{"id":6789,"date":"2019-04-14T09:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-04-14T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?p=6789"},"modified":"2020-01-01T11:36:25","modified_gmt":"2020-01-01T18:36:25","slug":"calabria-dispatch-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/14\/calabria-dispatch-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Calabria Dispatch #19: \u2026And So It Ends (for now!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 14, 2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The oven was turned on for the last time for the Master\u2019s Program on April 9th.\u00a0 As this blog is being posted, I am flying home from Italy.\u00a0 The program officially ended on April 10th with a final dinner held in Catanzaro Lido.\u00a0 There were about 36 of us counting students, family and friends, kitchen staff and faculty.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Beautiful eggplant that were turned into fried eggplant sandwiches for lunch. Eggplant season doesn’t really start in earnest in Calabria for a few more weeks but look at these beauties.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tuesday, April 9th was our final menu execution.\u00a0 We put on a dinner for about 30 guests.\u00a0 On Sunday, the 7th we submitted our suggestions to Chef and he decided what we would make for the dinner.\u00a0 Mostly we got to make what we requested.\u00a0 We averaged about three dishes per student.<\/p>\n

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While my group was working in the kitchen the morning of our final menu execution, Chef John made a snack of pan-seared headcheese and eggs poached in spinach with cheese.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dinner started with a cold antipasto buffet followed by primi (pasta and risotto dishes) that were plated in the kitchen and served to the guests.\u00a0 We had two waiters to assist us.\u00a0 There were a number of secondi (second plates\u2026usually meat or fish) including Gerard\u2019s insane Truffle Porchetta.\u00a0 Slathered with pureed truffles before it was rolled and slowly roasted, Gerard figured the value of the Porchetta was more than his entire net worth!<\/p>\n

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An early stage in making Tomini. The curds are put into little baskets to drain.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I made three cheeses for the antipasto buffet as well as Lasagna Bolognese made in individual ramekins. \u00a0The cheeses I made were all Tomini, but flavored differently.\u00a0 My request to also make Pecorino was not approved.\u00a0 Probably because there wasn\u2019t time to age it sufficiently.<\/p>\n

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More beautiful produce: sweet peppers that were roasted and added to the eggplant sandwich.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Tomini were made from raw cow\u2019s milk though in the future I would definitely pasteurize the milk.\u00a0 There are few cheeses that really benefit from being made of raw milk otherwise the risk just isn\u2019t worth it.\u00a0 Tomini can be made from sheep\u2019s milk as well.\u00a0 Finding sheep\u2019s milk in New Mexico is difficult so my Tomini will likely be made with cow\u2019s milk.\u00a0 I\u2019m also going to try a combination of cow\u2019s and goat\u2019s milk, though, as soon as I can find a source of non-homogenized milk.\u00a0 Homogenized milk is not ideal for cheese-making.<\/p>\n

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Tomini with fresh garlic and dried oregano put into baskets to drain.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tomini are usually small cheeses, made in molds that hold 80-100 grams (about 3 ounces) when finished.\u00a0 One style contains a fuzzy (penicillum mold) exterior, like brie and camembert, but most, in my limited experience, do not.\u00a0 I opted for the latter.\u00a0 They can, and often are, aged briefly (just a few days) to create a mellow cheese.\u00a0 Longer aging is possible but given their small size two weeks is about the maximum.<\/p>\n

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On the buffet: sgombro (mackerel) lightly pickled and served as bruschetta.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To make Tomini, the milk is heated and inoculated with yogurt to begin to acidify it.\u00a0 Subsequently rennet is added.\u00a0 After the curds are cut, the proto-cheese is heated to firm up the curds before they are put into molds.\u00a0 After draining and salting, they are aged for a few days at 10\u00b0C-12\u00b0C (50\u00b0F-53.6\u00b0F), just a little cooler than a wine cellar.\u00a0 I am committed to having Tomini in our Santa Fe wine cellar soon!<\/p>\n

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Clockwise from top right my tomini flavored with peperoncino, tomini with garlic and oregano, tomini with crushed black pepper. Bruschetta made by another student.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the Tomini were rolled in coarsely ground black pepper before aging.\u00a0 Others were rolled in a mixture of sweet and hot peperoncino powder.\u00a0 For others, the curds were mixed with minced fresh garlic and dried Calabrian oregano before being put into molds.\u00a0 Tomini can also be aged in flavored oil such as garlic, rosemary or peperoncino oil.<\/p>\n

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A peek at just a small portion of the antipasto buffet. There were many courses of plated dishes that followed and then a gelato bar for a sweet ending!<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I was coating the cheese with black pepper and peperoncino, Adriana, the dishwasher who is filling in for Maria who recently had surgery, indicated that she rubbed her cheese with olive oil before coating them with spices.\u00a0 I might give that a try.\u00a0 I have no idea what it might do to the cheese but since these aren\u2019t cheeses that age long, there\u2019s no risk that the oil will go rancid as could happen with a long-aged cheese.<\/p>\n

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A selfie, from right to left, Ryan, Mary Margaret, and yours truly<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I made cheese for menu execution because Chef John, a week or so before, told me he wanted to see me make cheese (\u201cand not ricotta\u201d\u2026 his words) for menu execution.\u00a0 It\u2019s similar to his comment earlier in the course about wanting to see me make pasta ai frutti di mare or pasta allo scoglio (or a similar a la minute pasta made with seafood).\u00a0 I think these are items that he\u2019s using to gauge skill level or techniques that he thinks I need to know if I\u2019m going to teach cooking (which I plan on doing on my return).<\/p>\n

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Polenta bites with simple tomato sauce.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In any case, without his urging, I probably would not have made cheese.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m hooked!\u00a0 The variety of cheeses that can be made without extensive aging times is incredible.\u00a0 I can use the wine cellar.\u00a0 If I start getting into aging for more than a month or so I suspect I\u2019ll have to buy a refrigerated wine cave which will sit next to my gelato batch freezer\u2026 wherever that ends up!<\/p>\n

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One of the last lunches served to us at the Italian Culinary Institute.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I got a big compliment from Chef Juan\u2019s mom, who\u2019s visiting from Venezuela, regarding my cheese.\u00a0 I also got lots of compliments about my Lasagna Bolognese (which is going to appear on the table at Easter this year!).<\/p>\n

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Pizza fritta: fried pizza dough with toppings.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Step one was making the Ragu Bolognese which Chef John pares down to the absolute essentials compared to many published recipes (though I added a bit of garlic which he doesn\u2019t do).\u00a0 It\u2019s packed with flavor from very few ingredients.\u00a0 Step two was making fresh pasta and cutting it into circles that just fit inside the individual ramekins.\u00a0 The pasta air-dried for a day.\u00a0 Step three was making the besciamella and refrigerating it overnight so that I could squeeze it out of a pastry bag.\u00a0 All of those steps happened on April 7th and 8th.<\/p>\n

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Pane Arabo made fanciful with a small sheet of dough colored and flavored with squid ink, put on top of the plain dough.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The morning of April 9th, menu execution day, was pretty mellow for me.\u00a0 My cheeses were aging without need of attention until it was time to cut them and plate them for the buffet.\u00a0 I layered 29 ramekins (the total that we had) with lasagna hoping that one of our 30 guests didn\u2019t want lasagna!<\/p>\n

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Another selfie on the night of menu execution.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a Zen-like meditative experience:\u00a0 A thin layer of ragu, a sheet of pasta, another thin layer of ragu, then besciamella piped in to cover, then Parmigiano Reggiano cheese then pasta, followed by more ragu, besciamella, and Parmigiano followed by pasta, then ragu, Parmigiano and a drizzle of melted butter.\u00a0 This brought each ramekin to just below the top.<\/p>\n

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Getting my certificate from Chef John Nocita.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I put them on a sheet tray, inverted another sheet try on top, and put them in the walk-in.\u00a0 My work was done.\u00a0 I spent the rest of my time in the kitchen helping others who had more last-minute work to do.<\/p>\n

The lasagne were served as the first primo of the evening and therefore the first plated dish after the serve-yourself antipasto buffet.\u00a0 I baked them and drizzled them with a tiny bit of house-made rosemary oil just before serving them.<\/p>\n

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Making individual lasagne, the first primo piatto of the evening.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before we got to the primi, however, Chef John made a little speech and then gave us our certificates.\u00a0 A few hours earlier we had gotten our official Italian Culinary Institute Chef\u2019s Jackets which we were all wearing.\u00a0 It was an emotional moment:\u00a0 the culmination of three months of hard work and weight gain in the service of researching the flavors of Italy.\u00a0 (It sounds facetious but it\u2019s really true.)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m starting to draft this post on Thursday.\u00a0 All the students left today, except me.\u00a0 When planning my flights, I decided that I didn\u2019t want to be rushed with packing during the last days of the course so I planned my departure for Saturday.<\/p>\n

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Pasta filled with potato and mint, served with simple tomato sauce.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, Chef Juan and I spent a couple of leisurely hours inspecting all the salumi we made back in January and \u201cmaintaining\u201d the large cuts, like prosciuttino and capocollo.\u00a0 Maintaining means checking weight loss.\u00a0 Each type of cured meat product has an ideal percentage of weight loss as part of the curing process.\u00a0 Maintaining also means cleaning off any mold with white wine vinegar.<\/p>\n

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Some of the cured meats that we started in January hanging in the curing room.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mold is a natural part of Italian salumi.\u00a0 Mold doesn\u2019t really penetrate the surface of the meat.\u00a0 As it appears, one just cleans it off.\u00a0 Ideally the meat is checked every few days.\u00a0 Sometimes one reapplies another coating of whatever seasoning was on the exterior.\u00a0 The seasoning doesn\u2019t really penetrate the meat any longer as the surface is dry but it acts as another protective layer on the meat.\u00a0 Some of the cured meats that we made in January won\u2019t be ready till October.<\/p>\n

On Friday, the staff was reorganizing the kitchen after our three-month marathon and taking inventory.\u00a0 I \u201cmaintained\u201d all the salami and then vacuum-packed everything that didn\u2019t need more aging.\u00a0 My afternoon was spent packing for my departure.<\/p>\n

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A final memory of the view from our terrace the day before leaving Calabria.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once I get home on April 14th I\u2019ll be in full-cooking mode getting ready for Easter dinner.\u00a0 I\u2019ve taken my lessons to heart and plan on making the following assuming I can get all the ingredients:<\/p>\n

Antipasto (served on individual plates while having cocktails)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ricotta Fresca Fatto in Casa, Condita con Olio d\u2019Olivo<\/p>\n

Melanzane sott’olio<\/p>\n

Tonno del Chianti<\/p>\n

Fraguni<\/p>\n

Salame con Pane di Formaggio alla Romana<\/p>\n

Arancini con ‘Nduja<\/p>\n

Fave con Pecorino<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Primi (served in sequence on individual plates)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Risotto con Piselli, Crema di Piselli, Olio di Menta<\/p>\n

Minestra di Fagioli Borlotti di Zia Fidalma<\/p>\n

Lasagna Bolognese<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Secondo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Abbacchio alla Romana<\/p>\n

Carciofi e Patate<\/p>\n

Focaccia<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dolci<\/strong><\/p>\n

Torta di Agnello di Sanguinamento (Rich DePippo\u2019s Bleeding Lamb Cake)<\/p>\n

Bab\u00e0 con Sciroppo di Rum<\/p>\n

Gelato di Crema di Arancia, Scorza d’Arancia Candita, Cioccolato Bianco Caramellato Sbriciolato<\/p>\n

My plan for the summer is to go through my notes from the course and cook, cook, cook.\u00a0 I feel like I need to do that to integrate the information and truly make it mine.<\/p>\n

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Erlyn and I on the evening of our final menu execution.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I plan on making my way back to Italy at the beginning of August for about two months for guided independent study in regional Italian cuisine both at the Italian Culinary Institute and at venues in north and south Italy.\u00a0 Until then, I\u2019ll try to get back to a regular schedule of posting blogs with recipes and stories.<\/p>\n

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A close-up of my tomini with garlic and oregano.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bene, allora, arrivederci a tutti!<\/p>\n

Last minute update:\u00a0 I’m spending the night before my trans-Atlantic flight at Il Picolo Bed and Breakfast<\/a> that is, quite literally, a five minute drive from Leonardo da Vinci airport in Fiumicino.\u00a0 The owners suggested I have dinner at BioAgriola Traiano<\/a>, about a five-minute walk from the B&B.<\/p>\n

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An antipasto platter at BioAgricola Traiano. Note the little bread roll in the upper left. It is reminiscent of the “specialty rolls” that were an integral part of the baking program at the Italian Culinary Institute.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The food was wonderful.\u00a0 The owner speaks five languages and, when she heard I was a chef, she brought out the kitchen staff (both in their 20s) to meet me.\u00a0 The food was superb!\u00a0 I have to make visits to the B&B and the Agriturismo a regular part of my trips back to Italy.\u00a0 It won’t be difficult given how close they are to the airport.<\/p>\n

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Housemade fettuccine with cinghale in salsa bianco (wild boar in white sauce) at BioAgricola Traiano.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April 14, 2019 The oven was turned on for the last time for the Master\u2019s Program on April 9th.\u00a0 As this blog is being posted, I am flying home from Italy.\u00a0 The program officially ended on April 10th with a final dinner held in Catanzaro Lido.\u00a0 There were about 36 of us counting students, family … Continue reading Calabria Dispatch #19: \u2026And So It Ends (for now!)<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","wpupg_custom_link":[],"wpupg_custom_link_behaviour":["default"],"wpupg_custom_link_nofollow":[],"wpupg_custom_image":[],"wpupg_custom_image_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[363],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-and-places"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6789"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7481,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6789\/revisions\/7481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}