The Hirshon Italian Colonnata Lardo – Lardo di Colonnata

February 22, 2019 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

Lardo di Colonnata Image Used Under Creative Commons License From qualigeo.eu

My Citizens, I have very fond memories of driving up a long, winding road laden with white marble dust in the Apuan Alps until I arrived in the ancient village of Colonnata – while there, I purchased some of the village’s famed Lardo, made from aged fatback cured with salt, herbs and spices. Then, I bought some wine, bread and fruit and went over to an abandoned marble quarry to eat an amazing lunch of all of these as my legs dangled over the edge of the quarry lip.

It was pure magic, for many reasons – and to this day, it ranks as one of the most memorable meals of my life.

So why all the mystique and mystery over Lardo – allow the Sagacious One to expound on this!

As noted on qualigeo.eu:

Lardo di Colonnata PGI is a charcuterie product obtained from the fat of selected pork topside, which is salted and cured in marble bowls.

Processing is seasonal and takes place between September and May. According to the traditional method, curing takes place in bowls carved out of marble blocks originating from the Canaloni marble basin in Colonnata (Massa Carrara).

Each bowl is rubbed inside with garlic and then filled with alternate layers of lard and a mixture of natural sea salt, black ground pepper, fresh rosemary and freshly peeled and chopped garlic; other spices may also be added. The recipients are then closed with a slab of marble or another suitable material, and the ingredients are left to rest for at least six months, in slightly aerated rooms in which humidity depends only on natural factors. During this stage, the consistency of the so-called “pickling brine”, the liquid released from the lard after contact with salt, must be checked.

Lardo di Colonnata PGI generally has a rectangular shape with a thickness of at least 3 cm. The lower part is covered by pig rind, while the upper part is covered with salt, herbs and spices. There can be a streak of lean meat inside and its consistency is uniform and tender. It is white and slightly pinkish or brown in colour. It is fragrant and has a delicate and fresh flavour, enriched with the aromatic herbs and spices that cover it.

The production area of Lardo di Colonnata PGI is within the entire territory of the district of Colonnata in the Municipality of Carrara, in the Province of Massa Carrara, in the Tuscany region. The pigs used for production must be born and reared in the following regions: Tuscany, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, Molise, Umbria, Marche and Lazio.

The origins of Lardo di Colonnata PGI probably date back to Roman times. It has no actual history, surrounded only by hypothesis and legends. According to one of these, Michelangelo stocked up on lard when going to Colonnata to get marble blocks for his statues. However, there are several elements that prove its origin: religious and cultural references, such as the existence of a traditional lard fair; gastronomic references, such as the numerous declarations of the product’s goodness; social and economic references, such as the presence of the producers, who for many years have carried out production using traditional methods.

Lardo di Colonnata PGI should be kept in a cellar or cool place; it can also be kept in the fridge. After cutting, it is advisable to fold the strip of the leftover pigskin onto the body of the lard and to leave the product covered with its salt; it should then be wrapped in a slightly dampened cloth. Ideally, Lardo di Colonnata PGI should be served “au naturel” and thinly sliced, with slightly toasted bread or with unusual combinations, such as shellfish. It is perfect to pair with well-structured wines such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano PDO.

The product is marketed as Lardo di Colonnata PGI. It is sold in pieces – vacuum-packed in either plastic or other suitable material – sliced or minced and suitably packaged.

The production area of Lardo di Colonnata PGI is characterised by a high percentage of humidity, mild summer temperatures and limited daily and yearly temperature ranges, which together generate an exclusive micro-climate that is particularly suitable for the processing and natural conservation of the product.

Lardo di Colonnata is made using two great Tuscan products: the white marble from the Apuan Alps, and pork, the main type of livestock in the region. Marble caves have existed in Tuscany since the Roman Age. The marble found in the caves is of excellent quality and is used to make beautiful columns. In making Lardo, a marble box called a “Conca” is used.

While the Romans focused their energy on increasing the amount of marble extracted, the Barbarians that ruled the land after the Romans preferred to raise pigs for pork products, including lard. The best lardo is undoubtedly produced in Colonnata, a small city is located in the Apuan Alps.

The constant mountain wind in Colonnata makes the ideal microclimate for aging lard. The fat is placed in marble tubs, or basins, with the perfect porousness. The Health Department questions the use of marble to no avail. The production of Lardo di Colonnata is regulated by IGP standards, which include aging the meat in marble. As soon as you leave the small, regulated area of production you will find that the quality of the lard declines.

Lardo is one of those foods born of poverty. Its preparation dates back at least 1,000 years! The Italian word “Lardo” is not to be confused with the English word “lard”. Lard (English) is rendered pork fat, which in Italian is called “struto”.

So to make this delicacy of delicacies as it was meant to be experienced, you’re going to need two unique items. First, the proper kind of fat – and the only one I would EVER use in the States is fatback from the wooly Mangalitsa pig, which is renowned for the quality of its meat and fat alike! You can buy it here. If you’re lucky enough to find a Gloucestershire Old Spot heirloom pig, its fat can also be used

Second, you MUST use a marble container to store and cure the fat – only marble from the region has the correct porosity and temperature regulation for this multi-month process. Thankfully, you can buy one here.

This is not a difficult recipe to make, Citizens – but it does require PATIENCE. It will be 7 months before you can eat this, but it is SO WORTH THE WAIT! 🙂 My recipe includes a few instructions and tips from legendary sausage guru Len Poli, and I am grateful for his expertise and sharing of techniques!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Italian Colonnata Lardo – Lardo di Colonnata

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Ingredients

5 lbs fresh skinless pork back fat - TFD strongly recommends Mangalitsa unrendered back fat for this!
2 lbs Kosher salt
12 cloves garlic, minced + 2 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise for seasoning the marble storage box
4 sprigs fresh thyme, ½ whole and ½ roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, ½ whole and ½ roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh oregano, ½ whole and ½ roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh sage, ½ whole and ½ roughly chopped
2 tablespoons black pepper, crushed in a spice grinder
1 tablespoon juniper berries, crushed in a spice grinder
½ tablespoon nutmeg, freshly-grated on a microplane
½ star anise, crushed in a spice grinder

Instructions

The fat used should preferably be fresh, not frozen obtained as soon after slaughter as possible. The slabs are then trimmed to fit the exact dimensions of the curing chamber, so that there are no air gaps!
Wearing rubber gloves that are scrupulously clean, rub the insides of the marble box thoroughly and completely with the halves garlic cloves until they are rubbed down to nubs. Add the nubs to the remaining chopped garlic.
The fat slabs are rubbed with coarse salt on all sides; and then a slab of fat is layered in the container, herbs, spices, pepper and garlic are added and another section of fat and herbs, etc. are added.
This is done until the container is full, and then it is covered. A very clean weight (ideally the same size as the lardo in the box) can be added on top.
Not having a cave or cellar, you can store the container in the lower shelf of a refrigerator at 38oF for 6 months. During the curing and aging, a brine or “salamoia” in which the fat is immersed will form. No other preservatives are added.
After 6 months, remove it, brush off the large herbs and hang the slabs on “bacon hooks” and let them air dry for 4 weeks at about 55oF and approximately 50% R/H (relative humidity). Serve and enjoy!

https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-italian-colonnata-lardo-lardo-di-colonnata/

The Hirshon Spicy, Cheesy and Meaty Italian-American Calzone

February 17, 2019 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

Calzone Image Used Under Creative Commons License From pinterest.com

Citizens, few cuisines evoke such strong nostalgia for the unmatched Suzerain who ALONE is TFD as Italian-American! Growing up in Brooklyn in NYC, this food was the backbone of my childhood, and few things were as delicious as the mighty Calzone!

A calzone (“stocking” or “trouser” in Italian) is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza that originated in Naples in the 18th century.

A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in an oven and is stuffed with salami, ham or vegetables, mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan or pecorino cheese, as well as an egg. Different regional variations on a calzone can often include other ingredients that are normally associated with pizza toppings.

Traditional calzone dough, consisting of flour, yeast, olive oil, water and salt, is kneaded and rolled into medium-sized disks. Each is then filled with cheeses such as ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, and other traditional vegetables or meats.

The dough is then folded in half over the filling and sealed with an egg mixture in a half-moon shape, or is sometimes shaped into a ball by pinching and sealing all the edges at the top. It is then either baked or fried.

In some areas, just before serving, they are topped with marinara or other traditional sauce, or with a mixture of garlic, olive oil and parsley. Similar dishes are scacciata and stromboli.

Sandwich-sized calzones are often sold at Italian lunch counters or by street vendors, because they are easy to eat while standing up or walking. Fried versions of the calzone are typically filled with tomato and mozzarella: these are made in Apulia and are called panzerotti.

The Sicilian cuddiruni or cudduruni pizza is distantly related to the calzone. This is a dish stuffed with onions (or sometimes other vegetables, such as potatoes or broccoli), anchovies, olives, cheese and mortadella; the rolled pizza dough is folded in two over the stuffing and the edges are sealed before the dish is fried.

In the United States, calzones are typically made from pizza dough and stuffed with meats, cheeses and vegetables.

In Italy, as of the 1960s, calzones were popularly believed to be the most efficient type of pizza for home delivery.

This popular credence had some scientific ground as the folded nature of the calzone results in a lower surface-to-volume ratio than a traditional pizza resulting in better heat retention during the journey from the pizzeria to the buyer’s home. This results in a calzone being delivered warmer than pizza, all other things being equal.

Nowadays pizza delivery motorbikes have electrically heated bags to keep pizzas warm during the journey.

For my ultimate calzone recipe, one must start with the ULTIMATE pizza crust – and that is without question the dough created by supreme pizza maven Peter Reinhart. This versatile dough can be used to make pizza, calzones, or stromboli. It gets its great depth of flavor from a long, slow fermentation, preferably overnight in the refrigerator and for up to 3 days.

Next, I love powerful flavors and few things are as potent as my homemade puttanesca sauce made with garlic, hot pepper, anchovy, capers and olives! Mix that with several meats and cheeses plus fresh basil and you have the SUPREME calzone indeed!

Dip that heavenly calzone into marinara sauce and a garlicky herb-laden olive oil and you truly have palatal perfection!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

The Hirshon Spicy, Cheesy and Meaty Italian-American Calzone

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Ingredients

For the crust:
1 lb. (3-½ cups) unbleached bread flour; more as needed
2 tsp. granulated sugar or honey
1-½ tsp. table salt (or 2-½ tsp. kosher salt)
1-¼ tsp. instant yeast
1-½ Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more as needed
Semolina flour (optional)
***
For puttanesca sauce:
6 large firm, ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 flat anchovy fillets, minced, ideally from a glass jar (JH note – the best anchovies – by far – are the Ortiz brand, sold at Whole Foods)
1 t. hot pepper flakes
1 t. Tabasco sauce, or to taste
4 T. tomato paste
½ cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons red wine (optional)
2 T. capers, brine-packed, drained
8-10 Greek olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh oregano, fresh parsley and fresh basil, to taste
***
For the filling:
9 Peppadew peppers, chopped
½ cup or more Puttanesca sauce, plus additional for serving
2 cups buffalo (preferred) or cow mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ cup freshly-grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
½ cup diced pepperoni
½ cup Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
½ cup diced Virginia ham
Several leaves of fresh basil
***
Dipping sauces of tomato sauce and another made from olive oil, crushed garlic, minced parsley and minced fresh oregano

Instructions

For the crust:
Combine the flour, sugar or honey, salt, yeast, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add 11 fl. oz. (1-¼ cups plus 2 Tbs.) cool (60º to 65ºF) water.
With a large spoon or the paddle attachment of the electric mixer on low speed, mix until the dough comes together in a coarse ball, 2 to 3 minutes by hand or 1 to 2 minutes in the mixer. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Knead the dough: If using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes, either by hand on a lightly floured work surface or with the mixer’s dough hook on medium-low speed. As you knead, add more flour or water as needed to produce a ball of dough that is smooth, supple, and fairly tacky but not sticky.
When poked with a clean finger, the dough should peel off like a Post-it note, leaving only a slight residue. It may stick slightly to the bottom of the mixing bowl but not to the sides.
Chill the dough: Lightly oil a bowl that’s twice the size of the dough. Roll the dough in the bowl to coat it with the oil, cover the top of the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days (TFD note - the longer the better!).
It will rise slowly in the refrigerator but will stop growing once completely chilled. If the plastic bulges, release the carbon dioxide buildup by lifting one edge of the plastic wrap (like burping it) and then reseal. Use the dough for pizzas, calzones, or stromboli as directed in the recipes.
For the puttanesca sauce:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Toss the tomatoes and 1 clove of the garlic in 2 T. of the olive oil in a large baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly charred. Remove and place tomatoes and garlic through a food mill into a small-sized bowl. Set aside.
Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 t. salt and let it boil until ready to add the pasta.
In a large sauté pan add remaining olive oil and heat until warm. Add the last two cloves of garlic and gently cook until soft. Add anchovies and mash with the back of a wooden spoon. Add hot pepper flakes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, optional red wine, capers, tabasco and olives and cook very slowly on medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes.
Add the roasted tomato sauce to the mixture and stir to combine, set to lowest heat. Lightly season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make the calzones:
Preheat oven to 375°. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Shape to balls. Let dough relax 10 minutes. On floured surface, roll each piece into an 8-inch circle.
Place basil leaves on each piece of dough, then spoon pizza sauce, cheese and toppings on top (it should only go on to half of each circle). Moisten edge of dough with mixture of 1 egg and 1 teaspoon water. Fold in half; seal edge by pressing with fork. Prick each top; brush with remaining egg mixture.
Bake on greased cookie sheets for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with dipping sauces.

https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-spicy-cheesy-and-meaty-italian-american-calzone/

The Hirshon Dutch Queen’s Cream of Chicken Soup – Koninginnesoep

February 17, 2019 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

Koninginnesoep Image Used Under Creative Commons License From zelfmaakrecepten.nl

Citizens, the bellicose Bodhisattva who alone reigns supreme amongst the culinary pantheon – the glorious manifestation of the divine TFD! – has a long-standing and deep appreciation of the many delicious forms that soup can take! This Dutch treat (since I teach and you make) is perhaps the most comforting and delicious form of the mighty cream of chicken soup!

Queen’s soup is a very rich and creamy white, bound chicken soup, brightened up with a few peas and pieces of carrot. This Cream of Chicken Soup is actually triple-thickened: 1 – With the pureed chicken meat; 2 – With a roux; 3 – Just before serving with cream and egg yolk.

As noted on the amazing and scholarly food history site coquinaria.nl by Christianne Muusers:

‘Queen’s Day‘ (Koninginnedag) was a national holiday in the Netherlands. It was celebrated on April 30, originally the birthday of Queen Juliana, grandmother of our King Willem-Alexander. Prior to Juliana’s ascension to the throne in 1949, Queen’s Day was celebrated on August 31, the birthday of Juliana’s mother Queen Wilhelmina. Since the holiday is celebrated with a lot of outdoor festivities and Juliana’s successor Beatrix was born on 31 January, she decided to honour her mother by making her birthday the permanent date for Queen’s Day. However, in 2013 she ceded the throne to her son Willem-Alexander, and now we celebrate King’s Day on his birthday, which is 27 April.

All those outdoor feasts and fairs are accompanied by food. A lot of the served food and drinks are orange, since that is the national colour, almost more so than the red-white-blue of the Dutch flag. But there is also a cream-coloured soup that is served: Queen’s soup, or ‘koninginnesoep’ as we say in Dutch. The version that is served on the streets during Queen’s Day or King’s Day in plastic cups is a far cry away from the French Potage à la Reine that was first served at the table of the nobles in seventeenth century France.

The oldest recipe I have found for ‘potage à la reine’ is from La Varenne, published in Le cuisinier François in 1651 (edition Hyman, see bibliography). It’s a complicated soup, using two different stocks, a concentrated mushroom/fowl stock and almond stock, both using meat stock as base. Later versions of the same pottage in the seventeenth century also combine fowl stock with almond stock.

The almonds give the pottage its typical cream colour, there’s no cream used in the soup. In a French cookbook from the end of the nineteenth century the ‘potage à la reine’ has devaluated into a stock with puréed meat of poultry of veal and rice and cream, served with fried bread cubes. In the following recipe in the same book, ‘potage à la reine Margot’, milk, bayleaf and almonds are added (editie Audot, see bibliography). From the nineteenth century onwards the description ‘à la reine’ indicates that a dish contains white poultry meat, and often also mushrooms and/or sweetbread.

The Dutch ‘koninginnesoep’ resembles the simplified ‘potage à la reine’ from the nineteenth century. In the AVRO-kookboek from P.J. Kers from 1930 there is a soup called ‘Koniginnesoep. Potage à la Reine (Imitatie)’ (Queen’s soup. Potage à la Reine (imitation), using a meat stock thickened with a roux (flour and butter), egg yolk and cream. In another Dutch cookbook from the sixties of last century, the Sleutel tot de kookkunst (‘Key to the art of cooking’, see bibliography) from Mia Snelders, Queen’s Soup is a simple chicken stock thickened with roux, with little pieces of chicken meat and finished with an egg yolk and a dash of cream or evaporated milk.

That soup reminds me of the one that my mother used to serve, with green peas and orange carrot cubes as garnish. Maybe these were a faint echo of the garnish with pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds from centuries ago. Anyway, that last version is most like the soup which is served in plastic cups on queen’s or king’s day. However, the relation between this soup and the French original was still recognized in 1924, when J.P. Kers publishes a recipe for a soup, thickened with a roux, egg yolk and cream, called ‘Koniginnesoep. Potage à la Reine (Imitatie)’ (Queen’s soup. Potage à la reine (imitation)).

Queen’s Soup already made an appearance in Dutch cookbooks when the Netherlands were still a republic. In my cookbook with recipes from the Royal Library I have included a recipe for this soup from the Hollands, of Neederlands kookboek from 1724, with its partner, King’s Soup.

My version of the recipe is based very closely on hers, but differs with the addition of a whisper of Dutch old-style Genever, which tastes like the out-of-wedlock child of gin and Scotch whisky. It adds a delicious flavor note to the soup, but you don’t have to use it. You can buy my favorite brand here. I also use rainbow carrots for additional color and thyme flowers, which I very much enjoy.

I have every confidence you will love this delicious soup straight from the royal court of the Netherlands, Citizens!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

The Hirshon Dutch Queen’s Cream of Chicken Soup – Koninginnesoep

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Ingredients

For 1½ litres (six cups) stock:
¼ soup chicken (about 750 gr or 1½ pound with bones)
350 gr (¾ pound) stewing meat of veal
2 stalks celery
1 onion
1 carrot
bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf)
crushed white peppercorns to taste
small piece of mace
8 ¾ cups water
¼ cup oude genever (optional but TFD likes it - if you choose not to use, replace with dry sherry or water)
***
To make the soup:
60 gr (4 Tbsp) butter
60 gr (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp) flour
1½ litre (6 cups) strained and concentrated stock
the meat of the soup chicken (minus 100 gr or 3½ oz.)
***
To finish:
1 dl (½ cup) cream
1 egg yolk
***
Garnish:
100 gr (3½ oz.) white chicken meat, finely diced and cooked
Rainbow carrot, finely diced and cooked
peas, cooked
fresh thyme flowers (optional)

Instructions

Preparation in advance:
The first thing to do is preparing of the stock. Stock can be kept in the freezer for weeks, so just do this at any moment you want.
Blanch chicken and veal for a minute in boiling water. Then put the meat in a large pan with cold water, bring to the boil and add vegetables, herbs and spices. Alternatively skip the blanching, but then you’ll have to skim well before adding the greens and spices.
Let the stock simmer on very low heat for three hours. Then strain and degrease the stock and concentrate to 1.5 litre (6 cups). NOTE: No salt is added until the stock is used for making a soup, sauce or other dish.
Set 100 gram (3 ½ oz) of the whitest chicken meat aside, purée the rest of the chicken meat in a blender with a little of the concentrated stock. Use the veal for some other dish, like veal ragoût, which in its turn can be used for making croquettes. Discard vegetables and herbs.
Add the pureed chicken to the stock. You can do this before freezing the stock. This method will thicken the soup, but when you leave it standing for a while, chicken and stock will separate.
Melt the butter in a pan that can contain at least 2 liters (4 pints). Do not burn the butter, just melt it. Than add all the flour at once and stir with a wooden spatula or a whisk to a smooth paste. Temper the heat and let this ‘sweat’ for a couple of minutes. Add one tablespoon of chicken-enriched stock and stir. The paste has now become a dough.
Add a little more stock, stir until no lumps are visible, and continue until you have used all the stock. When more stock has been added to the roux, you can also add more stock to it in one go. But keep stirring until the soup is smooth and starts to boil again before adding the next batch. The soup can be prepared in advance up to this point.
Because the soup must not boil anymore when cream and yolk are added, this is done just before serving. Heat the soup until it is almost boiling (if you have made soup so far in advance that it is cooled). Stir the cream with the egg yolk. Add one spoon hot soup, stir or whisk well, add another spoon, stir or whisk, and so on.
If you do this too quickly, the mixture will curdle in stead of emulsifying with the soup. When the mixture is about the same temperature as the soup, stir it in. Temper the heat and warm for another five minutes without boiling, while you keep stirring.
Use preheated soup plates or bowls. You can add the diced white chicken meat to the individual serving dishes, or have added them already in the pan. Add additional garnishes and serve immediately.

https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-dutch-queens-cream-of-chicken-soup-koninginnesoep/