L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano J ust the other day, I was leafing through the pages of La Cucina Ital- iana when I stum- bled upon an intriguing article about the three types of Ital- ian stracciatella. To my surprise, I discovered that the ice cream variant, one of my favorite "gusto di gelato," was only created in the 1960s. This revelation sparked my curiosity, prompting me to delve deeper and uncover more about these culinary treasures. S o , l e t ' s t a k e a l o o k a t what I discovered. As mentioned the term "stracciatella" not to one, but three distinct culinary delights. Each one, whether it be a soup, a cheese, or an ice cream, carries a rich his- tory and a unique flavor pro- f i l e t h a t h a s m a d e i t a beloved part of Italian cui- sine. Stracciatella, in its earli- est form, was a soup. Born in the heart of Rome during the 1870s, this dish was a creative solution to a practi- cal problem. Picture this: it's the Christmas season, and f a m i l i e s h a v e p r e p a r e d a hearty chicken broth, but what to do with the leftovers in the following days? The answer was simple yet inge- n i o u s : a d d a n e g g t o t h e b r o t h , f o r m i n g a c r e a m y concoction that was chris- tened "stracciatella". This creation was not just about culinary innovation, but also a reflection of the socio-eco- n o m i c c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e time: can you imagine a time when cooking meat was a luxury, and leftover broth was a precious commodity? T h e s t r a c c i a t e l l a s o u p recipe spread across Italy quickly, especially in our central regions, with local v a r i a t i o n s a d d i n g t h e i r u n i q u e t o u c h . I n E m i l i a R o m a g n a , i t ' s k n o w n a s m i n e s t r a p a r a d i s o , a name that evokes the ethere- al taste sensation it imparts. A r o u n d t h e w o r l d , s t r a c - ciatella soup is often called "Italian egg drop soup." Fast forward to the 1960s, m o r e p r e c i s e l y t o 1 9 6 1 , land stracciatella takes on a new form: ice cream. The b i r t h p l a c e o f t h i s s w e e t delight was Bergamo, and the man behind it, Enrico CHIARA D'ALESSIO third stracciatella? This one is a cheese, born in the early 1900s in Puglia during an e c o n o m i c c r i s i s . I n t h o s e years, farmers struggled to make ends meet, yet they were resourceful and deter- m i n e d . F o l l o w i n g t h e o l d saying that nothing should b e w a s t e d , t h e y t o o k t h e remnants of stretched curd used for making mozzarella, combined it with cream, and voilà!Stracciatella cheese was born. When you think of it, the luscious, soft and deli- cate texture of this cheese is a symbol of our ancestors' resilience and creativity. M a n y o f y o u m a y b e familiar with stracciatella thanks to another traditional I t a l i a n c h e e s e , b u r r a t a . Indeed, stracciatella cheese is actually the creamy filling found in burrata cheese! The outer shell of burrata is solid mozzarella, while the inside contains both stracciatella a n d c r e a m , g i v i n g i t a u n i q u e , s o f t t e x t u r e . B u r r a t a m e a n s "buttered" in Italian and it was first made in the early 2 0 t h c e n t u r y i n t h e c i t y of Andria in Murgia, in the Apulia region (in Southern I t a l y ) . B o t h b u r r a t a a n d s t r a c c i a t e l l a c a n b e made with cow or buffalo milk, just like mozzarella itself. When the burrata - which is typically served fresh, at room temperature - is sliced open, the creamy, buttery stracciatella filling spills out. It's often served w i t h s a l a d s , p r o s c i u t t o crudo, ripe tomatoes, pasta and pizzas topped with cher- ry tomatoes and prosciutto crudo again. Stracciatella, on the other hand, is often used to enrich pasta dishes. If the fancy strikes you, you can even make strac- ciatella at home, even if it may seem like a daunting task. Clearly, it won't be the exact same as Puglia's origi- nal but, with the right dedi- cation and ingredients, a delightful imitation is within reach. The key to this recipe is using braided mozzarella ( e i t h e r b u f f a l o o r c o w ) , w h i c h c a n b e s h r e d d e d lengthwise to achieve the desired texture. The shreds are then placed in a ceramic bowl, covered with cream, and lightly seasoned with salt. It's important to note that buffalo mozzarella is i n h e r e n t l y f l a v o r f u l , s o a light hand with the salt is advised if you decide to use it. The mixture is then left in a c o o l p l a c e ( n o t i n t h e refrigerator!) for about six hours so that the flavors can mix, making sure to stir the cheese every now and then. And les jeux sont faits! Once r e a d y , y o u r homemade stracciatella can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days! LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Panattoni, owner of a cafe- gelateria in the città alta, La Marianna. Legends say that Enrico wanted to create an ice cream that had a similar look and feel to that of strac- ciatella soup, smooth but with a tad of extra texture. So, he began experimenting with his fiordilatte ice cream and, with a real stroke of genius, he added hot dark chocolate to the mix. The result? A deliciously creamy i c e c r e a m w i t h s h a r d s o f chocolate, reminiscent of the shredded egg in the original stracciatella soup. The name stracciatella, which means "shredded" in Italian, perfectly captures the essence of these dishes. But did you know there's a A bowl of stracciatella soup. The dish is widespread across central Italy (Photo: Sergii Koval/Dreamstime) OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED Stracciatella, a tale of three Italian delights Gelato alla stracciatella, a delicious mix of fiordilatte and chocolate (Photo: Seramo/Dreamstime)

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