“Mad Dog” Penne with Cream 

Penne all’Arrabbiata con Panna

I enjoy it when the Italian language takes the meaning of one word and uses it to explain another. The “spicy heat” in this dish is reflected in the word “arrabbiata,” which means “to go mad” when applied to dogs and “to be angry” when applied to people. To increase your “rage” or the “foaming of the dog,” add dashes of pepper sauce to your plate at the table until you scream — or howl at the moon!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 ¼-inch-thick slices (approx 5 ounces) pancetta, cut into ¼-inch cubes (smoked pancetta — pancetta affumicata — is preferred) ∗See note below recipe.

1 small onion, thinly sliced into half rounds

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), placed in a bowl and crushed by hand, reserving all of the liquid [Wondered if there is an actual difference between Italian San Marzano tomatoes and American plum tomatoes? Click here to see a side-by-side comparison.] 

½ teaspoon Kosher or Sea salt

1 pound penne rigate

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano or pecorino cheese, for garnish

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cubed pancetta and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are translucent and starting to turn golden, stir in the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices, the salt, and stir until well combined, bringing the tomatoes to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, 18 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt*, stir the water, and add the pasta. [*The Italian secret to seasoning the pasta as it cooks is for the boiling water to be as salty as sea water. Some people prefer 1 tablespoon, my sea water tastes like 2 tablespoons.] Cook, uncovered, over high heat until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite — al dente. [Follow the pasta package’s cooking time as a guide.] Drain the pasta and place in the pan with the sauce, add the cream, stirring until well combined, over medium-low heat. Allow to simmer an additional minute or two.  Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, garnished with the Parmigiano.

This makes 6 to 8 servings.

∗A note about Pancetta:

Pancetta, the “bacon” of Italy~

Pancetta, rolled and salami-shaped, is often referred to in America as Italian-style bacon, but, unlike American bacon, pancetta is not smoked and it is studded with black peppercorns. Once difficult to find in most American grocery stores, it is now readily available in the deli section. Smoked pancetta — pancetta affumicata — is not hickory smoked like American bacon, but it is usually smoked with other European hardwoods. It can be a bit more difficult to find. And although it is preferred for this recipe, it is not a deal breaker, so use whatever pancetta is available in your grocery store. In fact, I can rarely find smoked pancetta where I live in the South, so I use regular pancetta, an easy find.

If you cannot find pancetta, you can try using American bacon, but the flavor of the dish will be wholeheartedly American, and not Italian at all. I do not substitute American bacon for pancetta, but if you try it and like it, well, why not? You will have created your own favorite American dish.

You may be able to find pancetta already cubed in 4- to 6-ounce packages. If you are having the deli staff slice it, ask to have it cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. Once at home, keep the sliced pancetta in the freezer. Besides helping to extend its freshness, frozen pancetta is easier to cut into smaller cubes than when at room temperature. 

Also, check your deli-sliced pancetta to make sure that the outside skin has been removed. Sometimes it is not removed before being sliced at the deli. Nothing is worse than cooked pancetta with the outer skin and plastic wrapping intact – and melted. Mamma mia~ un disastro!

Buon appetito~

Mark

It’s the time of year when the garden starts churning out tomatoes faster than one can seemingly use them. You’ve made the classic American tomato sandwiches with mayo and the BLTs, the Italian classic bruschetta of chopped tomatoes served on grilled bread rubbed with fresh garlic, a Caprese salad of juicy tomatoes, sliced mozzarella and fresh basil, and you’ve even given the neighbors their fill too.

What’s next?

Italian Tomato Soup
“Zuppa di Pomodoro”

(Makes 2 to 3 servings. Recipe may be easily doubled to serve 4 to 6.)

Ingredients:
4 cups peeled, deseeded, and chopped garden fresh tomatoes (*See note about peeling fresh tomatoes) (**Also, 1 28-oz can of imported Italian plum tomatoes, like San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice, put through a food mill to remove the seeds, may be substituted for fresh tomatoes)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

1 stalk fresh basil, about 10 large leaves

1 teaspoon Kosher salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade, or canned, low-sodium stock may be substituted

1/2 cup whipping cream (used as garnish if making it truly Italian; added into the soup if serving American-style. See note at end of recipe.)

Garnish: Fresh basil leaves

___________________

*Italians are not big fans of tomato skins and tomato seeds. They believe they make a dish bitter. If you have a food mill, remove the stem and core your garden tomatoes, cut in half, and put them through the mill, discarding the skin and seeds. If you don’t have a food mill, as I don’t, you can make quick work of peeling and deseeding tomatoes with the following steps:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile ~ [1] Cut a shallow “X” on the bottom of each tomato. Once the water is boiling, prepare a cold water bath by putting some ice in a large bowl, adding cold water to it. Set aside. [2] Working in batches, place 3 or 4 tomatoes at a time into the boiling water. Blanch for 15 seconds ONLY … 30 secs max! (You DO NOT want to cook the tomatoes.) [3] Using a spider or slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and plunge directly into the ice bath. *When you place the next set of tomatoes into the boiling water, remove the ice bath tomatoes to a cloth towel to drain. Repeat steps 2 & 3, until all of the tomatoes are done.

[4] The quick blanch will have released the skin from the flesh. [5] Using a paring knife, remove the skins and discard. [6] To deseed, cut the stem end off and discard. If using plum tomatoes, as in the photo, cut the tomatoes lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and the “gel” around them, discarding both. If using round tomatoes, core out the stem end, and cut crosswise to reveal the seed cavities. Using your pinky finger or the handle of a spoon, scoop out the seeds and “gel,” discarding both.

[7] Roughly chop the peeled & deseeded tomatoes into 1″-2″ chunks. *Note~ I had a variety of tomatoes from the garden on hand: plum, yellow and red round. Heirloom tomato varieties are delicious too. Use all one variety or mix and match!

Now you are ready to make some Zuppa di Pomodoro~

Soup Preparation:

Heat the oil in a medium-sized soup pot over medium-high heat. [1] Add the garlic and parsley, and cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to color, about one minute. [2] Add the tomatoes, bring to a gentle boil. [3] Add the basil, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. [4] Cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly askew, reduce the heat to low, simmer 20-25 minutes, until the tomatoes have somewhat broken down.

[5] Remove the stalk of basil. [6] Stir in the chicken broth. [7] Using an immersion blender in the pot, puree the tomato mixture until smooth. ([8] Or puree the mixture in a food processor, in batches if necessary. Let the mixture slightly cool before processing, since steam can cause a huge, hot mess of a disaster if it doesn’t have a way to escape during processing. If using a blender, remove the plug in the lid and cover the lid with a towel. Once smooth, return soup to pot.) Taste mixture, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Continue to simmer the soup over low heat, slightly covered, until it has a medium-thick consistency, another 20-25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

[9] To serve in the Italian-style, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of whipping cream and a couple of basil leaves. [10] To serve in a more American-style, mix all of the cream into the soup pot before ladling into the bowls. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Note: This soup will keep a couple of days in a sealed container in the fridge. It will keep two to three months (*) in a sealed container in the freezer — perfect for when you desire the taste of garden tomatoes in chilly autumn weather. (*Do not add the cream if freezing. Add the cream after thawing, during the reheating.)

Buon Appetito~ 

Mark

Basil and Italian Flat-leaf Parsley seedlings getting the first set of mature leaves. In the background: Chives, Fennel, assorted Peppers, San Marzano Tomatoes, and Zinnias.

Spring is here, the seedlings are up, and the promise of a summer of delicious eating is in the air. One of my favorite Italian springtime dishes is “Minestra di Primavera” ~ “Spring Soup.” It features lettuce as the main ingredient. Now wait, before you imagine the ubiquitous “Wedge Salad” Iceberg jammed into a bowl, this recipe features Romaine and your choice of a spicy green such as Escarole, Chicory, or Arugula. For most of us Americans, we only consider lettuces for salads, but the Italians use lettuces as a delicately delectable main ingredient in soup. This soup takes advantage of the Spring garden’s early harvest of lettuces, which would never survive the unrelenting heat and humidity of summer.

If you grow your own lettuces, pick the Romaine when the leaves are young and tender. If gardening isn’t your thing, no worries, simply find the Romaine and Escarole heads in your grocer’s produce section.

To make it even easier on yourself without giving up on a sense of freshness, pick up a package of Spring Lettuce Mix from your grocer’s produce isle. Go for one of the more exotic mixes featuring any combination of baby greens: Spinach, Radish, Beet, Endive, Sweet Pea, Swiss Chard, Romaine, or kale. The possibilities are endless. Simply remember: this is not a Titanic soup — so avoid the Iceberg at all cost! 

Buon Appetito~

Mark

*Click here for the recipe and cooking video!

Blaze pumpkin

Halloween is over and for most Americans that means the pumpkin becomes a forgotten thing. Mr. O’Lantern served us well, and then like the TP draped over the neighbor’s trees or the discarded candy wrappers strewn across our kitchen counters or desks at work, Jack finds his decaying head thrown into the trash — or if he comes from a green-minded home, added to the compost heap.
 
Non-edible gourds seem to take over our decorative fascination between All Hallow’s Eve and Thanksgiving, which is when the pumpkin reappears in ubiquitous pie form. I think most people believe a pumpkin’s sole existence is for either an evil spirit prevention device or a pie. That is rather disappointing, considering how much palate power a pumpkin packs.

In Italy, where Americanized Halloween is slowly taking hold and where there is no Thanksgiving holiday, pumpkin — zucca — has a lot of culinary uses, much like its other squash cousins. Yes, pumpkin is a squash, and squash is a fruit, a vine grown fruit. There are hundreds of pumpkin varietals ranging in all heirloom & hybrid sizes & colors. Orange is not the only pumpkin color in town. 

{Language lesson sidenote: Zucca does not mean “pumpkin” specifically, in Italian. It can mean any squash — acorn, butternut, etc. In fact, the Italian word zucchina (“zucchini” in English) is created by taking the root word zucca and adding the feminine diminutive ending -ina to it to form zucca-ina, which, because of how the Italian language constructs sounds, becomes zucchina — a small squash. In Italian, zucchina is singular, zucchine is plural. In English, regardless of how many you have, it is always “zucchini.”}

Here is one of my favorite ways to use pumpkin across the fall and into the winter season … Minestrone with Fall Vegetables and Pumpkin (remember, pumpkin is not a vegetable). Of course, it might be difficult to find a fresh pumpkin past Thanksgiving here in the States. In Italy, one can find pumpkin freshly sliced in the produce department of most grocery stores while in season throughout the fall. I’ve never seen that anywhere where I’ve lived in America. Pity, my loss. Maybe your local supermarket is more adventuresome than mine?

However, I can find a wide variety of pumpkin and squash at my local farmer’s market. Often times, the roughest looking varietals have the most delicious, velvety flesh … deeply orange in color, or as with the Blaze pumpkin shown at the beginning and end of this post, a delicate butter-colored hue. If possible, try not to use the tradition “Jack O’Lantern” pumpkin with it’s thin flesh for cooking … it’s best for carving and haunting. I gravitate toward a Jarrahdale, Baby Doll (see Frankenstein above), or any of the heirlooms: Musquee de Provence (orange or green), or the wildly prehistoric looking Long of Naples, which can range up to 4-feet long. Mamma mia! That’s a lot of soup, pie, gnocchi, risotto, muffins, tortas, and every other dish calling for fresh pumpkin.

I hope you’ll try this minestrone, especially now while pumpkins are still around. Pumpkin gives an irresistible sweetness to this hearty, meatless soup. Perfect for a chilly weekend night … or as a night-before-Thanksgiving meal, where it can dutifully wait on the stovetop to satiate ravenous family whenever they land on the doorstep after weathering the hectic pre-holiday commute … over the river and through the woods, and all that jazz.

Buon Appetito~ 

Fall Vegetable Minestrone with Pumpkin

~ Minestrone di Verdure Autunnali con Zucca ~

CLICK HERE to watch me cook this recipe on Alabama Live!

In Italian, “minestrone” means “big soup.” Originally a soup based in poverty made with water plus whatever leftover vegetables, beans and pasta scraps were found in the kitchen, minestrone today combines fresh garden vegetables with the “extravagance” of chicken stock, making this a popular soup in Italy. In the fall, pumpkin replaces the traditional use of carrots while cabbage is a hearty, cool weather addition. Swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and you’ll have a veritable vegetarian version worthy of any vegan!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small to medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2-inch-thick cubes

2 cups diced pumpkin* — 1/2-inch-thick cubes (acorn, butternut, or other winter squash may be substituted)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary, 6- to 8-inches long

2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 cups canned, low-sodium chicken stock (homemade chicken stock is preferred)

1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 small- to medium-sized zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-rounds

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 tomatoes, deseeded, diced into 1/2-inch-thick cubes

1/2 cup ditalini, tubetti, or other small-shaped pasta

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until the onion has started to turn translucent. Add potatoes, pumpkin, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper, stirring well to combine. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the potatoes and pumpkin begin to color. Add the chicken stock and the beans, stirring well. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the zucchini, cabbage and tomatoes, stirring until combined. Return to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low again and simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir in the pasta and cook, uncovered, for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente – tender, but firm to the bite. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil as garnish. Serves 8 to 12. 

*Note: Dicing a pumpkin is easy: Cut in half, deseed, cut into wedges and then cut the peel from the wedges. It can seem a bit daunting considering how large and thick some pumpkins are. Go for a small one, like a Blaze pumpkin, and use a sharp knife.

Blaze pumpkin revealing its light, sweet flesh.

Copyright © Mark Leslie, 2018

A view into Siena’s il Campo, decorated for Christmas.

Growing up north of Chicago meant that school field trips often meant going downtown. One of the ways we were instructed on how to be “safe” in the big city was to not look up. Looking up was a telltale sign to nearby ne’er-do-wells that you were a stranger to town, and were fruit ripe for the picking. However, I never really worried about getting robbed. In school it was always about fitting in, and if you went downtown and looked up, upper classman would tease you for being a hick. At that age, getting teased was a fate worse than being burgled.

When traveling, particularly overseas, it took me a while to get over my adolescent scars from looking up. Friends would excitedly say, “Look up there!” and without moving my head, I would cast my eyes upward—mostly into the back of my head, unsuccessfully trying to get a glimpse. Don’t be a hick, don’t be a hick, don’t be a hick was running through my mind the entire time. One day I cast caution to the wind, and began throwing my head back in enthusiastic ecstasy, absorbing every bit of wonder that soared into the sky. “Yes, Big Ben is big!” “Wow, look at the light shine from the top of the Eiffel Tower!”

At this time of year, we hear a lot about the story of the star in the east. Lots of people were tossing their heads back in wonderment—shepherds, wise men, perhaps even some people in the little town of Bethlehem. This “looking up” has me thinking about what causes me to pull out my camera, crook my neck, and gaze heavenward while on vacation in Italy—the inside of church cupolas.

Used as a huge canvas to convey a message, the interior surfaces of church cupolas, or domes, are spectacular. No two are alike; famous painters more artfully render some, while others are simply white plaster. Almost all domes have a lantern at the top. I don’t mean a literal electrified or fueled lighting fixture. The lantern is a series of windows that allows light to shine into the church to help illuminate it—it’s a round skylight. [From the outside, the lantern is the “nipple,” if you will, that sits on top of the cupola.] Often, on the inside ceiling of the lantern is an image of a dove or of God. It is as if the entire inside surface of the dome pushes your eye heavenward toward the light. How’s that for symbolism!

Here are photos of my favorite Italian cupola interiors. I hope they will inspire you to look upward whenever something catches your eye—even if you look like a hick or a stranger!

Ceiling of the Duomo’s Baptistery, Florence.

Ceiling of the Duomo, Florence. The ring around the base depicts Hell and each successive ring upward is a level closer to the Divine: moving from martyrs through the saints to the apostles.]

The dome of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, is my favorite dome of all. It’s white geometric design, coupled with the dove at the top of the lantern, takes my breath away.

Once a pagan temple, the oculus of the Pantheon was used as an astronomical instrument. However, the Pantheon is now a church, consecrated around the year 608 or 609.

The patron saint of Viterbo is Santa Rosa, and the cupola of the curch bearing her name is spectacular with its flaming cherubs. If you ever visit here, make sure you pay a visit to Santa Rosa herself. Her preserved body lies in a glass shrine for all to see.

Siena and Florence were rivals and enemies for hundreds of years. Even their Duomos were at “war”—Siena’s Duomo was in renovation to become larger than Florence’s Duomo when the plaque hit, killing most of the town—the builders. The inside of Siena’s cupola is a starry vision with painted trompe l’oeil panels that mimic the real panels of the Pantheon’s cupola.

With limited visitation hours, the inside cupola of Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza can be a difficult one to see. The complex houses the National Archives, and from outside, Saint’Ivo is recognizable by its ornate spiraling pinnacle of a lantern.

From my home to yours ~ Buon Natale ~

Mark

Fall is here, Halloween is over, and now it’s time to start gearing up for the seemingly nonstop holiday festivities of November and December. With this comes the unspoken permission to indulge and be a bit lavish, especially when it comes to desserts.

This time of year makes me think of cherries and chocolate. Why? I’m not exactly sure. It could be the pounds and pounds of chocolate-covered cherries I have eaten over the years at holidays past. Maybe it is the fond memories I have of the flaming and oh-so extravagant-seeming “Cherries Jubilee” dessert, made by a college friend who served it over chocolate ice cream instead of the typical vanilla. Or possibly it could be the shortcut version of the popular Black Forest cake that my mother would make on occasion by adding a can of cherry pie filling to the batter of a store-bought, boxed chocolate cake mix.

When I think of the flavors of chocolate and cherry, I also think of red wine—in particular, Chianti wine. As part of my DaVinci Storyteller Experience at Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, I learned that when fermented Sangiovese grapes (the most famous Italian grape of Tuscany) are aged in oak barrels, such as DaVinci’s Chianti Riserva, the wine that is produced has a flavor or “note” of ripe red fruit, such as cherries, among others.

DaVinci’s Chianti is a blend of 90% Sangiovese grapes and 10% Merlot grapes. Once fermented, the results are “jammy flavors of ripe plums, cherries, and red fruit … that linger in a long peppery finish.” All of those descriptive flavors, or “notes,” pair perfectly with the cake’s ingredients of chocolate, Bing cherries, and cinnamon. DaVinci’s Chianti Riserva, aged in oak before being released, works even better in this recipe because of its “distinctly fruity bouquet with dark cherry overtones … hints of vanilla and cinnamon … with spicy undertones.” A bonus of the Chianti being in the cake is that you can continue drinking Chianti with dessert—no need to change to a sweet dessert wine, or to put a pot of coffee on.

It seems perfect to combine my love of chocolate and cherries with DaVinci’s Chianti wine for a cake recipe, influenced by my German immigrant heritage, as my final blog post in the Chianti at Home series for DaVinci Wine.

Wine in a cake may be unfamiliar to you, but in Italy, where wine is revered as a food as much as a beverage, red and white wines are often used in cakes and other baked desserts. And being the holidays, I’ve topped off my “Chocolate Chianti Jubilee Cake” with a decadent bittersweet chocolate ganache—that’s the German in me. (The “Jubilee” implies cherries, inside the cake—not flaming over the top of it!)

[colored_box variation=”wheat”]Italians think of wine as if it were a food, so it is natural to find it used in a cake. I have eaten a wine and chocolate torta–cake–while in the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti winemaking country. (For Italians, chocolate and wine are as natural a combination as tomatoes and pasta!) Dusted with powdered sugar instead of a frosting, that torta was not too sweet, but still full of flavors—cocoa, cinnamon, and of course, red wine.[/colored_box]

Holiday indulgence and decadence doesn’t have to apply only to ingredients or to a dessert. In a seemingly time-deprived and all too busy holiday season, I hope you’ll take a moment of “decadence” to gather family and friends, cook for them, “overindulge” in fellowship, light a fire, open a bottle of wine or two, laugh, cry, play, and share the best gift of all: your time, your heart, your care and concern, your company—You! Remember, cooking is an act of giving, of real sharing that is sacred and comes from the heart. It is the invaluable investment of time, especially during the frantic-paced holidays, that brings your family to the table, and changes a life, one meal at a time.

I hope you have enjoyed DaVinci Wine’s Chianti at Home series as much as I have. It has been a blast to see how far from Italian cuisine I regularly use Chianti wine. I’ve surprised and inspired myself. I hope you have been deliciously inspired too. [My previous DaVinci Wine Chianti at Home post recipes —Skillet Chianti Fajitas, Zesty Chianti Barbecue Chicken, and Chianti Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.]

Buon Appetito, Buone Feste, e Felice Anno Nuovo~

Mark 

*Like DaVinci Wine on Facebook to see how other DaVinci Storyteller Alumni use “Chianti at Home” or to share your favorite Chianti-paired recipe. Food is a communal event ~ let’s get social!

*For more of my Italian travels and recipes, check out my book Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family — available in hardcover, paperback, and e-reader editions.

Chocolate Chianti Jubilee Cake

2 cups flour, unbleached, all-purpose

2 teaspoons baking powder

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes

1 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup DaVinci Chianti wine

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), finely chopped

1 (13.5-ounce) jar pitted Bing cherries packed in water, drained, cut in half [you may substitute 1 (14.5-ounce) can of pitted sour/tart cherries packed in water, drained, but left whole]

Ganache Topping:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), chopped

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch nonstick springform pan.

In a medium bowl, shift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or wooden spoon, cream the butter. Add the sugar in thirds, mixing together well between each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, beating until incorporated between each addition. Add the wine, mixing until incorporated—the texture will be grainy and a bit “soupy.” Using a spatula or wooden spoon, add the flour mixture to the wine mixture, in batches, stirring well between each addition. Stir in the chocolate until well combined. Gently fold in the halved Bing cherries (don’t use an electric mixer—you want the cherries to maintain their shape and not to be pulverized into mush), until they are distributed throughout the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the ring and, using a large spatula, transfer the cake from the pan base back onto the wire rack. Place a piece of parchment or waxed paper under the rack to catch the drips when glazing with the ganache.

To make the ganache: Put the cream into a medium saucepan, and over medium heat, scald the cream, until tiny bubbles form around the edges, about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the chocolate, and with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, slowly stir until completely melted and smooth. (Be careful not to stir too vigorously or tiny air bubbles will form in the ganache.) With the chocolate smooth, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, gently stirring after each addition, until the butter is melted and incorporated. (Note: The butter gives the ganache its sheen, so again be gentle when stirring to prevent air bubbles from forming.)

Pour the warm ganache over the cake, making sure it runs over the edge and coats the side all the way around. Allow the ganache to completely cool. Transfer the cake to a serving platter.

Serves 8 to 12.

[Note: The overflow ganache on the wax paper can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month or in the freezer for up to six months. I use it from the freezer to add ganache curls on top of ice cream. Drag a spoon across the surface of the frozen ganache to create individual curls.] 

*Additional Italian recipes, videos, and photos are available on my Beyond the Pasta app for iPad/iPhone at iTunes.

~ Le Parole del Giorno ~

~ The Words of the Day ~

I have done “The Word of the Day” posts in the past, but today I thought I would do “Words” of the day—“Su” e “Giù” —“Up” and “Down.”

When I lived with the Stefanis in Viterbo (*), we were forever telling each other whether we were going “su” (pronounced like the name “Sue”)—upstairs to the sleeping quarters on the second and third floors, or “giù” (pronounced like the word “Jew”)—down to the kitchen and the rest of the public rooms of the main floor.

“Un momento, vado su”—“One moment, I’m going upstairs”—I would say to Nonna as I sprinted upstairs to the third floor to grab my umbrella before we headed out to run errands.

“Tequilla, giù, giù”—“Tequilla, down, down”—I would insist to the Stefani’s dog, Tequilla, to keep moving ahead of me down the stairs as we headed to the kitchen for a treat. I feared he would stop short on the railing-less stair, looking behind himself to make sure I was following him, and trip us both, causing un disastro as we fell “giù!”

The words “su” e “giù” make me think of spiral staircases, especially those in old structures throughout Italy. When I was growing up a spiral staircase seemed very contemporary, having been created in the space age-inspired 1960s. It was an exotically stylish way to get from one shag-carpeted floor to the next in a hip bachelor pad. Can you tell I watched a lot of TV in my youth?

However, spiral staircases are ancient in concept. In many turrets and towers it is the quickest way to go up or down, while restricting the stairway to as little square footage as possible where space is tight. Pictured above is the view looking down through the center of a spiral staircase (a private not public staircase) in the Villa Medici, Rome. The view down reminds me of an ammonite fossil. Maybe this shape inspired ancient architects to design the first spiral staircases?

“Su e giù” also reminds me of Puck’s famous lines in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

Up and down, up and down,

I will lead them up and down:

I am fear’d in field and town:

Goblin, lead them up and down.

Whether a mischievous fairy or a 100-pound white Great Pyrenees has you going su e giù in hot pursuit, here are two of my favorite Italian spiral staircases that you may use for your escape!

Buona giornata~

Mark

Villa Medici, Rome

Su

Giù

Palazzo Barberini, Rome

Su

Giù

*My book Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family is now available in paperback, as well as e-reader and hardcover editions.

When I travel to Italy, gelato is on my mind 24/7. I have been known to eat it three or four times a day. Mi piace gelato molto!—I like gelato a lot! However, my gluttonous affection for frozen dairy desserts did not begin with my first step inside of an Italian gelatoria—gelato shop.

Ice cream was a rare treat for me growing up. With four kids in the house, and a tight budget, ice cream was not a stock item in our freezer. When my mother did happen to splurge and bring home a half-gallon, there was an almost “every man for himself” frenzy once we were given permission to open the container—which didn’t last a day between us kids and our parents.

Sharing was a virtue that did not come easily to us kids; consequently it was no treat when my mother was forced to become the “Portion Police.” Sometimes I think she steered clear of the ice cream aisle, even when the budget allowed, just to avoid the aggravation of having to listen to us fight over it. “I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream!” was more literal truth than cutesy slogan in our house.

On some primal level, I still have that ice cream frenzy, even though I can purchase and eat as much as I want now. It’s probably why I get so excited about gelato in Italy, since there seems to be a gelatoria on every corner. Plus, the Italians have a very diverse and eclectic range of flavors. Every shop seems to offer 30+ flavors, ranging from berries to creams to chocolates to nuts to melons to spices (like cinnamon) to herbs (like lavender, sage, or basil), and the list goes on.

Ice cream and gelato are not the same thing. Gelato uses milk as its primary base ingredient, thus lowering its fat content, while ice cream uses cream—hence the name, and its fat content! And the differences don’t stop there. Ice cream uses eggs and sugar for a richer custard-style dessert that is churned at a higher speed to whip air into the mixture as it freezes. Gelato typically doesn’t use eggs and uses less sugar, relying on a wide range of flavorings to satiate your taste buds. Its richer and denser consistency is achieved by churning at a slower speed, reducing the amount of air.

We never ate ice cream in the winter—winter in northern Illinois was cold enough outside without also eating something frozen inside. Ice cream is really a summer-only dessert for me. Which is why, as part of my Chianti at Home blog posts for DaVinci Wine, I thought I’d do an American ice cream (a custard base) recipe influenced by a popular Italian gelato flavor—vino—in July. I add bittersweet chocolate “chips” to round out and complement DaVinci Chianti’s dark, red fruit flavor tones.

Get more flavor into your desserts by using bittersweet, instead of semisweet or milk chocolate. Bittersweet often has the percentage of the cacao bean (cocoa bean) used listed on the outside of the package. The lower the percentage, the lower the “bitterness.” Most bittersweet or dark chocolate recipes typically use “60% cacao.” However, if you really want to be bold, use 70–72% cacao to capture the smoky and earthy nature of bittersweet chocolate—a perfect pairing with ripe fruit or with red wine like DaVinci’s Chianti.

When DaVinci Wine sent me to Italy as part of their 2012 DaVinci Storyteller Experience, I knew I was going to gain a clearer understanding of the wine making process. But what I hope to impart to you now is my deeper appreciation of wine, not only as an adult beverage, but also as a complexly flavored food—which is how Italians think of wine. It is a drinkable “food.” Its use as a food ingredient is only limited by your imagination.

A young wine, like DaVinci’s Chianti, should be consumed while it is young—meaning within the first year or two after its vintage date. Young wines are “designed” to have a more fresh, bright, fruity, and straightforward taste. They are not wines to be collected to see how well they will age in the bottle. Chianti Riserva is designed a little more along the line of “maturing” wines, while DaVinci’s Brunello di Montalcino is definitely to be consumed when mature. A young red wine, like DaVinci’s Chianti, will have a deep ruby color, while the more mature Brunello di Montalcino will have a lighter, mellowed orange or rust-colored hue. The opposite is true for a white wine. DaVinci’s Pinot Grigio, a young white wine, is pale yellow, while a more mature white wine has a dark golden color.

You will notice that I mention “notes” or “tones” when talking about the flavor of wine. I refer to them this way because they are not actual flavors added to the wine by the wine maker. They are the result of a natural reaction of the Sangiovese and Merlot grapes during the fermenting process. (DaVinci’s Chianti is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot—read about my wine tasting at Cantine Leonardo da Vinci.)

When using DaVinci’s Chianti in a recipe, I consider the notes of ripe red fruits (like cherry, plum, and strawberry), the bright tone of its young wine flavor (meaning the flavor is a bit assertive or up front), and its ruby color. These were also considerations for my previous DaVinci Chianti at Home post recipes —Skillet Chianti Fajitas and Zesty Chianti Barbecue Chicken. What recipes do these “notes” inspire you to compose?

Sitting on a pier at the lake, around an evening campfire, or relaxing after an al fresco dinner party on the patio with friends, Chianti and ice cream are a perfect pairing—made even better when the Chianti is already in the ice cream. “Mi piace ice cream di chianti molto!” may become my new summer credo. I hope it will be yours too.

Buon Appetito ~ and eat responsibly!

Mark

*Hurry, you still have time to vote for DaVinci Wine’s 2014 Storytellers. Choose your favorite for DaVinci to send to Vinci, Italy, to share their creativity while exploring the wine, vineyards, and the Tuscan countryside alongside the Cantine’s welcoming staff—VOTE NOW!

*Like DaVinci Wine on Facebook to see how other DaVinci Storyteller Alumni use “Chianti at Home” or to share your favorite Chianti-paired recipe. Food is a communal event ~ let’s get social!

*For more of my Italian travels and recipes, check out my book Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family — available in hardcover, paperback, and e-reader editions.

Chianti Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup DaVinci Chianti wine (*)

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), finely chopped

In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cream and milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, to prevent a skin from forming, and bring to a simmer—until tiny bubbles form around the edge (the correct temperature is 170 degrees F), about 9 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile in a medium glass or metal bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well blended and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Next, temper the egg yolks by very slowly adding in the hot milk mixture while whisking constantly—if you add in too much too quickly, the eggs will scramble. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick and leaves a path when a finger is dragged across the backside, about 5 to 8 minutes (the correct temperature is 180 to 185 degrees F). Do not allow to boil, otherwise the custard will curdle or separate.

Pour the custard through a fine- or medium-mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Let stand to cool until room temperature, stirring about every 5 minutes. [To cool quicker, halfway fill a large bowl with ice and water, and place the bowl with the custard into this ice bath, stirring the custard until it is cooled.] Once fully cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Place the measured Chianti into an airtight container and refrigerate, like the custard, until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Remove the Chianti and custard from the refrigerator and gently whisk the chilled Chianti into the custard until thoroughly blended. Pour the mixture into the container of the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. About 5 minutes before the end of churning, add the chopped chocolate. Transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer until firm, at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days, before serving. [Freezing after churning allows the flavor to deepen and helps to develop the texture. For a milder taste and texture, serve immediately after churning.]

Makes 1 quart (8 servings).

[*Note: Because this ice cream contains alcohol, it is not suitable for underage “eaters.” Adults only ~ Eat responsibly! However, to make this ice cream suitable for everyone, you can cook off the alcohol in the wine. For the 3/4 cup Chianti called for in the recipe, substitute a Chianti wine reduction. To make the reduction: Place 1 cup wine in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low, and continue to stir, allowing the wine to reduce to 3/4 cup—about 5 to 8 minutes. Let the wine cool to room temperature, cover in an airtight container, and place in the refrigerator to chill. Proceed as called for in recipe. With the wine reduced and the alcohol cooked off, no “designated eater” is required!]

FYI~ Chilling the custard mixture and the wine before combining and churning does two things. First, putting chilled base in the ice cream maker means that the machine does not have to work as hard to freeze the custard as it churns. Secondly, the warmer the base, the more likely it is to freeze water crystals trapped in the custard, which will result in a “grainy” or “icy” consistency. So for the best results—chill before you churn!

In Italy, there are some unspoken “rules” when ordering. First, you choose the size of the cup or cone you’d like. Second, you choose your flavor combination—regardless of size, you get to order 2 gusti—tastes of gelato: 1 scoop of each flavor. Try ordering just one gusto and watch everyone around you, and behind the counter, insist that you order a second flavor; even getting 2 scoops of just one flavor seems like an insult to the gelato itself! Pictured here is a 2.5 euro cup (price identifies the size of the cup) with a gusto of raspberry–lampone–and a gusto of mint chocolate–mente cioccolato.

You may find my no-cook “Mascarpone, Chocolate, and Raspberry Gelato” recipe on the Beyond the Pasta app.

*Additional Italian recipes, videos, and photos are available on my Beyond the Pasta app for iPad/iPhone at iTunes.

It’s July! Which means the 4^th is upon us and, more importantly, summer grilling kicks into high gear.

Growing up, my family never missed a summer weekend of great Chicago weather to get together and fire up the grill. Besides the usual burgers and dogs, my family loved to barbecue chicken. They would cut up three or four chickens, pack the pieces in a pan with butter and store-bought barbecue sauce, cover it with foil, and allow it to “bake” on the grill for about 90 minutes—until the chicken was so tender from poaching in its own juices, butter, and the sauce, that it fell off the bone. Although my family still goes crazy for this concoction, I prefer my chicken grilled on a rack over the hot coals to absorb the smoky flavor before being finished in a sauce of my own creation. And since I now live in the Deep South, I like a zesty zip in my sauce.

As part of DaVinci Wine’s Chianti at Home recipe series (and their challenge to me to develop non-Italian recipes suited to their Chianti’s complex flavors and aromas), I thought I’d share with you my “Zesty Chianti Barbecue Chicken.”

“What? Chianti, a red wine, with chicken?” you might ask.

One of the things I learned from the staff at the Cantine Leonardo da Vinci (as part of my DaVinci Wine 2012 Storyteller Experience) is that wine doesn’t have to be an exactingly “snobby” or “stuffy” undertaking. [Yes, you can take classes and spend a fortune in order to learn the complex subtleties of wine science, tasting, and collecting. And I say, “Bravo!” to those that do.] I am here to “loosen the belt” on the rules, so to speak.

In Italy, wine is considered a “food,” so it is consumed everyday at lunch (no one will disapprovingly judge you for having a glass on your lunch break) and at dinner. It is as much of a dining staple as is the bread on your table. This also means that Italians are a little more relaxed about wine pairings. As the Cantine staff explained to me, “Drink what you like; eat what you like”—meaning that it is okay to pair a red wine with chicken or a white wine with beef.

I prefer red wine over white, so I took their relaxed rule to heart and ran it off the rails by pairing DaVinci’s red wines with almost everything I ate—including fish. I know, some of you purists may be having a fit, but hey, the Italians gave me the “thumbs up!” [I must confess that I drank red wine with spicy seafood dishes only; I stayed true to the rules if the seafood was prepared lightly—in a butter or white wine sauce.] There is also an added “taste buds bonus” when you cook with the same wine you are drinking. It really connects and heightens the flavor of the wine to the dish and vice versa.

Why are Americans so crazy about BBQ? I think it has to do with the sauce, and our suburban love of grilling. Barbecue sauce is a flavor combination of sweet, bite, and spice. All of which are rounded out and blended together by the smoke and char of the grill.

DaVinci’s Chianti is the perfect base to build a BBQ sauce—a dark and complex “sweet” with its aromas of ripe fruit and flavors of strawberry and plum. Strained tomatoes, brown sugar, and red onion round out the “sweet.” For the “bite”: red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon. The “spice”: red pepper flakes and garlic. Plus, I added rosemary for its earthy flavor to accentuate the “smoke and char of the grill” and the darker fruit flavors of the wine.

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try the next time you light up the grill and uncork the vino—whether you are celebrating our freedom from King George while listening to the 1812 Overture, getting together with family and friends for a shindig, or just thankful to be outside after one super long winter!

Buon Appetito ~

Mark

*Hurry, now is YOUR chance to vote for the DaVinci Wine’s 2014 Storytellers. Choose your favorite for DaVinci to send to Vinci, Italy, to share their creativity while exploring the wine, vineyards, and the Tuscan countryside alongside DaVinci’s welcoming staff—VOTE NOW!

*Like DaVinci Wine on Facebook to see how other DaVinci Storyteller Alumni use “Chianti at Home” or to share your favorite Chianti-paired recipe. Food is a communal event ~ let’s get social!

*For more of my Italian travels and recipes, check out my book Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family — available in hardcover, paperback, and e-reader editions.

Zesty Chianti Barbecue Chicken

1 1/2 cups DaVinci Chianti wine

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup strained tomatoes (tomato puree may be substituted)

1 cup finely chopped red onion

2 large garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Zest and juice of 1 small lemon

2 packed tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

1 sprig fresh rosemary, 4- to 6-inches-long

1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine and whisk together the wine, vinegar, tomatoes, onion, garlic, Worcestershire, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the rosemary sprig. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until the onion and garlic have softened, and the sauce has thickened and reduced to about 2 1/4 cups—about 30 minutes (*). Remove and discard the rosemary sprig, and use the sauce immediately. [Note: If not using the sauce right away, let cool completely, place in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.] 

Rub all the surfaces of the chicken pieces with oil. Liberally season both sides (skin side and bone side) with salt and black pepper.

Prepare a grill, charcoal or gas, for medium-high heat.

Place the chicken pieces, bone side down, on the grill rack. Cover the grill, with the vents opened about halfway, and cook, turning once, until well browned—about 8 minutes per side. Move the pieces to the cooler outer edges of the grill, cover, and cook until the pieces are thoroughly cooked (pierce a thigh piece near the bone and the juices should run clear), turning occasionally. [Transfer 3/4-cup of the cooked sauce to a bowl to reserve for serving as a garnishment. Use the remaining sauce—the “basting sauce”—on the grilling chicken.]

 Using a pastry brush, coat the chicken pieces with some of the basting sauce. Cover and continue to grill, turning and basting with more sauce several times, every 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover the grill, move the pieces toward the hotter center of the rack, add the last of the basting sauce to crisp and achieve a slight crust, about 2 minutes each side.

To serve, transfer the chicken to a platter. Pass the sauce at the table.

Serves 6.

*Note: Boiling and reducing the sauce cooks off the alcohol in the wine—no “designated eaters” required!

*Additional Italian recipes, videos, and photos are available on my Beyond the Pasta app for iPad/iPhone at iTunes.

How does your garden grow?

June is the month that kicks off summer vacations, and our enjoyment of all things outdoors. Gardening is one of those enjoyments. Some people take vacations to escape, check out, and relax. I like to vacation to places that inspire me, that feed my creativity, and that allow my world to expand. With this in mind, I thought I’d share one of the ways my Italian vacations have influenced my life back home—gardening.

Now to be completely upfront, I am not responsible for the gardens in the yard. My partner Richard is the green thumb. But when we vacation in Italy, we are both inspired by Italian gardens. Some are free to the public, like the Villa Borghese in Rome, others are open to guided tours, while some are only open via appointment, but apart from their varying degrees of accessibility, all are worth a visit.

Italian gardens, regardless of size, tend to have some commonalities: water features (whether fountains, pools, lakes, or streams), statuary (dogs are a favorite animal, mythological deities and creatures, or biblical characters), nympharum or grottos (a rocky subterranean-or underwater-looking structure where water nymphs and muses inhabit the ferns and water plants), and mathematical principals reflected in symmetry and proportion (often pathways are centered on a distant focal point of interest, such as a bell tower or monument; and they may be lined with trees or shrubs, again, luring you to explore further).

In our home “garden,” we have incorporated some of these Italian garden ideas. Simple single-spout fountains, small boxwood-lined planting beds, and decorative metal or terracotta planters are easy ways to take grand ideas from an Italian villa and express them in your gardening.

I hope you notice how we have done that, and that you find inspiration from photos of our garden, and of some of our favorite Italian gardens we have visited. Remember, you don’t have to rule a kingdom to be the master of your own gardening domain. A well-placed pot of petunias can be as beautiful and visually therapeutic as a 500-foot-long reflecting pool lined with marble water nymphs. Don’t be threatened by grandeur; be inspired by it!

When you eat something delicious you say that it is “buonissimo,” but this is a feast for the eyes, so I’ll wish you all well with this salutation~

“Bellissimo giardino!”—a gorgeous garden!

Mark

*Search the internet for more information about the Italian gardens featured below.

Our Garden

Il Parco dei Mostri (The Monster Park), Bomarzo:

Palazzo Reale, Caserta:

Cento Botanico Moutan, east of Bagnaia:

Villa Chigi Cetinale, west of Siena:

Giardini Giusti, Verona:

Orto Botanico, Rome:

Vatican Gardens, Vatican City, Rome:

Villa Bardini, Florence:

Villa Borghese, Rome:

Villa Farnese, Caprarola:

Villa Chigi a Vicobello, overlooking Siena:

Villa Doria Pamphili, Rome:

Villa Giulia, Rome:

Villa Lante, Bagnaia:

Villa Medici, Rome:

Villa Pisani, Strà:

Villa San Michele, Capri:

Villa Torrigiani, east of Lucca: