The Cured Ham

Acqua al 2, San Diego Gaslamp District

When I lived in Florence, I must have walked by Acqua al 2 literally everyday as I walked to the Culinary Academy. I never ate at the Florence location. However, I have recently dined at the San Diego location. Unfortunately, it did not remind me of Florence.

I ordered some basics, arugula salad and risotto with mushrooms. The arugula salad was reasonably authentic albeit out of season. I would hate to think anyone can screw up a salad in health concious San Diego. Three items on the salad plate, fresh arugula, sliced cherry tomato, large shavings of grana, dressed lightly. The Italians at this point in the season wouldn't have used tomatoes, rather they would have used citrus in the salad. It's citrus season in California, but no citrus in site.

The risotto was far less inspiring. Virtually no presentation on a wide, long plate. The plate itself is part of the presentation and vessel for keeping the rice warm. The dish was brought out warm, but certainly not hot to the table. The dish itself didn't really pop, undersalted, and lacked any real depth of flavor. It was rice cooked with mushrooms, not risotto con funghi. I've made the dish far too many times to cut some slack for a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

I had higher hopes for a restaurant that has origins in a city so close to my heart.

2010 Leftover, Spiaggia, Chicago

My first time to Spiaggia, despite my many visits to the Windy City. Honestly, the service was a bit rocky that night. Lots of initial confusion as to what wine was available and what wine pairing for the tasting menu, much less the ability to order the meal. Probably a good 25 minutes before the order was taken and wine served. Service items aside, a good exploration of balsamico and its usage. The dish with the farm egg and the duck were my favorites of the evening.

However, this exploration of Italian cuisine only brought me back to Osteria Gia Sotto L'Arco in Carovigno, Puglia one of the finest meals I've ever had.

DEGUSTAZIONE DI ACETO BALSAMICO TRADIZIONALE DI REGGIO NELL EMILIA

RICOTTA FRESCA CON FICCHI E MIELE E SABA
Fresh ricotta, honey roasted black mission figs and saba

RILLETTE DI SALMONE CON BARBABIETOLE E CONDIMENTO BALSAMICO AGRO DI MOSTO
Wild Pacific King salmon rillette with roasted tri color beets, baby chives and Condimento Balsamico Agro di Mosto

POMODORINI, RUCOLA E UOVO E CONDIMENTO BALSAMICO SAN GIACOMO
Nichols Farm cherry tomatoes, crispy yellow polenta, Vandeboom Farm red egg, arugula and Condimento Balsamico San Giacomo

RAVIOLI DI MAIALE CON PAGLIOLAIA, CIPOLLE E FAGIOLINI E CONDIMENTO BALSAMICO ESSENZA
Braised pork filled ravioli, crispy dewlap, caramelized onions, baby green beans and Condimento Balsamico Essenza

RISOTTO BIANCO AL PARMIGIANO REGGIANO E ACETO BALSAMICO TRADIZIONALE ARAGOSTA D.O.P.
Creamy Acquerello risotto, Parmigiano Reggiano and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Aragosta D.O.P.

ANITRA ARROSTITA CON MELANZANE E UVE E ACETO BALSAMICO TRADIZIONALE ARGENTO D.O.P.
Wood roasted honey lacquered duck breast with Michigan grapes, charred eggplant puree and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Argento D.O.P.

BOMBOLINI CON FRUTTI DI BOSCO E CIOCOLATO BIANCO E ACETO BALSAMICO TRADIZIONALE ORO D.O.P
Italian style doughnuts, balsamic zabaglione, vanilla gelato, Nichols Farm apples, raspberries, white chocolate and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Oro D.O.P.

Sportello, Boston

Sportello, the Barbara Lynch incarnation of an Italian ‘diner’ hits high marks for authenticity, but has a singular flaw that needs to be corrected. I visited Sportello on two different occasions for lunch. I would even consider this fast food, considering ticket times were under 6 minutes for a bowl of pasta during a solid but not packed lunch service.

On my first visit, I ordered tagliatelle Bolognese. On my second visit, I ordered trenette with rabbit and picholine olives. Now for the flaw on both days and with two different cooks, clumped noodles. I noticed each time the noodles were dropped into the water still folded rather than loose. The compartmentalized pasta boiling pot seemed small for the volume of pasta being cooked; therefore the pasta doesn’t seem to have room to move, hence the clumping. Flavors were great, simple and authentic Italian preparations and portion sizes. The pasta was masterfully twirled into a white bowl with a long 2 pronged fork. I was quite happy with both lunches. But, with all this skill, all the cooks have to do it unfold the pasta ribbons and the clumping problem would be gone or get a slightly larger compartment for boiling.

And not to be missed, the cookie plate. You could also take the cookies to go.

Just fix the pasta clumps and this restaurant would be close to perfect.

Camille's, Providence

Certainly enjoyed our server and our host. Both were cordial and conversational. The carpet is wild African leopard print and tables have a generous amount of space in between. We started the night with a trio of crudo:

Smoked Scallop Caprese - Seared sea scallop, tomato, micro Italian basil, smoked sea salt and lemon olive oil. I liked the scallop flavor and simple garnish. I could taste the fish and the accents presented.

Ndulgence - Sliced Kobe beef, Sicilian sea salt, organic virgin oil and micro arugula. The beef stands out and certainly needed the salt. It requires a bit more chewing than a piece of fish and perhaps even a stronger flavor to carry through the chewing process.

Sicilian  Blood - Sicilian blood orange and zest, saffron infused caviar, pomegranate balsamic drizzle. More refreshing than anything else, probably from the acid.

Moving on to a huge highlight and huge portion of pasta carbonara. The single order portion was so large, it could easily feed a small Italian village. Classic preparation, perhaps not as creamy as Tarry Lodge (which is my current standard bearer of quality) or as obvious with the raw egg, but a wonderful consistency and flavor. The peas popped. Generous beyond belief, but cooked in an Italian way, not an American way. And I could have stopped their...but I didn't.

My main, the veal porterhouse with broccoli rabe and mashed potato timbale was over the top large and just as delicious. I can’t recall the last time I ordered a porterhouse. Normally, I get the rib-eye at steak houses, but the porterhouse after all that pasta, what was I thinking?! And since we’re in an Italian restaurant rather than a steakhouse, the meal comes with mashed potato and greens. I feel guilty not eating everything that’s in front of me. Clean Plate Club memories from childhood whisper in the back of my head at this Italian institution. I confess, I only finished the porterhouse off.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the wine, the Pio Cesare 2003 Barbaresco was one of the better wines I’ve had in recent memory. I love seeing older wines that have had time to develop. A rarity in popular restaurants in California. Maybe I’m just spoiled.

A grand experience in Providence at one of the hallowed institutions of Italian American cuisine on the East Coast. A memory I won't forget.

Vino Cotto of Sonoma County

The wine grape harvest in Sonoma County is obviously a big event, but wine isn't the only thing that you can make with wine grapes. A Southern Italian speciality, although many wine regions in Italy make it for personal consumption. It's not that common here in the States, but many old Italian families have a stash in their freezer and each covet their stash as they would gold.

The Cured Ham has of course participated in the wine grape harvest and has made his own stash of vino cotto for a select group of friends and relatives. I reduced about 1/3 of the large pot into two 375lt bottles that you see in front of the large pot over the course of 4 hours. And yes, the house smells like evaporated grape juice for the better part of 2 days.

So how do you use this stuff? Add a tablespoon or two to rich braised dishes such as short ribs. It has the flavor of plums, figs, grapes, but with a more earthy quality in many cases. However, this earthy quality may be coming from the grapes I used, in this case Cabernet Sauvignon.

A classic Puglian use is to deep fry strands of a modified pizza a dough and drizzle this grape syrup over the top of each fried piece of sweetened dough.

Gleason Ranch Un-Smoked Bacon

Gleason Ranch Un-Smoked Bacon with no nitrates/nitrites vs. Ambrosio Market Pancetta, Florence, Italy 

 

What am I thinking? Italian pancetta is different in style than American bacon, I know, I don’t need a lecture. But the Gleason Ranch bacon survived a critical test, it stayed crunchy and had texture in my risotto. The added benefit of not being smoked brought back the flavor memory of cooking in my tiny kitchen in Florence over a year ago.

Something to consider when frying Gleason Ranch bacon, it doesn’t have the water content that store bought bacon has. It doesn’t shrink much at all and it doesn’t curl up in the cast iron skillet. The fat crisps up more like crackling with barely any resemblance to the whitish fat on commercial bacon. So watch your cooking time and watch the color as it cooks. The lack of water, thickness and meat to fat ration all effect the outcome

I chopped and fried the bacon in a small pan, the same pan I added my rice to. I decided on a more heavily wine based ‘stock’ than normal and chose a local Veritas Ridge sparkling wine as my base adding roughly 2 cups sparkling wine to 1 cup water. I’m pleased to say both the bacon and the wine are two local products. No pepper and only a dash of sea salt. Yes, I kept all of the fat from the rendered bacon in the pan for cooking. I finished my risotto with parmigiano reggiano and a dash of butter.

Rather than incorporate the chantrelles into my risotto, I decided to cook them separately in butter and parsley and circle the plate in decadence. This left a nice area to spoon my risotto into. I paired the meal with a Tandem Sangiovese 2004, as Sangiovese would have been appropriate in Florence.

The result was excellent (not arrogance, confidence). I’ve tried 100% wine based risottos before and don’t always care for the results. I wanted some acid in the base considering the amount of bacon, butter, and cheese incorporated into the dish.

Meal two with my Gleason Ranch bacon challenge was the American Classic, Bacon and Eggs. No need to explain anything here. Just look at the picture.

So where can you find Gleason Ranch products?

Oliver's Market (Santa Rosa & Cotati)
Planet Organics (Sonoma)
Valley Ford Market (Valley Ford)
Willowside Meats (Santa Rosa)
Bi-Rite Market (San Francisco)
Canyon Market (San Francisco)

Camellia Cellars and The Cured Ham make Cabernet!

It's harvest time in Sonoma County and The Cured Ham teamed up with Bruce Snyder of Camellia Cellars in Healdsburg to crush some Lencioni Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon today. We're talking hand-sorted and picked in small lots. Exciting stuff. The Cured Ham has been drinking Camellia Cellars for years and likes the winemaking style that Bruce presents with his wines. You can find Camellia Cellars wines at:

 http://www.camelliacellars.com/

Cantinetta Piero at the Hotel Luca, Yountville

It’s usually a good sign when I see chef picking through the arugula before a simple salad goes out. Better yet, when chef doesn’t like what he sees on the plate and then inspects what storage container the arugula originated from and throws everything into the trash. This could be a great night.

I asked to be seated at the pizza and cold prep counter with full view of the kitchen. It’s the best seat in the house frankly and each member of the kitchen staff is friendly, including chef. The kitchen is also orderly and clean.

I started with the house made salami cotto and finocchiona. The cotto had a bit of pistachio and a good hit of ground pepper. It was labeled ‘cotto’ but the flavor profile was that of a mortadella, only less finely ground. The finocchiona was equally as good, again well seasoned and the obvious fennel flavor. A great start.

After eating my salumi, watching what was coming out of the kitchen, and chef’s actions (like throwing out unsatisfactory arugula) and reactions to his staff, I decided on an arugula salad (at least I know chef has personally inspected the arugula). I know I’ve mentioned how salad can be an afterthought in many restaurants or at most an obligatory offering. But when the simple salad is given the same attention to detail that salumi, or pasta, or a perfectly grilled lamb chop are given, it makes salad a pleasure to eat. My arugula salad had depth, from the shaved fennel, the deveined citrus, or the whisper of grated grana; Chef thought about what he wanted. The salad was dressed lightly and worked through without beating up the arugula. But the perfect touch was the toasted and candied fennel seeds. Absolutely the best. The whole salad popped with flavor.

For my main course and at the suggestion of my server and the pizza sous chef was linguine frutti di mare. Again, the simplest dishes can be the most difficult. All of the seafood, mussles, clams, squid, and shrimp cooked exactly right. Nothing tough, nothing over cooked. The pasta, which I’m hypercritical of, was top-notch. Fresh and properly cooked Italian al dente. The broth which brought the whole dish together and once again showed that chef expects a specific outcome, elevates the dish from really good to great. The subtle layers of flavor included a bit of orange zest, fennel tops, saffron, and a splash of Sambuca. None of these aromatics overpowered the pasta or the fish, they simply accented. Nothing out of balance. I just sat there and smiled, I would eat this any day. And in true Italian style, no grated cheese was offered.

I finished with a trio of fruit based sorbetto, lemon, cherry, and grape. Lemon is and always will be my favorite, but the grape certainly gave it a run for the money. All of the sorbetto is house-made.

As it has been a year since my time cooking and traveling in Italy, this was a warm reminder of what a chef with appreciation for ingredients, subtlety, simplicity, and vision can create. I was as pleased as anyone could be with my entire meal at Cantinetta Piero and look forward to returning. Bravo Chef!

Frank Pepe, New Haven

Chicago Pizza is the best! No wait, New York. No, Me'n Ed's in Fresno. The debate will rage on with no end in sight. In fact, I'm a bit tired of all the arguments and comparisons between New York or Chicago pizza. Frank Pepe's in New Haven, Connecticut was some of the best pizza I've had outside of Italy. Since 1925, Frank Pepe's has been making pizza in New Haven, CT.

Shaherazade and I ordered two specialties, a White Clam Pie (pic below) and White Spinach, Mushroom, and Gorgonzola Pie. While basically a round pizza, each pie is served in a more typical 'old-school' Italian square pizza pan (just like I serve at home). Any pizza restaurant can slap toppings all over a pizza, clam and garlic is no exception. But where the pizza debate gets interesting is the dough, the crust, and the cooking process.

The heat of the oven is a big deal at Frank Pepe's. They use coal, that's right coal to fire their ovens. It burns hot and dry and can maintain an even higher temperature than wood. This heat blisters the skin and areas can burn around the crust. It's a fast process. The result is a crackling crust and a moist inside. If too hot, the middle won't cook. I remember that phenomenon in Naples; the oven was so hot it burned the edges and the middle of the pie never cooked. Frank Pepe's got it right on both of our pies.

As for the flavor of the dough, I can't say I've had a pizza dough so tasty. I'd compare the dough to the finest baguette I've ever tasted. Or the difference between boring bread in Florence and fabulous bread in Locorotondo.The bread becomes the star of the show rather than the backdrop for toppings. It enhances the flavor of the meal, compliments it. I think we chose wisely in not topping our pizza with tomatoes, the dough just worked well with our toppings. We were both very pleased with our choices.

So enough with the pizza debate.The Cured Ham thinks Frank Pepe's in New Haven should have a seat at the Greatest Pizza on Planet Earth table. It's that good.

Agriturismo Masseria Aprile, Locorotondo, Puglia, Italy

I’ve been neglecting detailed write-ups of the Italian Masserias for far too long. Agriturismo Masseria Aprile, in Locorotondo, Puglia, Italy where I stayed 4 nights was one of my best experiences in Puglia, Italy. From the moment I arrived at the masseria, the old saw, ‘there’s never a second chance to make a first impression’ doesn’t sum up how Anna, matriarch of the masseria greeted me; with a plate of freshly picked black figs! As someone who was raised with 40 acres of figs in his backyard, this was like coming home.

One evening, Antonio and Anna graciously allowed me to come into their home and watch Anna prepare the communal dinner, as well as participate in the prep. A point of great pride for Antonio, everything came from the Masseria, minus the flour for the pasta, and the sugar, salt and baking powder needed for the baked goods. What I watched at Masseria Aprile gives a whole new meaning to farm to table cooking. I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures during dinner, it felt disrespectful. Here is what was served for our dinner at Aprile with pictures of the farm and the town of Locorotondo:

Antipasti

• Whole roasted green peppers very similar in flavor to what Central Valley of California Italian families have been roasting for the last 100 years. A point of comparison between my family and the Aprile family. Before roasting the peppers, my family meticulously cuts the tops off, removes all of the seeds, and splits each pepper in half. The Aprile’s roast the whole pepper. Antonio simply picks each pepper up by the stem and eats each one whole with no fuss or clean-up.
• Bruschetta with house made bread, farm raised tomato, and Masseria Aprile olive oil.
• A trio of fresh cheeses from the cow out back, ricotta, ricotta salata, and a cream cheese. The cream cheese was 3 times stronger in flavor than any cheese I’ve ever tasted, except maybe an older room temperature bleu cheese. Grassy and pungent, like strong gorgonzola but without a lactic quality. It must be the grass that cow eats, which grazes about 100 yards away.
• Coppa from the pigs (see picture) on the ranch is divine. The meat is almost sweet, rather than salty and the fat is creamy rather than chewy. Absolutely wonderful.
• More fresh bread, but not the same kind that was being used for the bruschetta.

Primi Piatti

Homemade orecchiette in red sauce topped with ricotta salata. I helped make the orecchiette earlier that day. The red sauce used shallot, not garlic. The sauce also used their own jarred tomatoes and a splash of their house white wine. Antonio insisted the pasta course be presented with sliced cucumber to aide in digestion. The side of cucumber was a first for me and I never had the pasta and cucumber pairing again in Puglia.

Secondi Piatti

Rabbit cacciatore I helped prepare earlier that day. I was given the head of one of the rabbits and Antonio the other, a great honor at the table. Each head was split in two, seasoned with herbs and a bit of cheese, tied up with kitchen string and braised in the pan. Fresh bay leaf is a key ingredient here and of course a fresh farm-raised rabbit. Again, the house white wine was used in the creation of the dish, along with shallot, some tomato, and a few other herbs tied up, not let loose in the sauce. Absolutely fresh ingredients, simple execution, incredible results.

Large jugs of Antonio’s red wine complimented each course.

We took our dessert on the patio, along with more homemade digestfs of limoncello and bay leaf, again, made by Antonio. Antonio did add a grappa to the list, but only because it was his friend’s grappa from one town over. He would have never considered buying some commercial product.

My experience here was absolutely wonderful and I hope to return. My thanks to the entire family for a their hospitality.

The technicals for Masseria Aprile are as follows: A completely restored Trulli, clean rooms that smelled clean with no smoking indoors. Heat in winter, no air conditioning in summer and each room has a small refrigerator. One wrinkle, the sink in the bathroom was labeled “non-potable” which could be an issue for some, however, I drank out of the sink. The family makes their own olive oil, cheese, wine, salumi, you name it. They have a red and white wine that they make on site from their own grapes. They are both good wines for the price. Neither sees any oak. Antonio, the owner and proprietor, also makes his own bay leaf digestif, which was a first for me and absolutely great. Anna, his wife, makes a variety of preserves which are tasty. Stefania, their daughter speaks some English, hosted me for breakfast each morning and did so with a big smile. Locorotondo has several small restaurants in town which are good and reasonably priced.

The End (literally) and everyone's favorite animal on the masseria.