Month: May 2015

Ricette Classiche: Fritedda

Posted on by Jon
Fritedda

The change of season is always something seasonal cooks look forward to.  At Bellavitae, we would welcome spring with fresh asparagus, peas, fava beans, artichokes, and morels.

In springtime, we should celebrate freshness, whether fruits and vegetables and served cooked or raw.  A perfect illustration of this is the classic Sicilian dish fretedda (also called fritella – in Greece it’s koukia me anginares, in Rome it’s la vignarola and fresh peas are added).  It’s a much-loved Mediterranean stew that is made at the end of the artichoke season and beginning of the fava bean season.

Best of Sicily magazine writer Roberta Gangi provides her recipe here.  Clifford A. Wright offers his here.  Nancy Harmon Jenkins’ Greek version is here.  Note that while these recipes differ significantly, I would label them each authentic (my views on authenticity of classic recipes will be saved for another post when I have time for such a rant).

Reader Gida Ingrassia recently commented on my May 2010 post In Season: Asparagus and Fava Beans:

“I am looking for a recipe to make Sicilian “fritedda” with fava beans, asparagus, onions, peas and artichokes. Do you use regular artichokes and pare them down or are artichoke hearts necessary? Please advise.”

Well, I suppose I have already answered the question in the introduction!  To understand this dish you need to understand its purpose:  It is served in the Mediterranean when the artichoke and fava bean seasons cross.  It celebrates spring freshness.  So use fresh!

Gangi, Wright, and Jenkins give you specific instructions on how to cook the artichokes.  Buy the youngest available, boil the hearts and tender leaves until partially forgiving but not yet quite soft enough to eat.  Then add the other ingredients for further cooking.

Pianogrillo
Pianogrillo Farm Olive Oil

Here are some tips for success:

  • Make this dish as soon as fava beans come into season.  Nancy Harmon Jenkins wrote recently in The Wall Street Journal:  “It’s true that favas left to mature on their stalks too long will have a leathery skin that must be removed. Like peas, favas should be harvested and consumed when they are young.”
  • Don’t listen to the food snobs who insist you peel the beans after they’ve been shucked.  Again from Jenkins:  “How tiresome—and unnecessary. That’s not how it’s done in Italy. Or in Greece, Spain, Lebanon, Great Britain or anywhere else the beans are a spring staple. Only in France do they call for peeling the beans. Go figure.”
  • Use only the freshest ingredients.  Avoid dried favas, bottled artichoke hearts, or canned peas (in a pinch, I may use frozen peas).
  • Use Sicilian olive oil!  This tip will transform the dish from very good to phenomenal!  My favorite Sicilian olive oil is Pianogrillo Farm Extra Virgin Olive Oil available from Gustiamo or Amazon.

Thanks for the question, Gida.  Let us know how it turns out.

 

Related:

 

Further Reading:

Huffington Post: Taos Ski Valley Should be on Your Bucket List

Posted on by Jon
PETER PTSCHELINZEW/GETTY IMAGES
PETER PTSCHELINZEW/GETTY IMAGES

So says Food Editor Allison Spiegel, on Monday’s Huffington Post post entitled “Bucket List Places You Need To See In The Next Decade“.

“The world will look very different in the next decade than it does today. For travelers, this means the time to explore is now. . .  Before our world’s landscape changes even more, here are the destinations that should go straight to the top of your bucket list in the next decade.”

Besides Taos Ski Valley, she recommends:

  • The Philippines
  • Macedonia
  • Elqui Valley, Chile
  • Great Barrier Reef
  • Malawi
  • Bolivia
  • Maldives
  • Mongolia
  • Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, Thailand

Plus this:

“Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico is so much more than just a ski mountain. Rugged and remote, Taos is famous for its breathtaking scenery and the “legendary light” that has inspired artists like Georgia O’Keeffe. Taos has always had a sort of mystique about it. In 2013, billionaire Louis Bacon bought the mountain from its founders the Blake family, promising this lovably weathered mountain would get a “much-needed shot in the arm,” as The New York Times put it. This year, a chair lift opened to Kachina Peak, which had previously only been accessible by a hike. Thirty-five acres of new tree skiing opened, too, and the village’s ski lodge also got an upgrade. Ski Taos in the next 10 years to take advantage of these new developments, and also to experience the unique charm of the place while it lasts.”

Read the whole thing.

 

 

Josh Ozersky has Died

Posted on by Jon

He was 47.  I began reading Josh’s writing when we opened Bellavitae.

In this photo released by the Yale University Press shows Josh Ozersky author of "The Hamburger". (AP Photo/Yale University Press)
In this photo released by the Yale University Press shows Josh Ozersky author of “The Hamburger”. (AP Photo/Yale University Press)

Here’s what The Wall Street Journal reported today:

“Joshua Ozersky, who wrote prolifically on the subjects of dining and drinking for The Wall Street Journal and many other publications, was found dead in Chicago on Monday.  Mr. Ozersky was in Chicago to attend the annual chef and restaurant awards ceremony presented by the James Beard Foundation. He was a member of that organization’s advisory board as a well as a nominee and winner, in previous years, of its media awards.”

He was the founding editor of New York Magazine’s food blog Grub Street, a columnist for Time, an editor-at-large for Esquire and a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal.  The New York Times yesterday called him “one of the most forceful food writers in New York.”

The Wall Street Journal continues:  “Mr. Ozersky was particularly vocal and passionate on the subject of meat. Under the pseudonym Mr. Cutlets, he authored “Meat Me In Manhattan: A Carnivore’s Guide to New York” in 2003.  In his 2008 book “The Hamburger: A History,” he argued that his subject ‘isn’t just a sandwich; it is a social nexus.'”

 

Related:

New York magazine:  Platt Remembers Ozersky: A True Grub Street Intellectual

The New York Times:  Joshua Ozersky, Prolific Food Writer, Is Dead at 47