L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE I talian food, in gener- al, is a celebration on the plate of what is seasonal and local. In Chianti, some of the best eating of the year is to be found in autumn, which is a very busy period, since it is time to harvest both grapes and olives. Here is a short list of some of the best seasonal foods to enjoy in fall in this beautiful region. Porcini Autumn is porcini season in Chianti, and what a beauti- ful season it is. These huge mushrooms are highly prized and available throughout the year in dried or frozen form, but there is nothing like expe- riencing them fresh. Some restaurants will sell them by weight; they'll bring a basket of them to your table, pre- cooking, for you to choose your own, just like you might a lobster or a great steak. Oftentimes, restaurants will offer a special menu, with p o r c i n i f e a t u r e d i n e a c h course. In autumn, porcini are often featured in pasta dishes like tagliatelle, or in risotto, but due to their nutty, earthy taste and hearty tex- ture, they are an excellent meat substitute, and you may also find them served as an entree or main dish. Ovoli Ovoli, or "Caesar's mush- rooms" are found less often than porcini, but anytime we see them we order them since we love them and they are a v a i l a b l e f o r o n l y a s h o r t time. They are white on the inside, with a burnt orange or red top. They are best eaten raw, sliced thin, and dressed with a great olive oil. You will also find them in soups, but w e t h i n k t h e b e s t w a y t o enjoy their delicate texture and flavor is raw. Peposo This is a typical beef stew of the area, made with just five ingredients: beef, wine, black pepper, garlic, and salt. The stew is meant to be a lit- tle spicy so the black pepper is quite present; sometimes the stew will include whole black peppercorns, for that extra "kick." Peposo is slow- cooked on the stove, and over time it develops a beautiful gravy, even though there is no flour in the recipe. Peposo is traditionally eaten with cannelini beans, or stewed g r e e n s l i k e c h i c o r y o r spinach. Ribollita L i t e r a l l y m e a n i n g " r e - boiled, this is the ultimate C h i a n t i c o m f o r t f o o d . This hearty soup is made f r o m l e f t o v e r s , l i k e s t a l e bread, carrots, celery, kale, cannellini beans, potatoes, onions, and cabbage. Like many popular dishes, it has its roots in peasant food. You may find it re-imagined in upscale restaurants in new and inventive ways, but on a crisp fall day, make sure you try the traditional, no-non- sense original version, which makes you feel full and cozy. Bonus: this dish is nearly always vegan! Tartufo (truffles) I n t h e a u t u m n , e v e r y menu in Chianti will offer several dishes that are sea- soned with truffles – "al tartufo". It's an unusual food – they grow in certain kinds of forests, underground as a fungus, and specially-trained dogs hunt them up in the woods. Truffles add a distinctive, deep earthy flavor to any food (pastas and risottos, meats), and a little goes a long way in terms of flavor strength – in fact, the aroma h a n g s i n t h e a i r i n a n y r e s t a u r a n t w h e r e t h e y ' r e using it. It may be cooked into a pasta sauce, or it may appear thinly shaved atop the pasta, or on a steak. Though there are many different vari- eties, in Chianti you'll see two main types, nero and bianco – black and white. The white is much more precious and costly, so be mindful of the price tag! Olio nuovo (new oil) Fall in Chianti is the time of the raccolta – the olive harvest. The specific week and month vary depending on the region, and the kind of summer the trees had. Once the olives are picked, they're pressed right away to yield the season's first oil. It's a deep, rich, bright green color, bursting with fresh p e p p e r y f l a v o r a s w e l l a s highly healthful qualities. A simple grilled bruschetta or a green salad – or a ribollita! – topped with olio nuovo becomes the richest of treats. Schiacciata all'uva This is a focaccia-type bread, stuffed with ripe san- giovese grapes. It appears in bakeries in the fall, when the grapes are harvested and are quite ripe. Different vari- ations can have extra sugar dusted on top, but most vari- eties are sweetened with the grapes alone. Some versions will have rosemary. Histori- cally, this bread was a way to use up ripe or leftover grapes – a delicious "repurposing." It has a savory element of a little salt and olive oil, and t h e s w e e t e l e m e n t o f t h e grapes. It can be eaten as a dessert, an afternoon snack, or even breakfast. Castagne (Chestnuts) T h e s e a r e h a r v e s t e d i n autumn; you'll find them in all the markets, which means they will also be featured in many restaurants. Chestnuts are available year-round, for e x a m p l e , i f t h e y a r e p r e - served in alcohol or syrup, or ground into a flour (in this form, you will find them in a typical dessert called casta- gnaccio). But to taste their nutty sweetness in their fresh form, you need to seek them out in autumn. You will find them at festivals and weekly markets, sold for a few euro i n p a p e r c o n e s . T o r o a s t them yourself, just score the top of each chestnut before popping them in a hot oven (425°F) for about 15-20 min- u t e s o r u n t i l y o u s e e t h e brown shell peel back a bit away from the white meat inside. Italian chestnuts can often be found in American markets, so you can trans- port yourself to Chianti for an afternoon with your own roasted chestnuts! Cavolo nero (kale) A particular type of black c a b b a g e ( c a l l e d " l a c i n a t o kale" in the United States), this dark green, leafy cabbage starts to make its appearance in markets in mid-fall and remains throughout the win- ter. It is an important ingre- dient in ribollita, and other hearty Tuscan soups. It has a bit of sweetness to it, and softer leaves than most kale found in American markets. It is also often featured as a side dish, for example next to peposo. It can also be made into a hearty pesto for pasta, or as a topping for bruschet- ta. MATT WALKER & ZENEBA BOWERS Truffles on pasta: truffles are a key ingredient of Chianti cuisine (Photo: Matt Walker and Zeneba Bowers) Ovoli mushrooms are delicious eaten raw with just olive oil and herbs (Photo: Matt Walker and Zeneba Bowers) The many flavors of Fall foods in Chianti

• Cover