Cook Here and Now

Tomato: The fruit of love.

Buongiorno.
Among my Italian friends, we often speak of a most wonderous creature, an elusive being that we await for all year that reminds us we are not that far from home after all.

One taste, one look, and we're right there, if only for a few precious moments. Sun in our face, loud conversation surrounding us, words ending in vowels, and heat so intense, even thinking makes us sweat: This is the role of the tomato in Italian lore.

Last year, thanks to a fortuitous series of circumstances, a few Italian friends and I discovered a particularly phenomenal one. It was an organic, dry-farmed tomato from the Bartle family farm: Two Dog Farm. We all agreed it had the perfect flavor and texture, and we started buying up the stock at the only 2 markets in San Francisco that carried it. When the season ended in September 2005, we resigned ourselves to the fact that it would be another year until such a treat would grace our plates again.

Well, it's back! I quickly emailed the interested parties: Let the eating begin. Summer fog be damned! For us the tomato defines the season, not the lousy weather.

This past weekend, I'd just bought a couple of pounds at Buffalo grocery in the Castro, when I did my regular walk through the Alemany farmers' market — and lo and behold, what do I see?
Could it be? It was! I swiftly looked up and asked: Are you the Bartle family?
That's how I met Nibby and Miles (below), two farmers whose product allows me to feel just a bit closer to home.

The Bartles are a family of four from the Santa Cruz area running a small family farm, and it was their very first day at a San Francisco farmer's market.  I told them what their tomatoes meant for me and my friends, and how we looked forward to eating those dry-farmed beauties all year.

All their effort means something very special to me, to Ilaria, and to many others — on a personal level, not in some abstract way. From their care, to the market, to my hands, to me and my dinner guests.

Now if we could all reap such rewards from our daily work...

In Italian the tomato used to be called pomo d'amore, pome of love, back in the 1800s when it was the custom for a gentleman to bring a small tomato plant when  visiting his beloved. It was only introduced to Europe from central and south American plant in the 1500s, so it was still an exotic gift, like bringing an orchid these days. It wasn't eaten; its kinship with the notorious Deadly Nightshade (in Italian, belladonna) affected its popularity as an edible vegetable. Between the lethal belladonna (literally, "beautiful woman" in Italian) and the supposedly poisonous pome of love, you can make your own deductions about the Italians' particular outlook on love and relationships.

Over time, the pomo d'amore's red, orange and sometimes bright yellow colors turned its name to pomo d'oro (pome of gold), and that's how it remains to this day: Pomodoro. The word in English and most other western languages come from the Nahuatl (the language used by the Aztecs) tomatl.

Which ones do I buy?
Taste them and buy only the fresh, ripe, spicy-scented ones — put your nose to them already! When fresh, they're a nutritional powerhouse. If they're allowed to ripen on the vine, tomatoes develop a very rich, full flavor thanks to the presence of the savory Glutamic acid (present in most meats). Glutamic acid is responsible for one of the basic five flavors: Umami. At full ripeness you'll also notice a a carmel undertone that comes from the production of the desired furaneol aroma compound (also present in strawberries and pineapples).

Don't bother buying supermarket-variety tomatoes, the poster children of flavorless produce. These tomato species are selected for their capacity to tolerate long shipping, instead of flavor. They're picked when still green, and their red color is produced with exposure to ethylene gas.
 

Now, do everyone a favor: Go to the market, sample a few Bartle tomatoes and bring some home. Slice them, dress them with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar, indulge their demand for a few leaves of sun-drenched basil, add some fresh, creamy mozzarella, and devour.

Let the textures and flavors overwhelm your palate. It's great to let summer in.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday, September 17th

Saturday, September 2nd update:

There are now only 1 or 2 slots open for people bringing wild-caught salmon entrees.
Thanks to a great response, all other slots are now full.

If you want to participate in the next dinner, please stay tuned.

Grazie,
Marco Flavio

Buongiorno.
First of all, thanks to everyone who came to our meeting on Thursday—it was terrific.
One of the best things about the Bay Area is the diversity we bring to the table, and it was great to see that at our first Cook Here and Now meeting. Next time, we'll get to taste it.

The plan
20-25 of us will cook and eat together on September 17, starting at around 2:30 (details to come).
The dinner will be in San Francisco. Jeremy has kindly offered his company's very large, multiple-range kitchen for our gathering. Thank you, Jeremy, for making this dinner possible.
There will be enough space for us to use the stoves and ovens in a couple of shifts.

Registration will be limited to 25 people (which means that realistically there may be around 20 people, with the California flaking-at-the-last-minute syndrome) and every person coming (including any guests you bring) will either cook something or provide wine and drinks (see below).

We'll divide the cooking among the participants this way (but I am open to suggestions):

2 participants will make appetizers for 20 each (please include some vegetarian options)
10 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each (please include some vegetarian options)
3 participants will make salads for 6 people each
3 participants will make desserts for 8-10 people each
5 participants will bring 2 bottles of good wine (or one bottle of really good wine plus a six-pack of beer)
1 participant will bring non-alcoholic beverages for 20 (sparkling water, juices, soda)

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 25 people confirmed, I will close the event. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

Ingredients
We decided to pick these together, so we'll work with what the group decides (Iron Chef-style, only without the competition bit). Jamie suggested wild salmon, which we seemed to agree on (and the season is limited, so let's go for it). Please refer to this guide for the certified sustainable species by the Marine Stewardship Council. Please skip PCBs-laden farmed (or Atlantic) salmon.
Below I've suggested some seasonal September produce; now YOU get to vote the ones you want.  We should pick 3 vegetables and one fruit.

Here are the possibilities: 
Vegetables: chard, green beans, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, or tomatoes
Fruit: Figs, grapes or plums

So post a comment here letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc. and if it's vegetarian)
Your vote for ingredients (please pick 3 vegetables and 1 fruit from the list above)

I'll tally the results and post a list of the chosen ingredients, and who's bringing what.
If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.
If the votes are tied for ingredients, I'll flip a coin.

This is going to be great! So sign up before we have no space left.
Precedence will be given to the people who came on Thursday night, but please feel free to pass the word to fellow foodies.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

King Flavor: A plum choice.

Buongiorno.
A plum is a plum, right? Well—yes and no.
There are 2,000 varieties of plums and according to the Center for Disease Control more than 140 are sold in the States. That doesn't even include pluots (3/4 plum, 1/4 apricot hybrid) which are also frequently labeled plums.

Here's the problem: Supermarkets have been telling us less and less about what we eat. We have 14 types of peanut butter, but only one or two labeled plums? I don't think so.

One plum you might like because of its gingery, tart flavor, one for its sweet and delicate aroma. Many may be too perfumy or tangy for your taste. If you only have the one you don't like and it's called a plum, you'll assume that you don't like plums. Wrong. You haven't been given sufficient information. Go and sample. Just like with customer service: Always ask for a name.

Last weekend I was pleased to discover that one of my favorites is finally on the stands: King Flavor. It's a red or maroon pluot, very sweet, with a rich, broad but not perfumy scent and a tangy underflavor. Now, we all agree: They were not going for subtlety with that name, but sometimes you have to tell it like it is.

I bought a couple of pounds of these maroon organic beauties from Ferrari Farms from Linden, CA ($2 a pound; thank you Señor Mario for the advice) thinking that with the other fruit I bought they would last me through the week. Not so. They're gone. Bye-bye. And I'm a happier man for it. They were here, they were delicious and I ate them all in no time flat.

Plums are one of those summer treats that bring back memories—and if you have no plum memories, now's as good as any other time to start making some. Nutritionally, they're rich in Vitamin C, fiber (4% of your daily allowance in 1 plum), have a good amount potassium, and are cholesterol- and sodium-free. It's great snack after a hike or a run, or between meals.

How do I select them?
When you're about to buy them, make sure they're firm to the touch but give a little.  They will not get any sweeter as they ripen—so if they're tart when you sample them, that's how they'll remain.
They'll ripen and soften further if left outside the fridge 1 or 2 days, especially in a warm room. At that point they can be refrigerated 2-3 days to prevent them from becoming overripe. If they're too hard (don't give almost at all to the touch, tennis-ball-like) they might've been too underripe when picked, and may never be ready to be eaten.

If you get them from a farmer's market they often still have the "bloom", that fog-like patina that indicates minimal handling and freshness. Before eating them (if you can find it in you to wait), let them come to room temperature. Their flavor will bloom; cold temperatures inhibit aromas (this goes for almost any food or beverage).

What enhances their flavor?
Savory spices, especially when poached or roasted. Try cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg. Vanilla also works well; try dicing some and eating them with a little vanilla ice cream.
If you can resist eating them out of the bag and want to cook with them, here are some ideas from RecipeZaar.com. Hint, hint: Try the Vanilla Poached Plums or the Plums in Marsala (but forget the yogurt).

When are they available?
They peak in August and September. Drive, walk, run to the market!
They're on the stands June through October.

On a (more) personal note...
Plums are a really important artistic motif in Asian art, and one of the images that directed me toward the study of Japanese woodblock printmaking was Ando Hiroshige's "Plum estate, Kameido" from his series 100 famous views of Edo (on left). It's a strikingly modern image that went on to influence Western art via the Impressionists and Van Gogh, who made a well-known oil painting copy of the print.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Risotto cooked in Spumante with summer squash, zucchini and basil

Buongiorno.
I know. You are also happy it's summer. Even in San Francisco, where the sun is as elusive as a sane ad on Craigslist's personals. But it is and those summer squash looked amazing this weekend. How could I resist?
This recipe is based on my Risotto. Start Here. post so use that as a guideline. As always, if you make it let me know how you liked it.

Ingredients:

All the ingredients from the Risotto. Start Here. post plus:

2 Tbs butter or Extra Virgin olive oil

3/4 lb. zucchini, diced

3/4 lb. summer squash, diced

2 cups of Italian Spumante or California sparkling wine.
Warm, NOT out of the fridge.

1 cup of basil leaves

1/4 cup of heavy cream (optional)


How do I do it?
You make the standard risotto recipe, but when you are cooking the onion at the beginning you also add the extra butter and the diced vegetables. When you are supposed to add the wine use 3/4 of a cup of the Spumante instead.
Half-way through the cooking use the remaining spumante to cook the rice as you would use the broth. It will impart a sweet and tangy flavor to the risotto, complemented by the zucchini and the squash and offset by the basil at the end.
Only when the risotto is cooked you add the basil as a garnish or tossed in right before serving. The oils from basil are very sensitive to heat. If you cook them too much, they will lose their aroma very quickly.

If you are using the squash in the photo, before dicing them slice their very top off and use it as a garnish. Even the eye gets its fill.
Have a fantastic dinner and serve with the remaining Spumante or sparkling wine.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Risotto. Start here.

This is the dish you need to have under your belt to earn your Italian cooking credentials. Until then you will always be a dabbler. I know it, you know it. Once you have this down you can say buon appetito and mean it. The variations are endless and one pot serves 6 people.
The photo is of my Summer squash, zucchini and basil risotto cooked in Spumante, you will get the recipe in a couple of days... I promise.

What rice do I buy?
Italian rice is cultivated to have specific qualities that create the creamy texture of risotto.
The creaminess comes from the layer of starch that surrounds the kernel. For this reason, never rinse Italian rice.
The right temperature and method of cooking dissolves this starch creating the effect we have come to covet. It's not the butter or oil or cheese that do that (well, ok, they do help).
Arborio is the most readily available (Trader Joe's carries it). Other better but hard-to-find options are Carnaroli or Vialone Nano. Use only these kinds if you want a real risotto.

What pot do I use?
You will need a 5-6 quart heavy bottomed pot. A Le Creuset 5.5 quart is ideal (it also looks great on the table, mine is obviously flame-red) but an excellent alternative is any pot that distributes heat slowly and in a diffused manner. One of the many stainless steel pots with a thick aluminum disk at the bottom (like All-Clad, Calphalon or Cuisinart Chef's Classic) will do the job just fine. We used to use a copper pot back home.

What ingredients do I need?

1 medium onion

salt and pepper (freshly ground, please)

1/4 cup of olive oil or 4Tbs of butter

1 lb of Italian rice

2 quarts (depending on the rice) of  stock, homemade if possible. You have the chance to add a lot of flavor here; don't underestimate the stock in risotto.
Vegetable or chicken stock works best, depending on the recipe. Beef is too strong.

3/4 Cup of dry white whine. Warm, NOT out of the fridge. If the wine is too cold it will shock the rice and leave you with a hard kernel at the center in the end. (Sauvignon Blanc works well, Chardonnay is a bit too buttery, not tangy enough. If that's what you have, go for it.)

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese. (Not Pecorino, it is too pungent.)

How do I do it?
The process is similar for most risotti:
Place a minced medium onion and a 1/4 cup of olive oil (I am a southerner, therefore I don't use butter in it) in the pot over a low flame. You can use 2 Tbs of oil, and 3 of butter. That also works very well, especially for spring vegetable, saffron or mushroom risotti.
Once the onion is soft (not brown), add the rice and toast it with no liquid for 5-7 minutes stirring constantly so it does not burn or stick. The kernels should look translucent; their edges will look almost transparent and milky. This is very important for its final consistency. If you add the liquid right away and cook it, it will eventually became soggy and offer no bite. It must be toasted.

Now add the warm wine and let the rice absorb it, always stirring.
Once the wine has been absorbed, start ladling the stock in 1/2 a cup at a time (eyeball it, please! No measuring). The rice needs to cook in liquid mantaining a steady simmer (adjust flame). Not too much or too little of it and it must to be stirred constantly with a wooden or plastic (ack!) spoon. Metal might damage the kernels (I know, I know, so much to think about. But really, it's not that bad).

The idea is to have enough liquid for it to be stirred comfortably (about 2/3 covered) but not be completely submerged. You should always see about an inch of liquid at the bottom when you stir. If you see the bottom of the pot, it's too dry. As it absorbs water, add enough for 2/3 of the rice to be in liquid. If you run out of stock, warm water can finish the job. Add broth until barely al dente, about 20-25 minutes. If you like it firm, stop adding broth and let it finish cooking on the dry side. If you like yours more wet in the Venetian style we call All'Onda (Wave-style), add some more broth.

Once cooked, this is when you add the Parmigiano and a Tbs or 2 of butter and you do the mantecato (stir it in after cooking). If you are in a mood to wow and need your friends to give you money, toss in 1/4 Cup of heavy cream at this point. Out of control creamy and delicious.
Let sit for 3 minutes (you'll have to gather the dinner guests) and serve.

You're home safe.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Food group meeting: San Francisco Thursday, August 24th, 6.30 PM

Buongiorno,
it's time to gather and talk food.

Where: The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at 773 Market Street (in front of the Virgin store), San Francisco

When: August 24th, Thursday, 6.30 PM

Why: To meet other foodies interested in local, organic and seasonal food. Exchange recipes, information and anecdotes about food in the Bay Area. Everyone with an interest in these topics is welcome, you don't have to be a master chef to attend (I'm not).

There are no fees (I have been asked this quite a bit).
If you are joining us, please post a comment so that people know. It is our first meeting (not at a farmers' market) after all.
Ciao and see you there,
Marco Flavio

McDonalds co-promotion with Hummer. You heard me right.

Buongiorno.
I try to stay up-to-date with what is going on in the food world, and sometimes I stumble on a gem like this one. A true environmental black hole.

It's interesting to see what is going on at the other end of the spectrum... I guess.
It's also a good thing that girls meals feature "Polly Pocket" instead of the toy Hummer, so if you have a daughter you don't have to worry.
Wow, what century are we in again?

Go to McDonald's Happy Meal site and check out the other images. Here is the PDF of the press release, in case you are having a bad day and need a stronger pick-me-up:
Download McDonalds_Hummer_release.pdf.

Enjoy.
Marco Flavio

Trofie. The pasta pesto wants.

Buongiorno,
I'm always swapping information with Italian (and non) friends on where to find the one ingredient we thought we'd never find this side of the ocean with the glee of a 10-year-old on Christmas morning.
Sometimes they are false alarms, ghost hunts that lead nowhere: the ingredient is not quite right or of such low quality, it would have been better not to hear about it and get your hopes up. But sometimes we come across that elusive find that thrills us... and on it goes.

After my post on pesto my Italian friend from Naples, Ilaria, told me that she had just purchased at The Pasta Shop in Berkeley the kind of pasta they serve it with in Liguria: Trofie, pronounced like toffee with an r. It's a spiral shaped pasta with the thickness of a small straw and little nooks to catch that pesto and bring it to you.

Liguria is where pesto is from in Italy; for more information this is the Consortium of Genoese Pesto. (Unfortunately the site is only in Italian — for an amusing experience, translate it with Google Translate.)
Ilaria just gave me enough to try the full recipe... can't wait. If you want to use that beautiful Italian sauce and present a complete experience, go get yourself some at The Pasta Shop if you are in Berkeley or in Rockridge. If you'd like to try your hand at making them, here's the technique to really impress your friends and loved ones.

A presto pesto,
Marco Flavio

Milk, Part I. What to buy?

Buongiorno.
Milk is something we purchase on a weekly basis, whether to dilute the much-needed morning caffeine that allow us to face the day, or to turn an otherwise average pan sauce into the creamy wonder our meats and palate covet. When I arrived from Italy I thought purchasing milk would be an easy undertaking. Milk is milk, after all. Right? No. Not these days. There are a lot of options that have turned this simple choice into a bit of a maze.

Like many of you, I have been trying to do the right thing and buy food that is not filled with antibiotics, hormones and pesticides and still retains most of its nutrients. At the same time I would like my purchase to benefit the people and community that grow it, not pollute the environment (excessively) and ensure that the animals it comes from are treated in a humane manner.
These days that is quite the tall order.

But fear not: Here's some information I gathered for you, in the hope it will help you as it has helped me. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I'll examine the offerings and claims of readily available milk in Bay Area supermarkets.

Types of Milk

Whole milk:
1 CUP: Calories 149, Fat 7.7 grams, Calcium 291 mg
This is the milk to use for sauces and baking that has the most fat (aside from cream). In most recipes, where milk is called for, the fat is one of the reasons for its use. If you decide to use reduced fat or skim milk, your baked good may turn slightly dry and your pan sauce less creamy—so you may have to compensate with other ingredients. I say use the full fat and eat less of it. We only live once.

2% Milk:
1 CUP: Calories 121, Fat 4.4 grams, Calcium 296 mg
This milk works well for coffee drinks and it's fine for most baked goods. Try it and adjust the recipe as needed. For pan sauces it works also pretty well. Add a little flour (1tsp scant) to the pan to make your sauce thicker. I use it for baking muffins and reductions all the time. Go for it.

1% Milk:
1 CUP: Calories 104, Fat 2.2 grams, Calcium 312 mg
This has too little fat to bake or cook with. Use it for drinks or cereal, or wherever else calls for milk straight out of the carton, uncooked.

Nonfat Milk:
1 CUP: Calories 90, Fat 0.5 grams, Calcium 316 mg
Yikes! This is milk-flavored water.

Raw Milk:
This is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized. It has a deeper, stronger flavor.
There is a lot of controversy at the moment as not pasteurizing the milk can be unsafe due to the fact that salmonella and other harmful bacteria may not have been eliminated from it. Proponents of raw milk correctly assert that its flavor and nutritional values are superior. It's currently illegal in some states, but not in California. It's available at select groceries in San Francisco; Rainbow carries it. Go to Real Milk for more information. Note that the USDA discourages the consumption of raw milk.

(Nutritional information changes from producer to producer, as the various breeds of cows produce quite different milk. These are average quantities; read the Nutritional Label on your milk for specific information.)

Labeling

Pasteurized
Pasteurization is the process of heating up the milk in order to eliminate a large amount of the bacteria living in it. Unfortunately the process also eliminates part of the flavors, nutrients and vitamins. Hence the proponents of raw milk.
There are the two main methods of pasteurization:
HTST (high temperature, short time) is the most common. The milk is heated for at least 15 seconds at a temperature of 161.5°F. Most milk available in U.S. supermarkets uses this one.
UHT (ultra high temperature) The milk is heated for at least 2 seconds at a temperature of 280°F. This is used for milk that needs to be stored for a much longer period of time (it has a refrigerated life of 2 to 3 months). It tastes like old sneakers. Fortunately it is not very common, except in survival kits and in those single-serving containers they have in diners.

Homogenized
If you leave milk sitting around for a while, its cream will rise to the top and its fat will create a nice layer at the top, leaving an almost skim solution at the bottom. All you have to do is give it a good shake before serving. However, most consumers don't want to see this separation, so the dairy industry "homogenizes" the milk by passing the milk through a high pressure system; the fat droplets are broken into much smaller droplets and their surfaces become coated with protein more easily making it much more stable.

Vitamin D added
Vitamin D is actually not quite a vitamin but more similar to a hormone (see the definition). It aids the absorption of calcium. Milk is fortified with it so that people can actually absorb one of its most known nutrients.
Labeling the milk "Hormone-free" when Vitamin D is added is incorrect.

Vitamin A added
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble, antioxidant vitamin important in bone growth.

rBST
Bovine growth hormone re-engineered by Monsanto. This is a controversial hormone that regulates the production of milk in cattle. It can increase milk production from 10% to 40%. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require special labels for products produced from cows given rbST. When producers decide to label that their milk does not contain it, they must also state that by USDA standards there is no difference. However, hormone-free organic milk can be labeled as "hormone-free."
"Monsanto fought this labeling, and sued a small dairy called Oakhurst in an attempt to block organic dairies from labeling their milk hormone-free; they lost.
Demand for hormone-free organic milk in the US has increased 500% since Monsanto introduced their rbST product, and is the fastest growing sector of the organic food market." —Wikipedia

Organic
This is the USDA definition of organic: "Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation."
"Before a product can be labeled 'organic,' a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.  Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too."
Sadly there is no mention of access to pasture, humanely raised or grass-fed. There is an ongoing effort to change these standards and how they are applied to livestock, specifically their access to pasture and a diet that is compatible with their digestive tract and therefore humane: Cattle do very poorly on an all-grain diet (I will resume this topic at a later date, meanwhile see Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and Eatwild.com).

So many choices, and in the case of organic, a bit of exploiting our best intentions to sell us something that falls quite short of what we imagine we are buying. But more of that in the next installment. Some producers make a superior organic milk. Some do not. The problem always comes back to the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law. Oh, and profits.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Balsamic vinegar syrup

Hello there,
I received quite a few inquiries about this, so I thought I would separate the recipe from the original post for easy reference. Enjoy, and if you use it let me know.
Ciao,
Marco Flavio

Balsamic vinegar syrup

In a small sauce pan, heat up 2 Cups of balsamic vinegar and bring it to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer until reduced by half. Let it cool off, then put it in a spray bottle for ease of use, or a jar and spoon it when needed. Try to buy a good balsamic (but not the $20 and up for a small bottle), hopefully not the Trader Joe's. Whole Food carried the 365 line (about $5), that works really well. This syrup can also be used on meats, salads, even cheeses. I use it to top my portobello mushroom, carmelized onions and fontina pizza (that is for another posting). The slight sweetness and zing take the savory over the edge.

Enjoy!