18 Oct Travel the World with Eastant Series – Italy-2
Posted at 18:00h
in News
After the first Episode, regarding some of the most famous typical dishes from Northern Italy (if you missed it, check it out on: https://eastant.it/index.php?m=&c=Index&a=show&catid=4&id=79), let’s continue our trip in the Belpaese, to discover which are the most appreciated dishes from the Central regions.
Central
After the Risotto alla Milanese with the Elephant ear cutlet in Milan and the Cicchetto coupled with a Bellini in Venice, it’s again time to get in your car, or to jump on a high-speed train to visit Florence, the capital of Tuscany. Besides being an astonishing city, full of history and monuments, it is also famous for one type of food: the meat, more specifically, the “Bistecca alla Fiorentina” or Florentine T-bone steak.
This dish’s origins date back to the House of Medici (ndr. important banking family and political dynasty, that rose to the power in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century, which is part of the historical period known as the Renaissance): legend has it that, in order to celebrate the day of Saint Lawrence (in Italian language: San Lorenzo, in honor of the de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy Lorenzo de’ Medici), the Medici family would offer a large amount of ox meat to the populace to be roasted in the city’s squares. The true Florentine T-bone steak is cut from the veal loin and in Tuscany the animal has to be chianina breed, probably one of the oldest breeds used by the Romans for heavy duty work. Since this type of meat is that of the finest quality, the best way for it to be served is rare, with a side dish of French fries or baked potatoes (or salad, if you are still lying to yourself pretending to being capable of dieting while being in Italy).
With your belly still full of such an amazing steak, it’s time to visit the capital of all capitals: Rome.
Allow yourself to become lost in its streets and feel free to be speechless in front of the magnificence of its monuments and of the Colosseum, after walking around for a while you’ll soon begin to feel hungry again!
We’ll pick up in one of the numerous typical Roman taverns that you may find in the colorful and floral alleys or along the Tevere riverside and order three different pasta dishes: Amatriciana, Carbonara and Gricia.
Yes, make no mistake: three different pasta dishes. Why three? Because they are so tasty that it’s impossible to choose only one!
Amatriciana’s recipe actually derives from the Gricia’s one – that we’ll see later – and it consists of a sauce based on guanciale (cured porkcheek), tomato and Pecorino cheese from Amatrice, which gives the name to this dish (Amatrice is a city in the mountainous province of Rieti of Lazio region, sadly known also for the big earthquake that hit it during the years 2016-2017, claiming 300 victims).
Carbonara, at very first sight, looks very simple to cook, due to the few ingredients (eggs, Pecorino cheese, guanciale and pepper), but never make the mistake of underestimating it!
Since the most difficult part is to make the eggs creamy, in order to avoid Carbonara becoming pasta with scrambled eggs, it is essential, that when it’s time to add the eggs, the hot pasta is away from the additional direct heat not to curdle the eggs: a trick used by many is to add the eggs directly in the serving dish!
Gricia is another perfect example when less is more: guanciale, Pecorino cheese, black pepper.
Now you need only to learn gesticulating as a real Italian does! What is the typical Italian gesture to say perfect, incomparable?
Julia Roberts in the movie “Eat, Pray, Love”
Buon appetito !
This dish’s origins date back to the House of Medici (ndr. important banking family and political dynasty, that rose to the power in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century, which is part of the historical period known as the Renaissance): legend has it that, in order to celebrate the day of Saint Lawrence (in Italian language: San Lorenzo, in honor of the de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy Lorenzo de’ Medici), the Medici family would offer a large amount of ox meat to the populace to be roasted in the city’s squares. The true Florentine T-bone steak is cut from the veal loin and in Tuscany the animal has to be chianina breed, probably one of the oldest breeds used by the Romans for heavy duty work. Since this type of meat is that of the finest quality, the best way for it to be served is rare, with a side dish of French fries or baked potatoes (or salad, if you are still lying to yourself pretending to being capable of dieting while being in Italy).
With your belly still full of such an amazing steak, it’s time to visit the capital of all capitals: Rome.
Allow yourself to become lost in its streets and feel free to be speechless in front of the magnificence of its monuments and of the Colosseum, after walking around for a while you’ll soon begin to feel hungry again!
We’ll pick up in one of the numerous typical Roman taverns that you may find in the colorful and floral alleys or along the Tevere riverside and order three different pasta dishes: Amatriciana, Carbonara and Gricia.
Yes, make no mistake: three different pasta dishes. Why three? Because they are so tasty that it’s impossible to choose only one!
Amatriciana’s recipe actually derives from the Gricia’s one – that we’ll see later – and it consists of a sauce based on guanciale (cured porkcheek), tomato and Pecorino cheese from Amatrice, which gives the name to this dish (Amatrice is a city in the mountainous province of Rieti of Lazio region, sadly known also for the big earthquake that hit it during the years 2016-2017, claiming 300 victims).
Carbonara, at very first sight, looks very simple to cook, due to the few ingredients (eggs, Pecorino cheese, guanciale and pepper), but never make the mistake of underestimating it!
Since the most difficult part is to make the eggs creamy, in order to avoid Carbonara becoming pasta with scrambled eggs, it is essential, that when it’s time to add the eggs, the hot pasta is away from the additional direct heat not to curdle the eggs: a trick used by many is to add the eggs directly in the serving dish!
Gricia is another perfect example when less is more: guanciale, Pecorino cheese, black pepper.
Now you need only to learn gesticulating as a real Italian does! What is the typical Italian gesture to say perfect, incomparable?
Julia Roberts in the movie “Eat, Pray, Love”
Buon appetito !