Tag: simplicity

flavor and simplicity in a quick second course – Italian Cuisine

The lemon chicken with baked potatoes it’s a second dish which stands out for its simplicity and elegance, suitable for various gastronomic occasions. Not tied to a specific region, this quick and easy recipe it has spread globally, thanks to its practicality. In fact, the dish can be served both during informal lunches and during more sophisticated dinners. Although it is not tied to a particular season, its fresh and light profile makes it particularly appreciated during the hottest days.

The recipe has been influenced by several culinary traditions, with variations reflecting the use of local ingredients. The history of this preparation is linked to the evolution of cooking techniques and the growing demand for dishes that combine flavor and practicality. The combination of succulent chicken soaked in the lively flavor of lemon, accompanied by crispy and aromatic roasted potatoes, offers a symphony of well-balanced flavours. Preparation involves the marination of the meat, with the citrus juice, aromatic herbs and garlic, followed by baking with the potatoes. The union of the different flavors conquers the palate, but without altering the desire for lightness and health. So, don’t waste precious minutes. Get to the stove and make this lemon chicken with baked potatoes. You will be delighted!

November, the pleasure of simplicity: the new Sale & Pepe on newsstands – Italian Cuisine

November, month of mist and soups, chestnuts and polenta, of foliage spectacular and invigorating family lunches. Cooking in November is a special, slow pleasure, far from the fast summer experiments like from the elaborate interpretations of the feasts.

Mountain flavors
Cooking now means tapping into the popular tradition. Starting with that of the farmers of our Alpine valleys. So this month we tell you the story of a culture ancient and survival, which sees cereals, cheeses And vegetables protagonists of hearty and characterful dishes, perfect for the November table: a cheese soup, a plate of rustic gnocchi, a potato cake, an enriched polenta …

White vegetables
With the arrival of the cold the garden is tinged with White; arrive cauliflower, fennel, onions, leeks and all the roots, such as turnips, parsnips and daikon. Lower temperatures and light favor vegetables that grow close to the earth (or even below). Seasonal products are also those that our body needs: the "whites" they have power purifying and anti-inflammatory effect. And here it is simple dishes of intense flavor, such as a roasted cauliflower pan, fennel pie, or ginger root stew. Simple and delicious: seeing is believing.

Sauce and meat, only one cooking
You know the Neapolitan ragù? The meat cooks for a long time in the tomato sauce and makes it super savory. The sauce obtained season the spaghetti, while the meat is served separately as a ghiotto stew. Inspired by this masterpiece of Neapolitan cuisine we can cook the condiment and the second dish in the same saucepan. To optimize efforts and increase the taste.

Local flavors
And then we take you to the Woods for an autumn lunch, a Mantua to taste rich stuffed pastas, sweets and mustards and to discover the city. TO Trani, by Stefano Di Gennaro, the JRE of the month who creates a menu of simple and local products, including the farmer's father's oil. In Appenzeller, to discover a special cheese produced noel small Swiss canton with a mix of herbs with an intense aroma. And, again, in Val di Chiana where the Nobile di Montepulciano wine.

And to conclude
Cold season … warm desserts: grapes, apples, pears fill soft and crunchy doughs to be enjoyed as desserts and special snacks. And some curiosities: the history of the corkscrew, which dates back to the eighteenth century and that of stuffed lettuces, a refined dish, made invigorating from an excellent broth. And the sauces Middle Eastern, spicy and sweet and sour, ideal with beef, lamb and chicken.

November 2021

when quality rhymes with simplicity – Italian Cuisine

Rita Sodi and Jody Williams, partners in the kitchen as in life, have been included in the Best Chefs list in New York 2019 thanks to their Via Carota restaurant: we discover what and how we eat

They have recently been named among the Best Chefs from New York in the coveted list James Beard Restaurants and Chefs 2019, insert between Best Restaurants of the city from New York Magazine for their restaurant Via Carota, defined by the New Yorker such as the most perfect restaurant: Rita Sodi is Jody Williams have definitely conquered the foodies Americans and not only. The secret lies in the winning formula of simplicity and quality, which diligently apply to their seasonal menu in full respect of Italian tradition and local production.

Via Carota it is located in the West Village, a few steps from Bleecker Street, where the streets shrink and the houses are brick with the iconic steps at the entrance that we have come to love from movies and TV series; Carrie Bradshaw of SATC lived few blocks further north. The large showcases with solid profiles enclose a warm and familiar atmosphere, which on the first creak on the floor with light planks embraces you sincerely. The stylistic inspiration comes from the chef's family home in Tuscany Rita Sodi, an ancient residence of the seventeenth century. To welcome you in what defines itself as "gastroteca", there are young waiters in a crisp white shirt and long aprons in linen who take your name with a big smile and write it on the cast iron pole with chalk. Yes, because from Via Carota they do not take reservations and a glass of wine at the impressive bar counter quickly makes us forget the wait. Rustic and genuine furniture hosts porcelains, bottles of wine and fruit baskets, while cantucci and homemade cakes greet the diners from the central dark marble countertop in the main room. Here too the tablecloth gives way to the thick wood of round and square tables, around vintage chairs from an English chapel that contain the rolled menu on the back. From the first glance, one perceives the all-Italian feeling with which this special place has been built in the heart cool of Manhattan, reciprocated with mutual affection.

Instead of door strips in leather or laminated brochures, the menu of Via Carota it is an A3 sheet of ivory paper the size of a poster: a message intended to make people understand that it is precisely from here that the poster of the couple's food and drink business starts. Rita Sodi is Jody Williams. Printed monthly in full compliance with the seasonality of the ingredients, the list is striking for the unusual arrangement of the courses: in the center, vegetables. From Fennel, pecorino and anchovy sauce until Black cabbage with lard or Asparagus and pecorino cheese, one understands on the fly that simplicity is the key to understanding the kitchen of Via Carota. At the first bite of the scafata (beans, artichokes, endive and peas sautéed in a pan), quality comes to confirm its success. Suffice it to say that the last dish of Via Carota celebrated from The New York Times is … theGreen salad with a light sherry-based vinaigrette. A mountain of bright grass-colored leaves as high as possible almost to defy the law of gravity composed of a mixed salad of endive, lettuce (also frisée) and watercress watered with a seasoning thread and generously studded with shallots and mustard seeds; an impeccable confirmation.

«Our Italian food is like a collection of stories that come to the table, in a bowl or on a plate. Our goal is simple: to honor the markets and farms from season to season, educate our cooks and maintain a balance between authenticity and spontaneity in the kitchen ".

Through the menu, the candid journey into the traditional Italian cuisine of Via Carota is accomplished by tasty stops by the Spuntini (Olive all 'Ascolana, "Nduja arancini, Bagna Cauda) to Appetizers (Tuna and beans, Burrata di Puglia, Salami and pecorino), passing from the praise Florentine trippa to Tonnarelli Cacio and Pepe up to the much appreciated Fried rabbit. Separate chapter for the Via Carrot Switzerland, lightly seared in a pan with rosemary and garlic, which makes you love to madness for its infinite purity making you forget the exaggerated local hamburgers. To close in sweetness, the proposals are many: Zabaione, Crostata, Biscuits, Semifreddo, Panna Cotta, all naturally prepared in the kitchen. Note on the choice of ingredients used from what they call Community, or a network of producers local honestly told online.

If the first restaurant opened in New York in 2008 I Sodi represents the brave past, Via Carota it is the lively present, which joins the brilliant future of Pisellino Bar. In fact, Rita and Jody are continuing their enogastronomic journey together with the conquest of New York with this new venue opened in June destined to bring the Italian spirit of our tasty habits such as breakfast or aperitif. Good luck!