Tag: small

Small world is served … is on sale & Pepe newsstands in October – Italian Cuisine

Brescello, February 2020. I came to this village in the lower Reggio area for work, but when I crossed Piazza Matteotti I realized that I had entered another world, the "small" one, described by Giovannino Guareschi, writer, journalist and designer from whose imagination the characters of Don Camillo and Peppone: "This is the Bassa (…) and in Piacenza also the small world of my stories begins, which small world is located in that slice of plain between the Po and the Apennines". A long story, that of Guareschi, through post-war rural Italy, developed in 346 episodes published mostly on "White"(humorous-satirical magazine that he founded with Giovanni Mosca in 1946, publisher Rizzoli who later also became a producer of the films). The narration of a laborious peasant environment, made up of human solidarity and strong passions, accompanied by a landscape marked by the river and from the plain.

And here Peppone and Don Camillo come to life ("who created them is the Bassa. I met them, I took them by the arm and made them walk up and down the alphabet.") Who for all have the faces of the two actors who played them: “Gino Cervi corresponds exactly to my Peppone, Fernadel has not the slightest resemblance to my Don Camillo. But he is so good that he blew the place for my praeton. So now when I venture into some new Don Camillo story, I find myself in serious difficulty because I have to have a priest who has the face of Fernadel work ”.

Those who cross Brescello cannot do without feel on the set of the five films that were shot here between '51 and '65. There is still the Casa del Popolo with the inscription clearly visible, there is the house where Peppone overlooked, under the arcades of via Giglioli there is the recently restored Sputnik bell. But it is crossing the square that you can see the two bronze statues dedicated to the two protagonists and respectively placed one near the seat of the Common and the other to the church, where the wooden crucifix to which Don Camillo was addressing is kept inside.

In Small world of course we ate, meals were frugal: bread, cheese, cold cuts obtained from pigs, a soup with lard, an onion omelette, fried cake, fresh pasta, stuffed or not, homemade. Occasionally a few backyard chickens. All washed down with a glass of Lambrusco. Goodness that can still be eaten today in the many trattorias in the area in a small journey that from Roncole Verdi leads to Busseto, Zibello, Roccabianca, Fontanelle, Soragna, San Secondo, Colorno and finally Brescello. Here the museum awaits you Peppone and Don Camillo and the B museumrescello and Guareschi, the territory and the cinema. Nearby is Don Camillo's restaurant La Bottega del Paese, where I ate, which he has bought in the course of time the photos of the filming of the films completely wallpapering the walls. For a dip in the food of the Small world and Italian cinema of the 1950s.

Laura Maragliano
on Sale & Pepe of October 2020

Bicerin, Turin's coffee in a small glass. Recipe – Italian Cuisine

In Italy, coffee is an institution, espresso, long or narrow, hot or cold macchiato, if you go coffee you find and in Turin there is Bicerin

The bicerin is the greedy drink that gives more than 250 years unites the people of Turin in front of a glass. Yes that's right, this particular coffee is not served in a cup, but in a small transparent glass goblet, without a handle, which is then placed on the classic saucer. In fact, the name "bicerin" in Piedmontese dialect means small glass.

History has it that

Bicerin was invented in historic "Caffè Al Bicerin" (which acquired the same name only after the success of the drink). In 1763 Giuseppe Dentis opened his shop in front of the entrance to the Sanctuary of the Consolata, a strategic position that will bring great fortune to both the local and the bicerin, thus establishing an indissoluble bond with the "Consola". The new blend soon became the ideal support for the faithful, who, having come out of mass after fasting for communion, found a sweet and energetic comfort in the bicerin. The same was true in the period of Lent, since hot chocolate was not considered "food", it could be taken without delay even during the prescribed fast.

They left in 3 and returned in 1

In reality more than invention, the bicerin would be classified as evolution of the eighteenth-century Bavareisa, a drink in vogue at the time, consisting of coffee, chocolate, milk and syrup, served separately and it was then up to the customer to combine the ingredients, in a sweet ritual that ended in large glass glasses. Just look a century ahead and things change, already in the nineteenth century the three ingredients were served in a single glass and transformed into three variants: pur and fiur (similar to cappuccino), pur and beard (coffee and chocolate), 'N poc' d tut (or "a little bit of everything"), with all three ingredients and therefore today's bicerin. This last formula was the winning one that has come down to our days intact and intact. The drink then spread to other places in the city, even becoming one of the symbols of Turin and in 2001 it was recognized as a "traditional Piedmontese drink", entering the list of traditional Italian food products.

The bicerin recipe

We went back to the birth and development of this beloved drink, to be enjoyed hot, perhaps after a nice walk under the arcades. Now let's see how to best prepare it from the comfort of home.

Ingredients

4 cups of espresso, 30 ml of milk, 200 g of dark chocolate, 50 ml of fresh cream, 2 tablespoons of sugar

Instruments
Mocha, saucepan, bicerin glass

Method

Prepare the coffee with the mocha, in the meantime melt the dark chocolate in a saucepan with the milk and add the sugar. Mix until you get a smooth cream and pour it into the typical bicerin glass. Pour in the coffee and mix, stirring gently. Whip the fresh cream with a pinch of sugar and cover the coffee forming a delicious topping. The bicerin is ready to be enjoyed, I recommend hot, do not let it cool.

Incoming search terms:

Carnia: small frontier world … culinary – Italian Cuisine

A corner of Italy, among the most contaminated from a culinary point of view: an incredible advantage for those who love dishes that look to the North, but not only. Among Cjarsons, Frico and Toc 'n braide here is our selection of places without fail

Let's tell the truth. There Carnia is one of the least Italian areas of Italy: beautiful and green, nestled in the Carnic Alps, north of Udine. Even for the Friulians it is a world apart, the Carnians speak another language than those of the plains, influenced by the neighboring Austria and Slovenia, as well as by the nearby Veneto. It is Central Europe, even more than South Tyrol because Slovenian, Hungarian, Bohemian and Jewish influences are linked to the clear Habsburg influences thanks to the fact that Trieste – the old port of the empire and the Adriatic threshold – is not so far away. And, as always, this being a frontier place is a great advantage for the kitchen. It is no coincidence that the Carnia hosts three Chioccioline, the highest recognition that Slow Food assigns to the places that best defend the tradition and local products. In the specific case: the rare Sauris ham, the mountain cheeses, the apples, the honey, the berries …

A thousand and one Cjarsons

The poetry of Carnic cuisine is represented from the sweet and savory combination of the Cjarsons (but also Cjalsons and Cjalzons according to the areas) which in Friulian language means calzoni. They are a widespread preparation in the plains, but this is where they find their essence: they can be of different shapes (round, half-moon, felucca, boat) and the sizes may vary. It's all wonderfully subjective, each family adopts the one they prefer or even creates their own. But what changes a lot – and creates infinite variations – is the filling (pistùm or pastùm) which is sometimes sweet and sometimes salty. In reality this is due to history and is closely related to the life of the cramârs. Until the 1900s, these brave men armed with crassigne (a sort of wooden backpack divided into small drawers in which they kept the goods) crossed the Alps on foot to sell in the Germanic countries the precious merchandise that they managed to grab in Venice or Trieste. Once back home – after months away – it was a big party. And what eventually remained on the bottom of the crassigne drawers, ended up in the filling of the Cjarsons that the women prepared to celebrate.

A filling of the most varied

They could be spices, sultanas and dried fruit (plums, figs), but also biscuits and cocoa, candied fruit, herbs (mint and lemon balm) and the filling obviously changed every time from year to year from house to house. On the contrary, the salty version is rich in smoked ricotta, boiled potatoes, roasted onion and herbs. Tradition has it that in Carnia they were prepared for Christmas Eve as a lean dish, on the plain, however, it was Easter tradition. Each recipe, each version, takes its name from the countries or valleys of reference, but there is no Carnic family that does not have a codified recipe, handed down from generation to generation and preserved as a precious heirloom to be transmitted to descendants.

Cheese (good) reigns

Carnia is also one of the lands of Frico, little or not known outside Friuli. It seems that the first recipe, from the 15th century, is attributed to the famous master Martino, cook of the Patriarch of Aquileia. Born as a sweet dish, to which sugar or cinnamon was added, today the Frico has become salty, of which there are many variations. However, they can be traced back to two main types: the soft one, a sort of cheese omelette with potatoes and onion, and the crunchy one which is prepared with grated cheese left to set on a high flame. The traditional triptych is completed by the Toc ’in braide (literally dipping in the farm) usually proposed as an appetizer. It is made with a very soft polenta where a sauce (toc) consisting of a fondue of milk and cheese is placed in the center: it is seasoned with corn flour browned in butter. Poor cuisine in execution, very caloric and absolutely delicious: long live Carnia (free or Italian whatever it is) and the ten places in our selection where you will find yourself very well.

Sot la Napa – Prato Carnico

A well-kept place, inside a 17th century house, where mother and daughter do not derogate from traditional cuisine: smoked trout, duck blecs (it's an egg pasta), frico with polenta. The raw materials come from the family organic farm, many wines are natural.

Riglarhaus – Sauris

The wooden and stone chalet that houses the family-run restaurant is very beautiful, with a regular counter and hearth. In high season, when you can enjoy the terrace, in addition to the very classic carnici, there are other specialties such as mues, made with cream cheese and corn flour

Green Frasca – Lauco

A lot of wood, a lot of hospitality in the Gressani family restaurant. Local products are enhanced, but you can also have fun with some clever 'contaminated' recipes, see the interpretation of radicchio and beef fillet with breadcrumbs and almond sauce. Large cellar.

From Alvise – Sutrio

The expression of the Carnic school, with pleasant tweaks in a contemporary key that earned him the Slow Food Chiocciolina. From the Cjarsons to the rack of lamb, everything is taken care of. Apple strudel and tiramisu in Tolmezzo's sweet closing recipe. Five rooms available for a stop.

Aplis – Ovaro

It is a bit like the club house of the tourist center which includes a hotel and residences, surrounded by the greenery of a wildlife park. The cuisine respects tradition (tasting the toc 'n braide is mandatory), but it broadens the horizon especially in meat dishes. Good wines from the region.

Gold Star – Verzegnis

A certainty for fans, historic Slow Food Chiocciolina that follows the route of seasonality. Beyond that its herb Cjarsons are cult of Carnia, there are less popular dishes such as the salad of marinated twigs, the venison, the panna cotta with pollen.

Borgo Pascolle – Cavazzo Carnico

The patrons were teachers: the taste for research remained (the raw materials are all local and largely organic) and the pleasure of telling the good dishes that come to the table. Tradition is safe, but some new ideas peep out like the char tempura with turmeric.

La Fuèo – Rigolato

In the heart of the Carnic Alps, a rural setting well renovated by the patron chef with outdoor tables. From the cured meats and cheeses to the small dessert menu, through the soups and meats in salmì, here we make rigorous cuisine that pays homage to the past and the territory.

To Peace – Sauris

Restaurant-inn with a unique history (let you tell it), managed for over a century by the Scheneider family: the surname also makes sense in the kitchen, because the dishes are partly Carnic and partly German, always in the name of goodies. The selection of grappas is formidable.

Bellavista – Ravascletto

It is the restaurant of a hotel where the terrace with a splendid view makes the dining experience even more pleasant. The kitchen makes good use of local products, even the least discounted ones, for dishes such as blueberry and porcini tortelli or tagliatelle with yellow and mauve cream.