Slow Food Master Italian Cooking News, no. 2, year II, December 2003
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- news 2003
SCHOOL OF ITALIAN REGIONAL COOKING Jesi • Italy
Energia. Piacere. Respira.
Elica Collection. Concave.
è essenziale proprio come
Benessere. Immagina di
Perché non è una cappa
l'aria. Ed è tutto più puro,
andare oltre. Oltre
da cucina. È un'altra vita.
più armonioso, più
l'efficienza. Oltre il design.
Una vita in cui la qualità
perfetto. Anche le emozioni.
La Nuova Agenzia di Michael Göttsche.
w w w. e l i c a . c o m
numero verde 800.23.11.22
SEGNO D’ARIA
contents
Our “pensiero di cucina” Gianfranco Mancini
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From Olive Grove to Oil Mill
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The Students share their impressions...
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Master Italian Cooking News MAGAZINE OF THE ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI GASTRONOMIA
In the Land of Parmigiano Reggiano Alessio Cingolani
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Editorial Director Gianfranco Mancini
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Reggio Emilia
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Editorial Staff Paolo Bellini, Stefania Cavallini, Cingolani Alessio, Anna Maria D’Eusanio, Alberto Fabbri, Armando Gambera, Carlo Gazzarrini, Marisa Gigliotti, Piergiorgio Oliveti, Francesco Pensovecchio, Federico Piemonte, Pasquale Porcelli, Vito Puglia, Gilberto Venturini. Editorial Co-ordination Arduino Tassi Translations Martha Huber Scavone Graphics and page layout GEI Gruppo Editoriale Informazione Elisabetta Carletti Printing Arti Grafiche Jesine - Jesi Advertising and administration Associazione Ital. Cook. via F. Conti n. 5 – 60035 JESI (AN) Italy Tel. ++39.0731.56400 Fax ++39.0731.221224 Web: www.italcook.it E.mail: info@italcook.it Recorded in the Tribunal of Ancona no. 433/02, 22.02.2002 Editor-in-chief: Dino Mogianesi
Land of Silence and Solitude Annamaria D’Eusanio
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Taste of Italy: il farro
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General Program
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Weekly Work Plan
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Regional Dishes: Fava Beans and Chicory
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Slowcities Pier Giorgio Olivetti
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An Italian Course in Cooking and Enology...
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Diploma Night
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To Convivium Leaders
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The Piceno Reds
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ASSOCIAZIONE ITAL.COOK. Founded by Slow Food and the Town Council of Jesi Board of Directors Nicola Silveri, Giovanni Mancia, Simona Romagnoli. Reviser Board Giuliano Cerioni, Sergio Moretti, Sabrina Rotatori.
Cover: Tavola imbandita con piatto, brocca e cesto di vimini Artista dell’Italia centrale (ambito di Sebastiano Ceccarini? - 1700)
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Our pensiero di cucina At the conclusion of one of our courses a Student wrote a few words on her experience at the School, saying she was very pleased with the teaching method based on developing the senses, on analysis and taste testing every day, on all the dishes, for every sauce: it is the only way to truly get to know the gusto italiano. Towards the end she wrote: "I would like to return to this School to become more familiar with your “pensiero di cucina". Upon reading and rereading this I realized that this is a wonderful way to put it, an expression as profound as a philosophical intuition, as brilliant as a lightning bolt. Why speak in terms of line of thought? Isn't cooking basically the simple practice of assembling food? Well, of course not! Cooking is first of all, thought, or better still, thought and art. It is an art which has its own grammar, which is supported by a solid thought structure and which demands respect. There is no point in simply putting together a dish if there is no history, no tradition, no identifying sentiments behind it. 2
From olive grove to oil mill ctober is Fall harvest time. Once all the grapes are gathered from our vineyards it is time to bring in the olives from the Marche hills. One Saturday afternoon in early Fall was spent visiting two oil mills: Gabrielloni in Recanati and Montenovo in Ostra Vetere. Early afternoon saw us fully immersed in the olive grove. Seeing the nearly ripe olives, rich and ready to yield their oil, picking carefully so as not to bruise them was a moment of direct contact with the tree and its fruit. He who wishes to produce a truly fine oil must first and foremost love the olive tree, a starkly simple plant which resists drought and lives for centuries. An extraordinary tree whose fruit will cast a spell of enchantment. Get to know olive oil to appreciate its goodness and you won’t be able to live without the taste of an excellent oil. It is as unforgettable an experience as the time spent on that Fall day picking olives right off the tree, taking them to the mill, watching the oil being pressed and then tasting the fresh new oil!
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Years ago, all Italian families taught their daughters how to make home-made pasta dough; it was a disciplined art but also pure poetry. This is no longer a common occurrence and many would love to know how to make pasta the old-fashioned way, to fashion a tortellino with their own hands, to create a light and intensely aromatic sauce from scratch. The pensiero di cucina becomes then a dimension of life, integral element in the material transmission of culture. A peasant woman of the late 1800's, my grandmother was illiterate, but in the kitchen, she was a queen who embodied a very profoundly authentic line of thought behind her cooking. Nowadays they study for thirty years just to give us genetically altered food: thus, any
pensiero di cucina dies out and a new cultural desert takes over. This is why our School was founded: we have a great history to defend and a wealth of tradition to teach. It is in doing so that we can pass on our pensiero di cucina, putting it down as the base upon which taste has developed over time and upon which it will evolve in the future.
The Director Gianfranco Mancini
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The Students share their impressions...
getting to know fresh seasonal products, authentic to each region. By studying the various regions of Italy through its products helps one to appreciate the richness and variety of Italian cooking.
We went to Abruzzo and visited the De Cecco pasta factory where we learned about the production process and tasted several types. This is a pasta found worldwide and often used in quality restaurants.
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Certain cheeses and salumi were truly exceptional. We learned how they are produced; these are not industrial products but artisan-made, following traditions handed down over time. I was pleased to know that the Slow Food movement works to protect this kind of craftsmanship.
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We learned how cheese is made, how it is classified and how it is identified based on sight, touch, taste and consistency in the mouth. work done on Mondays was very interesting. We learned tasting techniques and developed our senses. Now I can use all my senses to identify a product; I can understand and judge a wine; I can recognize the flaws in an olive oil.
The
*** For me, the Monday lessons on wine and olive oil, on cheese and charcuterie products were very important. In my country no-one teaches you how to distinguish between qualities and defects of extra virgin olive oil. All of this will be very useful to me in my work. One of 4
*** the most
interesting
moments was when we were all tasting and talking about our sensations; even more interesting was the time spent at the lunch table when we had found the right match between food and wine.
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To me the Monday classes were a great experience and one of the most important parts of the program. The time spent observing, smelling and tasting quality Italian products helped me to understand the importance of quality and to identify it in the prime ingredients used in the kitchen.
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To me, the most important aspect of the program was
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The work in the kitchen which took up four days per week was quite demanding, with chefs who know their territory well, who have a great passion for their land and their traditional foods. They taught us many dishes, many recipes and sometimes there were even too many for us to be able to follow all of them.
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On the week-ends we had the great fortune to travel through Italy and meet many producers. In southern Marche, in Ascoli Piceno, I ate stuffed fried olives for the first time in my life. This traditional product is absolutely delicious.
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In Emilia we visited a farm where Parmigiano cheese is made; near Reggio Emilia it was wonderful to learn about balsamic vinegar and its use.
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The apartments are new; we were comfortable there and it was nice to be able to use the large terrace on hot summer nights.
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Overall, the program was a very positive experience, above my expectations.
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These past two months have been full, a time of learning much that will be useful for my work. During this time I have learned much more than I ever imagined. Never before have I had such a desire or felt such a passion for learning how to cook. 5
In the Land of Parmigiano Reggiano di Alessio Cingolani
day begins so frightfully early, a necessary evil if we are to arrive in time to see the whole production cycle of Italy’s most famous cheese. We get there just as the dairymen are blending the milk in the copper cauldron; it contains milk from the previous evening’s milking, partially skimmed of its cream which naturally rises to the surface overnight, and fresh milk from the morning’s milking. Then we watch as the curds form and are then broken up into bits no larger than a grain of rice. But the most magical moment is when the dairyman takes a cloth to mould and shape the cheese; he will obtain two from each cauldron. Just think: it takes about 16 liters of milk to produce one kilogram of parmigiano reg-
The
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giano and approximately 600 liters to make a whole wheel! We are then explained how the rest of the process takes place: the curds are pressed to eliminate all the water and the cheese is given its characteristic wheel shape, it is salted by immersion in a brine and by the end it will have formed a crust. At this point the cheese is ready for the ageing process. We are taken to the area where parmigiano ages for at least one year, although the average time is 20 to 24 months. We are greeted by an incredible, clean, unmistakeable aroma. The owner explains how, each week, the cheese wheels are turned and wiped clean so as to avoid mold growth. He then shows us the evaluation technique using a special metal
hammer. This small instrument is tapped on the wheel as though it were a drum, in several specific points on its circumference and just by listening to the differences in the sound produced, the consortium expert’s ear can detect the presence of defects in the cheese. We end our visit where the process starts: with the hay upon which the cows feed. We touch and smell this fragrant, sweet-smelling hay, still laden with leaves and flowers, rich in the aromas of which the cheese is redolent. Perhaps it is this very hay, more so than the lengthy and complex production cycle to which the cheese is subjected, which makes parmigiano reggiano a unique product, unequalled and inimitable in the world.
Italian language courses for Ital.Cook. students Courses held at The British Centre A – INTENSIVE COURSE (before the Master’s Course)
B – REGULAR COURSE (during the Master’s Course)
- Minimum duration: 1 month - 3 hours per day (2 hours in the morning/1 hour in the afternoon) - 15 hours per week, Monday through Friday only - Ital.Cook makes available an apartment with kitchen priviledges, food not included - Cost: € 1.200,00 per person
- Duration: 1 month or more - 3 hours per week - 1 hour per day, from 7 to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. - Cost: € 300,00 per month, per person.
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Reggio Emilia ur day of instruction continues with another symbol of the gastronomy of EmiliaRomagna, traditional balsamic vinegar of Reggio Emilia. It is a jewel which requires a minimum of 12 years of ageing time before it can bear this name. The owner of the vinegar facility tells us that the first written historical documents which mention this particular vinegar date back all the way to 1046. He makes a point of explaining that in fact this is not actually a vinegar at all because it is not wine which is turned into vinegar but rather it is cooked grape must which is turned into vinegar. This grape must is made to simmer at length so as to reduce it by 60%, then it is transferred to a barrel where it will reach 5-6% alcohol content and then begins the process which will make it become vinegar. One hundred liters of grape must will, after 12 years, yield approximately two liters of T.B.V. The vinegar thus obtained will be used to top off the largest cask of the series. The battery
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of casks is housed in an area which is well aerated and subject to changes in temperature, ideally under the eaves of a building, and is made up of five small barrels which are open and not completely full. These vinegar casks are made of different woods: chestnut, oak, juniper, mulberry, ash and cherry. Starting from the Spring of the twelfth year, a small quantity of vinegar, at most 20%, is removed from the smallest cask and it is replaced by some from the next largest and so forth. The new vinegar is only added to the largest cask. The producer sends the vinegar to the consortium for an organoleptic evaluation and only if it meets the standards will it be bottled and numbered directly by the consortium and then returned to the producer. This is certainly a guarantee of quality for the consumer. Our students are even more amazed. Enough theory, it’s time to go
into the restaurant where we’ll get down to practice. A menu awaits us, built around this supreme product in its various stages. We begin with an antipasto and a lobster-pink seal bottle (12-year), enjoy a risotto with yellow squash and gorgonzola and a silver seal bottle (18-20 year) which is also used on the meat course and we end with a flourish, cold custard and warm strawberries and a gold seal (25year!). On the road home we mull over in our minds all the aromas and fantastic flavours of these fascinating products, delights which only an expert hand and great patience can bring forth.
Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Reggio Emilia Denominazione di Origine Protetta GARANTITO DAL MINISTERO DELLE POLITICHE AGRICOLE E FORESTALI AI SENSI DELL’ ARTICOLO 10 DEL REG. CEE 2081/92
Prodotto disciplinato dal D.M. 3/3/1987 e da Regolamento della Comunità Europea n°813 / 2000 del 17/4/2000 che sanciscono tra l’ altro : “ …Si ottiene tramite la fermentazione zuccherina e acetica di mosto cotto, previo ottimale invecchiamento in ogni caso NON INFERIORE a 12 ANNI” ..” E’ consentito utilizzare la qualifica EXTRA VECCHIO nella presentazione del prodotto che abbia avuto un invecchiamento NON INFERIORE AI 25 ANNI”
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Per informazioni telefonare a: Consorzio fra produttori di Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia tel e fax 0039 / 0522/ 796294 www.acetobalsamicotradizionale.it e-mail abtre@re.camcom.it
A B R U Z Z O
A B R U Z Z O
Land of Silence and Solitude
S
di Annamaria D’Eusanio
uch is the feeling one gets throughout the region where the kind of economy based on agro-pastoral activity is still very much present and tangible; daily life is reduced to only the essential and becomes apparently rough in interpersonal relationships. The region’s natural wealth manifests itself in uncontaminated nature, architectural beauty of a mystic appeal and a simple, but not poor, cuisine. Aenogastronomic traditions are closely tied to religious and popular feasts (St. Martin’s Day, Christmas, Carnival/Lent, Easter), to the geographic locations (mountain, fields, sea coast) and to seasonal cycles (wheat harvest, threshing, grape harvest, olive gathering, pig slaughtering). As concerns recurring rites, the panarda deserves special mention. It is a banquet of Pantagruelian proportion put on for religious feast days or for the birth of the first child where guests are offered seven different dishes for each course and one simply does not refuse. 10
As for the geography, the mountainous areas have determined a close correlation to transhumant sheepfarming which is apparent in the diet consisting of meat, cheese and widespread use of aromatic herbs and wild greens. It is this same pastoral activity and the population increase at the end of the Middle Ages which were instrumental in introducing different crops grown at different altitudes, each in its own unique eco-climate. For example, saffron is cultivated on the Navelli plateau as are chickpeas, whilst the tiny dark lentils are grown in Santo Stefano di Sessanio. Amongst those dishes most closely tied to the land, maccheroni alla chitarra certainly stand out as an example of a
pasta obtained from durum wheat flour and eggs, pressed with a rolling pin onto a beechwood board traversed by steel strings which gives this “guitar string pasta” its characteristic square section. Worthy of note are also the scrippelle ‘mbusse, thin crepes sprinkled with pecorino cheese and covered in broth. Of all the various meat preparations, some traditional dishes stand out: the lamb agnello cac’ e ove, “rabbitunder-a-roof” with potatoes, the ciff e ciaffe – delicious stew with pork ribs, loin and bacon sautéed in plenty of garlic and hot red peppers. The coast also takes pride in a tradition of culinary specialties which, while simple, are rich in flavours, colors and aromas, thanks to the combination of sea and land products. The oldest tradition of preparing a fish soup or brodetto was originally a simple, hot meal put together by the fishermen themselves on their boats while still out at sea and then later was enriched by the women on land who added flavourings and hot peppers
or even scapece, fried fish preserved in vinegar and saffron. An example of a dish born of the influence of the seasonal cycles on traditional eating habits is the dish of virtues, the virtù, whose roots go back to the dawn of ages, made with seven dried legumes, seven fresh legumes, seven vegetables, seven meats, seven pastas, seven condiments and seven hours of cooking time. Abruzzo is also a land which jealously guards a veritable wealth of high quality products: olive oil, vegetables, a great variety of meats, dairy products, honey, truffles and cereal grains, primarily durum wheat from which some of the world’s most famous pasta is made and of course, the wines made from the indigenous Montepulciano and Trebbiano vines. The Abruzzese people, “strong and gentle” have known how to preserve the treasure that is in the products of their land so as to wisely intertwine modern needs of the present with the ancient roots of the past. 11
Il farro until the third century B.C. neither wheat nor bread were known in Italy. The ancient Etruscans and the Romans used farro, or emmer wheat or spelt, which can be considered an antecedent to wheat. Ancient civilizations living in Lazio used farro to bake flat bread and ground the grains to make a thin gruel, like a polenta, called puls. Anytime two young persons were married the families would go through an official ceremony, called the confarreatio rite, whereby they would exchange foccaccia breads made from farro. Then wheat was brought from Egypt and in the centuries that followed bread was made from wheat and gradually, farro all but disappeared. Only in a few isolated territories, in mountainous areas where the soil was not as fertile, farro was still grown in small quantities. Nowadays, farro has been rediscovered and is once again served
Up
Pasta di farro Monterosso
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as the modern consumer has come to realize and appreciate the fact that this grain is rich in fiber, protein and minerals. Farro has been cross-bred genetically so that there are currently several varieties available; the real farro is the triticum dicoccum and now it is once again possible to find it in several regions of Italy. The best production areas for this ancient cereal grain are in Abruzzo in the Maiella area, in the Marche in the central Appennine area and in the North of Tuscany in the Garfagnana area. Farro can be eaten as a whole grain, pearled, split or ground into flour. Many dishes can be made from farro, starting with cold salads, in broth or thick soups, with vegetables or with fish. With the flour excellent pasta such as spaghetti or strangozzi can be made as well as baked products like pizza or focaccia. Because of its properties, farro is sought after by the health-conscious, by those who are fighting obesity and in general by anyone who is looking for new taste sensations in an age-old tradition.
General Program Course Dates 2004
Course Dates 2005
7 January - 12 March 23 March - 28 May 8 June - 12 August 5 October - 10 December
7 January - 11 March 22 March - 27 May 7 June - 12 August 4 October - 9 December 13
Il Programma
zione di vino, olio di oliva, pasta, formaggi, salumi tipici e tradizionali selezionati tra i migliori produttori di tutto il territorio nazionale. Nel tempo libero ciascun corsista avrà la possibilità di approfondire le proprie conoscenze con studio individuale presso la biblioteca dell’Istituto. 5 Le lezioni si terranno nei giorni di martedì, mercoledì, giovedì e venerdì, con orario pieno. Dopo una breve presentazione storicogeografico della Regione con le sue tradizioni enogastronomiche e con le sue particolarità ambientali, si passerà allo studio concreto dei piatti tipici del territorio. L’insegnamento non sarà teorico, ma principalmente pratico ed individuale. I docenti e le materie prime provengono dalle singole regioni e cambiano ogni settimana. A volte, il venerdì sera la scuola apre le porte alla città e presenta i piatti più interessanti della settimana. 6 Il sabato e la domenica sono riservati allo studio individuale e alla conoscenza di aziende, produttori, prodotti tipici nei vari settori alimentari. Alcuni produttori verranno direttamente presso la Scuola per presentare i loro prodotti con prova di assaggio, in altri casi gli chef usciranno sul territorio per conoscere le singole aziende e i produttori in tutte le regioni d’Italia. Alcuni fine settimana sono dedicati alla visita delle città d’arte. 7 Il numero massimo di partecipanti è di quindici corsisti, ai quali si garantisce anche vitto e alloggio in appartamenti in palazzi storici, nel centro della città, a pochi passi dalla Scuola. Il costo del corso, compreso vitto, alloggio, divise di lavoro, è di diecimila euro, più mille euro di iscrizione. 8 Alla fine del corso viene rilasciato ufficialmente un Master con il riconoscimento della Regione Marche e del Ministero del Lavoro.
1 The courses are designed for chefs working outside Italy who wish to widen and improve their knowledge of Italian cuisine. In particular we are addressing cooks who have completed their training and have worked alongside established chefs for some time. Our aim is to provide a wideranging frame of reference with plenty of in-depth detail that will enable cooks to interpret Italian cuisine to the highest standards throughout the world. Those wishing to take this Master's should thus be familiar with basic culinary techniques. 2 The courses are held at the Institute, which is located in Palazzo Balleani, n. 5 via F. Conti in Jesi, a city of 40,000 inhabitants in the central Italian region of the Marche. Each course lasts for ten weeks, and those taking part will all be able to further their experience by specializing for a few months or even a year with restaurants associated with Slow Food throughout Italy. They will thus come into direct contact with restaurateurs specialized in meat or fish dishes, from North to South, comprising a whole range of particular regional specialties. 3 Every week the cuisine of a particular Region of Italy will be the object of a special focus, such that by the end of the course the cooks will be familiar with Italian cooking in its foremost regional expressions: from the traditional rural dishes of Tuscany to the fish preparations of the Adriatic; from the cheeses of Piedmont to the tortellini of Emilia Romagna; from the vegetable dishes of Puglia to the sweets of Sicily; from the cuisine of the Alpine valleys to that of the Mediterranean coast. Italy is a complex mosaic of history and products, dishes and traditions, scents and savors. Every "festa" is indeed a feast, which means a particular dish and a celebration of life. 4 One day a week, preferably Monday, will be devoted to short single-topic courses with tastings of wine, olive oil, pasta, cheese
and cured meats selected from the country's foremost producers. During their free time, the participants will have access to the Institute Library, where they will be able to do more research on subjects of special interest to them. 5 Lessons will be held all day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Following a brief historical and geographical introduction to the Region, its environmental features and its food and wine heritage, students will move on to the preparation of typical regional dishes. These will be practical, hands-on lessons taught by regional specialists using specific regional ingredients that will change from week to week. On some Fridays the School will open its doors to a select public, presenting the most interesting dishes of the week's endeavor for their evaluation. 6 Saturdays and Sundays will be devoted to individual study and getting to know a wide range of producers and their products. Some producers will present their products at the school, where tasting sessions will also be arranged. Others will welcome chefs to their premises throughout the country for weekend visits. Other weekend activities may include visiting Italy's art cities. 7 Each course will be attended by no more than fifteen participants, who will also receive board and lodging in apartments in the center of the city, not far from the School. The cost of the course, including board, lodging, work uniforms etc. is ten thousand euro, plus one thousand euro deposit fee. 8 At the end of the course all participants will receive an official Master's certificate under the aegis of the Marche Region and the Italian Ministry of Labor.
The Program
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1 I corsi sono riservati a cuochi che operano all’estero e vogliono acquisire una conoscenza approfondita della cucina italiana. Ci rivolgiamo in particolare a cuochi che abbiano già terminato il loro curriculum scolastico o che abbiano lavorato per qualche tempo accanto ad altri chef di cucina. Noi desideriamo dare una conoscenza ampia e rigorosa, con metodo organico e preciso a coloro che desiderano fare cucina italiana nel mondo in modo professionale. Pertanto chi desidera partecipare al nostro Master deve già conoscere le fondamentali tecniche di lavoro in cucina. 2 I corsi si svolgono presso la sede dell’Istituto in via F. Conti, 5 nel Palazzo Balleani, a Jesi, cittadina di 40.000 abitanti, nelle Marche, nell’Italia Centrale. I corsi hanno una durata di dieci settimane. Tutti coloro che frequenteranno il Master avranno la possibilità di continuare la loro esperienza per alcuni mesi o un anno presso i ristoranti della catena Slow Food in tutt’Italia, da nord a sud, specializzandosi sia in carne che pesce, nelle Regioni che ciascuno preferisce. 3 Ogni settimana viene presentata, studiata ed elaborata la cucina di una Regione d’Italia. Alla fine del corso ogni professionista conoscerà la cucina italiana nelle più elevate espressioni regionali: dalla cucina tradizionale e contadina della Toscana al pesce dell’Adriatico, dai formaggi del Piemonte ai tortellini dell’Emilia Romagna, dalle verdure della Puglia ai dolci della Sicilia, dalla cucina delle valli alpine a quella mediterranea. L’Italia è un mosaico infinito di storie e di prodotti, di piatti e di tradizione, di profumi e di sapori in ogni terra. Da noi per ogni festa c’è un piatto e per ogni piatto c’è una festa! 4 Un giorno a settimana, di preferenza il lunedì, è dedicato a corsi brevi, monotematici con degusta-
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Weekly Work Plan MONDAY THEMED TASTING AT THE REGIONAL ENOTECA 1. Wine Getting to know the principal vines and wines of Italy • The vine, the grape, different vinifications: white, red, rosé the production of sparkling and dessert wines • Wine tasting: Visual and Olfactory examination • Wine tasting: Taste examination – scoring a wine • The grapes and wines of northern and central Italy • The grapes and wines of central and southern Italy • Principles of food and wine matching 2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Recognizing excellent products • Understanding the oil-making process • Taste-testing for qualities and defects • Appreciating oils from various regions and the islands 3. Cheese Appreciating Italian cheeses • Cheese-making methods • Ageing and refining • Typical regional products from North to South
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4. Charcuterie Products Discovering regional traditions • Salumi- cooked and raw; ground paste or whole meat • Salami and ciauscolo • Cured pork- coppa, lonza, lonzino • Prized cuts- prosciutto, culatello, fiocco • Mortadella and bresaola 5. Bread Working with leavened dough • Different flours and yeasts • Common, whole wheat and seasoned varieties • Breadsticks and holiday breads
TUESDAY-FRIDAY COOKING COURSE WITH DIFFERENT REGIONAL DISHES EACH WEEK Timetable: from 8:30a.m. to 5:30p.m. Workshop for the senses At the beginning of each week the Region is introduced with a brief overview of its history and geography. Then each day the lesson starts with a presentation of the prime ingredients: their characteristics, quality, zone of origin and the companies that produce them.
Regional Enoteca of Jesi
This is our “tasting laboratory” and lasts for about an hour.
base dishes will be studied. Work ends at 5:30p.m.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Transfer to the teaching kitchen The Instructor explains the recipes for the day and prepares each dish right along with the Students who follow the process and also prepare the dishes themselves. All the operations are carefully observed and guided by the expert Chef. The work will not be rushed, but done with precision in the time required. When the cooking is finished, the dishes are taken to the table to be tasted, checked and compared.
Friday evening highlights At the close of a week’s work on some Friday evenings the School is open to a select public. In the Pergolesi Hall a dinner-tasting will be offered to 20 to 25 people with a series of dishes jointly prepared by teachers and students, each recipe according to the traditions of their region of origin. Top quality prime ingredients and wines will be used from the School’s sponsor companies and those chosen by Slow Food from among the best at national level.
Saturdays and Sundays are dedicated to getting to know the regions and their products by direct contact with the producers. Some weeks the producers will come to Jesi to present their companies and products with a guided tasting session. At other times the Students will travel to various Regions and visit the producers on site. The work done on the weekends is very important because it is the most direct way for the Students to learn about the products, how to use them, where to find them in their place of origin and how to introduce them in a future workplace.
Collective discussion The daily teaching program is reviewed and eventual variations on the base dish discussed, proposed or critiqued. Every day several
I
n the 15th century the historical center of Jesi went though a phase of great development. Right in the heart of the old city, near the beautiful Palazzo della Signoria, is the Palazzo Balleani, a building that belonged to a family who owned a large amount of land outside of the town walls. All the great land-owning families had large cellars beneath their homes where they gathered grapes to make their supply of wine for the winter. Palazzo Balleani, where our School is located, also houses the Regional Enoteca (Wine-Cellar) of Jesi. This Enoteca is managed by Assivip, an association of wine producers who organize wine tasting courses. Not only do they present wine, but also other high-quality products from local producers: extra virgin olive oil, cheeses, salami, pasta. On Mondays the Enoteca is available to our School, where we hold our themed courses on wine, olive oil, bread, salumi and cheese. The collaboration with the Enoteca continues on Friday evenings with the conclusion of the teaching program of the week. Our School is open to the public for an evening of tasting with a presentation of the dishes studied during the week. 17
Regional Cooking Programs PIEMONTE
PUGLIA
TOSCANA
SICILIA
FRIULI
Veal and Piemonte beef. L’insalata di carne cruda, il vitello tonnato, il bollito misto, il brasato al barolo. Tajarin, agnolotti, gnocchi. The cooking of the plains. Mountain fare. Vegetables and other specialties. La bagna caoda. Cheeses and desserts.
Grain for bread and hand-made pasta Il grano arso, il grano “stumpato”. Pasta: orecchiette and cavatelli. Legumes and vegetables. Cime di rapa and lampascioni. Milk products: fiordilatte, provola, scamorza, burrata. Cheeses: caciocavallo and canestrato. Bounty from the sea.
Humble cooking. Panzanella and fettunta; acquacotta, soup, tomato bread soup. Meats and sauces Beef and pork, la fiorentina and dressed pork products. Meat sauces and crostini. Renaissance cuisine. Anatra alla frutta and piccione alle mandorle; biancomangiare dolce; cioccolata calda aromatizzata alle spezie. Panforte and zuccotto.
The Arab influence. Marinated fish. Couscous. La caponata and sweet and sour sauce. Legumes and cheeses. Timballo and ravioli di ricotta. Coniglio alla stemperata. Specialty desserts: la cassata, i cannoli, i sorbetti e le granite.
Goose and Jewish tradition. Goose as an alternative to pork The different ways of preparation: brodo con ciccioli di oca, oven baked goose. Fish dishes. Trout and all of its traditional preparations.
EMILIA ROMAGNA Rolled and filled pasta. The various shapes: tagliatelle, tagliolini, the tortellini of Bologna, the cappelletti of Ferrara and the anolini of Parma. Oven baked pasta. Lasagne al forno and cannelloni.
MARCHE Coastal fare Il brodetto di pesce, stoccafisso all’anconetana Inland cooking Spelt, lentils and chick-peas Vincesgrassi, stracciatella and passatelli. Coniglio in porchetta. 18
CAMPANIA Ziti al ragù, paccheri alla genovese, il sartù di riso, il timballo. Minestra maritata, minestra di broccoli, fagioli alla maruzzara. Meat dishes: panzetta di agnello, costine con papacelle.
LOMBARDIA Rice: ris e erborin, risotto alla milanese, risotto alla “pilota” Pasta: tortelli di zucca alla mantovana, pizzoccheri della Valtellina.
UMBRIA Bruschette, crostini, pani, torta al testo and “pizze” Zuppe rustiche, minestre di ceci, farro and fagioli Tagliolini, quadrucci, umbrichelli. Cooking with truffles. The black truffles of Norcia and Spoleto. Grilled meats
VENETO Il baccalà alla vicentina, il baccalà mantecato, il baccalà alla veneziana. Le polente. Vegetables and legumes The red radicchio tardivo of Treviso and the variegated radicchio of Castelfranco. The Veneto asparagus. Traditional Venetian fare: il saòr. I bigoli in salsa. La padovana (chicken) and la polverara.
ABRUZZO Lamb dishes. Rack of lamb with greens, lamb ragù. Lamb soup with saffron, lamb chops, agnello cac’ e ove, leg of lamb in porchetta with black truffle Fresh pasta. Chitarrona with crayfish, “miller’s wife pasta, shepherdess anellini with ricotta and saffron, maccheroncini alla chitarra, tacconi with chickpeas and cod, cordicelle mezz’acqua e mezz’ove with ventricina sauce.
TRENTINO Soups: orzetto, brò brusà, canederli. Bread gnocchi, strangolapreti. Lucanica and carne salada. Tonco de pontesel. La selvaggina: cervo and capriolo Pasture and forest products Mushrooms and mountain cheeses. Traditional Trentino apple.
CALABRIA Traditional pasta and meats Tonnarelli, scilatelle, lagane e ceci. A tiana, u morzheddu. Vegetables, greens, spices Cooking in ashes; methods of preserving in oil. 19
Fave e Cicorie
Fava Beans and Chicory A traditional dish of ancient origin, fava beans were, as legend has it, Hercules’ favorite food. Somewhat closer to our times, this bean has always been a staple in the peasant diet and whether fresh or dried lends itself well to a great variety of preparations. Thanks to their high protein content, fava beans substituted meat in the daily diet of rural families in Puglia. Ingredients: 200g. dried fava beans 500g. chicory greens salt extra virgin olive oil
Region: Puglia Chef instructor: Peppe Zullo 20
Preparation: Fill a pot with the fava beans that have soaked in water overnight, a little less than half full of beans and water all the way to the top. Cover and bring slowly to a boil. When they start to boil, skim off the foam and repeat several times until no more forms. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and more water if needed, stirring to make a purée. Cook the chicory greens in plenty of salted water, drain. To serve, arrange each plate with half chicory and half purée. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top. Wine recommendation: The fava purée has a sweet
taste while the chicory greens tend to be bitter: the combination is perfect. A rosé wine is traditionally served with this dish as its natural acidity counterbalances the sweet of the favas and checks the bitter of the greens. A rosé from the Salento area would be ideal. Variation: There are many many variations from one area to another. One for example, calls for some red onion served on the side to be added raw to the purée along with pan-braised olives. Another version serves it with roasted sweet peppers and yet another serves a native wild onion, the “lampascione”.
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he Marche, a region of central Italy, overlooks a rich and plentiful sea, embraces a generous land of hills which yield modest but excellent crops, and is home to a population which lives in the small town rather than the sprawling metropolis. It is in this land where, thanks to the collaboration between Slow Food and the town of Jesi, a cooking School was born to teach foreign chefs the traditional cuisine of each region of Italy. The Province of Ancona and the Chamber of Commerce have supported this project since its inception, when it was still on the drawing board. The primary goal of the Provincial Administration is to promote agricultural development which showcases the excellence of its own products while guaranteeing and protecting the beauty and richness of the landscape. The Chamber of Commerce works through special promotional organizations such as ANCONA promuove, to disseminate information and encourage appreciation for products by supporting their turning to new markets. The School is both a training ground and a showcase for the entire Marche region, where dozens of young foreign chefs come each year to train, experiment, taste and where they build up their knowledge and perfect their senses.
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slowcities di Pier Giorgio Olivetti
the small towns where life is good
If
speed isn’t always synonymous with efficiency, then SlowCities are a model for a new concept of living, of producing, of consuming. It is not merely happenstance that the highest concentration of SlowCities is currently in central Italy, in regions like Umbria, Tuscany and the Marches. It was the small towns in these areas that were the first to “discover” their culture in a tangible sense, from the Slow Food Presidia, from the products of the land and of local artisans, to bring to light the value of conviviality, of bio-architecture, of high technology at the service of the environment and good living as well as new policies on energy and transportation. They were the first to “search their soul” and aim for a future of quality. (info@cittàslow.net) Actually, there would really be no need to lay out the reasons for choosing a slow life; suffice it to look around, to see and live the daily grind, life in the “fast lane”, to see its effects on each and every one of us. It is obvious to all that the lifestyles of developed western and eastern societies have accelerated, sometimes to the point of paroxysm. This is the price we pay, some would say, to be able to afford an economically high level of living, to progress up the technology scale and hope to redeem from hunger and misery a few more million people from the so-called Third and Fourth World Countries. However, many have come to realize that along with its indisputable advantages, this
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“faster is better” globalization has incurred heavy consequences in the form of social, economic and environmental pathologies which, unfortunately, are tending towards becoming uncontrollable. In order to counter the “faster and ever faster” effect, a movement has been growing for over fifteen years in Italy, in Europe and indeed worldwide. It is a cultural movement which opposes the undesirable effects of speed at all costs and quantity-overquality production. This veritable counterculture is spreading daily, including everwidening numbers of consumers, far- mers, associations, cooperatives and producers. Economic development over
the last fifty years has been characterized by efficiency being confused with frantic speed and has been dominated by the motto, “be faster to produce more”. In so doing, quality necessarily becomes secondary and the results very embarrassing sometimes in terms of both products and urban situations. This is the reason why SlowCities came to be, an international movement of “Cities of Good Living”, founded in 1999 and taking inspiration from Slow Food. One hundred mayors of as many small or medium-size cities in ten different countries around the world came together to form an association which reaffirms the reasons why slow is good. In order to fully understand and appreciate the strength and absolute actuality of the message behind SlowCities, it is imperative to visit them, stroll through the piazzas, enter the churches, go to the theatres, brouse through the shops and chat with the “slow folks”. Only then will it be possible, in Positano or Greve in Chianti, in Orvieto or San Daniele, in Levanto or Chiavenna, in Urbino or Trevi, to absorb what the latins called “genius loci”. But what exactly are SlowCities? They are cities and towns like any other, that have simply done some soul searching, that have chosen to look to their past in order to better look towards and act for the future.
They are “slow” cities but there is nothing “backward” about them. In a world where globalization is ever more prevalent which, by virtue of this fact, offers us new and heretofore unknown opportunities to communicate, exchange knowledge and goods and culture, it becomes increasingly more important to be aware of one’s own territorial roots, of one’s history and experience, each unique. So, in SlowCities indigenous breeds of livestock are raised, traditional varieties of fruits and vegetables are rediscovered, small-scale fishing is practised again so as to bring back flavours that have all but been forgotten. Not only is local traditional agriculture reevaluated, but so is everything that is artisan-made and the tendency is to take a new look at all the big city “know-how” and go back to the values of culture, conviviality, environmental protection and conservation of the urban and natural landscape. Of course, this involves the collaboration of a wide array of services and runs the gamut from energy policies, to alternative transportation, from recycling urban waste to sensorial education. And at the top of the pyramid, above all the high technology, is Man, the citizen, aware of and proud to be a participant in a society which is a little slower and which can reconcile the older generations with the new, the tastes and culinary traditions of yore with the new trends of 25
An Italian Course in Cooking and Enology in Bangkok
F
rom June 2-6 2003 our School was the focal point of an Italian course in cooking and enology held in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ital.Cook., upon invitation by the Italian Trade Commission (ICE), sent Chef Arnaldo Zerbini for the lessons on cooking and Sommelier Andrea Sturniolo for the lessons on wine appreciation. The week-long course was held at the Dusit Thani College-DTC and was very well attended by the college students who showed a pas-
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sionate interest in all of the various preparations. Of course, it was not always easy to carry out all of the planned activities and prepare every dish on the program because some of the necessary ingredients were not readily available. In spite of these difficulties, critical moments were overcome with panache and more
than compensated for by the attendees’ great desire to learn about Italian food and wine. The days spent there were intense, for the work carried out and the many contacts made because what is Italian finds admirers in every corner of the world. It is our job to maintain the high quality of our product presented.
Mr. Zerbini presented several pasta dishes (from homemade orecchiette of Puglia to traditional dry pasta from Gragnano), along with a variety of sauces (from the more well-known to the more particular regional ones), meats, vegetables and desserts.
Mr. Sturniolo started his lessons with an overview of Italian wine production and an introduction to wine tasting techniques. He then focused on highlighting the most outstanding regional wines of northern, central and southern Italy.
Azienda Agricola Mario Schiopetto - 34070 Capriva del Friuli (GO) - Italia Via Palazzo Arcivescovile, 1 Tel. + 39 0481 80332 - Fax + 39 0481 808073 www.schiopetto.it - azienda@schiopetto.it - clienti@schiopetto.it - amministrazione@schiopetto.it
Diploma Night
he summer was extremely hot, the work in the kitchen very intense. Ten weeks went by with very little rest, day after day, with a constant stream of new instructors, each presenting the typical dishes of their territory, from Trentino to Puglia,
T
from Sicily to Tuscany. Then there were the weekend visits to the producers, product tastings, field trips, tasting sessions for wine, olive oil, cheese, salumi. And last but not least... the end-of-course examination and the closing dinner with the conferring of each Slow Food – Master Italian Cooking Diploma and the gold snail pin which symbolizes a philosophy and stands for food and taste, pleasure and culture. The Pergolesi Hall was resplendent and the guests seemed as happy as the young graduates.
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To Convivium Leaders
Dear friends,
Our School began its first courses at the beginning of 2003 and is enjoying great success. In Jesi, a town in the Marches Region of central Italy, the courses are in full swing and we can foresee having as many as fifty foreign chefs graduate each year with the “Slow Food- Master Italian Cooking” Diploma. Our Master’s Course requires an intense amount of study and hard work from our Students who also learn about numerous producers and their products in the search for the authentic roots of Italian regional cooking. With this new initiative, Slow Food Italy aims to give valid support to professional chefs from abroad who wish to learn about Italian cooking in a thorough way, focusing on each region. Italy is a country in which the recipes are strongly linked to the traditions, history and people. It is because of the differences between regions that Italian cuisine is so rich and varied. This Slow Food cooking course in Italy will also allow new contacts to be made at an international level and will continue to expand in the future at the University of Pollenzo. To all of you, dear Convivium Leaders, we send you this message along with the names and addresses of those who represent and follow our organizational activities and who can be contacted for further information.
United States of America: Francesco Tonelli (Associate Professor, The Culinary Institute of America) 46 Riverview- Port Ewen 12466-5104 New York, NY USA francesco@francescotonelli.com
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Japan: Tokyo Office HIDE UCHIYAMA Ltd (Ms. Rieko Uchiyama) 2-13-22 Shìmouma, Setagaya-ku Tokyo-JAPAN Florence Office JAPAN PROMO SERVICE (Mr. Aldo Fallani and Ms. Rieko Uchiyama) Via C.Bianchi,18 50134-Firenze, Italy info@jps.it
Korea: Chin-wha Kim (President/CEO, Media International Organization) 3-102 Hyundai Ville, Yonhee Dong 45-23, SoDaiMonn, Seoul Korea 120-823 chinwkim@hotmail.com
Great Britain and Ireland: Wendy Fogarty 40c Strawberry Hill Road Strawberry Hill Twickenham MIDDX TW1 4PU United Kingdom wfogarty@compuserve.com
Canada Mara Jernigan 4255 Trans Canada Hwy, RR1 Cobble Hill B.C. VOR ILO CANADA Tel. (01) 250.743-4267 Fax (01) 250.743-8367 engeler@telus.net
The Piceno
Reds D
riving along the coastal strip which winds along the Adriatic in the southern end of the Marche, between Porto San Giorgio and San Benedetto, the highway takes you through a series of tunnels that cut through the hilly landscape extending right to the water’s edge. Between one tunnel and the next the observer catches glimpses of incredibly beautiful scenery: rolling hills every bit as spectacular as their more famous Tuscan cousins and just as inviting to the passer-by, beckoning to come away from the main road and explore the interior. In the past few years an increasing number of vintners has begun to produce some very good wines from this area, full-bodied wines that are spicy, rich in fruity aromas and, ever more frequently, characterized by a certain note of elegance. The main player on the scene is the Montepulciano, a difficult grape to tame and interpret, which needs great care and attention during the vinification process. When properly managed it will yield intensely colored wines, wellstructured, fruity and pleasant when still young but which are 32
capable of evolving well for a few years. The “terroir”, the vine’s soil, naturally plays a fundamental role and this particular grape has always found an ideal habitat here; in fact it is not happenstance that Controguerra and the hills of Teramo are in the immediate vicinity, on the opposite bank of the Tronto River, the natural divide between the Marche and Abruzzo regions. The undisputed red wine of choice here is the Rosso Piceno. Although produced in three provinces, Ascoli Piceno, Macerata and Ancona, it is here that it takes the name and the character, yielding the best results. In addition to the aforementioned Montepulciano, the blend also includes Sangiovese, a vine which also
expresses itself well in this area, so much so that some producers go so far as to propose it pure. But it is in the narrow confines of a land nestled between Ascoli Piceno and San Benedetto and delineated by the Tesino and Tronto Rivers that a true jewel is produced: Rosso Piceno Superiore. The grape blend is identical but the territory so small as to offer uniform distinctive traits which confer upon the wine a more marked character. The recent establishment of the “Offida” DOC designation is well-earned recognition for all those excellent wines produced here and includes, besides the two traditional grapes mentioned, other socalled international grapes of which Cabernet Sauvignon tops the list.
Electrolux Group The world’s No. 1 choice
A course designed to teach the taste of Italy, region by region. A course reserved for chefs from all over the world who prepare Italian food. A course that looks at the historical roots of the regional cooking of Italy: from the Alps to the Mediterranean and from the Tyrrhenian to the Adriatic Sea. A course to know the producers of quality food (pasta, wine, cheese, olive oil, meat products...) and the gastronomic culture of each region. A diploma that requires hard work and study, with the chance to do a specialty internship in one or several Regions at the end of the Course.