- pepper and salt
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg
- flour
- fine dry breadcrumbs
Roughly chop the spinach, and add to the ricotta. Add the Parmigiano and 2 tablespoons bread crumbs. Mix well with a fork and season with pepper, salt and the nutmeg. Divide into 20 portions and shape each into a ball.
Beat the egg with the milk and a pinch of salt. Lightly coat the ricotta balls in flour and then in the egg mixture; then roll in the fine dry breadcrumbs. Deep fry in hot olive oil (180°C) until golden brown (4 minutes). Drain on kitchen paper and serve at once.
Tags: antipasto, polpette, ricotta, spinach
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