In this issue:
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Ciao Amici!
Welcome to our newsletter #3!!! We introduce you to Scarperia, a little hill town on the way from Bologna to Firenze we have recently visited, where beautiful knives are all handmade. There are several kinds of knives for different uses: cooking, hunting, military, camping, farmers and probably many more. Fall is a great season: grape harvest and wine making are exceptional events. Beside wine, this is the season when other great products such as chestnuts, mushrooms, black truffles, apples, extra virgin olive oil are produced… but fall is also the right time to make Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale. In these days grape must is cooking inside every acetaia in Modena. In 12 or 25 years it will be ready! This month Bluone proposes a special offer for the tour "Discover the Authentic Prosecco Wine". The area where Prosecco wine is produced is in Veneto, the same region where Venice, Verona and Padova are located. We have recently read that Prosecco is probably the most known wine in the world! But not everybody really knows this simple and fantastic sparkling white wine and its several varieties, one of which is not sparkling! Beside wine, Prosecco area offers other fascinating beauties, Palladian Villas (one of these inspired the architecture of the White House), amazing landscapes, special cheeses (Asiago, Montasio), grappa producers. Risotto is one of the classic Italian recipes that many people love: its origins are in Lombardia, in Northern Italy. In this season we use a lot of pumpkin for filling tortelli or making minestrone, bread or savory tarts... The best pumpkins come from Mantova and Ferrara, where the traditon of tortelli di zucca -pumpkin ravioli- is very strong. Pumpkin is very healthy, sweet and easy to cook. So, risotto with pumpkin turns into a simple delicious recipe. Of course, remember to add some Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper! Is there any topic that triggers your curiosity or you would like to know more? We welcome your ideas! Contact us Marcello & Raffaella |
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Scarperia and its Knives
Once, before the motorway connected Bologna and Firenze, the only way to go from a city to the other was to cross the Appennini mountains and drive across woods and valleys.
If you take this way from Bologna to Firenze or viceversa, in the middle of the mountains you will find a little town, called Scarperia, located in Tuscany, few kilometres after the border with Emilia Romagna, that in the past was the check point to control traffic and movements of the travelers.
Since 1400, Scarperia has been famous for manufacturing knives and cutting tools (shavers, scissors, blades). The tradition is still alive and now there are several craftsmen shops where you can admire and buy these special knives, handmade with valuable materials, known all around Italy and not only for their beauty and sharpness.
We visited Scarperia a couple of months ago with our good friends Carol and Kevin. It is a pretty little town and we are happy to share with you some photos.
Several people love knives, but do you know that the superstition says you should never give a knife or other cutting tools as a present, because a blade means suffering and scissors can “cut” a link? If it happens that you receive those items as a gift, you should give in change a cent: this means that you have "paid” the knife so the bad luck will not follow you!
If you take this way from Bologna to Firenze or viceversa, in the middle of the mountains you will find a little town, called Scarperia, located in Tuscany, few kilometres after the border with Emilia Romagna, that in the past was the check point to control traffic and movements of the travelers.
Since 1400, Scarperia has been famous for manufacturing knives and cutting tools (shavers, scissors, blades). The tradition is still alive and now there are several craftsmen shops where you can admire and buy these special knives, handmade with valuable materials, known all around Italy and not only for their beauty and sharpness.
We visited Scarperia a couple of months ago with our good friends Carol and Kevin. It is a pretty little town and we are happy to share with you some photos.
Several people love knives, but do you know that the superstition says you should never give a knife or other cutting tools as a present, because a blade means suffering and scissors can “cut” a link? If it happens that you receive those items as a gift, you should give in change a cent: this means that you have "paid” the knife so the bad luck will not follow you!
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Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
The Black Gold of Italy
Sometimes we heard about stories that sound so antique to us that we think they belong to a lost world. For instance, that story telling us about wooden barrels where Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is still aging nowadays that were given as dowries for brides in the past.
Not all these stories are so catchy and mysterious. Some stories are less intriguing but nonetheless important for daily life aspects because they guarantee quality of Aceto Balsamico. Those stories concern the regulations enacted by the European Union and the Italian government prescribing very precisely how Balsamic Vinegar has to be made in order to be labelled “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena”. Only when all procedures are respected, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena qualifies as D.O.P. / P.D.O. (“Designation of protected origin”).
In these days the grape juice called must, mosto, is still slowly cooking.
Each batch cooks in a large steel vat for at least 24 hours, never reaching the boiling temperature, in order to concentrate its flavor, sweetness and density.
Grapes of Trebbiano and Lambrusco varieties to make Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale are harvested later in the season - compared to grapes used for wine making - as an increased sugar content of grapes is a benefit for balsamic quality.
After that must has been cooked, it is aged in sets of wooden barrels, named batterie, composed of barrels of different dimension and woods: oak, chestnut, mulberry, ash, cherry and juniper giving balsamic vinegar specific flavors and organoleptic characteristics.
Producers keep their wooden barrels in the loft of their houses where extreme temperatures during summer and winter help respectively fermentation and rest of the cooked must.
The ageing is now in the wise and expert hands of producers who take care of filling up wooden barrels after natural evaporation and transfer the grape juice from a barrel to another.
The ageing process takes time: at least 12 years or more to candidate for the approval by the Consortium to be labelled Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena D.O.P. and to be bottled in stylish cruets without any added sugar, neither flavors or preservatives. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale can be aged longer and will turn into Extravecchio, meaning extra old, when ageing for more than 25 years.
Only after such a long time, you will be able to see it displayed on the shelves of your favorite neighborhood shop.
There are many theories about its origins, many stories concerning wooden barrels, many stories concerning trade of wooden barrels, many secrets for its production, many political issues for the safeguarding of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena against commercial vinegars. There is just a certainty, tasting it is a privilege.
Now, you know many ingredients to choose exactly what to buy if you want to taste the real Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena...and you just have to find out whether you prefer it over a sliver of Parmigiano Reggiano, a meat steak, grilled fish, a dish of risotto or ravioli stuffed with ricotta, on some gelato alla crema or strawberries.
Not all these stories are so catchy and mysterious. Some stories are less intriguing but nonetheless important for daily life aspects because they guarantee quality of Aceto Balsamico. Those stories concern the regulations enacted by the European Union and the Italian government prescribing very precisely how Balsamic Vinegar has to be made in order to be labelled “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena”. Only when all procedures are respected, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena qualifies as D.O.P. / P.D.O. (“Designation of protected origin”).
In these days the grape juice called must, mosto, is still slowly cooking.
Each batch cooks in a large steel vat for at least 24 hours, never reaching the boiling temperature, in order to concentrate its flavor, sweetness and density.
Grapes of Trebbiano and Lambrusco varieties to make Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale are harvested later in the season - compared to grapes used for wine making - as an increased sugar content of grapes is a benefit for balsamic quality.
After that must has been cooked, it is aged in sets of wooden barrels, named batterie, composed of barrels of different dimension and woods: oak, chestnut, mulberry, ash, cherry and juniper giving balsamic vinegar specific flavors and organoleptic characteristics.
Producers keep their wooden barrels in the loft of their houses where extreme temperatures during summer and winter help respectively fermentation and rest of the cooked must.
The ageing is now in the wise and expert hands of producers who take care of filling up wooden barrels after natural evaporation and transfer the grape juice from a barrel to another.
The ageing process takes time: at least 12 years or more to candidate for the approval by the Consortium to be labelled Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena D.O.P. and to be bottled in stylish cruets without any added sugar, neither flavors or preservatives. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale can be aged longer and will turn into Extravecchio, meaning extra old, when ageing for more than 25 years.
Only after such a long time, you will be able to see it displayed on the shelves of your favorite neighborhood shop.
There are many theories about its origins, many stories concerning wooden barrels, many stories concerning trade of wooden barrels, many secrets for its production, many political issues for the safeguarding of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena against commercial vinegars. There is just a certainty, tasting it is a privilege.
Now, you know many ingredients to choose exactly what to buy if you want to taste the real Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena...and you just have to find out whether you prefer it over a sliver of Parmigiano Reggiano, a meat steak, grilled fish, a dish of risotto or ravioli stuffed with ricotta, on some gelato alla crema or strawberries.
Discover the Authentic Prosecco Wine
Indulge Your Senses with Prosecco Bubbles in the Enchanting Area of Production
June 11 - 17, 2016 or October 1 - 7, 2016 - 6 night tour
Join Us in Prosecco area!
Take advantage of our offer for the Prosecco tour in June or October 2016
Special offer for our Newsletter friends only:
In double room: Euros 2300 per person (instead of Euros 2480)
In double room single use: Euros 2450 (instead of Euros 2640)
The above offer is valid for a month from now, until you receive our next Newsletter.
You would not believe to such a dense concentration of excellences in Veneto. Venezia, Verona, Lake of Garda, Dolomites, riverboats and canals leading to Padova and Treviso, Bassano del Grappa, Asolo. But also Amarone, inviting flavored Grappe, Prosecco, cicchetti and soppressa.
There is a way to interpret Veneto personality: pioneers, travelers as well as beauty lovers.
Going back to its foundation in 1966, La Strada del Prosecco, the wine road, has been the first wine road in Italy. Including more than a dozen of towns and villages among which Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are the most remarkable representatives. They are located on the left bank of Piave, the legendary river whose history is traded by popular songs and tradition.
Natural fermentation and different wine blends give origin to a rich variety of flavors, colors and bubbles. Glera blended with Verdiso, Bianchetta trevigiana, Perera, indigenous vineyards of Veneto are main responsible for Prosecco delicacy.
Discover with us the Prosecco Superiore di Valdobbiadene Cartizze, an elegant DOCG spumante produced on Monte Cartizze.
Experiencing Prosecco through grapes and passion of Veneto inhabitants, Veneti, will be an amazing promenade through an open air museum.
"La gloriosa et amorosa", that is how Marca trevigiana was defined by literates… It is not so hard to imagine it.
So, discover and live it with us.
There is a way to interpret Veneto personality: pioneers, travelers as well as beauty lovers.
Going back to its foundation in 1966, La Strada del Prosecco, the wine road, has been the first wine road in Italy. Including more than a dozen of towns and villages among which Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are the most remarkable representatives. They are located on the left bank of Piave, the legendary river whose history is traded by popular songs and tradition.
Natural fermentation and different wine blends give origin to a rich variety of flavors, colors and bubbles. Glera blended with Verdiso, Bianchetta trevigiana, Perera, indigenous vineyards of Veneto are main responsible for Prosecco delicacy.
Discover with us the Prosecco Superiore di Valdobbiadene Cartizze, an elegant DOCG spumante produced on Monte Cartizze.
Experiencing Prosecco through grapes and passion of Veneto inhabitants, Veneti, will be an amazing promenade through an open air museum.
"La gloriosa et amorosa", that is how Marca trevigiana was defined by literates… It is not so hard to imagine it.
So, discover and live it with us.
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Pumpkin Risotto
A Great Idea for Your Fall Meals!
When you think about Italian food, pasta in all its shapes and types is for sure what comes to your mind at first. Rice is usually more connected to Asia, however, among the thousands varieties of rice existing in all the world, Italy is the land where many varieties are produced which are used in the preparation of typical Italian recipes.
Risotto is the most famous Italian recipe with rice and identifies a cooking method typical and exclusive to the Italian cuisine which has become worldwide famous. Risotto is prepared all over Italy and its consistency and savor vary depending on the regional and local tastes and typical ingredients and on the season.
This month we share with you our recipe of risotto with pumpkin. It is a typical dish of the fall, very traditional especially in Northern Italy. Its origins, as most of the recipes prepared with pumpkin, are very humble: in fact this vegetable in the past was a very poor ingredient mostly cultivated and eaten by farmers.
How to make it:
Ingredients (for 5 people):
- 400 grams / 2 cups Carnaroli rice
- 1 + 1/2cup cooked pumpkin
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 liter / 4 cups hot vegetable broth
- 1 medium sized white onion
- 50 grams / 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- black pepper
First of all, clean the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and the skin and cut it in small cubes. Place it in a large pan with 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and let it cook slowly and covered until fork tender. Eventually, if it gets too dry and it sticks in the pan, add some tablespoons of water.
Once the pumpkin is ready, start preparing the risotto. In a pot lightly fry the chopped onion in 1-2 tablespoons of butter. The onion must become tender and not crunchy, so keep the heat low.
At this point, add the rice; here the moment called "tostatura" starts: the rice is toasted in the onion and butter at high heat for some minutes, until its grains get brighter. Keep stirring the rice with a wooden spoon in order that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan and get burned. This moment is very important as a good "tostatura" keeps the rice "al dente" and the grains well separated during the cooking, without overcooking.
Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Then turn the heat low and start adding the hot vegetable broth. Always pour it a little at a time, stirring continuously and adding the next as the rice absorbs it and gets drier.
Halfway through cooking, after 6-7 minutes, add as well the pumpkin previously cooked, leaving a little quantity apart (about 1/4 of it). Keep stirring and adding the broth in order that rice never gets too dry.
Time of cooking depends on the rice type and brand (usually at least 15-16 minutes), but the best way to know when it is ready is to taste it!
Turn off the fire a couple of minutes before rice is cooked.
Add the remaining butter and a good handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, lightly stir and cover. Keep there for 2-3 minutes: this time will bring the rice to the perfect cooking and will make it "mantecare", which means becoming creamy and of the right risotto texture.
Serve immediately, ending each dish with a spoon of the remained pumpkin as a decoration, some grounded black pepper and some more grated parmigiano.
After learning about traditional balsamic vinegar in this month's issue, you can try and taste the balsamic you have purchased on your homemade risotto! The combination of pumpkin and good balsamic vinegar is one of our favorites!
Final notes and ideas:
- by tradition, butter is always a basic ingredient of risotto as it makes it creamy and gives it its characteristic delicate flavor. However, if you prefer not to use butter, you can substitute it with extra virgin olive oil. The texture will be different than using butter, but for sure it will make the dish lighter and healthier.
- pumpkin is one of the hundreds of ingredients you can put in your risotto. Great thing about preparation of risotto is that the base of the recipe is always the same and you just need to change the ingredient to vary your risotto flavor. So you can keep this recipe as a base for any of your favorite risotto: porcini mushrooms, spinach, saffron, radicchio, artichokes, asparagus or other ingredients you prefer. Follow the recipe as explained here and substitute the pumpkin with the ingredient you have chosen. No matter which risotto flavor you pick, you need to have any ingredient cooked before adding it to the risotto.
- you need a high quality rice to make your risotto. Carnaroli is definitely one of the best types you can choose to make a great risotto, but you can use as well Arborio or Vialone Nano as great alternatives.
- in Italy first courses are served on their own and never with other side dishes as it is very important to have your pasta al dente and still warm when you eat it. Even for risotto this is necessary, so not only we suggest you to have it on its own and not accompanied with salad or other courses, but overall serve and eat it immediately after cooking. So when at home we make risotto we prepare in advance the table and 5 minutes before it is ready we get all ready in the kitchen!
Risotto is the most famous Italian recipe with rice and identifies a cooking method typical and exclusive to the Italian cuisine which has become worldwide famous. Risotto is prepared all over Italy and its consistency and savor vary depending on the regional and local tastes and typical ingredients and on the season.
This month we share with you our recipe of risotto with pumpkin. It is a typical dish of the fall, very traditional especially in Northern Italy. Its origins, as most of the recipes prepared with pumpkin, are very humble: in fact this vegetable in the past was a very poor ingredient mostly cultivated and eaten by farmers.
How to make it:
Ingredients (for 5 people):
- 400 grams / 2 cups Carnaroli rice
- 1 + 1/2cup cooked pumpkin
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 liter / 4 cups hot vegetable broth
- 1 medium sized white onion
- 50 grams / 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- black pepper
First of all, clean the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and the skin and cut it in small cubes. Place it in a large pan with 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and let it cook slowly and covered until fork tender. Eventually, if it gets too dry and it sticks in the pan, add some tablespoons of water.
Once the pumpkin is ready, start preparing the risotto. In a pot lightly fry the chopped onion in 1-2 tablespoons of butter. The onion must become tender and not crunchy, so keep the heat low.
At this point, add the rice; here the moment called "tostatura" starts: the rice is toasted in the onion and butter at high heat for some minutes, until its grains get brighter. Keep stirring the rice with a wooden spoon in order that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan and get burned. This moment is very important as a good "tostatura" keeps the rice "al dente" and the grains well separated during the cooking, without overcooking.
Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Then turn the heat low and start adding the hot vegetable broth. Always pour it a little at a time, stirring continuously and adding the next as the rice absorbs it and gets drier.
Halfway through cooking, after 6-7 minutes, add as well the pumpkin previously cooked, leaving a little quantity apart (about 1/4 of it). Keep stirring and adding the broth in order that rice never gets too dry.
Time of cooking depends on the rice type and brand (usually at least 15-16 minutes), but the best way to know when it is ready is to taste it!
Turn off the fire a couple of minutes before rice is cooked.
Add the remaining butter and a good handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, lightly stir and cover. Keep there for 2-3 minutes: this time will bring the rice to the perfect cooking and will make it "mantecare", which means becoming creamy and of the right risotto texture.
Serve immediately, ending each dish with a spoon of the remained pumpkin as a decoration, some grounded black pepper and some more grated parmigiano.
After learning about traditional balsamic vinegar in this month's issue, you can try and taste the balsamic you have purchased on your homemade risotto! The combination of pumpkin and good balsamic vinegar is one of our favorites!
Final notes and ideas:
- by tradition, butter is always a basic ingredient of risotto as it makes it creamy and gives it its characteristic delicate flavor. However, if you prefer not to use butter, you can substitute it with extra virgin olive oil. The texture will be different than using butter, but for sure it will make the dish lighter and healthier.
- pumpkin is one of the hundreds of ingredients you can put in your risotto. Great thing about preparation of risotto is that the base of the recipe is always the same and you just need to change the ingredient to vary your risotto flavor. So you can keep this recipe as a base for any of your favorite risotto: porcini mushrooms, spinach, saffron, radicchio, artichokes, asparagus or other ingredients you prefer. Follow the recipe as explained here and substitute the pumpkin with the ingredient you have chosen. No matter which risotto flavor you pick, you need to have any ingredient cooked before adding it to the risotto.
- you need a high quality rice to make your risotto. Carnaroli is definitely one of the best types you can choose to make a great risotto, but you can use as well Arborio or Vialone Nano as great alternatives.
- in Italy first courses are served on their own and never with other side dishes as it is very important to have your pasta al dente and still warm when you eat it. Even for risotto this is necessary, so not only we suggest you to have it on its own and not accompanied with salad or other courses, but overall serve and eat it immediately after cooking. So when at home we make risotto we prepare in advance the table and 5 minutes before it is ready we get all ready in the kitchen!
