FOODIE

When In Rome...
By Peter & Bob/ foodie@longislandernews.com

A recent trip brought us Foodies to Foodie Paradise: Italia! In that boot-shaped land of ‘mangiamo,’ we enjoyed eight days of non-stop epicurean pleasure; each meal seemingly was better than the last.

We lived and ate by the axiom “When in Rome…” and quickly fell into the routine of frequent espresso breaks between meals enjoyed with lots of company.

Italians’ love of simple pleasures starts with food. A midday meal at a Trattoria in Rome… a late night dinner at one of the city’s finest restaurants… a parade of simple fare at a rural farmhouse in Salerno… each had its high points, but all shared one common denominator. The food was fresh, it was simple, it was plentiful, and it was appreciated by these two adventurous Foodies. To the extent that it’s possible, we’re working on recreating the best experiences in our home kitchens.

Balm d’olivia: The kitchen at Ristorante Vie Alla Due Fontanelle was very cooperative with a slew of special requests. We asked for garlic, fresh oregano, basil and red chili pepper to create an herb-infused dipping sauce for the traditional crusty bread. Bob went to great pains to explain what he’d need. Brows knit, our waiter listened to the request, and declared that what he wished to make was a “balm.”

Here’s the recipe: Slice two cloves fresh garlic, finely chop several basil leaves and oregano sprigs. In a small bowl, grind with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a few pinches of chili pepper flakes, stir in about 1/4 cup olive oil. Spoon a bit onto a bread plate and soak it up with a crusty bread. You may never go back to plain olive oil again.

Red snapper carpaccio: In New York City, they call it “crudo.” In Italy, it’s carpaccio; generally beef or lamb sliced paper thin and served raw, it gets the name from an Italian artist whose paintings tend to resemble the thin-sliced, pink-toned meat slices. If the chef at Due Fontanelle thought we were pesky about our balm d’olivia, he rose to the challenge when we asked about a pesce carpaccio. The menu offered salmon sashimi, but that night’s chef had a just caught snapper, which he sliced paper thin atop equally razor-thin lemon slices. It barely floated in a slightly buttery sauce of olive oil and lemon with a few dots of green basil sauce for color and contrast.

Want to try it at home? The key is a sushi-grade fish – snapper and sea bass are favorites – sliced paper thin. Mayonnaise-based sauces are common and easy to experiment with; the ultimate topping is a dusting of white truffle shavings.

Pork loin medallions with bay leaves and bacon: From the restaurant in the mountainside city of San Giacomo in the Salerno region, we enjoyed a VIP feast. It began with antipasti: prosciuttio and saprocetta, local olives and fresh mozzarella di bufala – or buffalo milk mozzarella. Even the veggies were delicious – grilled baby artichokes and grilled marinated eggplant. Like an exclamation point to a fantastic parade of delicacies, our waiter circled the table with a platter of skewered meat. The scents of bacon and bay leaves mingled as the plate grew closer. On a single skewer were a trio of pork loin medallions, each encircled with a layer of bay leaves and a skin of bacon. Grilled with a slight hint of lemon or perhaps a vinegary wine sauce and pepper, it was a simple and spectacular main course.

This was the first dish attempted at home and the simplicity of its preparation assured it was pretty successful. Start with a 1- to 1-1/4 lb pork tenderloin. Marinate an hour or more with white wine, a squeeze of lemon and fresh ground pepper. Slice into 1-1/2 inch thick medallions, or about the thickness of a bay leaf. Overlap bay leaves along the edge of each medallion about halfway around, then wrap a slice of bacon all the way around the edge, securing with a toothpick. Though it’s not Italian, we used applewood smoked bacon and might even add apple cider to the marinade next time. Run a long skewer through three medallions, edge to edge, and pan grill or broil until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

You won’t want to eat the bay leaves, but you will enjoy the sophisticated flavor they add to this simple dish.

Finis: If there’s anything to be learned in Italy, it’s that a cup of espresso is the perfect finish to any meal. If you can’t take it straight, froth up some hot milk with a whisk and enjoy something sweet with it. Perhaps we’ll do desserts on the next trip. Until then… Ciao!

Main Menu