Meet Jane Adams....author of The Tuscan Corner
Jane Adams is a Somerset gal through and through, oh and an Italian through and through. Jane has her own blog which I greatly admire and after a recent trip to Italy she has become (may I say it?) obsessed with Italian cooking! I have invited Jane to guest blog for Cascio's from time to time and here is her first installment. Enjoy!
"The Tuscan Corner"
After returning from a recent, twice planned, once canceled, long awaited, greatly anticipated two week trip to Italy, I have been cooking like the half blooded Italian I am! Exposed to some of the simpler dishes by my grandmother who wanted to pass along traditions, I was more interested in eating them than preparing them. How things change with maturity!
Tuscany is where we spent our first week comfortably tucked in a delightful farm house, swimming under the Tuscan sun (I had to use that once), leaving only for food, wine, and local culture. A few weeks before we left, I was given Beth Elon’s book “A Culinary Traveler in Tuscany” as a gift. It’s a travel itinerary/cook book for that region of Italy. Beth shares her love of the area, knowledge of local history and suggests various day trips. She also steers the reader not only to restaurants but specific meals on the menu, complete with recipes. While I made it to none of her favored eateries, I’ve been “devouring” the recipes which in turn has made me seem like somewhat of a gastronomical genius!
Just as we in the United States have foods associated with various regions, so do the Italians. Logically it has evolved because of proximity to the ingredients. Now that being said, regional styles of eating do share some common themes: pasta, risotto and polenta. Olive oil too, of course.
The Tuscan diet is sensible and based on fresh, local produce such as artichokes, beets, tomatoes and fagiole (beans). Pork, beef and regional game (rabbit, wild boar) are often featured in stews or in sauces. Olives, chestnuts and fungi (porcini and truffles) are also staples. Rosemary seems to grow almost wild. NoTuscan meal would be complete without a fresh loaf of Tuscan bread and a good bottle of wine made from the local Sangiovese grapes, the main grape of the region, Chianti.
I’m not channeling Julia Roberts and I’m not going to spend one year cooking every recipe (besides I’m fresh out of wild boar). However, I do plan to prepare and share as many as I can. Recently I tackled this simple, yet elegant dish. If you like red beets, you will love this! Serve it to your dinner guests and they will think you slaved for hours! Mangia!
Farfalle with Red Beet Sauce (Farfalle Con Barbabietole)
4 medium beets
Salt
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
4 TBsp olive oil
1/2 C vegetable broth
2 Tbsp fresh cream (whipping cream)
1 pound Farfalle (bow tie pasta)
Small bunch of basil, chopped
Fresh Parmesan to sprinkle
Prepare the beets in a good amount of salted water until they are cooked but still firm. Peel the beets, cut them in half and then slice thin. Heat the oil with the crushed and chopped garlic. When it begins to bubble, add the beets and the vegetable broth. Cook for only a minute or so, stirring well and add the cream. Remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring the water for pasta to a boil. While it is still very al dente, drain and add to the beets and cook for a few minutes until the pasta absorbs the sauce. Serve on a platter or individual plate. Sprinkle the chopped basil over the top along with a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
No comments:
Post a Comment