I don’t want to start any fights, so up front just let me say that this is NOT the traditional way they make Amatriciana sauce in the town of Amatrice or in Rome. But in Italy, there are as many versions of recipes as there are cooks.If you go and look back at the original…
Makin’ Bacon- Part 1
The pancetta is hanging in it’s peppery jacket and last night I dedicated to the piece of bacon that was in the fridge curing next to the guanciale. Following the recipe from the Charcuterie book, Ruhlman suggests baking as an alternative to smoking the bacon. I did not know bacon was baked, but decided to…
Pancetta Progress- Charcutepalooza
You know you are living in the right place when a sign like this is at the exit of the grocery store, to make sure you know about it. At the Meat Counter you can reserve your pork for salting. The cool air in January is perfect for families to age their own cured pork…
Spring is Here
Although the rain has been non-stop, Spring is here. The hills of Tuscany are like a velvet patchwork with tiny knots of red poppies everywhere. The wheat fields swaying in the wind, the grapevines finally forming leaves, filling in the hills with shades of green. Acacia blossoms ( Black Locust) dotting the trees with white…
A small gift for Pigging out in 2009- Porchetta
For those of us who don’t want to try to get whole hog or even a half a hog to make porchetta, here is a smaller home version I do using pork belly, known as pancetta in Italy. Not the pancetta which is already cured like bacon, but meaning just “the belly”, la pancia. I adore…