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GourmetGrrl Bites
GourmetGrrl.com: Food with 'tude
October 5, 2005
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The Grrl may physically be back in the States but her brain (and her stomach) are still in Italy...
Cin Cin!
GourmetGrrl, aka Laura Holmes
Grrl with Corkscrew
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We found ourselves drinking yet another white wine during our Italian travels...maybe it was all that spaghetti with clams we kept eating. Whatever it was, we fell in love with Falanghina [fa-lan-GHEE-nah], a white wine varietal from Campania, a southern region that includes the city of Naples.
Falanghina is a full-bodied white wine with medium acidity and flavors of citrus, honeydew, and minerals. (The name supposedly comes from the word "phalange," which means "tied to the pole," an ancient system of cultivation used to make the vines grow.) You can drink a glass or three before dinner or serve it with fish, light meats, and creamy pastas. (And the more you drink, the easier it is to pronounce!)
Look for these tasty Falanghina producers in your local wine shop or on a wine list: Feudi San Gregorio, Ocone, Villa Matilde, and Terredora. (Retail prices are around $13 a bottle.)
Check, Please
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In the madness of Naples we retreated to a well-known restaurant on a piazza to take a breather. The specialty at Ristorante Bellini is seafood: a trough of fresh fish on ice is displayed by the front door, and the owner will help you pick a finned friend for dinner. We feasted on linguine al cartoccio (baked in paper with shellfish), a pizza margherita, made with fresh, sweet tomatoes, and an insalata caprese with creamy mozzarella di bufala that will ruin you for all mozzarella for the rest of your life.
There are tables outside in the summer and airy tables inside, but park yourself outside if you can. We could have stayed all night just people-watching: a lively family sat next to us, arguing over platters of fettucine, love-struck couples shared pizza and pitchers of wine, and the waiters practiced their sarcasm on everyone. It is quite the Neapolitan experience.
Ristorante Bellini
Via Santa Maria di Costantinopoli 79, Naples
tel 081 45 97 74
Closed Sunday and 1 week in August
Grrl-a with-a Knife-a
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Zucchini blossoms, those little flowers at the end of fresh zucchini, are featured on almost every Tuscan menu in Italy - tossed in pasta or risotto, or stuffed with ricotta or mozzarella and fried. Also known as squash blossoms, they appear in the U.S. in the spring and summer, depending on where you live. Look for them at farmer's markets or specialty markets, and only buy them the day you're planning to cook them.
We ate these sweet and savory blossoms as a first course at a restaurant in Florence called Taverna del Bronzino (see below). Filled with local businessmen, the wine list is encyclopedic and the branzino al forno (roasted European sea bass), the Risotto con limone (risotto with lemon), and the crema di Mascarpone ai lamponi (fresh raspberries with Mascarpone cream) brought tears to our eyes.
FIORI DI ZUCCA FRITTI (Fried Zucchini Blossoms)
12 zucchini blossoms
¾ cup fresh ricotta
1 large egg
1 pinch nutmeg (preferably freshly ground)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grinding of fresh black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
Gently rinse zucchini blossoms under running water and then lay them out on paper towels to dry.
In a small bowl, mix the ricotta with the egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
While the oil is heating, slowly whisk the flour into 1 cup water. Add a pinch of salt and whisk again. (The batter should have the consistency of sour cream, according to Italian culinary expert Marcella Hazan.)
Carefully spoon one heaping tablespoon of the ricotta mixture into each blossom. (Be careful not to overstuff or the sides will split during cooking.)
Dip each blossom into the flour mixture and let any excess batter drip off. Fry the blossoms four at a time, leaving plenty of room around each blossom. Fry for about 2 minutes per side, until golden.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with a little salt if desired, and eat immediately. (You can also squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice on each blossom if you want to feel the Italian culinary love.)
Serves 4-6 people, depending on how fast they grab 'em
If you're heading to Florence, don't miss Taverna del Bronzino, tucked on a side street a few minutes from the Duomo.
Via Delle Ruote, 27R, Florence
Tel: 055 49 52 20
Open for lunch and dinner Mon-Sat.; closed three weeks in August. Reservations highly recommended for dinner