L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES CHIARA D'ALESSIO N e v e r l i k e today the idea o f h a v i n g a quick lunch w h i l e w a l k i n g d o w n t h e m a i n street of our town or village has been so alluring. Whate- ver we picture chomping on, i t t a s t e s l i k e f r e e d o m , doesn't it? Regardless to your coun- try of origin, street food is a staple of traditional cuisi- ne, a quick key to under- stand the secrets of a place's tastes, the Cliff's Notes of national food icons. As you w o u l d e x p e c t f r o m I t a l y , street food has a special sta- tus all of its own, because here street food is a religion — and a pretty complex and v a s t o n e a t t h a t . I f y o u think we do only slices of pizza and gelato to-go, well, be ready for some pleasant and tasty surprises. A c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y : pizza al taglio Although it seems to have originated in Rome, pizza al taglio is common and l o v e d a l l o v e r I t a l y . O u r " p i z z a d a p a s s e g g i o " i s baked in large, usually rec- tangular, oven dishes, and sold by the slice. Thickness and toppings can vary and d e p e n d o n t h e t a s t e a n d creativity of the pizzaiolo, of course. Generally, however, p i z z a a l t a g l i o i s a t a d thicker than the pizza you get at the restaurant (it's easier to eat while standing and walking around), and you can really get everything a n d a n y t h i n g o n i t . H o w e v e r , t r a d i t i o n a l M a r g h e r i t a , m u s h r o o m s , h a m a n d a n c h o v i e s a r e usually the most common. Expect a lot of fantasy thou- gh, and don't be surprised to find also grilled vegetables, onions and tuna, smoked salmon and specialty chee- ses blessing your daily slice. In Liguria and Piedmont, a very popular variety of pizza al taglio is sardenaira, a traditional pizza pie from Sanremo, originally made for fishermen, topped with l o a d s o f t o m a t o s a u c e , anchovies and garlic cloves. L i g u r i a a n d Piemonte: focaccia and farinata (or belècauda) If you ask me, focaccia is single-handedly the most amazingly delicious culinary c r e a t i o n i n t h e w o r l d . There is nothing as simple a s f o c a c c i a : w a t e r , f l o u r , yeast, extra virgin olive oil, some rosemary, if you feel fancy. Yet, every baker has their own way of making it: thicker or thinner, doughy or crunchier, with coarse or regular salt. Focaccia is typi- c a l o f L i g u r i a , w h e r e i t s most famous declension is focaccia alla Genovese. Just like for pizza, there are d e l i c i o u s v a r i a t i o n s f o r focaccia, too. The one with olives is particularly popu- lar, but focaccia con le cipol- le is really to die for: thick, soft focaccia, topped with lashings of sautéd onions… simply perfect. Fine, not the l i g h t e s t o f l u n c h e s , b u t when it comes to taste, you can't beat it. Talking about focaccia in Liguria means also talking about focaccia di Recco, w h i c h i s a I G P p r o d u c t ( " i n d i c a z i o n e g e o g r a f i c a protetta"), which means the original can be made only in Recco, in the province of Genoa. Focaccia di Recco is thinner than its genoese cousin, because it doesn't contain any yeast and it's t o p p e d w i t h c h e e s e a n d extra virgin olive oil. The cheese must be soft, savory a n d , f o r t h e o r i g i n a l I G P version, it must be produced l o c a l l y . I n t h e r e s t o f Liguria, where the IGP-pro- tected "focaccia di Recco" name cannot be used, you'll find it in bakeries as focac- cia al formaggio "stile Recco." Another delicious street food of Liguria is farinata, a thin cake-like dish made with chickpeas flour, water, salt, extra virgin olive oil and rosemary. Rigorously baked in a stone oven, fari- nata is a quintessential cibo da passeggio in Liguria, but i t ' s p o p u l a r a l s o i n Piedmont, where it used to b e c a l l e d b e l è c a u d a . Varieties of it are also popu- lar among our French cou- sins, on the Côte d'Azur. Florence: lampredot- to The panino con il lam- predotto is as Florentine as L o r e n z o d e M e d i c i a n d Piazza della Signoria, but n o t a s n o t o r i o u s a m o n g non-locals. Usually sold by v a n s y o u c a n f i n d a b i t everywhere around town, "lampredotto" — the dialec- tal name of the fourth sto- mach of the cow — is thinly sliced, then slowly cooked in a broth made of herbs and tomato. It may sound odd, but Florentines swear by it and they certainly know a t h i n g o r t w o a b o u t f o o d , don't they? Rome: trapizzino Let's move further south and enter the Eternal City. Here, along with pizza and supplì (similar to arancini, but don't call them that), you'll find the trapizzino. N o w , t h e p e c u l i a r t h i n g a b o u t t r a p i z z i n o i s h o w y o u n g i t i s . Y e s , y o u n g , because while the other deli- cacies in this article have been easily keeping com- pany to Italians for centu- ries, trapizzino is a 21st cen- tury creation, the brainchild of two Roman restaurateurs w h o i n t r o d u c e d i t t o t h e public in 2008. Basically, it's like a rolled up slice of pizza, but filled with all the best things Roman cuisine can give you: coda alla vacci- nara, pollo alla cacciatora, R o m a n v e g e t a b l e s , y o u name it. By the way, if you'- re around NYC, look for it: there is a trapizzino shop in Lower Manhattan! Naples: sfogliatelle The last stop in our deli- cious journey is for all those w i t h a s w e e t t o o t h a n d a penchant for buon caffé: we are in Naples, the home of s f o g l i a t e l l e r i c c e . Tradition wants them to be born in a convent, just like another iconic Italian des- sert, cannoli Siciliani. Here, h o w e v e r , w e a r e o n t h e Costiera Amalfitana and the century is, very likely, the 1 7 t h . T h e y w e r e c a l l e d Santarosa, to honor the name of the convent where they were created, and rea- c h e d N a p l e s o n l y i n t h e e a r l y 1 8 0 0 s , w h e n b a k e r Pasquale Pintauro, who had a store in Via Toledo, j u s t o p p o s i t e t h e S a n t a Brigida church, modified the recipe slightly and created the triangular sfogliatella w e k n o w a n d l o v e t o d a y . This fragrant parcel of puff pastry is either filled with sweet semolina or vanilla custard and it's a must if you go to Naples! Lampredotto sandwich is a typical streetfood in Florence (Photo: Dreamstime) Eating in a rush … Italian style

• Cover