THE ARCHIVE

Italy may be known primarily for pizza and pasta, but its culinary expertise extends far beyond fine-grain foods.  Two summers ago, my friend Annie set out on a two-month mission to collect regional recipes with the flavors of Italy, but without the gluten.  The best of these have recently been published in her cookbook “Olio, Aglio.”

Here’s an explanation from Annie:

“Olio Aglio, translated means literally “oil, garlic”. It is an Italian cookbook created specifically for Celiacs and those following a gluten free diet. … The recipes are split into four categories based on the four regions: Trentino-Alto Adige is full of hearty meals, Tuscany has many fresh oil and wine based recipes, Puglia has the seafood, and Sicily wraps it together with delicious desserts.”

Copies of Olio Aglio are available online from AuthorHouse books. Click here to order yourself a copy directly from the publisher. Also, check out Annie’s blog “Silly What?” for more information and sample recipes.

With classes coming to an end and Fall break drawing near, members of the Cornell in Rome program gathered at Palazzo Lazzaroni for a parting meal. Our administrative director and surrogate mother, Anna Rita, organized the evening and taught us the delicate process of making gnocchi from scratch.

How many architects does it take to make a good meal? Last night, more than a dozen of us kneaded dough and shaped the little balls of potato and flour on makeshift tables in the lecture hall. With dough stuck to our hands and flour on the floor, we crafted a few hundred gnocchi into interesting (albeit inconsistent) shapes. Anna Rita boiled these in the tiny Palazzo kitchen and added a variety of different sauces. We assembled a long table and crowded around to taste all the food that had been prepared.

If you are interested in making hand-made gnocchi, I’ve included the recipe below. No guarantees that this will work without the assistance of an experienced Italian chef, but it’s worth a shot.

Ingrediente:

• 1 kg (~3lbs) potatoes
• 300 g (~2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 egg

Preparazione:

• Boil potatoes until soft (about 45min.)
• Peel and rice (or shred) potatoes
• Place them onto a large work surface; make a well in the middle
• Cover with flour and break egg into well
• Mix and knead ingredients (5-10min)
• Roll into 2-3 cm logs and cut diagonally
• Use finger or fork to press and roll gnocchi (this gives them a shape that will hold more sauce)
• Boil gnocchi until they rise to surface
• Drain and add a sauce of your choice

Buon appetito!

A couple people asked about our pizza recipe so I thought I’d post it to the site.  You might be surprised how easy it is to make a good pizza–and there is unlimited room for creativity.  Below is a shorthand version of the recipe we borrowed from “the little big cook book.”  Try it out and have fun.

Ingrediente: (serves 1-2)

• ½ oz (15g) fresh yeast or a ¼ oz package of active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup (150ml) warm water
• 2 cups (200g) all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt

Preparazione:

• Soak the yeast in half (1/3 cup) of the warm water for 10 minutes
• Combine flour, salt, yeast mixture, and remaining water in bowl. Stir.
• Knead for about 5 minutes
• Place in bowl and cover for about 1 hour (it should double in size).
• Knead for about 1 minute
• Make the pizza as thin or thick as desired.
• Add toppings–sauce, cheese, vegetables, meat (anything goes).
• Set aside for ten minutes
• Bake 10-15 minutes at 450F (230C).

Buon Appetito

This is what a lot of Italians do with their leftover pasta. We attempted cooking a frittata yesterday and it turned out pretty well.  The recipe is flexible and will taste different depending on the pasta–no harm in experimenting though.

Ingrediente:

• 3 pinches Salt
• ½ tsp Chili powder
• A few shakes of Pepper
• ½ tsp Oregano
• A sprig of Rosemary
• Olive oil
• Pasta with red sauce (best if cooked the day before and marinating in the fridge).
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Preparazione:

• In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, salt, chili, oregano, and cheese together.
• Place pasta in a frying pan with oil.
• When eggs are slightly foamy, pour over pasta and fold together. Put on heat. Let sit until top is not cooked, but holding together. Attempt to flip the frittata (this may be difficult), and finish cooking.

[Collected in Puglia from Giuseppe]

…just a glorified omelette if you ask me.

Here’s another recipe from my friend‘s gluten-free Italian cookbook. I’m curious what you all think of it. If you make it, send along a picture and I’ll post it here (I’ve heard that food photography is extremely difficult though). Cheers.

Ingrediente:

• 2 zucchini
• 3 potatoes
• olive oil
• salt
• palm full of pepper- fresh ground
• 4 cloves garlic- chopped
• palm full of mint- chopped

Preparazione:

1. Wash, slice zucchini and potatoes (about ¼ inch thick).
2. In one bowl, pour olive oil (about 1/3 cup) and mix in the pepper.
3. In another bowl, pour olive oil and the chopped garlic and mint.
4. Grill potatoes in a pan with salt until brown on both sides.
5. After potatoes are cooked, put them into pepper bowl and evenly cover with the mix. Sprinkle with 2 pinches of salt.
6. Grill zucchini in the same manner; after grilling, cover with garlic and mint mixture.
7. Now eat your vegetables… and enjoy it.

Buon Appetito!

We have been eating very well here at Cerreto Libri. This is a recipe for my favorite meal so far–and it is easy enough for a guy to cook. (Thanks to Annie for writing this up).

Pollo per Uomini

Ingrediente:
2 boneless chicken breasts
Thinly sliced prosciutto (possibly bacon?)
Large sage leaves, fresh
Olive oil
Salt

Preparazione:
1. Press a slice of prosciutto onto both sides of each chicken breast.
2. Do the same with the Sage leaves.
3. Pour olive oil into pan (1/4 inch) and let heat over low. Do not heat oil too hot because the chicken is not meant to be deep fried.
4. Place chicken into pan and let cook until ready (flip once).
5. Save oil as dipping sauce for bread (“la scarpetta”)

(here are few famous men from Italy. They probably ate chicken, prosciutto and sage too)