If you’ve followed my musings for any length of time, you probably know that I’m a first-generation American. As such, I’ve made it a mission to learn as much as I can about my family pre-emigration, so the past few years have entailed a lot of research. My mother’s Scottish side has been quite easy to trace, as our clan (Forbes) is a prominent one with a well-documented history. On my father’s Italian side, however, the road has been an emotional one, and at times quite frustrating.

I find that you never really recover from losing a parent; it simply becomes part of the fabric of your history, and at times that material can feel a bit delicate. My father died suddenly when I was 18 years old, at a time in my life when I was absorbed in college and building my future, so I didn’t have a whole lot of interest in his history. The Calabrese are also known for their hard-headedness (“testa dura”), a trait I clearly inherited, so we weren’t always the best of friends.

Now that I’m older, and traveling the world exploring food and culture, it’s as if there’s a giant question mark floating above my head; since my father isn’t here to answer my myriad questions, I’m on my own to find out more about his homeland. Oddly enough, I’ve been to almost every other region of Italy, yet I seem to be saving Calabria. Perhaps because I’m trying to prepare myself.

In the interim, I’m happy to say that the rest of the world has also, at last, taken note of Calabrian cuisine, so I’ve been able to sample some of it from American soil while gathering the information to make my pilgrimage.

On the map of Italy, Calabria is the “toe” of the boot and home to the renowned bergamot orange, used in so many perfumes, and of course as the main accent in Earl Grey tea. Calabria’s landscape is lush, and was highly prized by the ancient Greeks as well as the broad collection of invaders who chose to call the region home throughout its colorful history.

As part of Vino 2010, Italy’s showcase of its regional winemakers, the Italian Trade Commission and the Region of Calabria held a winemaker’s dinner enabling me to explore how Calabrian wines were paired with its foods. The meal was prepared by guest chef Vito Gnazzo of Il Gattopardo restaurant.

During the welcome reception, we were served some of my favorite flavors, like Bruschetta con N’duja, the spicy sausage so indicative of Calabria. We also had Piccoli Peperoni Ripieni di Tonno (peppers filled with tuna) and Arancini di Riso (rice balls filled with veal, peas and Pecorino cheese).

When we sat down to dinner, our antipasto was a welcoming remembrance of childhood: Carciofi e Patate in Tortiera. Though this particular combination paired braised baby artichokes and potatoes, when I was growing up we often had a variation of this with eggplant, peppers and potatoes (which I featured on the Culinary Media Network as Serafino’s Sofrito). I could see this was going to be an evening of comfort.

The first course took the memories a step further with Lagane e Ceci, a thick chickpea soup with pasta. The dish had a fantastic peppery kick so familiar in Calabrian cuisine, and was paired with a big red wine, Ippolito 1845 Ciro Rosso “Liber Pater” DOC 2007. Ippolito is the oldest winery in Calabria, and this particular wine had one spicy profile. I think I may have preferred with the soup with a contrasting wine rather than another layer of spice, but I would love this wine served with beef.

The ever-familiar dried cod appeared in our second course as Lo Stocco di Mammola, a cod fish salad with parsley and extra virgin olive oil from Calabria. This dish was bright and sunny, just like its home region, and would be perfect on a summer afternoon. It was paired with Statti Lamezia Greco Bianco IGT 2008.

After a lemon sorbetto to cleanse the palate, we moved on to Cosciotto d’Agnello Lardellato al Polline di Finocchio Selvatico, a lamb shank scented with wild fennel pollen. (I do love the word finocchio, incidentally, as it is a perfect representation of Italian’s melodic lingual expression.) This mild dish was paired with Cantina Val di Neto Rosso “Arke” IGT 2005.

To cap the evening, we finished with a lightly sweet dish that finished things on a lovely, mellow note: Panzarotti Ripieni di Ricotta con Gelato al Miele, a crispy, flaky pastry filled with ricotta and served with honey ice cream.

This was paired with Amaro, perhaps the most indicative drink of Calabria. This rich, sweet dessert wine, F.lli Caffo Vecchio Amaro del Capo, added the perfect ending to a memorable evening.

There is much to come as I share my discoveries of the region of Calabria, but if you’d like to learn a bit more for yourself, you can visit ItalianMade.com to learn about all of Italy’s wines and regional specialties. Many thanks to the Italian Trade Commission, the Region of Calabria and Chef Gnazzo for enabling me to get a taste of it for myself, and for the comfort it brought me.

Food Philosophy Video #10: Chef Odette Fada

On Food Philosophy 59 I took you on a little journey through Calabria, which included a dinner at San Domenico restaurant in NYC. Now step with me behind the kitchen doors as I speak with Chef Odette Fada to talk about her culinary creations — and get a little glimpse of some chefs at play! Chef Fada was named one of the best Italian chefs by Wine Spectator, and was a James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef NY. She’s also completely adorable, and made our time in the kitchen a lot of fun (she managed to flail less than I did!).

http://www.italianmade.com/
http://www.sandomeniconewyork.com/

Sponsor: Go Daddy (www.godaddy.com)
Use code food1 for 10% off your order
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Music: Beau Hall (http://www.beaurocks.com/)

Food Philosophy is a production of the Culinary Podcast Network (http://www.culinarypodcastnetwork.com/).

food, food podcast, sensuality, Food Philosophy, Culinary Podcast Network, Gilded Fork, Jennifer Iannolo, PodShow, Odette Fada, Italy, Calabria, San Domenico

Food Philosophy #59: The Foods of Calabria

I’m taking a little voyage through my roots in this episode as I explore some of the flavors of my father’s home, the region of Calabria, Italy. Resplendent with mountainous views of the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, Calabria (the “toe” of the boot) comprises microclimates that offer a little taste of everything — including their famous Clementine origins, which have now been given DOC status. Take a gastronomic journey with me and discover more about this little-known region — and a little more about me.

http://www.italianmade.com/

Also, special thanks to Paulie Podcaster from the DigiVegas Indie Podcast for his Las Vegas restaurant tips!

http://www.digivegaspodcast.com/

Sponsor: Go Daddy (www.godaddy.com)
Use code food1 for 10% off your order
Use code food2 for $5 off orders of $35 or more
Use code food3 for $6.95 domain names

Music: Beau Hall (http://www.beaurocks.com/) , Evan Stone (http://www.asamandrummeth.com)

Food Philosophy is a production of the Culinary Podcast Network (http://www.culinarypodcastnetwork.com/).

food, food podcast, sensuality, Food Philosophy, Culinary Podcast Network, Gilded Fork, Jennifer Iannolo, PodShow, Italy, Calabria, Regione Calabria

Food Philosophy #59: The Foods of Calabria

I’m taking a little voyage through my roots in this episode as I explore some of the flavors of my father’s home, the region of Calabria, Italy. Resplendent with mountainous views of the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, Calabria (the “toe” of the boot) comprises microclimates that offer a little taste of everything — including their famous Clementine origins, which have now been given DOC status. Take a gastronomic journey with me and discover more about this little-known region — and a little more about me.

http://www.italianmade.com/

Also, special thanks to Paulie Podcaster from the DigiVegas Indie Podcast for his Las Vegas restaurant tips!

http://www.digivegaspodcast.com/

Sponsor: Go Daddy (www.godaddy.com)
Use code food1 for 10% off your order
Use code food2 for $5 off orders of $35 or more
Use code food3 for $6.95 domain names

Music: Beau Hall (http://www.beaurocks.com/) , Evan Stone (http://www.asamandrummeth.com)

Food Philosophy is a production of the Culinary Podcast Network (http://www.culinarypodcastnetwork.com/).

food, food podcast, sensuality, Food Philosophy, Culinary Podcast Network, Gilded Fork, Jennifer Iannolo, PodShow, Italy, Calabria, Regione Calabria

In celebration of Father’s Day, Jennifer shares one of her favorite family dishes – a very simple rustic Italian side dish that is perfect for summer weather. One of the “relics” her father brought to America from Calabria, this dish was often made with ingredients fresh-picked from his garden. “Sofrito” in Italian typically means a sautéed combination of vegetables with garlic and olive oil.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large purple eggplant (or 2 small)
2 large onions
4 white potatoes
2 red peppers
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Equipment

Large cast iron or stainless steel skillet

Preparation

Slice the eggplant, potatoes, peppers and onions into lengthwise strips, rustic style.

[Chef’s Note: There is no need to peel or salt the eggplant in this dish, as it is simply tossed in with the rest. The final product will have a soft consistency, so it will release its juices into the dish.]

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. It should shimmer. Sauté the potatoes, onions and peppers for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to soften and the onions are translucent. Add the eggplant and allow the mixture to cook until the vegetables begin to caramelize, stirring occasionally. Add olive oil if the pan becomes too dry. Add garlic just before finishing and cook for another minute or so, being careful not to let it burn.

Serve immediately.

Recipe by Jennifer Iannolo