Thursday, November 28, 2013

Tuesday, Nov 26, Cooking Lesson #2

How odd or maybe not, that my friend Maria wrote today, saying she knew Alessandro was guiding me. 26 is Alessandro's name day number. He considered it also to be his lucky number. Good things happened when 26 was present. Our first time waking down to the beach in Corona del Mar, he noted there were 26 steps.

Elisa was able to park right across from Ferragamo this morning at 9.00. 

We drove straight to her home. Along the way she asked if I knew the food trippa. But I love pannini di trippa! We're not cooking that today, but we will for the third lesson. 



Only her white dog was home to greet me. I think he liked me. Later in the day Elisa shooed him off my coat. I had tossed it onto the couch and he was curled up not on his bed, but on my coat. That's a good sign in the world of dogs, right?

Our dish for the day was Nervetti alla calciatora. I had no clue. She showed me the package containing the beef Nervetti. They were white with no sign of red. Then I understood, they are nerves and fairly large. I felt no aversion. She explained that peasants never wasted any part of the cow. Probably, the finer parts were not available to them. 

I was happy to have this experience. The sauce can be used for rabbit, chicken, turkey. She brought out her book, written by Paolo Petroni. 

autori.ragazzimondadori.it/paolo-petroni
Paolo Petroni vive e lavora a Firenze, dove dirige un'agenzia di ricerche di mercato. Oltre a testi di business, ha scritto ...

It contains recipes and interesting historical notes about food. Later in the day I bought my own copy. It's really heavy but I know it will be a favorite. 



Before starting the sauce, we began making two types of bread.  One took almost three hours to rise while the focaccia with rosemary on top can be made in a fairly short time. Toppings can vary too, using thyme, sliced onions or other combinations. 


I've made focaccia at home but with Elisa I learned some valuable tips. 

No sifter is necessary. I used the same finger flour sifting technique I used yesterday. Then,  I finger mixed the yeast, water, olive oil and flour in a medium sized bowl for ten minutes.  After kneading the dough for ten minutes we tightly sealed the same bowl with plastic wrap. 



While our two breads were rising, I watched Elisa make odori, using equal parts of parsley, celery, carrot and onion. The parsley was from her own garden. 





Worried about the approaching frosty weather, she had cut it all the parsley yesterday. 


Drying pepperoncini hung in bunches, both outside and in her kitchen. She showed me five different varieties still growing in pots in a sunny but protected area on her patio. One variety was pure white! 

She washed black kale and let it steam slowly.



Adding the nervetti, tomatoes and a half of pepperoncino, she let the sauce simmer, while we turned our attention back to the focaccia. 



Again, from her garden, we cut fragrant rosemary. With olive oil, salt and rosemary, the focaccia was ready for the oven. 




Elisa prepared aperitivi of sliced Toscana cheeses drizzled with locally collected honey. But first she transferred a half cup of honey into a small jar to liquify it in a pan of simmering hot water. 


The honey was given to her by a neighbor, who tends hives. She collects the honey, wearing protective garments. Afterwards she heats the honey, strains it of debris, then jars it. Her honey never sold but used only as gifts. 

We set the table and in no time, we were savoring this delicious food. We discussed cooking in general and some of her experiences in giving cooking lessons. 




I had similar discussions of food and culture with Alessio and Assumi, back at the hotel. In Japan, Assumi's mother cooks as well as professional chef. The Japanese culture also values both the preparation of food and the cultural importance of  sharing well prepared food with family and friends. It goes beyond just eating. Nourishment of the soul should also accompany ones meal. 

Elisa would not let me help clean up, saying she would do it later. Our second bread was still gently rising in her cool oven, with the door propped open with a wooden spoon. Thus allies for a little air circulation if the oven dies not have a built in fan. 

She also showed me something interesting. Just above floor level on her outside kitchen wall, is a built in air vent. Fresh air can come in without leaving the door open. I loved this feature. 

During our drive home, she pulled out at the parking lot at the Trespiano flower vendors. We stood at the wall and she have me a short history lesson. We could see the town of Fiesole up to the right, on the hill top. Down below, runs a river. 


Fiesole was founded by the Etruscans. They used the hill top because of its location as a lookout across the area. Then they were overcome by the Romans. The Romans wanted the use of a river and built the town called Florentia, now named Firenze or Florence in English. 

From Wiki:

The mythological Roman goddess of flowers. Diminutive of Florence: From 'florentius' or 'florentia', meaning flowering or flourishing. 

From Wiki:

"Florence was founded in 59 BCE as a settlement for former soldiers, being named 'Florentia', allotted by Julius Caesar to his veterans in the rich farming valley of the Arno. The city was built in the style of a military camp with a castrum of grid pattern and the main streets, the cardo and the decumanus, intersecting at the present Piazza della Repubblica, which can still be seen in the city center. Florentia was situated at the Via Cassia, the main route between Rome and the North, which position enabled it to rapidly expand as a commercial center. EmperorDiocletian made Florentia capital of the province of Tuscia in the 3rd century CE."

It was another wonderful day for me. Elisa dropped me off near the Duomo so it would be easy to walk to the book store. 

At Conad, I bought yogurt, milk and tangerines for tomorrow's breakfast. 

At 8, I was done for the evening. Back at the hotel, Alessio's mother greeted me. She asked about my cooking class. No, she had never eaten Nervetti. But she was very interested in Carlo Petrini's cookbook. I need to mention that to Alessio. It might be an idea for Christmas. 



Sent from my iPhone

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