Italian Cooking Forum with Paolo Villoresi

When I was a boy, a huge dinner had a place in the big enchanting kitchen of the Villa at the beginning of every January: it was the day our farmer slaughtered the pig. On that occasion, we ate only the pig and all of the pig! Our farmers and their helpers came to this feast, so did the one who slaughtered the pig, il norcino, who was also a poet, singer and guitarist. Both illustrious and humble friends of the family showed up, together with all our family. We called it La Smaialata, which means both the dinner on the pig and of the pig! Once I was sitting next to the American wife of a dear sculptor friend and she asked for my advice. My grasp of English was almost nothing at that time, but I understood that she wanted to know what to put on her plate. She would put one piece to try and, if it was okay, other pieces followed. This happened for the pieces of pig’s liver as well, and she ate 12 of them while I man- aged to put away 36. Then her husband asked her if she liked pig’s liver and she made a terrible face, saying, “No, no, thank you.”

Arista with potatoes was and is the important dish of the feast. The real name is Arista alla Fiorentina, but because fiorentina has become synonymous with spinach in

America, I changed its name. The epithet fiorentina comes from the Queen of France, Catherine de’ Medici, who was from Florence and introduced many dishes and ingredients like spinach to France. The French hated their queen and used the name of her city of origin not to say her name. Arista is a very classic dish, very appetizing. In Florentine trattorias it is often offered cold covered in its warm sauce. The name arista comes probably from the Latin arista, which means “something from the best part,” of the pig’s body; or from the Greek, ariston (the best).

And now the recipe and buon appetito!
-Paolo Villoresi

Roast Pork Loin with Potatoes
Arista alla Fiorentina con Patate

1 pork loin, about 3 pounds, bone in
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, leaves only
2 tablespoons fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
2 pounds baby potatoes, scrubbed and pricked with a fork

Have your butcher prepare a loin of pork with the bone cut away from, but left inside the meat. Preheat the oven to 400°. Mince the garlic, rosemary and sage and mix with the salt and the pepper. Divide this mixture in two equal parts and mix one half with the butter using a fork. Mix the other half with 3 tablespoons of the oil. Lift the pork up vertically on one end and, with a sharp and narrow knife, cut a long hole through the middle of the pork. Make sure you do not cut all the way through to the other end. Enlarge the cut with a wooden spoon. Stuff the opening with the butter and herb mixture, pushing it all the way in with your finger, or the handle of the wooden spoon. Fill the entire cavity in this manner. Using butchers string (that you have soaked in warm water beforehand), tie the loin rather tightly, starting from the end at which you made the cut. Cover the outside of the meat and bone with the oil and herb mixture. Place in a roasting pan that is double the size of the pork loin along with the remaining olive oil. Put the pan in the oven. The meat will need to cook for 2 hours, being checked every 20 minutes and turned several times. After 1 hour and 20 minutes, add the potatoes to the pan, stirring well to coat with the olive oil and meat drippings. After 15 minutes, stir the potatoes. After another 15 minutes, add the wine to the pan, stirring to coat the potatoes. Allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Wine pairing: Dry and crisp white

• This story and recipe were featured in the January 2011 issue of our e-magazine Cibo. To subscribe, please click here.

Panettone and pandoro are the quintessential Italian Christmas desserts. Today, these cakes can now be found in more than Italian specialty stores and can even be picked up in many local supermarkets. Part of their appeal is that they are ready-made desserts that you just have to slice when you are ready to serve. But if you want to do something special, try this ice cream-stuffed pandoro recipe. Although you will have to work a little harder than when serving plain panettone or pandoro, with not too much effort you will have a sweet masterpiece. 

Ice Cream-Stuffed Pandoro

1 pre-made pandoro
1 jar maraschino cherries with juice
1⁄4 cup white wine
1⁄2 gallon vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
1⁄2 cup currants
1 cup chocolate chips
1⁄2 gallon chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Assemble the ingredients.
2. Using a serrated knife, slice the pandoro horizontally 1 inch from the bottom. Set the bottom aside and turn the pandoro on its side.
3. Using your fingers or a spoon, make the pandoro shell by scooping out the center of the pandoro, leaving about a 1-inch border all the way around. Reserve the inside to use for the pandoro pudding recipe and set the pandoro shell aside.
4. Drain the maraschino cherries and reserve the juice. Transfer the juice to a small bowl and set the cherries aside. Add the white wine to the maraschino juice and mix well. Brush the inside of the pandoro with the maraschino-wine mixture. Set the pandoro aside.
5. In a bowl or on a cold, flat marble surface, combine the vanilla ice cream, currants, chocolate chips and cherries.
6. Quickly work the ingredients together until well combined, without letting the ice cream melt.
7. Add in the chocolate ice cream and mix only slightly to swirl the ice cream flavors together.
8. Carefully transfer the ice cream into the pandoro shell, gently pressing the ice cream against the walls of the pandoro. Repeat until it is completely filled.
9. Replace the bottom slice to cover the ice cream. Carefully turn the pandoro over so it is right side up and place in the freezer for 2 hours. When the pandoro is firm and ready to serve, dust with confectioners’ sugar and slice into wedges.  Serves 12

• This recipe was featured in the December 2010 issue of our e-magazine Cibo. To subscribe, please click here.  

Two well-known Italian combinations are melon and prosciutto, and mozzarella, tomato and basil. Instead of just serving slices of melon and prosciutto or a caprese salad, try presenting them in a whole new way—with skewers.

Melon, Provolone and Prosciutto Skewers

1 cantaloupe

24 thin slices prosciutto

6 ounces provolone, cubed
1⁄2 bunch mint leaves

Cut the cantaloupe into 1-inch thick rings and set one of the rings aside for later use. Remove the rind from the remaining rings and cut the cantaloupe into small cubes. Thread the melon, prosciutto and provolone pieces onto skewers in alternating order, beginning with 1 mint leaf. Arrange the reserved cantaloupe ring on a serving platter. Stick the skewers in the cantaloupe ring and serve. Serves 6

Wine paring: Dry and crisp white

Mozzarella and Cherry Tomato Skewers

24 bite-sized mozzarella balls (bocconcini)
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
24 basil leaves
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Thread the mozzarella, tomatoes and basil leaves onto skewers in alternating order. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used. Transfer the skewers to a serving platter and sprinkle with the chives. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the olive oil and serve. Serves 4

Wine paring: Dry and crisp white

• These recipes were featured in the October 2010 issue of our e-magazine Cibo. To subscribe, please click here.

It is rare to find multiple attributes in one cheese (soft or hard, sweet or pungent), but Montasio is like some of the most famous wines of Italy that have several characters (normale, riserva, superiore) and many high notes, when it comes to taste.  The reason for this is that three separate cheeses are produced and fall under one name. Montasio is a DOP, Denomination of Protected Origin, cheese that originated in the northeastern region Friuli- Venezia Giulia, but today it is also manufactured in the provinces of Belluno, Treviso, Padua, and Venice in Veneto.

The cheese is made from cow’s milk and can be found in fresh, semi-aged, and aged versions. The fresh Montasio is available after two months and has a soft, smooth, and pliable texture with a mild taste and a hint of sweetness. After 5 to 10 months the semi-aged cheese is ready for consumption and has developed a firmer consistency and slightly stronger flavor, but is still on the mild side; also the color has changed from off-white to straw-yellow. In its final act, the fully aged cheese, which is typically used after one year, completes its transformation and becomes darker, compact, flaky, and pungent.

Montasio can be used in many ways. The younger versions are characteristically eaten as a table cheese, whereas the matured cheese is frequently used for grating. However, both semi-aged and aged pair beautifully with cured meats, such as prosciutto or salame, as well as fruit, like pears and apples, while the fresh and aged varieties melt easily and create a flavorful sauce for pastas, meats, and vegetables.

Gnocchi with Montasio Sauce and Leeks
Serves 6

2 tablespoons butter
1⁄4 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
nutmeg, freshly grated
10 ounces fresh Montasio, diced
1 1⁄2 pounds potato gnocchi
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

In a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes over medium-low heat without allowing the flour to take on color. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, heat the milk until it’s almost boiling. Slowly pour the milk into the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat, whisking often, until thick, about 8 minutes. Lower the heat if the sauce starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Transfer the sauce to a double boiler and add the Montasio. Stir until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leeks and cook until translucent. Remove the gnocchi from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the sauce. Add the leeks and toss well to coat. Serve immediately.

 Wine Pairing: Fruity light-bodied white

• This Montasio recipe and article was featured in the Septmeber 2010 issue of our e-magazine Cibo. To subscribe, please click here.