ITALIAN FOODIES

Tapenade or pate as they are called in Italy really seem to be in "foodie fashion" these days which is great to see because they are so versatile and can be used in so many different ways. We tried to sell them in the early days of La Cucina but olives weren't even popular then so they didn't sell. I mentioned recently that we have started to do them again and they are selling really well, I'm actually making a fresh batch tomorrow for all you Limerick inhabitants. If you are not prepared to make them yourself there are a couple of places in Limerick that you can buy them

• Saturday Farmer's market - there is a guy from Cork(I think) that sells a black olive tapenade which is really good. Anytime I go to the market I pick up some of that lovely crusty cheese bread from the little bread and cake stall and them some good Cambozola cheese from the cheese stall and that's Saturday's lunch sorted. A big antipasti of tapenade, cheese, Italian meats and crusty bread - Delicious!!

• Olio e Farina - Susan has a really good selection of tapenades, we always buy the black olive, mixed pepper and aubergine. She also does artichoke and a few more, Susan if you're reading this let us know what other varieties you do. The lovely chunky bread sticks in the picture above are also from there, we buy the black olive and also the Rosemary. They are definitely the best bread sticks in Limerick. We don't get into Susan much but when we do we are like 2 kids in a sweet shop trying to decide what to buy, we treated ourselves to a few bottles of "vino" yesterday, a couple from Sicily which Bruno knew so I'll let you know how they go down:) If you are going in I'd definitely recommend to check out her selection of whole salami(in photo above) which are great for Antipasti and of course her Organic Buffalo mozzarella - and no I'm not on commission;).

So, back to promoting myself, we now do 4 varieties:

• green olive
• black olive
• sun dried tomato
• roast peppers

They are great to have for a dinner party as nibbles instead of the boring peanuts, Doritos etc, just have a selection of these with some bread sticks for dipping. You can also use them as a starter and just serve them in little white bowls on a wooden platter with a selection of breads. Another way to serve them is on crostini, just slice up a baguette into thin slices. place them on a tray, drizzle a little olive oil and heat in the oven until golden brown and then spread your tapenades on top, you can add different cheeses, rocket, cured meats if you like also. Some people eat them with grilled fish or chicken as they are really healthy and are a nice alternative to heavy sauces. What way do we eat them - just smothered on crusty bread while waiting for the pasta to cook:)

If you want to make them yourself, here is the recipe for the black olive version:

• 500g black olives - pitted
• 25g salted capers, soaked in water for 10 mins and then drained.
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 1 clove garlic
• 125ml extra virgin olive oil
• I don't use salt as there is enough in the other ingredients, you can add chilli or black pepper if you like.

WHAT TO DO:

 - put everything into the food processor except the olive oil and just add gradually until you have a spreadable paste. You can have it smooth or chunky!

BUON APPETITO!!

Parma ham or Prosciutto di Parma is probably the most famous meat from Italy and definitely one of our favourites, it is just one of many types produced in Italy. We use a lot of it in La Cucina and believe me it is not cheap. We buy the best quality we can and therefore the most expensive, a leg can cost us anywhere around €100 and we buy one nearly every week and we only use it for sandwiches and pizzas.  I have to say even the one we buy is still not as good as the different varieties that we've had in Italy. Our favourite way to eat it is Prosciutto e Melone, unfortunately the cantaloupe melon here in Ireland isn't great so we rarely have it so needless to say we gorge on it in Italy. One of the best I've had was actually in a restaurant called L'orologgio in Sicily, the melon was so sweet and the prosciutto was excellent quality, I think I ordered it every time we went there.

Prosciutto derived from the the Latin word "perexutus" meaning "dried" is made from the cured hind leg of the pig. it is cut so one end is rounded. To preserve it the meat is massaged with salt daily for one month until the salt has penetrated right through to the centre of the flesh. The hams are then hung in specially ventilated rooms to mature for about 12 to 16 months,even up to 30 months in some cases and the ham loses 30% of it's weight during this process. Parma ham is made from pigs raised in Emilia Romagna or Lombardy where the raw weight of the ham has to be at least 10-11kg. The production of parma ham is controlled by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma(CPP) and guaranteed that the ham is locally cured and dried in the traditional way. It is also a guarantee that the pigs are raised traditionally and fed on the whey they use to make Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, maize and other natural foods so that the meat is tender and full of flavour. Another well known ham which is smaller and sweeter is the San Daniele from Fruili. Only hams that pass the required criteria receive the the five pointed ducal crown of Parma which is branded into the skin together with the producer's identification code - the parma ham we use has this stamp.

Parma ham is best eaten freshly sliced, a lot of Italians would actually have their own slicer at home and then buy the hams whole, a certain Argentinian player on the Munster team does this. Parma ham loses a lot of it's flavour when pre-packed so try and buy it freshly sliced from a deli, the most important thing is that it is sliced wafer thin. Parma ham is probably most well known as being part of a traditional Antipasto but it is also eaten with figs, melon, grissini or served with asparagus or served as a sandwich in a ciabatta. 

I know this recipe is probably in every cookbook but it is one of my favourites so I'm going to give it to you anyway. This is from Aldo Zilli's book, I'm slowly getting through it:) This recipe is so fast and can be great for a starter or just as light lunch, it really is delicious.

WHAT YOU NEED - Serves 4

• 16 large asparagus spears - mine weren't great, DAMN SUPERMARKETS!!
• 8 slices parma ham
• 25g butter
• 25g Parmesans cheese
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 75g rocket
• black pepper - don't use salt anywhere in this recipe as the parma ham and Parmesan will provide enough.

WHAT TO DO:

 - prepare the asparagus by trimming off the lower part and peeling the stalk

 - bring a pot of water to the boil, add the asparagus and simmer for 4 minutes until bright green and tender. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

 - Wrap 2 asparagus spears in each slice of parma ham and place on an oven tray or foil lined grill pan. Mix the butter and Parmesan together and season with black pepper.

 - Dot the Parmesan mixture all over the wrapped asparagus and place under a hot grill for 4 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and brown.

 - Whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together and use half to dress the salad. Arrange the rocket on a plate, place the asparagus spears on top and drizzle with remaining dressing.

BUON APPETITO!!

I'm sitting here watching the Ireland v Italy rugby match while writing this post, I can't believe how much time has flown by since the last time we played Italy, the princess was tiny. Those were the days when I had time to make cakes, wash my hair, have a drink;) Due to the fact that most of Bru's family abandon us for the summer to Italy, the babysitting services are a little bit limited. It's so bad that myself and a friend went for a walk today with the 2 bambinos and stopped off at the pub for a couple of long neck Bulmers "al fresco" - we were just trying to help their sales and bring their shares back up;) The princess occupied herself by playing with a Budweiser beer mat - please don't call Social Services:)

There is good news though, the MIL(mother in law) has returned in all her bronzed Italian glory baring gifts and more gifts for the princess, the majority being shoes. This child had a pair of D&G shoes at 2 months - I kid you not, they came in a take-away foil container!! Italians take their shoes very seriously even if it is a 10 month old baby. I brought her for her development check up today and the doctor was more interested in her shoes than her hearing:) She has a bigger wardrobe than me at this stage. I'm still waiting for my gift but somehow I think it's just going to be a lecture on my parenting skills;) I'm finished if she finds out about the little Bulmers episode but knowing how small Limerick is she probably will!!!

I've mentioned before that the majority of the Munster team actually eat in La Cucina quite regularly, we even have a special menu for them. It's great when they eat in as there is a great buzz around the place, Paul O'Connell, John Hayes and Alan Quinlan called in the other day on the way back from the airport after the French match. One minute there was no one in the shop and the next it was full of awe struck ladies. They eat a lot of pasta as part of their diet so our place suits them perfect, I even convinced Paul and John to buy some of my new tapenades - that's how good they are;)

I haven't posted a meat recipe in a while so here is a really tasty method for cooking rack of lamb from Olive magazine.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• rack of lamb
• olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Dijon mustard - 4 tbsp
• garlic - 3 cloves finely chopped
• rosemary - 3 tbsp finely chopped
• flat parsley - 4 tbsp finely chopped

WHAT TO DO:

 - put the racks in a dish flesh side up and make slashes into the flesh with a sharp knife to allow the flavours to penetrate.

 - In a bowl mix together 2 tbsp olive oil, mustard, garlic, rosemary and parsley. Season well and rub the mixture all over the lamb.

 - Cover and marinate for an hour or the whole day if you are super organised. We did the hour, organised doesn't exist in the Italian foodie dictionary!

 - heat the oven to 200 degrees, put the lamb in a roasting tray and cook for 15-25 mins depending on size of the rack and how you like it cooked. We eat ours medium rare.

 - remove from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes and serve with either parmesan mash or patate arrosto and broccoli.

BUON APPETITO!

P.S. There is a new blog at the other side of the blog world which I'm really enjoying at the moment as Maryann cooks really nice Italian dishes. Check it out www.findingladolcevita.blogspot.com

p.p.s I've been told that people have problems loading the site sometimes, me thinks this my fault as my photos are too big but I don't know how to make them smaller - loser:) so I've cut down the posts to 4 per page. If you want to see older posts just click on archive section on the right. When I grow up I want to learn how to use a computer:)